With dyslexia affecting about 10%, the statistical links between receipt of free school meals and attainment suggest that poverty and the lack of resources to combat it account for almost all the rest. The fabric of Jay's life apparently constitutes a weft of ebullient happiness anchored down by the warp of failure and depression. He gained a degree in Criminology and Philosophy at Buckingham University in his thirties before finding his true vocation in restoration. His path to personal and professional success has been fraught and winding - he ultimately fell into restoration through his activism to educate and empower marginalized youth.

Jay Blades announces his new book Life Lessons - Prima Jay Blades announces his new book Life Lessons - Prima

His life was full of challenges, and from an early age, he learned what a being person of colour truly means in a world created to give advantage and favour white people. I admit to being a trifle skeptical about the content, I suspect that an autobiography doesn't have to be quite as strict with the truth as a fully-cited biography does. Working with disengaged and disadvantaged young people, Jay was able to mentor and support thousands of individuals over the years to realise their full potential. With thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan Bluebird for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.As someone who also repairs furniture and upholstery, I also appreciated the story from that aspect and will be checking out his new DIY book. Good morning all, I'm 50 today and I wanted to post this photo with my head down, (don't worry I'm not sad) I'm doing this as a mark of respect to EVERYONE, that got me here. There was a programme, many years ago, about a specialist teacher and a class of mature learners who fell short of full literacy. Blades grew up on a Hackney estate in the 70s – not a great place to be then, he says – and went unsupported at school, leaving without any qualifications.

Jay Blades Jay Blades

We meet Jay’s girlfriend Lisa, his daughter Zola and his ‘adopted’ family who all help him with his reading challenge. He has had a roller coaster of a life, and luckily, when he needed it, there was caring people that helped him out along the way. An expert at giving a second life to cherished items, Jay’s positivity, pragmatism and kindness shine through these pages and show that with care and love, anything can be mended. It’s a fine, tightly focused look at the many interdependent causes of illiteracy, and its effects, with unusually honest appraisals of them from Blades (who seems constitutionally incapable of flannel) and contributors. We had our hardships, and there were times that we didn’t have a lot of food and didn’t have a lot of money.

At times I liked him, his passion and compassion, his drive and determination earned my respect, and then at times I couldn't understand his choices and wanted to shake him. He questions the boundaries society places on male vulnerability and how letting himself be nurtured helped him flourish into the person he is today. Jay also meets school pupils and adults who struggle with reading and writing, as he discovers the human stories behind the nation’s literacy statistics.

BBC One - Jay Blades: Learning to Read at 51 BBC One - Jay Blades: Learning to Read at 51

All in all, I think you get a very interesting insight into the actual human that is Jay Blades, not the TV persona, not a public persona, the real deal.But he is a real inspiration and a big success story of how to overcome difficulties and adversity to flourish and succeed. Although some of the aspects covered in Making It like the author’s dyslexia, have been alluded to, or even well documented, in recent times, Making It is a wonderful, detailed insight into the life and personality of Jay Blades. The more the reader reads, the more they comprehend what it means to be a warm, intelligent, black man simply trying to do his best.

Making It: How Love, Kindness and Community Helped Me R…

Despite being humorous at times and showing a lot of Jay’s cheeky personality, this book isn’t a rose-tinted view of the world by any means - Jay addresses the ongoing racism issues in society, and he is brutally honest about his own life experiences with dyslexia. However, aside from being entertaining, interesting and engaging, I think Making It is an important book. That said, as he states in the book, " You can't live your kids' lives for them", he's done what he can, with who he is and even if he contributed to some of the problems, at least he's still trying to do something about contributing to the solution as well. We had our hardships, and there were times that we didn't have a lot of food and didn't have a lot of money. Through his own, very personal experiences, Jay Blades gives permission for readers, especially men, to show and accept their vulnerability without embarrassment.Blades and his wife Jade set up a charity based in High Wycombe, Out of the Dark, to train disadvantaged young people in furniture restoration. And he told how the failure of one of those relationships nearly caused him to end his life and that his life was saved by the kindness of near strangers. well overall I could appreciate the memoir and his story about him overcoming so many struggles from racism, literacy, growing into maturity and finding his place and passion in the world.