Reviews tagging 'Police brutality'

Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire by Akala

18 reviews

meganlikesreading's review

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

A really well written book which reflects on the concepts of race and class through both a personal and informative lense, giving readers an insight into Akala’s own experiences with the two topics, often in an interweaving sense as the two major societal concepts work together to give power and privilege to some, and simultaneously disempower and disenfranchise many.

This has only resulted in the extreme issues of inequality and inequity that we have seen throughout history and will continue to see if change is not made where needed. 

Akala’s writing style is very fitting, as he introduces these complex historical events in a way that contextualises them and makes the reader think about their own position in society, and how that impacts themselves and those around them.

4.5 stars; would definitely recommend for its important reflection on racism and classism and their prominence in British society and the lasting impact of the British empire.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism

Moderate: Slavery, Police brutality, and Violence

waybeyondblue's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective slow-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Classism

Moderate: Racial slurs, War, Slavery, Islamophobia, Genocide, Violence, Police brutality, Gun violence, and Colonisation

Minor: Cultural appropriation

selimhannah's review against another edition

informative reflective medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, Classism, Slavery, Colonisation, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Islamophobia, Genocide, Hate crime, Police brutality, and Violence

Minor: Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Torture, Sexism, Sexual violence, Antisemitism, and Deportation

epellicci's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective slow-paced

3.5

I struggled to keep up with some of the history in Natives. There is a lot of it and I’m very bad with keeping timelines organised in my head, so it did make the beginning of this book, where these details are most focused, a little tricky. But that is not a reflection of the writing.
 
 Natives is impassioned, which made it a brilliantly engaging audiobook. Superbly preformed and packed with individual testimony alongside the fact, it presents the human cost of class and racism in a way that could only be ignored by wilful ignorance. I found it reflective, uncomfortable, and engaging. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism

Moderate: Classism, Police brutality, and Slavery

Minor: Deportation, Genocide, Cultural appropriation, and Religious bigotry

esme_may's review

challenging emotional funny informative medium-paced

4.5

Everyone in the UK should read this. It would make a great introduction to reading about race as well, it's petty accessible and the narrative voice is delightfully sarcastic

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Police brutality, Violence, Racial slurs, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Antisemitism, Bullying, Classism, Religious bigotry, Xenophobia, Genocide, and Blood

Minor: Sexism, Slavery, Sexual assault, and Rape

flowingleaves's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

A very interesting part biography, part history book that shines a very important light on many aspects of Britian and its culture and history. The author's experiences were very visceral and you could tell how much they shaped him. The writing was a bit not up to par in some places, but overall it was a very informative and important read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Classism, Racial slurs, Racism, and Police brutality

readingthroughinfinity's review

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

This is an excellent, insightful piece of nonfiction about the history of racism and empire in the UK. It's clear that a lot of research went into this, as Akala delves into the Britain's colonial past and the damaging legacy it left behind for the countries colonised and in the way people of colour are treated in he UK today. He also discusses his childhood and own experiences of racism, weaving these anecdotes and stories together with the wider discussion of the issues faced by global African communities. A fantastic piece of nonfiction and one that I wish everyone (but especially white people) in the UK would read. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Colonisation, Hate crime, Police brutality, and Racism

beca_reads's review

informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug use, Murder, Police brutality, Violence, Hate crime, Slavery, Colonisation, Classism, Cursing, Gun violence, and Religious bigotry

britgirlreading's review against another edition

adventurous challenging informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Bullying, Classism, Slavery, Police brutality, Murder, and Hate crime

lukerik's review

funny informative reflective fast-paced

4.0

If Zack de la Rocha were British and wrote a book. 

It’s a hard piece of writing to categorise. Political and personal and polemical. It’s almost like a personal work of sociology, properly referenced and with an interesting bibliography. Akala is obviously a very intelligent man with a finely tuned bullshit detector and a laser-like intellect that he turns on some very confusing issues. Thorough, precise, and sensible arguments and he never takes rhetorical shortcuts even when he’s angry. I didn’t agree with all his conclusions, but if we’re all going to agree we may as well give up and stop thinking now. A very thought-provoking book. I often found it sending my mind off at tangents so that reading it is almost like engaging in a dialogue. Also very funny at times. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Classism, Colonisation, Genocide, Hate crime, Police brutality, Racial slurs, and Racism