Making It: How Love, Kindness and Community Helped Me Repair My Life

(Hardback)

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The Sunday Times bestseller 'Jay can teach us all something about the simple power of compassion and creativity.' - Radio Times Making It is an inspirational memoir about beating the odds and turning things around even when it all seems hopeless, by Jay Blades, the beloved star of hit BBC One show The Repair Shop. 'We had our hardships, and there were times that we didn't have a lot of food and didn't have a lot of money. But that didn't stop me having the time of my life.' In this book, Jay Blades shares the details of his life, from his childhood growing up sheltered and innocent on a council estate in Hackney, to his adolescence when he was introduced to violent racism at secondary school, to being brutalized by police as a teen, to finally becoming the presenter of the hit primetime show The Repair Shop. Jay reflects on strength, weakness and what it means to be a man. He questions the boundaries society places on male vulnerability and how letting himself be nurtured helped him flourish into the person he is today. An expert at giving a second life to cherished items, Jay's positivity, pragmatism and kindness shine through these pages and show that with care and love, anything can be mended.

Reviews

Moving and beguiling * The Bookseller *
An incredible story of triumph over adversity, I couldn't put it down. -- Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Little Mix
Jay can teach us all something about the simple power of compassion and creativity. -- Radio Times

Author Bio

Jay Blades is the beloved star of hit BBC TV shows The Repair Shop, Money for Nothing, Jay's Yorkshire Workshop and Jay Blades' Home Fix. Originally from Hackney in East London, Jay Blades left school aged fifteen with no qualifications: his severe dyslexia was not diagnosed until he was an adult. He gained a degree in Criminology and Philosophy at Buckingham University in his thirties before finding his true vocation in restoration. He is the beloved TV star of hit BBC One show The Repair Shop. Jay is an inspirational motivator and co-founded award-winning social enterprises Out of The Dark and Street of Dreams. Working with disengaged and disadvantaged young people, Jay was able to mentor and support thousands of individuals over the years to realize their full potential.