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The Power of the Outsider

On sale

22nd June 2023

Price: £20

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Selected: Hardcover / ISBN-13: 9781529396911

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‘Samuel Kasumu has written an important – and very moving – book about the outsider phenomenon.’
– Robert Peston

‘ I loved reading about your childhood and your anxieties as a father. The personal is so well mixed with the analytical. Thank you for reflecting our experiences and ideas so well and so sensitively. This is really great to read!’ – Kadie Kanneh-Mason


Samuel Kasumu was the most senior black advisor in Boris Johnson’s government, until he left in April 2021. Throughout his time in Whitehall, Samuel became increasingly aware that he was an outsider – that his own experiences, assumptions and language were so different to many of those he found himself surrounded by in Downing Street.

In this book Samuel considers who outsiders are, why they are not talked about enough and how it can be a source of strength that leads them to become high achievers. He argues that the success of many great people can be explained by their outsider status.

Drawing on his own experiences in government, growing up and beyond, as well as the stories of other outsiders, famous and lesser known, Samuel shows how outsiders are more likely to be trailblazers and break barriers, how they have a greater sense of perspective and progress and how our differences can be a force for good – in politics and beyond.

Reviews

Robert Peston
We spend our lives complaining about how insiders have stitched up everything to their advantage. But the biggest winners are often outsiders - who see things others miss and often have superhuman drive. Samuel Kasumu has written an important - and very moving - book about the outsider phenomenon.
Serena Barker-Singh
(A) fascinating account of how outsiders can become insiders - a surprisingly moving and personal account of Samuel Kasumu's time as a former race advisor in a Boris Johnson government
Robert Peston
Samuel Kasumu has written an important - and very moving - book about the outsider phenomenon.
Kadie Kanneh-Mason
The personal is so well mixed with the analytical... This is really great to read!