Jacaranda signs actor Browne's 'gripping' memoir

Jacaranda has acquired Little Big Man, the memoir of actor Stanley J Browne.

Publisher Valerie Brandes acquired world rights to the book directly from the author.

Set against a backdrop of 1970s poverty and racism, the memoir charts Browne’s experiences as the second of four children growing up in a Jamaican family in East London. 

"From birth he knew nothing but a home filled with love and the vibrancy of a Caribbean culture, but this changed when his mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia," the publisher states. "In this honest and gripping memoir, Stanley reflects on a childhood and adolescence torn apart by mental disorder."

"Because of it, he has to adopt the mantle of ‘man of the house’. Forced to scavenge for food and miss school to care for his baby brother, his life is further fragmented as they yo-yo in and out of the care system. An intelligent and sensitive child, Stanley begins a descent into crime, heroin addiction and gang life. It is only when he is sent to a young offender’s institution that he slowly begins to turn his life around."

Browne trained at the Anna Scher Theatre in North London, going on to win the sole scholarship for men at Mountview Acting Academy in classical theatre. He has performed Shakespeare’s "Othello", and also appears in film, TV and theatre. He is also a singer songwriter and has recorded an album.

The memoir will publish in hardback on 14th October.