Reviews

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

shiftyelliott's review against another edition

Go to review page

reflective medium-paced

3.25

nancygeddes's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging informative inspiring slow-paced

3.25

smurd_fus's review against another edition

Go to review page

informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

hypatiasilver's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

louhack's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark informative medium-paced

4.0

dannymason_1's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

I enjoyed each individual part of this, agree with pretty much everything he's saying and really like Akala both as a rapper and a public figure, but I think overall this book was a bit of a victim of its own ambition. I would have enjoyed it more as just a memoir, a political manifesto, a history or a music book, or even any two of those things combined, but the attempt to integrate all of them into one book meant that no individual thread got as much time as I wanted.

henrikyoung's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.75

mylesburrell's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional informative medium-paced

5.0

Cannot fault this. As a black man living in Britain, this book eloquently explains all the things I’ve been trying to say my whole life — with a host of shared experiences too. It’s a mix of biography and social commentary with a dash of British and American history thrown in for good (bad) measure. 

Would recommend to anyone trying to educate themselves on racism and societal class. 

mairead3's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

A wonderfully well researched and articulate book! I did have a little issue with the conflation of Hong Kong and China, in the face of British imperialism, toward the end of the book. This conflation brushes over China's imperialisatic behaviour in the 21st Century, and denies Hong Kong the credit for its own successes as a region independent of either imperialist power. However this was mentioned very briefly and the rest of the book was a wonderful insight into race and class struggle in Britain.

crookedrat's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

5.0