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sangsmiles's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia and Racism
claire_michelle18's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
A fantastic and fascinating collection of the stories of the Windrush Generation, their lives and the lives of their descendants. The diversity of the experiences really emphasizes the impact that Carribean immigrants have had on post-war British life and also the ways in which they have been let down by Britain.
hannah_jane's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
An interesting collection of reflections from the descendants of the Windrush generation on their ancestors' experiences and legacy.
05hamiltonk's review against another edition
5.0
I cried lots of times reading this with out really knowing why. Just knowing that I felt seen and heard. That these stories made me miss my grandma, it made me wish I’d asked her so much more, that I had recorded her voice when she told me stories. So I could remember what she told me and the way her voice sounds.
It made me wonder about my dad, how he felt growing up in a white world, being the only black child in school. Growing up without his dad, who looked after him when my grandma went to work? It made me think about his identity, his feelings of Jamaican-ness. Why he married a white woman, then had children with another - to be accepted? Before marrying a Jamaican woman. I’ll speak to him about all these things now, before it’s too late. So thank you to all the writers for this.
Each story had me questioning different elements of my own identity and made me want to learn more about my heritage. I’m so glad our history and stories are being heard.
It made me wonder about my dad, how he felt growing up in a white world, being the only black child in school. Growing up without his dad, who looked after him when my grandma went to work? It made me think about his identity, his feelings of Jamaican-ness. Why he married a white woman, then had children with another - to be accepted? Before marrying a Jamaican woman. I’ll speak to him about all these things now, before it’s too late. So thank you to all the writers for this.
Each story had me questioning different elements of my own identity and made me want to learn more about my heritage. I’m so glad our history and stories are being heard.
lesserspottedpard's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
3.5
notthatcosta's review against another edition
4.5
This book is outstanding. If you live in the UK you're probably aware of the large West Indian communities that can be found across the country, but you may not be aware of the diversity of cultures, struggles and experiences they hold. This book shines a light on the history of the Caribbean in relation to Britain, and their generation-spanning fight to provide for their own despite structural racism and systemic oppression. Being from an area with significant West Indian communities, I particularly enjoyed stories of community hubs developing outside of London.
The mix between interviews with elders and essays from second- and third-generation community leaders and creatives from the diaspora makes this a dynamic and provocative read. It decentralises the narrative of Windrush away from the mainstream media and instead focuses on correcting common mis-truths and humanising these stories.
Regardless of your knowledge of West Indian cultures and communities, Mother Country is about humanity and is grounded in ideas of community and family, both biological and chosen. There are messages here that can resonate with everyone.
The mix between interviews with elders and essays from second- and third-generation community leaders and creatives from the diaspora makes this a dynamic and provocative read. It decentralises the narrative of Windrush away from the mainstream media and instead focuses on correcting common mis-truths and humanising these stories.
Regardless of your knowledge of West Indian cultures and communities, Mother Country is about humanity and is grounded in ideas of community and family, both biological and chosen. There are messages here that can resonate with everyone.
andrewfontenelle's review against another edition
4.0
These are the voices and memories of the children of the Windrush generation told in their own words. Very interesting and at times, very moving.
karenangela_1's review against another edition
4.0
I received a free review copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest unedited feedback.
An exploration of the Windrush generation featuring David Lammy, Corinne Bailey Rae, and Sharmaine Lovegrove, along with many others.
For the Windrush generation and those who came before, Britain was ‘the Mother Country’, they made the long journey across the sea to a country thousands of miles from home where they expected to find a place where they would be welcomed, a place where you could build a new life, where you could be anybody. What they instead found was a country that objected to them being here simply because of the colour of their skin, it didn’t matter if you actually came to work or you were actually a chancer all that they saw was that you weren’t white and that was all that counted, it would be nice if in the intervening years things had changed but between the despicable attempts to try and deport the surviving members of the Windrush generation, the demonization of all Muslims because of the actions of a few, and the rise of far right movements across the world it is clear that we haven’t learnt a damned thing.
If you only read one story from this book then it has to be the one about Joy Gardner, a woman whose only crime was to have over stayed her visa, and being black. Given the level of restraint used against Joy you would think that she was a serial killer.
An exploration of the Windrush generation featuring David Lammy, Corinne Bailey Rae, and Sharmaine Lovegrove, along with many others.
For the Windrush generation and those who came before, Britain was ‘the Mother Country’, they made the long journey across the sea to a country thousands of miles from home where they expected to find a place where they would be welcomed, a place where you could build a new life, where you could be anybody. What they instead found was a country that objected to them being here simply because of the colour of their skin, it didn’t matter if you actually came to work or you were actually a chancer all that they saw was that you weren’t white and that was all that counted, it would be nice if in the intervening years things had changed but between the despicable attempts to try and deport the surviving members of the Windrush generation, the demonization of all Muslims because of the actions of a few, and the rise of far right movements across the world it is clear that we haven’t learnt a damned thing.
If you only read one story from this book then it has to be the one about Joy Gardner, a woman whose only crime was to have over stayed her visa, and being black. Given the level of restraint used against Joy you would think that she was a serial killer.