We are excited to announce that Icon have acquired Joanna Cherry’s Keeping the Dream Alive: An Insider’s Account of a Tumultuous Decade in Scottish Politics. Connor Stait, Senior Commissioning Editor for Icon, bought UK & Commonwealth rights, including audio, from Caroline Hardman. Keeping the Dream Alive will publish in April 2026.

‘One of the most insightful political memoirs of recent years’, Keeping the Dream Alive is ‘Cherry’s own story of one of the most remarkable decades in British politics. In 2015, Joanna Cherry was a part of the cohort of dozens of freshly elected SNP members who were suddenly working in Westminster. Offering an unparalleled insider’s view of the culture of the SNP, her explosive memoir details everything from the party’s rejection of popular leader, Alex Salmond, to the scandals that engulfed Nicola Sturgeon.’

‘Keeping the Dream Alive shares remarkable insight into why the party failed to further the cause of independence, despite the 2015 landslide and a series of electoral victories, and a clear-eyed view of how political reform in Scotland and the revival of the independence cause could take place.’

Connor Stait said: “Joanna Cherry has been one of the most recognisable figures in politics for more than a decade – not only in Scotland, but across the entire United Kingdom.

“I’ve long admired her no nonsense, straight-talking approach and am thrilled to be publishing one of the most insightful political memoirs of recent years.”

Joanna Cherry said: “I am delighted to be working with Icon Books and excited to be telling my story of a tumultuous decade in Scottish and British politics. I believe the time is right to share my perspective on what happened during this extraordinary period.”

Read the full Bookbrunch article here.