Overview

Now a major new stage work 'Punch' by James Graham, at London's Young Vic theatre 1 March to 12 April 2025 ★★★★★ The Times ★★★★★ What's On Stage ★★★★ Guardian ★★★★ Telegraph ★★★★ Financial Times ★★★★ The Stage

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9780008472146

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Reviews

'Part mea culpa, part love letter to his mother, and part manifesto on how to help children from difficult backgrounds to avoid the lifestyle he led. At its heart is the theme of restorative justice.' The Guardian 'A split second becomes a defining moment for two families and the end of a man's life. A much-needed burst of light in the dark meadow of time.' Lemn Sissay, author of My Name is Why 'Captivating and insightful... surprisingly full of hope.' Nazir Afzal, author of The Prosecutor: One Man's Pursuit of Justice for the Voiceless 'A compelling case for restorative justice.' The Telegraph 'This powerful and unflinching memoir is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand why hurt people hurt people. A must-read for anyone working in the criminal justice system.' Marina Cantacuzino, founder of The Forgiveness Project Praise for The Punch, the BBC podcast that inspired the book: 'A devastating listen .... The Punch made you interrogate your idea of shame, and forgiveness.' Miranda Sawyer, The Guardian 'Made me cry all day ... You feel the beautiful stark pallor of words like forgiveness, and love. Jacob's self-doubt is powerful too.' The New Statesman 'Jacob's honesty shone through. ... Strong evidence of the power of restorative justice. ... A complicated and painful story ... devastating but also compelling.' Irish Times 'Powerful ... exquisite. ... A gentle, compelling case for restorative justice' The Telegraph 'Showed us how to look harder at ourselves. And to understand why.' The Times

‘Part mea culpa, part love letter to his mother, and part manifesto on how to help children from difficult backgrounds to avoid the lifestyle he led. At its heart is the theme of restorative justice.’ The Guardian ‘Engaging… Dunne argues cogently, coherently and from experience that to have choices in life you also have to have chances.’ The Observer, Book of the Day ‘A split second becomes a defining moment for two families and the end of a man’s life. A much-needed burst of light in the dark meadow of time.’ Lemn Sissay, author of My Name is Why ‘A moving and unflinching account of an extraordinary journey. Jacob's astonishing bravery in looking inwards, as well as out towards society and its criminal justice system, is so admirable and beautifully done. It contains that rare thing in story about tragedy – genuine hope.’ James Graham, playwright ‘Captivating and insightful… surprisingly full of hope.’ Nazir Afzal, author of The Prosecutor: One Man’s Pursuit of Justice for the Voiceless ‘A compelling case for restorative justice.’ The Telegraph ‘This powerful and unflinching memoir is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand why hurt people hurt people. A must-read for anyone working in the criminal justice system.’ Marina Cantacuzino, founder of The Forgiveness Project Praise for The Punch, the BBC podcast that inspired the book: ‘A devastating listen …. The Punch made you interrogate your idea of shame, and forgiveness.’ Miranda Sawyer, The Guardian ‘Made me cry all day … You feel the beautiful stark pallor of words like forgiveness, and love. Jacob’s self-doubt is powerful too.’ The New Statesman ‘Powerful … exquisite. … A gentle, compelling case for restorative justice’ The Telegraph ‘Showed us how to look harder at ourselves. And to understand why.’ The Times

'The Meadows and the man. A single punch. A split second becomes a defining moment for two families and the end of a man's life. The boy standing with a fist still clenched will eventually meet the parents of the boy he has just killed. The boy who has died will hold them together. This book is, in some way, the story told by the boy who isn't here, through the man who is. Books, like people, can be a much needed burst of light in the dark meadow of time. This is that.' Lemn Sissay, author of My Name is Why Praise for The Punch, the BBC podcast that inspired the book: 'A devastating listen .... The Punch made you interrogate your idea of shame, and forgiveness.' Miranda Sawyer, The Guardian 'Made me cry all day ... You feel the beautiful stark pallor of words like forgiveness, and love. Jacob's self-doubt is powerful too.' The New Statesman 'Jacob's honesty shone through. ... Strong evidence of the power of restorative justice. ... A complicated and painful story ... devastating but also compelling.' Irish Times 'Powerful ... exquisite. ... A gentle, compelling case for restorative justice' The Telegraph 'Showed us how to look harder at ourselves. And to understand why.' The Times

