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Making It

How Love, Kindness and Community Helped Me Repair My Life

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Making It

By: Jay Blades
Narrated by: Damian Lynch
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Summary

Making It is a memoir about beating the odds and turning things around even when it all seems hopeless, by Jay Blades, known from the 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 his book, Jay 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.

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Critic reviews

Lynch dramatically conveys the diverse cultures, personalities, and accents of Blades's world, and recounts how he coped with dyslexia and learned to "upcycle"—repair items from a dump for resale—then taught homeless kids this marketable skill. Most memorable is Lynch's delivery of Blades's honesty, self-deprecating humor, and can-do motto: "If something's broken (including life), you can always find a way to put it together."
Moving and beguiling
All stars
Most relevant
This is a really interesting autobiography; kept me gripped to the end. Great choice of narrator brought the story to life. Fantastic!

Fantastic life story, very well read

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i was rivetted listening to the narrator, i think it was brilliantly read and the different accents used were authentic. i felt so sad that as a child Jay faced such racism and hatred by bigots. He has been very honest in this book and i liked his unique way of communicating with the boy in the children's home and gaining respect from the troubled youths. although its not a conventional method. i was sad when it came to the end of the story. its a story of twists and turns and Jay has come through this as a shining star. i think he has much more to do with helping disaffected young people. being able to build trusting relationships with them is not something that just anyone can do.

a very good read, had me rivetted to the end.

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I loved it from the first few utterance. I thought it was Jay talking. Damian Lynch narrated brilliantly. I cried and laughed so much. Jay gives hope to the underdog, the unheard, the lost and the marginalised. I want to give this book to everyone. Jay is such a realist. I believe so many will identify with his life experiences. I simply couldn't put it down. Jay has lived a thousand lives, and it has made him the great man that he is today. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for him.

Absolutely brilliant

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Jay lays himself bare. No holds barred. The swearing came as a shock but not in a bad way. It is used for emphasis of the situation.
Loved it all.

Outbloodystanding

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Fantastic read, lot of respect to you Jay Blades and carry on the good work 👍

Fantastic read

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