Reviews tagging 'Police brutality'

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

21 reviews

vaguelyredhead's review against another edition

informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Police brutality

Moderate: Genocide, Slavery, and Violence

Minor: Rape, Sexism, and Antisemitism

sakisreads's review against another edition

dark informative reflective slow-paced

4.0

My author friend personally knows the author (!), and it’s a topic I always love to read up on, so I borrowed this one from the library 👏🏼

There were a few quotes that stuck out to me:

When people say ‘But what about [insert injustice here]?’ the response of ‘You have not made an insightful observation by distraction’ was SO powerful 😳

When discussing how media portrays something like tax evasion to gang crime: ‘Rich people crime good, poor people crime bad.’ 

When in discussion about how black people living under apartheid said not nice things about white people: ‘White people’s hurt feelings are conceptually equivalent to black humans’ actual lives.’

Honestly? Incredibly insightful 🗣️ I didn’t know about Cuba having one of the biggest, (and well-maintained) healthcare systems either!

Definitely one to read and digest! 4 out of 5 stars for me, thank you ✨

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, Colonisation, War, Classism, and Deportation

saskiahill's review against another edition

medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Death, Drug use, Genocide, Hate crime, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Mass/school shootings, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

Minor: Antisemitism

meganlikesreading's review against another edition

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, Violence, and Police brutality

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

Minor: Cultural appropriation

selimhannah's review against another edition

informative reflective medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

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

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

Minor: Emotional abuse, Sexism, Sexual violence, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Antisemitism, Fire/Fire injury, 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: Slavery, Police brutality, and Classism

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

esme_may's review against another edition

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

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

Minor: Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Slavery

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

readingthroughinfinity's review against another edition

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: Hate crime, Racism, Police brutality, and Colonisation