The Corner Shop: A BBC 2 Between the Covers Book Club Pick

A BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK
’Nuanced, human and engaging’ Nikesh Shukla, Observer
’Full of life, characters, gossip and all the richness of the local community’ Sir David Jason
’A delightful story of growing up ＂above the shop＂’ Nigel Slater, Observer
’Cleverly links her own memories of shop-bound life with the last 50 years of British history’ Spectator

’I come from a hidden world: I am the daughter of shopkeepers. I’ve seen you on a Sunday morning, nipping out to get a pint of milk or to grab a newspaper. I came to know a lot about you; whether your politics leaned to the right or left, whether you were gay or straight, and whether you were plagued by cash-flow problems or had enough disposable income to indulge your penchant for Cadbury’s Creme Eggs.’

Babita Sharma was raised in a corner shop in Reading, and over the counter watched a changing world, from the clientele to the products to the politics of the day. Along with the skills to mop a floor perfectly and stack a shelf, she gained a unique insight into a shifting landscape - and an institution that, despite the creep of supermarkets, online shopping and delivery, has found a way to evolve and survive - and is now once again keeping us all going.

From the general stores of the first half of the 20th century (one of which was run by the father of a certain Margaret Thatcher), to the reimagined corner shops run by immigrants from India, East Africa and Eastern Europe from the 60s to the noughties, the corner shop has shaped the way we shop, the way we eat, and the way we understand ourselves.

WINNER OF THE BUSINESS BOOK AWARD FOR AN EXCEPTIONAL BOOK THAT PROMOTES DIVERSITY

’A triumph’ Radio Times
’A compelling, full selection box of a story’ Sanjeev Kohli
’One of the best books I’ve read on the immigrant experience in this country’ Daily Mail
’I loved it cover to cover’ Angela Clutton, author of The Vinegar Cupboard

Babita Sharma is a journalist, TV presenter and news anchor for the BBC. She presents Newsday on BBC World News, covering major global news events including the Trump-Kim Summit in Singapore, the EU Referendum, the Rio Olympics and the award-winning BBC 100 Women series. Passionate about diversity and mental health issues, Babita mentors BAME journalists and also works with the charity Mind.

Babita presented BBC Two’s Dangerous Borders: The Story of India & Pakistan. The documentary series took Babita to the India/Pakistan border 70 years after Partition, following in the footsteps of her family who were directly affected. The Corner Shop is her first book. It follows her critically acclaimed documentary Booze, Beans & Bhajis: The Story of the Corner Shop broadcast on BBC Four, BBC News Channel and BBC World News. Babita is married and lives in London.