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gabrielrobartes's review against another edition
5.0
Archbishop John Sentamu describes this as “should be compulsory reading.” He’s right. Revelations on every page. Utterly transformative to my previous view of British social and economic history.
aleks_png's review against another edition
5.0
Probably one of the best non fiction books Ive read; wish I read this earlier than at 21
laurenboys's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
zoer03's review against another edition
5.0
Wow I have felt like I have been on a staggering voyage of unexplored history that has been either hidden intentionally. This is what is needed to be taught in schools today. This history of blood, sweat and many many tears and death needs to be told to everyone so that the message of us being an island of just white people can be finally put to bed, because of history of us as in the Great Britain we know it’s never been just one people it’s a multifaceted and multicultural jumble of people. We should welcome and open up about our history not hide or be ashamed. Yes we have done horrific things in the past but to understand that and to move on we have to acknowledge our own cultural racism and stigmas and educate ourselves to include everyone be it white, black, Asian and also except religions too. Together we are more powerful than divided.
mirandaaaa's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
Before reading this book I knew that there were Black Britons from the Roman times onwards and about the slave trade and Windrush but now I’ve finished I realised it’s not a question of knowing (you can never properly know history) but rather one of understanding and that is something that I truely didn’t understand until after reading this book. And that is why I think it is imperative that everyone reads this (either the shortened version or this) because it highlights the history of Britain and how interlinked it was and still is with slave trading and African countries.
There is a “conscious and deliberate forgetting” over the slave trade and the horrors that Black people had to undergo in Britain and the fact that countless generations got blatantly lied to by successive powerful white men that subverted the face of Britain and our acceptance of Britain in all its colourful and cultural history. For instance I’d never heard of Granville Sharp and Frederick Douglass and didn’t realise that there were other better forces than Wilberforce (he had little part to play in abolition tbh) and that Sierra Leone and Freetown was forged from Black Britons and Canadians moving there. As you can see I learned a lot which is all the more impressive as this non fiction didn’t feel like a drag at any point. It was written in a highly accessible and enlightening way which enables outsiders to understand why there are issues today and the importance of accepting and embracing historical past - even the unsavoury aspects. It’s important to realise there is so much more to Black British history than slavery, and immigration especially Windrush and this book helps to realise that.
The vast history is obviously not all covered and there are some parts sped through, particularly at the end of the book post WW2. But nonetheless is enlightening and nuanced. Recommended to all who actually care about anything.
There is a “conscious and deliberate forgetting” over the slave trade and the horrors that Black people had to undergo in Britain and the fact that countless generations got blatantly lied to by successive powerful white men that subverted the face of Britain and our acceptance of Britain in all its colourful and cultural history. For instance I’d never heard of Granville Sharp and Frederick Douglass and didn’t realise that there were other better forces than Wilberforce (he had little part to play in abolition tbh) and that Sierra Leone and Freetown was forged from Black Britons and Canadians moving there. As you can see I learned a lot which is all the more impressive as this non fiction didn’t feel like a drag at any point. It was written in a highly accessible and enlightening way which enables outsiders to understand why there are issues today and the importance of accepting and embracing historical past - even the unsavoury aspects. It’s important to realise there is so much more to Black British history than slavery, and immigration especially Windrush and this book helps to realise that.
The vast history is obviously not all covered and there are some parts sped through, particularly at the end of the book post WW2. But nonetheless is enlightening and nuanced. Recommended to all who actually care about anything.
sheilaemasson's review against another edition
5.0
This was a life-changing book. There were so many issues and events that I had never heard of, never learned in school, never read about. An utterly absorbing, horrifying, shaming, revealing read.
caidyn's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
4.0
This took me forever to read because it's thought-provoking and long. Definitely on par with Stamped, just that it focuses on the UK rather than America.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Slavery, and Colonisation