Improvised Explosive Device

Improvised Explosive Device examines extremism and hate crime in all its forms in the UK. In this ‘remarkable’ debut, Arji Manuelpillai questions what makes a person radical, how the British government polices this thinking, and how marginalised groups are at risk.

Unusually for a poetry collection, the book is informed by interviews conducted by the author with figures from a cross-section of society including the mothers of former ISIS members, former English Defence League and National Front members, academics and writers. Sri Lankan British, London-based Manuelpillai also interviewed members of his own community who have been affiliated with terrorist group The Tamil Tigers.