‘Part mea culpa, part love letter to his mother, and part manifesto on how to help children from difficult backgrounds to avoid the lifestyle he led. At its heart is the theme of restorative justice.’ The Guardian ‘Engaging… Dunne argues cogently, coherently and from experience that to have choices in life you also have to have chances.’ The Observer, Book of the Day ‘A split second becomes a defining moment for two families and the end of a man’s life. A much-needed burst of light in the dark meadow of time.’ Lemn Sissay, author of My Name is Why ‘Captivating and insightful… surprisingly full of hope.’ Nazir Afzal, author of The Prosecutor: One Man’s Pursuit of Justice for the Voiceless ‘A compelling case for restorative justice.’ The Telegraph ‘This powerful and unflinching memoir is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand why hurt people hurt people. A must-read for anyone working in the criminal justice system.’ Marina Cantacuzino, founder of The Forgiveness Project Praise for The Punch, the BBC podcast that inspired the book: ‘A devastating listen …. The Punch made you interrogate your idea of shame, and forgiveness.’ Miranda Sawyer, The Guardian ‘Made me cry all day … You feel the beautiful stark pallor of words like forgiveness, and love. Jacob’s self-doubt is powerful too.’ The New Statesman ‘Jacob's honesty shone through. … Strong evidence of the power of restorative justice. … A complicated and painful story … devastating but also compelling.’ Irish Times ‘Powerful … exquisite. … A gentle, compelling case for restorative justice’ The Telegraph ‘Showed us how to look harder at ourselves. And to understand why.’ The Times

'A split second becomes a defining moment for two families and the end of a man's life. This book is, in some way, the story told by the boy who isn't here, through the man who is. Books, like people, can be a much-needed burst of light in the dark meadow of time. This is that.' Lemn Sissay, author of My Name is Why 'A captivating and insightful journey through crime and punishment, surprisingly full of hope.' Nazir Afzal, author of The Prosecutor: One Man's Pursuit of Justice for the Voiceless 'Right from Wrong is part mea culpa, part love letter to his mother, and part manifesto on how to help children from difficult backgrounds to avoid the lifestyle he led. At its heart is the theme of restorative justice.' The Guardian 'A compelling case for restorative justice.' The Telegraph 'This powerful and unflinching memoir is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand why hurt people hurt people. A true story of redemption in which one lost young man transforms a life of anger and violence into one of hope and meaning. Right From Wrong is a must read for anyone working in the criminal justice system.' Marina Cantacuzino, founder of The Forgiveness Project Praise for The Punch, the BBC podcast that inspired the book: 'A devastating listen .... The Punch made you interrogate your idea of shame, and forgiveness.' Miranda Sawyer, The Guardian 'Made me cry all day ... You feel the beautiful stark pallor of words like forgiveness, and love. Jacob's self-doubt is powerful too.' The New Statesman 'Jacob's honesty shone through. ... Strong evidence of the power of restorative justice. ... A complicated and painful story ... devastating but also compelling.' Irish Times 'Powerful ... exquisite. ... A gentle, compelling case for restorative justice' The Telegraph 'Showed us how to look harder at ourselves. And to understand why.' The Times

Author Information

Jacob Dunne served fourteen months in prison following his conviction for manslaughter caused by a single punch on a night out in 2011. He has since developed a relationship with his victim's parents through a Restorative Justice programme, and with their encouragement he has earned a first-class degree in criminology. He is a community ambassador for Notts Violence Reduction Unit and now spends his time mentoring and advising young people and prisoners on the perils of violence, exploring with them how to turn their lives around. He has delivered TED talks ad lectured at Cambridge University. He recently presented a high acclaimed and award-winning podcast about his story called The Punch for BBC Sounds. He is married with two children.

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