Mass reading project tackles the legacy of slavery

"More than 50,000 free copies of Andrea Levy's novel, Small Island, will be distributed today in four British cities in a bid to encourage reading, discussion and possibly argument. The bestseller, which won the Orange prize in 2004, will be made available in Bristol, Hull, Glasgow and Liverpool with the help of funds from the Heritage Lottery Fund and other sponsors. The participating cities all have connections with the slave trade. Levy's story of migration from Jamaica to a bleak and chilly post-war Britain has been chosen to mark the 200th anniversary of the of the slave trade abolition bill" - The Guardian