A New Statesman Book of the Year AS HEARD ON BBC RADIO 4'S BOOK OF THE WEEK 'Hashi Mohamed powerfully exposes the alienating and segregating effect of social immobility in this country.' David Lammy 'A moving, shocking and clear-eyed account of the increasingly rare phenomenon of social mobility. Using his own extraordinary story as a spine [Hashi Mohamed] has written an analysis, how-to-guide and polemic on getting on and up in Britain today.' - Grayson Perry 'Beautifully written and powerfully argued, People Like Us is essential reading' The Secret Barrister What does it take to make it in modern Britain? Ask a politician, and they'll tell you it's hard work. Ask a millionaire, and they'll tell you it's talent. Ask a CEO and they'll tell you it's dedication. But what if none of those things is enough? Raised on benefits and having attended some of the lowest-performing schools in the country, barrister Hashi Mohamed knows something about social mobility. In People Like Us, he shares what he has learned: from the stark statistics that reveal the depth of the problem to the failures of imagination, education and confidence that compound it. We live in a society where the single greatest indicator of what your job will be is the job of your parents. Where power and privilege are concentrated among the 7 per cent of the population who were privately educated. Where, if your name sounds black or Asian, you'll need to send out twice as many job applications as your white neighbour. Wherever you are on the social spectrum, this is an essential investigation into our society's most intractable problem. We have more power than we realise to change things for the better.

As cities expand and rents rise, what does it really mean to have a home? 'A marvel, by an inspiring and deeply humane writer' - Philippe Sands A home is important because it offers sanctuary and privacy. It can help improve mental health and emotional resilience, and it can help break people out of cycles of poverty. Yet in the past 30 years we've seen home ownership dwindle as council housing stocks deplete and more of us are caught in insecure tenancies. And it's not just London - there isn't a single major city in the world today not suffering from an affordable housing crisis. Why does this matter - and what can be done? Drawing on his own history of housing insecurity and his professional career as a planning barrister, Hashi Mohamed examines the myriad aspects of housing - from Right-to-Buy to Grenfell, slums and evictions to the Bank of Mum and Dad. A Home of One's Own is a deeply personal study of the crisis confronting global metropoles - and an exploration of the ways we can remove barriers, improve equality and create cities where more people have a place to call their own.