Columbia Road by Linda Wilkinson
Linda Wilkinson's childhood was spent on the dusty, pungent workaday streets of Columbia Road. Sundays brought the flower market and visits to the pub with her flamboyant, ancient grandmother, who would seat Linda on the bar while she sang. Surrounded by poverty and love, eccentricity and endurance - in a borough of refugees, craftsmen, working men and the odd crook - Linda watched carefully and absorbed the secrets and frailties of the adults around her. A career spent in haematology, specialising in the diagnosis of blood disorders, brought Linda hard against the limits of both science and her watchful self. She would have to come back home before she could begin again. An extraordinary tale of belonging and awakening.
'An astonishingly accomplished memoir, vividly written and evoking both a time that has changed for ever and a place that is transforming in front of our eyesWritten with a complete lack of self-regard and great originality. I m a fan.' - Julie Christie
Linda Wilkinson was born on Columbia Road, in east London, and attended Central Foundation Grammar School, Spitalfields. After working in the field haematology in the laboratories of the Royal Free and Whitechapel hospitals, Linda moved into medical research, becoming the scientist and manager in charge of the Rheumatology Unit at University College London. Here she worked with Professor Jo Edwards and his team on experiments which led to the identification of the cells which line the human joint, opening the way to future targeted therapies for arthritis. Her involvement with HIV and its consequences led Linda to be involved with lobbying bodies such as Stonewall and Amnesty International, of which she was the UK chair for six years. In 2001 she and her partner were the first to sign the Greater London Authority's Partnership Register, which paved the way for same sex marriage. Since retirement Linda has focused on writing, local history and creative community work. She still lives in Bethnal Green.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781910463420 |
| ISBN 10 | 1910463426 |
| Title | Columbia Road |
| Author | Linda Wilkinson |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | September Publishing |
| Year published | 2017-06-01 |
| Number of pages | 256 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |