Is hope our greatest need? Malorie Blackman has faced illness and rejection to become one of Britain's favourite writers. She believes that hope is the spark to success.
The bestselling author who faced 82 rejections
Is hope our greatest need? Malorie Blackman has faced illness and rejection to become one of Britain's favourite writers. She believes that hope is the spark to success.
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Malorie Blackman is one of Britain's greatest writers for children and young adults. Yet her path to successSuccess is when you reach your aim or purpose. was long and hard.
Blackman was born in South London. Her parents had moved from BarbadosAn island nation in the Caribbean. Most of its inhabitants are the descendants of slaves who were traded under British rule..
As a child she faced racistBelieving that a person's skin colour makes them better than others. abuse at school. At the age of 13, she lived in a homeless shelter with her family.
Blackman has sickle cell diseaseA group of inherent disorders that cause unusually shaped red blood cells in sufferers. . One doctor said she would die before she was 30.
Blackman decided to make every day count. She began writing. It was not easy: she received 82 rejectionWhen somebody says no to an idea or offer. letters. But she kept trying. "If you hope things can be better," she says, "that's when you try and make things better."
Her hope paid off. Throughout the 1990s she wrote lots of bestselling books.
As a child Blackman found almost no stories featuring Black heroes. She wanted to change this. In 2001 she published Noughts & Crosses. It imagined a world where the powerful Black Crosses rule over the White Noughts.
Is hope our greatest need?
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Yes! We all need to have hope for something. If not, we would never have any reason to do anything. Hope keeps us going when times are hard.
No! Hope is very important to our happiness. But our greatest needs are food, water and a place to live.
Success - Success is when you reach your aim or purpose.
Barbados - An island nation in the Caribbean. Most of its inhabitants are the descendants of slaves who were traded under British rule.
Racist - Believing that a person's skin colour makes them better than others.
Sickle cell disease - A group of inherent disorders that cause unusually shaped red blood cells in sufferers.
Rejection - When somebody says no to an idea or offer.
The bestselling author who faced 82 rejections

Glossary
Success - Success is when you reach your aim or purpose.
Barbados - An island nation in the Caribbean. Most of its inhabitants are the descendants of slaves who were traded under British rule.
Racist - Believing that a person's skin colour makes them better than others.
Sickle cell disease - A group of inherent disorders that cause unusually shaped red blood cells in sufferers.
Rejection - When somebody says no to an idea or offer.