When you think this book was first published in 1972, it still is an amazingly fresh, and current read – politically and socially just as pertinent as it was 50 years ago. A tale of struggle and poverty, but it is also of female friendship, support and camaraderie, but one written with great humour and sensitivity. Through the eyes of a single Nigerian mother of 5, we see how Adah battles with poverty, the welfare system, racism and class snobbery. Buchi Emecheta writes with great compassion, sensitivity and humour, and covers topics still very relevant today.

The concept of a mother of 5 having to give up her civil service job and studies to ‘go on the dole’ in order to keep her children with her seems counter intuitive to me. I have been brought up with the belief that education and hard work are the ways out of poverty. This is a frank, no holds barred tale of a system that traps those it is trying to help. Whilst shining a light on the realities of poverty in the 1970s it is full of warmth, compassion and friendship. It also has remarkably shocking parallels with the world we live in today. A member of my Bookclub commented that The Ditch should be required reading for today’s social workers … I don’t think we’d go too far wrong to including it in the Westminster induction pack. An intense but rewarding read … I’d definitely recommend.