A book by a spoken word artist from east London that has been described as both a memoir and a guide to empowerment for South Asian women and girls has been featured on Channel 4 News.

Brown Girl Like Me by Jaspreet Kaur includes poems and interviews and looks at issues such as the media, the workplace, the home, education, mental health, culture, confidence and the body.

Topics focus on such things as mental health and menstruation stigma to education and beauty standards. She also addresses complex issues, such as why Asian girls - the second highest performing group of students in the country - aren't seen in larger numbers in universities and head offices. The Channel 4 News feature sees her reading poems and talking to a group of girl pupils.

In an interview with Eastern Eye she said: “Alongside the academic research, I was able to speak to around 200 different brown women, who had so much to teach me from their life lessons on family, culture, health, freedom, and love. Some of the most interesting learnings came from Beeji, my grandma-in-law, who I am a carer for. Her nuggets of wisdom are weaved throughout the book.”

She goes by the name of Behind the Netra as a poet, and spent five years teaching in secondary schools in London. On her website she says: “With an academic background in both history and gender studies and a passion for social justice, I’ve been committed to using writing and spoken word to tackle gender discrimination, mental health stigma, the postcolonial immigrant experience, and taboo issues within the South Asian community.”

Her book is published by Pan Macmilllan on 17 February