Thank you.
Firstly, to my beautiful and brilliant wife, for the patience, love and support it takes to put up with a grown man, husband and father who wants so much to be a pirate: thank you and I love you.
Then there are lots of pirate crews I would like to thank for the adventures that enabled me to arrive at Be More Pirate, several of whom I’ve fought alongside in too many adventures to mention, but all of whom have provided inspiration during my ongoing journey of exploration in how to take on the world and win, especially the many thousands of young people who’ve made my work something worth living for. All the Livity old school: Michelle Morgan, Kate Brundle, Callum McGeogh, Lianre Robinson, Lyeloon Kazi, Paola Dos Santos, Mark Gurney, Jo McCarthy, Josh Connell, Oyin Akini, Mira Jesani, Maya Debowska, Charlotte Livingstone, Aisha Siddiq, Jamie Scoular, Will De-Groot, Torri Stewart, Josh Denton, Natasha Hanckell-Spice and so many more. And massive respect to the Livity new school, and future: Katy Woodrow-Hill, Tom Ellis, James Hogwood, Ty Stanton, Gillian Jackson, Flossy Harwood, Stacey Stollery, Felix Morgan, Aishat Ola-Said, Hannah Owens, Alice McDonnell, Suzi Bielski, Shahnaz Ahmed, James Honess, Karina Tcakzyk, Stephen Woodford, Lucy Inmonger, Raf Gooverts and, of course, the Boss, Alex Goat. There are hundreds of Livity pirates in between who are too numerous to mention, but I thank you sincerely for all the world-changing adventures. All the Livity Africa Team, especially Gavin Weale, Tarin Ayres, Siphiwe Mpye, Karein Bezuidenhout, Nkuli Mlangeni and Ditiro Madiseng. A massive thank you for fifteen years of team Live magazine: Jordan Jarrett-Bryan, Cleo Soazandry, Aziza Francis, Sian Anderson, Frances Acquaah, Sonia Teibowei, Shola Aleje, Dan Brigante, Kalise Cross, Zezi Ifore, Jelani DeCosta, Henry Houdini, Dan Dutt-Hemp, Patrick Columbus, Mario Arimana, Mann Ray Powell, Tony Mitsinga, Shanize Henry, Bejay Munega, Christina Lai, Robbie Wojciechowski, Terri Brown, Celeste Houlke, Bianca Gill, Eve-Yasmin, Andrea Garisom, Emma Warren, Rahul Verma, Chantelle Fiddy, Kay Dalami and so many thousands more. An enormous thank you to team somewhereto_ including Tom Barratt, Joe Gray, Shady Bajelvand, #Dwain Lucktung, Jiselle Steele, Anna Hamilos, Athena Simpson, Jason Page, Tina Barton, Esther Brown, Terence Wallen, Yelena Kleyner and again so many more. Mr Joe Wade of Don’t Panic. The Dubplate Pioneers, Luke Hyams, Louis Figgis and Justin Stennet. Surash Kara, my partner in DocuMovie. The Social Enterprise Ambassadors. The whole Amaphiko family but particularly Raluca Simiuc and Uncle Ian Calvert. Team UnDivided, especially Elspeth Hoskins, Joe Porter, Elliot Goat, Charlotte Gerada, Hafsah Dabiri, Rob Wilson, David Reed, Jamie Mccoll, Edward Boott and all thousands of young people involved. Dan, Rob, Luke and all the Foundrs pirates. To my mentors, Liam Black, Max Alexander and Sinclair Beecham, without whom I’d have fallen off the map many more times. And to all the rest of you from so many projects, plans, dreams and schemes who were part of the good fight, part of the Livity family or part of any of my many adventures over the last twenty years trying to do something that means something, thank you.
Thanks also to the crew at Penguin Random House who have proven themselves fine pirates, especially Lydia Yadi and David Over, first among Penguin pirates, but also Fred Baty, Joel Rickett, John Hamilton, Chris Bentham, Richard Bravery, Mathias Lord, Celia Buzuk, Joanna Prior, Tom Weldon as well as Helen Coyle and Trevor Horwood.
Thanks especially to the brethren whose contributions have regularly been the wind in my sails in making this adventure happen; Jon Alexander, whose ideas of citizenship underpin this book. Rod Stanley, for introducing me to good trouble. Callum McGeogh, for the inspiration, as ever. Emma Warren and Florence Wilkinson, for being my first critics. Jill from the Phoenix and now the Express for the sustenance and early morning place to write. And a host of inspirations, conversations, critics, expertise and inspiration on all fronts from covers to content; Oli Barrett, Andy Last, Jonathan Wise, Shahnaz Ahmed, Gabbi Cahane, Michal Bohanes, Tim Smale, Joe Wade, Charlotte Day-Lewin, Lauren Grant, Vinny Maddage, Adrian Valencia, Luke Hyams, Bryn Walbrook, Pascal Meline, Sara Bender, Justine Clement, Sara Milne-Rowe, Gillian Lonergan, Sherilyn Shackell, Natasha Merrington, Daniel Solomons, Saul Parker, Andrew Bloch, Thyme Mor, Harry Harrison, Joe Kibria and, most of all, Adam Day-Lewin for your continuous creative contribution, encouragement, enthusiasm, bad jokes and support.
A very significant thank you to all the academics, historians, economists, authors and enthusiasts on whose work I relied so heavily and to whom I apologize for my lack of academic rigour and historical training, I hope I’ve done your work some justice: Marcus Rediker, Peter Earle, David Cordingly, Peter Leeson, Rodolphe Durand and Jean-Philippe Vergne, E. T. Fox, Douglas Burgess, Benerson Little, Alexa Clay, Mayra Phillips, Matt Mason, Adam Morgan, Angus Konstam, Kester Brewin, Laura Sook Duncombe, Philip Gosse, Kester Brewin, Frederick Latour, Margaret Wheatley, Daniel Defoe, and of course Captain Johnson but above all Matt Albers at the Pirate History Podcast for being the soundtrack to my writing. And, if anyone can help me find him, I’d like to thank Peter Hicks, my secondary-school history teacher, who probably has no idea the inspiration he had on me. Last, and by no means least, a final thank you to my mum and dads, because what thank you would be complete without that, just as I would not be complete without them.