From The Archives: Malorie Blackman on race, language and the legacy of Noughts & Crosses

About this episode

Dua Lipa revisits her conversation with Malorie Blackman about the impact of 'Noughts & Crosses' on themes of race and inequality.

From the archives this month, we revisit Dua’s conversation with Malorie Blackman, the former Children’s Laureate and author of the groundbreaking young adult series Noughts & Crosses. The novel follows Callum and Sephy, childhood friends growing up on opposite sides of a violently segregated society, where the ruling Crosses hold power over the oppressed Noughts. More than 20 years after its release, Dua and Malorie discuss Noughts & Crosses’ lasting impact and why its themes of inequality, identity and division remain so relevant today. Together, they explore the lived experiences and inspirations behind the novel, as well as touching on the role of language, prejudice and storytelling, as well as how fiction can challenge the way we see one another. Tune into the full conversation above. Join the club: 📩 Email us your thoughts – books@service95.com 📲 Follow @service95bookclub on Instagram for more author interviews 📚 Subscribe to the Service95 Book Club newsletter – and be the first to discover Dua’s next pick – at service95.com And don’t forget to hit ‘subscribe’ wherever you get your podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Dua Lipa

Guest: Malorie Blackman

Topics covered

• race
• language
• inequality
• identity
• storytelling
• prejudice

Keywords

• Malorie Blackman
• Noughts & Crosses
• race
• inequality
• storytelling
• language
• identity

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Service95

Books & works: Noughts & Crosses

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