A haunting and tragicomic tale of the end of childhood, Annie John is told with Jamaica Kincaids trademark candour and complexity, and is a true coming-of-age classic.

An adored only child growing up in Antigua, Annie has until recently lived a peaceful and content life. She is inseparable from her beautiful mother, a powerful and influential presence, who sits at the very centre of the little girls existence. Loved and cherished, Annie grows and thrives within her mothers shadow.

When she turns twelve, however, Annies life changes, in ways that are often mysterious to her. She begins to question the cultural assumptions of her island world; at school she makes rebellious friends and frequently challenges authority; and most frighteningly, her mother, seeing Annie as a young lady, ceases to be the source of unconditional adoration and takes on the new and unfamiliar guise of adversary.

Part of the Picador Collection, a series showcasing the best of modern literature.

THE NO. 1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

THE 15 MILLION COPY BESTSELLER

Stop people-pleasing and achieve true happiness.

'I highly recommend it to everybody... a really interesting book' Andrew Huberman, Huberman Lab

Millions have already benefited from the wisdom dispensed in The Courage to Be Disliked, its simple yet profound advice showing us how to harness our inner power to become the person we would like to be.

A philosopher and a student have a discussion. Their conversation reveals a profoundly liberating way of thinking: by developing the courage to change, set healthy boundaries and resist the impulse to please others, it is possible to find genuine and lasting happiness.

Your life is not something that someone gives you, but something you choose yourself, and you are the one who decides how you live.