The Last Holiday by Gil Scott-Heron

Book Review by Miriam Vaswani | 25 Jan 2012
Book title: The Last Holiday
Author: Gil Scott-Heron

The Last Holiday is a deeply personal, if self-conscious, telling of Gil Scott-Heron’s life. The writer and musician’s early life is described from a witty, sensitive angle. The clash between Scott-Heron’s early life in Jackson and New York adolescence is described with humour and honesty, where hard political realities mixed with small talk create a memorable atmosphere.

Maternal presences in the author’s life (his mother and grandmother) are realistic and engaging. Stevie Wonder’s role in creating Martin Luther King Day gave me a broader view of both Wonder and the effort required to give recognition where it is due. Scott-Heron doesn’t lose sight of his own iconic status, which lets the book down to some extent. Memories of the publicity surrounding the man can hinder the reader as the story settles into the writer’s adult life.

Less flattering memories are occasionally brushed aside while encounters with other contemporary icons are over-emphasised, but the story  also slips expertly between the everyday worries of paying for groceries and the injustices that inspired the civil rights movement. The prose is lyrical and no-nonsense, and Scott-Heron’s poetry interspersed with the real-life events that inspired his work adds great depth to the book. Engaging from the first page.

Out now. Published by Canongate. Cover price £20