WRITER
Derek is the author of No Win Race: A Story of Belonging, Britishness and Sport (Mudlark/Harper NonFiction, 2019), exploring racism in modern Britain through sport, Giving Back: How To Do Good, Better (Dialogue/Little, Brown, 2022), which reimagines philanthropy through a reparative lens, and Fire Inna Dancehall: A Legacy of Sound, Style and Struggle (Dialogue/John Murray Press, 2026), examining how dancehall shaped modern pop culture.
No Win Race was shortlisted for Non-Fiction Book of the Year, Indie Book Awards (2020) and longlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year (2019). It was also a Sunday Times and Financial Times Book of the Year in 2019. Giving Back was described as ‘a must read’ by Edward Enninful, ‘intellectual, passionate, brave and radical’ by Bernardine Evaristo, ‘raw, honest and beautifully written’ by Angela Saini, and ‘one of the most hopeful and inspiring books that I have read in a long time,’ by Musa Okwonga. Journalist Symeon Brown called Fire Inna Dancehall ‘A whistle-stop tour de force with an expert guide … Pure fire’ while John Masouri described Derek’s writing as ‘erudite, engaging and informative’.
A former Music Editor of The Voice newspaper, Derek’s work has appeared in The Guardian, The Times, British GQ, NME, The Source and Time Out. He has contributed to the anthologies Black British Lives Matter (Faber & Faber, 2021) and The Weeklings: Revolution #1 (The Weeklings, 2013) and has worked with the BBC World Service. Previously a visiting journalism tutor at Birkbeck College and HMP Wormwood Scrubs, Derek has taught creative and life writing in prisons as part of the National Literacy Trust’s New Chapters initiative.
Photo ©Fisher Studios/S.Allard
‘A whistle-stop tour de force with an expert guide . . . Pure fire.’
– Symeon Brown
‘A smorgasbord of fascinating cameos . . . [Bardowell’s] paid his dues, people, and now it’s time to enjoy the fruits of what he’s witnessed.’
– John Masouri, Echoes Magazine
Dancehall isn’t just music. It’s a philosophy, a survival strategy, a rebellion in riddim.
Fire Inna Dancehall traces the collision of sound, style and struggle that created one of the most influential cultural movements of the past half-century. From inner city Kingston, Jamaica to the council estates of London, the block parties of New York and the underground scenes of Panama and Puerto Rico, ex-reggae columnist Derek A. Bardowell charts the rise, triumphs, controversies and tragedies of a space where joy and resistance share the same rhythm.
Blending in-depth social history and journalistic insight with the movement’s revolutionary spirit, Bardowell explores how the pulse of dancehall speaks to migration, masculinity, faith, freedom and the ongoing fight for self-determination to reveal how a sound became a global language of liberation.
A comprehensive guide to the people, places and politics that shaped dancehall and an unapologetic tribute to Black creativity, Fire Inna Dancehall does not seek permission to sing but insists on being heard.
A SUNDAY TIMES SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR
A FINANCIAL TIMES SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR
LONGLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR
‘Personal, political, powerful and about so much more than race and sport.’
– Bernadine Evaristo
In the eighties, black footballers emerged from the dressing room to find bananas being hurled from the stands. But the abuse didn’t stop at the full-time whistle – racial harassment in sport mirrored the experience of many in society.
As a kid from the East End, Derek Bardowell found solace in the success of black athletes. It is what bonded three generations of his family. Yet even now, success on the field seldom converts to power or justice away from it.
No Win Race is Bardowell‘s deeply personal exploration into the complexities and biases implicit in being black in Britain, told through the prism of sport. Covering the period between the Brixton ‘riots’ and Brexit, this visceral, powerful book is for those who want an honest insight into UK race relations, and for anyone who understands that sport is more than just a game.
‘This searching exploration uses sports to examine questions of race and identity…Bardowell does an excellent and passionate job of refracting the issues within sport – the dearth of black football managers, the lack of activism from black athletes who have made it into the spotlight – into wider society.’
– Financial Times
‘A painful reflection of racism in British sport…Bardowell ably demonstrates the power of the media to determine the narratives around these sporting lives. He flags up the false binaries often promoted between good (patriotic) and bad (self-centred) black sportswomen and men…it’s a valuable act of remembrance of sporting stars who put their careers on the line in pursuit of a moral right.’
– Observer
Do you wish you could do more to change the world but don’t know how? Do you ever look around at the many charities asking for donations and feel overwhelmed? This inspiring and uplifting book explores the effectiveness of charity and calls for more radical giving if we want to contribute to a better world.
During a period when British society seems more divided than ever, and our decision-makers feel even more disconnected from the very issues that keep us awake at night, Giving Back highlights those people and movements taking on some of the most challenging social issues of our time.
A respected figure in philanthropy and the charity sector, Derek A. Bardowell presents a unique insight into what’s going on inside the world of giving and where best we can make a difference.
From the decolonisation of philanthropy to redefining the purpose of charity itself, Bardowell introduces a radical new take on how social issues, from climate change to serious youth violence, can be tackled in modern society by all of us.
Filled with lively insights and moving stories, Giving Back is here to break down the walls of charitable giving. If you loved Factfulness, Lost Connections and What White People Can Do Next, this book will challenge some of your truths and change the way you give.
‘Derek’s new book is a game changer in terms of how we need to look differently at how we approach philanthropy.’
– Patrick Vernon
‘The book you didn’t realise you wanted but desperately need! I will never think about charities in the same way again.’
– Marcus Ryder
‘A Trojan horse of a book that is as much about class, race and music as it is about giving.’
– Symeon Brown
‘A delicious yet essential rallying call.’
– Nels Abby