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howtobebooks's review against another edition
5.0
There is a wealth of insight crammed into this book about race and identity in Britain, describing how important it is to have a cohesive self by accepting that you may have other identities alongside being a UK citizen.
What hinders this process is the apparent racism that plagues British society, from being 'colour-blind' and thus ignoring the issue, to the awkward and troubled relationship with Britain's history and its origins. The author, Afua Hirsch, also discovers her own Ghanaian roots throughout her journey of self-awareness, making this book both a memoir and social commentary. Hirsch checks her privilege immediately, which makes a refreshing change.
While I can completely relate to her opinions on the racist structures in place and the microagressions that have become normalised, the historical and anthropological elements were the most fascinating parts for me. Learning about the racist views upheld by leading western thinkers such as Immanuel Kant and David Huhne, as well as how the 1919 race riots ensued over the perception of 'white cleansing' was deeply concerning.
Hirsch's call for change on Britain's selective amnesia is not new but it has a contemporary angle following the country's move to leave the EU. Incredibly engaging.
What hinders this process is the apparent racism that plagues British society, from being 'colour-blind' and thus ignoring the issue, to the awkward and troubled relationship with Britain's history and its origins. The author, Afua Hirsch, also discovers her own Ghanaian roots throughout her journey of self-awareness, making this book both a memoir and social commentary. Hirsch checks her privilege immediately, which makes a refreshing change.
While I can completely relate to her opinions on the racist structures in place and the microagressions that have become normalised, the historical and anthropological elements were the most fascinating parts for me. Learning about the racist views upheld by leading western thinkers such as Immanuel Kant and David Huhne, as well as how the 1919 race riots ensued over the perception of 'white cleansing' was deeply concerning.
Hirsch's call for change on Britain's selective amnesia is not new but it has a contemporary angle following the country's move to leave the EU. Incredibly engaging.
sarahlreadseverything's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 rounded up. So very interesting. As well as being a valuable read from the perspective of educating myself about others experience, I found myself really really valuing some of the ways Hirsch succinctly put into words conflictions about British identity that chime with my own experience of it (even though my own background/point of approach to the topic is very different to hers).
rhalfie29's review against another edition
5.0
A powerful read that stuck with me long after reading - one of the essential books in the modern British body of work on race, class and culture. She makes the challenges and battles feel very human and relatable, the stories brought to life really landed her points. I would say critical reading for anyone interested in equipping themselves on this topic.
habibaa20's review
challenging
informative
inspiring
tense
slow-paced
3.0
i personally don’t like non fiction books so it took me a while to read it
rachaelprest's review against another edition
4.0
A brilliantly written, thoughtful and insightful book about race, history and identity in Britain. A must read.
vickywong710's review
informative
slow-paced
3.0
This was an interesting book that’s part-memoir and part-history book, although I must admit I did find it a bit muddled and messy at times.
I found the first half to be quite strong, especially the section about bodies, but then after that the rest of the book just felt like a slog just to get through (which is surprising given that it’s just 384 pages). I think Hirsch’s section on class was quite shallow and at times failed to properly address the intersection between class and racism.
The memoir sections were strong and powerful, and as a British-born Chinese Hongkonger there were elements struggling with your identity that I could relate to, but I do think mixing memoir with history at times made it repetitive and muddled.
It’s hard to not compare this book to Reni Eddo-Lodge’s “Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race” which was published a year earlier, and on many counts I feel like Eddo-Lodge’s book is the better one. I feel like Hirsch’s book while fascinating, it doesn’t add too much that is new to the conversation about racism and identity in the UK.
I found the first half to be quite strong, especially the section about bodies, but then after that the rest of the book just felt like a slog just to get through (which is surprising given that it’s just 384 pages). I think Hirsch’s section on class was quite shallow and at times failed to properly address the intersection between class and racism.
The memoir sections were strong and powerful, and as a British-born Chinese Hongkonger there were elements struggling with your identity that I could relate to, but I do think mixing memoir with history at times made it repetitive and muddled.
It’s hard to not compare this book to Reni Eddo-Lodge’s “Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race” which was published a year earlier, and on many counts I feel like Eddo-Lodge’s book is the better one. I feel like Hirsch’s book while fascinating, it doesn’t add too much that is new to the conversation about racism and identity in the UK.
seclement's review against another edition
4.0
This book is well written and engaging. It will make you think and it will affirm your beliefs if you are, like me, a liberal, middle class, educated person. Though it contains some facts, it really is an autobiography/memoir interwoven with supporting stories of others and some facts. If categorised as non-fiction or sociology, it doesn't quite measure up. But as part of the genre of social commentary or memoirs, it is a work of art. Beautifully told and insightful, beneficial not just for those that struggle with racial or ethnic identity, but also those who, like me, live in a place where you are readily identifiable as an 'other' ...a shibboleth. This, however, is my main criticism. The book underplays the privilege of class and education, even whilst acknowledging her own (let's face it... extreme) privilege in that regard, and borders on obsession with the idea that struggles of race and identity are 'the real' struggle of modern Britain. She has had so many advantages in life, and though she acknowledges those throughout and tries to bring in people who grew up without those advantages, I felt that the book really needed more information and more commentary on people for whom an obsession with identity is perhaps something they might have developed, if it weren't for the fact that the very tangible struggles they face in daily life tend to preoccupy them. I agree with others that, at times, it seems she tries a bit too hard to speak for all non-white people in this book, and one could walk away with the impression that her level of interest and indefatigable search for identity is typical of all non-white British people. She does at one point border on acknowledging this isn't the case by using some survey data, but she stops short of admitting that the extent of her fixation is perhaps beyond the norm. That said, this book was incredibly insightful, especially for me as an immigrant to this country who can clearly see the racial tensions but feels like no one really wants to talk about it. It's as though it's 'unseemly' and 'unBritish', even though there are passive aggressive (and even outright aggressive) acts and words that characterise everyday life in this country. It's in this area where Hirsch knocks it out of the park and sheds light on the dark areas of British society. Some of the material is repetitive of Olusoga's Black and British, and I recommend you read that book if you want a factual account of how we got here today. Brit(ish), on the other hand, is less a historical or factual account, but rather an informed testimonial about where we are and how it affects real people, along with some facts about current conditions and how we may have arrived here. The chapter on Brexit is a bit tired and one-sided, but that's just because I have read so many things claiming to explain the vote that I can see how a person's views clearly affects the facts they choose to highlight. Otherwise, I think the book is well worth a read for British people and those, like me, who find themselves in a country where 'otherness' is so clearly a massive driving force and yet no one will talk about it. While I am still not quite sure where this book sits in terms of genres, if this book is to serve as a conversation starter, as she says at the very end, then I think she succeeds in that, even if I am not entirely convinced that the book as written will reach those who really need to hear its messages.