Andrew Hankinson

This is a work of narrative non-fiction based on the last days of the fugitive Raoul Moat, a Geordie bodybuilder and mechanic who became nationally notorious in Britain one hot summer's week when, after killing his ex-girlfriend's new lover, shooting her in the stomach, and blinding a policeman, he disappeared into the woods of Northumberland, evading discovery for seven days - even when TV tracker Ray Mears was employed by the police to find him. Eventually, cornered by the police, Moat shot himself. Here, Andrew Hankinson tells Moat's story in the second person, which means that the reader is uncomfortably close at all times to Raoul Moat.

You Could Do Something Amazing with Your Life (You Are Raoul Moat)

Winner of the CWA Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction. A letter arrives. You've got an appointment with a trainee clinical psychologist on April 29, 2008. You don't attend. Another letter arrives. It says they don't normally reschedule appointments, but they know this is hard for you, so they're offering you another appointment. It's on May 13, 2008. You don't attend. Two years later you shoot three people and shoot yourself. You will be called a monster. You will be called evil. The prime minister, David Cameron, will stand up in Parliament and say you were a callous murderer, end of story. You have nine days and your whole life to prove you are more than a callous murderer. Go. Raoul Moat became notorious one hot July week when, after killing his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend, shooting her in the stomach, and blinding a policeman, he disappeared into the woods of Northumberland, evading discovery for seven days. Eventually, cornered by the police, Moat shot himself. Here, Andrew Hankinson re-tells Moat's story using Moat's words, and those of the state services which engaged with him, bringing the reader disarmingly close, at all times, to the mind of Moat.

You Could Do Something Amazing with Your Life [You Are Raoul Moat]

What counts as funny, what as toxic, and who gets to decide? Explore the serious business of stand-up with Andrew Hankinson, author of cult classic You Could Do Something Amazing with Your Life [You Are Raoul Moat]. AMY SCHUMER. LOUIS CK. JERRY SEINFELD. CHRIS ROCK. They all worked the Comedy Cellar in Greenwich Village, honing their acts, experimenting, taking risks. It was a safe space, thanks to the principles of its first owner, Manny Dworman, then his son Noam. The only threat to freedom of expression was a lack of laughs. But how did a New York taxi driver, born in Tel Aviv, create comedy’s most important stage? How did he influence some of the biggest names in stand-up? What are the limits of a joke? Who decides? And why does the comedians’ table matter so much? Andrew Hankinson speaks to the Cellar’s owner, comedians, and audience members, using interviews, emails, podcasts, letters, text messages, and previously private documents to create a conversation about the perils, pride, and prejudice of modern comedy. Moving backwards in time from Louis CK’s downfall to when Manny used to host folk singers including Bob Dylan, this is about a comedy club, but it’s also about the widening chasm in contemporary culture.

Don’t applaud. Either laugh or don’t. (At the Comedy Cellar.)

Winner of the CWA Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction and a Northern Writers Award These are the last days of Raoul Moat. Raoul Moat was the fugitive Geordie bodybuilder-mechanic who became notorious one hot July week when, after killing his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend, shooting her in the stomach, and blinding a policeman, he disappeared into the woods of Northumberland, evading discovery for seven days – even after TV tracker Ray Mears was employed by the police to find him. Eventually, cornered by the police, Moat shot himself. Andrew Hankinson, a journalist from Newcastle, re-tells Moat's story using Moat's words, and those of the state services which engaged with him, bringing the reader disarmingly close at all times to the mind of Moat. It is a reading experience unrelieved by authorial distance or expert interpretation. The narrative Hankinson has woven is entirely compelling, even if Moat's weaknesses are never far from sight, requiring the reader to work out where he or she should stand. PRAISE FOR ANDREW HANKINSON ‘A claustrophobic true-crime account in the tradition of Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood … [Hankinson’s] purpose is to show Moat as a product of our culture and society … Moat is presented as an intriguing case study in disintegration, making bad choices then devoting all his intelligence to justifying them in his own head.’ The Guardian ‘A powerful portrayal of the banality of violence … a trigger finger of a book: taut, tense and on edge.’ The Sunday Times

Winner of a UK Northern Writers Award These are the last days of Raoul Moat. Raoul Moat was the fugitive Geordie bodybuilder-mechanic who became notorious one hot July week when, after killing his ex-girlfriend new boyfriend, shooting her in the stomach, and blinding a policeman, he disappeared into the woods of Northumberland, evading discovery for seven days - even after TV tracker Ray Mears was employed by the police to find him. Eventually, cornered by the police, Moat shot himself. Andrew Hankinson, a journalist from Newcastle, re-tells Moat' story using Moat' words, and those of the state services which engaged with him, bringing the reader disarmingly close at all times to the mind of Moat. It is a reading experience unrelieved by authorial distance or expert interpretation. The narrative Hankinson has woven is entirely compelling, even if Moat' weaknesses are never far from sight, requiring the reader to work out where he or she should stand

Andrew Hankinson

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