Marcia Hutchinson: The Mercy Step

Bradford, December 1962. Mercy arrives in a busy Jamaican household where it is easy for a small child to feel overlooked. Her mother’s attention is divided between church and family, her siblings do not quite know what to make of her, and everyone has learnt to keep an eye on her father’s temper.

Mercy finds comfort in books, in her imagination and in Dolly, her much-loved toy. But she is far from passive. Funny, observant and determined, she begins to understand that if she wants a different future, she will have to make it for herself.

Drawing on Marcia’s own experiences of growing up in Bradford, The Mercy Step is a moving story about childhood, family, survival and finding your voice. Marcia talks about the story behind Mercy, followed by questions from the audience and a book signing.

Marcia grew up in Bradford in a Windrush-generation Jamaican family. She was the first pupil from her comprehensive school to attend Oxford University and went on to work as a lawyer before founding the educational publishing company Primary Colours. She later received an MBE for services to cultural diversity and became a full-time writer at sixty.

Hartmanns readers may also know Marcia as one half of the writing duo Lila Cain, co-author with Kate Griffin of The Blackbirds of St Giles.