The Change Press
Publishing books on organisational, social and political change
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Welcome to The Change Press, where we are dedicated to publishing thought-provoking books that inspire positive and meaningful change. Our books delve into topics such as organisational transformation, social justice, and political reform, offering a fresh perspective on pressing issues in today's world.
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New Release
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Igniting Conversations
Breaking! The Change Press is excited to present the paperback edition of our first release - Gino's Contraband: Guilty Until Proven Innocent.​​
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Release Date - 17 February 2025
ASIN - 1068515546
Full Title - Gino's Contraband: Guilty Until Proven Innocent
Author - Gabrielle O'Donovan
Publisher - The Change Press
Dimensions - 8 x 5.25 inches
No. of pages - 313
Genre - Memoir
Key words - Mistaken identity, law enforcement, human rights, democracy, justice, law
Other Formats - e-Book (ASIN B0DK1J2VDN), Hardback (ISBN - 978-1-0685155-0-7)​​ were released 1 January 2025.
Audiobook to follow.
About this book
Gabrielle O’Donovan is a self-starter and has built a career as a change management professional. When UK Border Police at Heathrow seize 270,000 cigarettes destined for a certain Gino at Miki National Co. Ltd., Gabrielle receives related correspondence which looks like a scam. In time, Gabrielle learns that the UK tax authority - His Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) - has decided she was the intended recipient.
As Gabrielle is pursued, HMRC treats her as guilty until she can prove her innocence. Why are her Human Rights not being respected? As the case takes its toll on her, Gabrielle is advised that it is very difficult to 'prove a negative' (that she is not Gino) in a court of law. To compound matters, when her dear friend confides that she is a victim of the MRC Loan Charge Scandal and is being subjected to similar tactics, Gabrielle finds herself on suicide watch.
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Gino’s Contraband is Gabrielle’s candid, eye-opening and often shocking account of the challenges of distinguishing scams from the legitimate, the impact of being wrongly accused by HMRC, the harm caused by sinister tactics employed by HMRC to invoke shame and guilt, and the psychological effect of being forced to prove her innocence in a supposedly democratic country. In her insightful book, Gabrielle also reveals how the contentious Loan Charge legislation informed how she too was treated, the industrial scale damage being caused by HMRC on society, and what - together - these and other 'guilty until proven innocent' cases say about the state of democracy in the UK.
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Gino's Contraband highlights the urgent need for a Taxpayer Bill of Rights to ensure fair treatment.​​​​​​​​
Anyone that has seen the struggle of the post office workers caught up in the Horizon scandal will see similar experiences here. But the scope of this story doesn’t end with Gabrielle and her case of mistaken identity, as it also touches on those affected by the Loan Charge legislation that sees up to 100,000 workers facing ruin.
A shocking and emotive tale shining a light on a harrowing experience that leaves people feeling isolated, shamed and helpless, driving some to the worst. This powerfully shares Gabriella’s story and is a call for reflection and change to HMRC processes..
LoveReading
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9 Dec 2024
Gabrielle O’Donovan’s memoir, Gino’s Contraband: Guilty Until Proven Innocent, is a nerve-wracking recount of an ordinary taxpayer’s battle against government incompetence. The book begins with a jaw-dropping twist: the author’s Cambridge home is linked to a shipment of counterfeit cigarettes seized by Heathrow’s Border Police. What follows is a harrowing descent into legal and emotional chaos as HMRC labels O’Donovan a criminal. Through vivid storytelling, the book chronicles her fight to clear her name and her incisive critique of a flawed system that presumed her guilty before proving her innocence.
Literary Titan​
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9 Dec 2024
O’Donovan (author of Making Organizational Change Stick) pens a real-life horror movie with this chilling memoir of mistaken identity. O'Donovan’s penetrating first-person point of view reflects on her harrowing journey to clear her name—and the mistaken debt—in suspenseful tones as the HMRC intensifies its pursuit, and readers will experience mounting irritation and escalating fear right alongside her. (Gabrielle's])experiences drive her resolve to uphold "our human right to be presumed innocent [and] protect our way of life.@
booklife by
Publishers Weekly
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21 Nov 2024
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About Us
The Change Press is dedicated to amplifying voices and ideas that drive progress and change. Our mission is to inspire, educate, and empower individuals and communities to challenge the status quo and work towards a more just and equitable world.
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Director Gabrielle O'Donovan is a long established published author and her work in the organisational change space has won multiple awards. With her memoir 'Gino's Contraband: Guilty Until Proven Innocent' (2025) Gabrielle has matured into a social activist, using the power of words to drive justice and political change.