Zadie Smith Asks, What Makes Us Feel Alive?

The Day I Fell Off My Island is Yvonne Bailey-Smith's debut novel, an auto-fictional coming-of-age story that follows Erna Mullings, a teenage Jamaican girl raised by her grandparents whose life changes when she is sent to live in Britain. The novel explores identity, displacement, family ties and the immigrant experience through evocative prose and memory-driven scenes drawn from the author's own background.

White Teeth is Zadie Smith's debut novel, published in 2000. The book focuses on the later lives of two wartime friends—the Bangladeshi Samad Iqbal and the Englishman Archie Jones—and their families in London. It spans over 50 years, detailing the trials and tribulations of their families and exploring Britain's relationship with immigrants from the British Commonwealth. The novel addresses themes of identity, race, and the complexities of multiculturalism, and it is known for its vivid characters, humor, and strong narrative structure.

In 'Dead and Alive: Essays', Zadie Smith brings her distinctive voice and critical insight to a wide range of subjects that have captured her attention in recent years. The collection is organized into thematic sections—eyeballing, considering, reconsidering, mourning, and confessing—and features intimate reflections on artists like Toyin Ojih Odutola, Kara Walker, and Celia Paul, as well as cultural phenomena such as the film 'Tár' and the rise of Stormzy at Glastonbury. Smith also mourns the passing of literary giants like Joan Didion, Martin Amis, Hilary Mantel, Philip Roth, and Toni Morrison, and considers political shifts on both sides of the Atlantic. Throughout, she demonstrates her unparalleled ability to engage critically and humanely with the most pressing issues of our time, blending personal experience with broader social commentary.