People Like Us

Hashi Mohamed came to Britain aged nine, a refugee from the Somali civil war. He attended some of Britain's worst schools and was raised exclusively on state benefits. Yet today he is a successful barrister, with an Oxford degree and a CV that includes appearances on the BBC. In People Like Us, Hashi explores what his own experience can tell us about social mobility in Britain today. Far from showing that anything is possible, he concludes his story is far from typical: our country is still riven with deep divisions that block children from deprived backgrounds from accessing the advantages that are handed to others from birth. Confronting the stark statistics that reveal the depth of the problem, the problems of imagination and confidence that compound it, and offering inspirational advice for those hoping to change their own circumstances, People Like Us is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand modern Britain - and how we could change it for the better.