Literature has long been fascinated with fostered, adopted and orphaned children, from Moses to Cinderella to Oliver Twist to Harry Potter. So why do many parentless children feel compelled to hide their pasts? Poet and playwright Lemn Sissay tells his own moving story. (Photo credit: Ted.com)
An award-winning playwright and popular broadcaster in the UK, as well as the author of five poetry books, Lemn Sissay has a way with words. “You can define how strong a democracy is by how its government treats the child of the state,” Lemn says, referring to his life story as an adopted child growing up in England. He recently spoke at TED Talks and his presentation was entitled A child of the State.
You can watch the video below filmed at TEDx Houses of Parliament.
