Scan barcode
heatherfrances's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
charliereadsalot's review against another edition
4.0
4 STARS
CW: racism, slavery, police brutality, hate crime, war, death, racial slurs, violence
I really loved this book and pretty much from the beginning, I decided I need to get the version that is geared towards adults which will probably be more detailed than this one geared towards kids. This was very enlightening and I fully agree that Black history should be integrated into the school curriculum.
One fact that surprised me (and then I was a little frustrated with myself for not having questioned it sooner) was that before the slave trade began, people didn't distinguish between themselves based on skin color. I had never really thought about it too much but, of course, it makes sense that this distinction only really came into being in connection with slavery and having to explain and give some reason for why some people could be enslaved while others couldn't. I'm not saying it makes sense (it doesn't, it's utter horseshit) but what does make sense is that there was a need for an explanation of this sort to validate their actions.
It really is a shame that I had not heard about many of the historical figures that are mentioned in this book but this has shown me that I need to specifically seek out some works to educate myself in this regard. The book definitely would have been a five star but I was slightly annoyed that there was only minimal information. I'm aware that this book is for a young audience and that I am not in that target group, I think it's important to have this book and have kids read it. And I'm also happy that my lecturer assigned this version and not the longer one for class but still, I always wished there was more info about everything that was mentioned. Therefore, I will probably get the longer adult version of this book. The one-star reduction has nothing to do with the book or content, only with my own reading expectations.
CW: racism, slavery, police brutality, hate crime, war, death, racial slurs, violence
I really loved this book and pretty much from the beginning, I decided I need to get the version that is geared towards adults which will probably be more detailed than this one geared towards kids. This was very enlightening and I fully agree that Black history should be integrated into the school curriculum.
One fact that surprised me (and then I was a little frustrated with myself for not having questioned it sooner) was that before the slave trade began, people didn't distinguish between themselves based on skin color. I had never really thought about it too much but, of course, it makes sense that this distinction only really came into being in connection with slavery and having to explain and give some reason for why some people could be enslaved while others couldn't. I'm not saying it makes sense (it doesn't, it's utter horseshit) but what does make sense is that there was a need for an explanation of this sort to validate their actions.
It really is a shame that I had not heard about many of the historical figures that are mentioned in this book but this has shown me that I need to specifically seek out some works to educate myself in this regard. The book definitely would have been a five star but I was slightly annoyed that there was only minimal information. I'm aware that this book is for a young audience and that I am not in that target group, I think it's important to have this book and have kids read it. And I'm also happy that my lecturer assigned this version and not the longer one for class but still, I always wished there was more info about everything that was mentioned. Therefore, I will probably get the longer adult version of this book. The one-star reduction has nothing to do with the book or content, only with my own reading expectations.
palebea's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
4.0
Admittedly, I did not realise this was the child friendly version of a much longer, more in depth version, when I started it.
This very short, whistle stop tour though the highlights of Black British History was interesting though. It's written in a very accessible way and I absolutely recommend it to younger audiences or even older audiences who are looking for an accessible start to researching Black British History.
This very short, whistle stop tour though the highlights of Black British History was interesting though. It's written in a very accessible way and I absolutely recommend it to younger audiences or even older audiences who are looking for an accessible start to researching Black British History.
elinordavies's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.0
lisamshardlow's review against another edition
5.0
This was very interesting! It’s the type of book I’d been looking for for a long time, to try to clear up some of the questions I had regarding race. I think it definitely helped me to understand a little bit better, but it was very heavy, I found it a difficult read. I'm now working my way through the accompanying documentary.