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jjcantread's review against another edition
challenging
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism
strabbyfieldz's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.75
Akala is a genius, not just for revealing so many striking truths about the dynamics of race and class in society, but weaving it all through a wider exploration of the world, blending his own life experience and auto-biographical writings with wider sociological and political facts. Please read Natives.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism
Just want to clarify when I say the book includes racial slurs / racism, the book itself is not racist, but the things it includes and discusses bring up racism slurs and talking points in order to refute them. This is not one of those ridiculous 'reverse racism' things where I pretend I'm oppressed as a white person because someone brings up how I benefit from being white - sorry if that was worded poorly.emcatbee's review against another edition
challenging
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Colonisation, and Cursing
Moderate: Antisemitism, Cancer, War, Violence, Trafficking, Rape, and Police brutality
charleygxrl's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence
alicia_c's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs
chl0b1's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
rinnfoskey's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs
booksjessreads's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
This book was so educational and so thorough. I couldn't put it down. Akala has such an eloquent and emphatic style with his part-autobiography, part-polemic, of racism in the UK.
His book discusses the insidiousness of racism in the UK, but how colourism and racism differs in varying degrees in different countries - tying them altogether. It is true that international events and occurrences in the Commonwealth and the Global South resonated with African and Caribbean communities here in Britain. His book demonstrated how the interconnectedness of the world allowed black Britons to feel connected to black culture, yet so far from it, whilst being racially excluded from their home in the UK.
His accounts of how 'liberal' white people in the UK perpetuate racism continually, and that it is this type of oppression that hits the UK the hardest. One of the parts that intrigued me the most was his discussions and his own personal experiences with racism within the school system. Teachers, and the institution of education itself, holds its hand up to say that the system purposefully disadvantages those of non-white backgrounds, yet equally does nothing about it.
Every single page in this book gave me an extremely poignant and heartbreaking personal account of racism, yet intertwined with statistics and studies that backed up these experiences. Akala is one of many.
This book for me was 5 stars and there is no force on earth that would let me give it any less. I was fully astounded by this book and I am going to read it again and again.
His book discusses the insidiousness of racism in the UK, but how colourism and racism differs in varying degrees in different countries - tying them altogether. It is true that international events and occurrences in the Commonwealth and the Global South resonated with African and Caribbean communities here in Britain. His book demonstrated how the interconnectedness of the world allowed black Britons to feel connected to black culture, yet so far from it, whilst being racially excluded from their home in the UK.
His accounts of how 'liberal' white people in the UK perpetuate racism continually, and that it is this type of oppression that hits the UK the hardest. One of the parts that intrigued me the most was his discussions and his own personal experiences with racism within the school system. Teachers, and the institution of education itself, holds its hand up to say that the system purposefully disadvantages those of non-white backgrounds, yet equally does nothing about it.
Every single page in this book gave me an extremely poignant and heartbreaking personal account of racism, yet intertwined with statistics and studies that backed up these experiences. Akala is one of many.
This book for me was 5 stars and there is no force on earth that would let me give it any less. I was fully astounded by this book and I am going to read it again and again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Xenophobia, and Murder
Moderate: Violence
fionag's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
This book destroys the idea that the ‘British aren’t racist’.
Written with such impactful writing and part biography part non fiction mix, Akala has taught me more about the British empires involvement in the slave trade and such than I ever learned in school. This book is not afraid of the nasty bits of history, which we all need to hear.
He actually deconstructs words like ‘race’ and ‘class’ that we all throw around and helps us understand these intersections. Being Scottish, I really like the chapter comparing his time in Jamaica and Scotland, and how racial identity changes depending on where you are. I also found his honestly about violence impactful as it was told not in a ‘I got out so you can too’ way but showed how easy it is to fall into when you’ve already been racialised as a criminal. Certainly made me think about how engrained racism is.
The book ends at the start of the Trump administration and the Brexit talks, which feels particularly poignant to me as I finished the book shortly after Brexit went through and the capitol had been stormed in reaction to Trump’s loss. The ending of the book highlights how important individual change is and I’m so glad I read this.
Written with such impactful writing and part biography part non fiction mix, Akala has taught me more about the British empires involvement in the slave trade and such than I ever learned in school. This book is not afraid of the nasty bits of history, which we all need to hear.
He actually deconstructs words like ‘race’ and ‘class’ that we all throw around and helps us understand these intersections. Being Scottish, I really like the chapter comparing his time in Jamaica and Scotland, and how racial identity changes depending on where you are. I also found his honestly about violence impactful as it was told not in a ‘I got out so you can too’ way but showed how easy it is to fall into when you’ve already been racialised as a criminal. Certainly made me think about how engrained racism is.
The book ends at the start of the Trump administration and the Brexit talks, which feels particularly poignant to me as I finished the book shortly after Brexit went through and the capitol had been stormed in reaction to Trump’s loss. The ending of the book highlights how important individual change is and I’m so glad I read this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
pollyflorence's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery, Racism, Racial slurs, Police brutality, Gun violence, and Bullying