'Noughts & Crosses'- 5 Interesting Facts

In order to dig deeper into the meanings and background of the book, I have gathered 5 facts that I find interesting and important.

• The book is a part of a series written by Malorie Blackman; Noughts & Crosses describes a replacement history in which humans evolved in which African people had gained a technological and organisational advantage over the European people, the opposite way round, the Africans made the Europeans their slaves. 
• Sephy and Callum became friends when they used to play together when Jasmine, Sephy's mother, employed Meggie; Callum's mother, as a nanny. Jasmine then later fired Meggie.
• Callum's troubled elder sister, Lynette begins to suffer from depression after an attack on her and her cross boyfriend.
• The series takes place in an alternate 21st-century Britain
• The idea of the name Noughts and Crosses came to Malories mind as it is a game that no one really plays much past childhood because once you’ve grasped its objective and tactics, it invariably ends in a draw – a no-win situation; summing up racism