_inge's review against another edition
A very important read with many thought-provoking questions. Hearing about the experiences of a child with a black father and white mother was something I’d not read much about before, and the fact Carby is a historian made it even more interesting to see her going through archives with a professional and personal view. Some parts will really stay with me, I’m sure. I initially read snippets of this book for uni, which was 2 years ago, and I still remembered certain segments from back then.
Carby’s own experiences were fascinating, so when she moved the perspective I noticed myself skimming entire chapters. I get portraying her grandmother’s history makes way to discuss the effects of colonialism in how she’s perceive her son in law, for instance, but it felt like this could be done in just a few sentences or so. The Carby family having a ‘white’ side (and ‘white’ history) is very interesting, but I personally wouldn’t need an elaborate description of the abolishment of slavery in Britain to accompany this. The perspective kept changing too and went back in forth in time, which made it a bit confusing.
Still, if anyone wants to know why ‘where are you from?’ is such an awful question, or what it’s like to grow up with a British/Welsh mum and a Jamaican/British dad, I’d definitely point them towards this book.
Carby’s own experiences were fascinating, so when she moved the perspective I noticed myself skimming entire chapters. I get portraying her grandmother’s history makes way to discuss the effects of colonialism in how she’s perceive her son in law, for instance, but it felt like this could be done in just a few sentences or so. The Carby family having a ‘white’ side (and ‘white’ history) is very interesting, but I personally wouldn’t need an elaborate description of the abolishment of slavery in Britain to accompany this. The perspective kept changing too and went back in forth in time, which made it a bit confusing.
Still, if anyone wants to know why ‘where are you from?’ is such an awful question, or what it’s like to grow up with a British/Welsh mum and a Jamaican/British dad, I’d definitely point them towards this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexual assault
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