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A review by charliereadsalot
Black and British: A Short, Essential History by David Olusoga
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.