Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire
Paperback Published on: 21/03/2019
Price: £12.99
Bookseller Reviews
View all
A nuanced take on race
After the work of Reni Eddo-Lodge and Afua Hirsch it is great to read rapper, poet and activist Akala's take on issues of race in contemporary Britain, par... READ MORE
Eye opening!
Akala’s measured, in depth exploration of race and class in England is an urgent piece of writing that forces the reader to engage with a litany of institu... READ MORE
A powerfully argued plea for a fairer world
Akala is a musician and poet who has won MOBO awards and founded the Hip Hop Shakespeare Company. He was born in the 1980s into a world where casual (and i... READ MORE
essential
This is a brilliantly well written introductory piece on racial injustice in Britain today. Akala guides us through history, and explains in great detail t... READ MORE
***Foyles Non-Fiction Book of the Year 2018*\
An urgent, profound and accessible book. Akala weaves the elements of this wide-ranging book into an engaging, angry, and often funny account that should be pressed into everyone’s hands: a personal story, compellingly told, and a devastating analysis of race and class prejudice in our society. Akala is an incredible writer, and this is an important book.
**
Synopsis
A searing modern polemic and Sunday Times bestseller from the BAFTA and MOBO award-winning musician and political commentator, Akala.
From the first time he was stopped and searched as a child, to the day he realised his mum was white, to his first encounters with racist teachers - race and class have shaped Akala's life and outlook. In this unique book he takes his own experiences and widens them out to look at the social, historical and political factors that have left us where we are today.
Covering everything from the police, education and identity to politics, sexual objectification and the far right, Natives will speak directly to British denial and squeamishness when it comes to confronting issues of race and class that are at the heart of the legacy of Britain's racialised empire.
Publisher information
- Publisher: John Murray Press
- ISBN: 9781473661233
- Number of pages: 352
- Dimensions: 196 x 128 x 24 mm
- Weight: 247g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
View allEveryone Should Read This Book
Nothing I write here will convey how fantastic Natives is. This book is extremely relevant, well researched, compelling and heartbreaking. This is the hist... READ MORE
Natives, by Akala
This is very much a meditation on what it was like to grow up Black in inner London during the rule of Margaret Thatcher. It is also very much a discussi... READ MORE
Intriguing
So much history that we don’t get taught in school. Natives really opens your eyes to the bigger problems of racism and class divide. Akala explains it all... READ MORE
Everyone needs to read this book
Insightful and historical. Akala knows what he talks about and his own experiences intertwined with the complex and honest history of these lands teaches u... READ MORE
Well written and accessible introduction to race in the UK in the 21st Century
Akala threads personal experiences through this well researched and thorough introduction to race in the UK in the 21st century. I learnt such a lot about ... READ MORE
A must-read
I’ve been the biggest fan of Alakla since I first heard Shakespeare, The Thieves Banquet and his Fire in the Booths and heard him debate and lecture at var... READ MORE
One of the best non-fiction books I've ever read
Akala writes with a fluidity, passion and breadth of knowledge and experience that is incredibly engaging.
The scope of his discussions are so wide and w... READ MORE
Very useful
Great for understanding the underlying forces behind racism and the creation of societal inequality
Probably ought to be on the curriculum.
Akala does so much research to ensure that his captivating book is as informative as possible, and delivered with humour, compassion, and eloquence. An ent... READ MORE
An important read
I found, at times, that I wasn't always able to follow the argument but I am putting that down to me rather than Akala. He has a powerful and important poi... READ MORE
Informative and Important
Highlights so much of the systematic racism apparent in the UK that I was not aware of before reading. I found it particularly poignant reading about Akala... READ MORE
Educationally eye opening!
I just need to you to read this book. It is incredibly educational and it exploits racial profiling and takes about race with hard facts.
Please note, th... READ MORE
Highly recommended. Very well-articulated.
Highly recommended. Very well-articulated from a unique point of view that few (if any) people have. Anybody can learn from this book no matter what race o... READ MORE
Everyone should read this book
A beautifully written book dissecting a million ugly truths, Natives is Akala at his levelheaded, eloquent best. Such important work.
Everyone should read this book
A beautifully written book dissecting a million ugly truths, Natives is Akala at his levelheaded, eloquent best. Such important work.
Everyone needs to read this
A beautifully written book dissecting a million ugly truths, Natives is Akala at his levelheaded, eloquent best. Such important work.
Everyone should read this book
A beautifully written book dissecting a million ugly truths, Natives is Akala at his levelheaded, eloquent best. Such important work.
Unfortunately True
This is a simply harrowing read but it should be mandatory in all secondary schools.
It is well written and it is revelatory about the continued racial s... READ MORE
You may also like...
Say Nothing
Price: £10.99
The Finest Hotel in Kabul
Price: £25.00
The Trading Game
Price: £12.99
Nuclear War
Price: £10.99
Supremacy
Price: £10.99
Middleland
Price: £22.00
How to Kill a Language
Recommended Retail Price: £22.00Price: £17.99
London Falling
Price: £22.00
The Thinking Machine
Price: £12.99
The Illegals
Price: £11.99
The Visionaries
Recommended Retail Price: £20.00Price: £16.99
Moral Ambition
Price: £10.99
Year of the Rat
Price: £12.99
Careless People
Price: £10.99
When the World Sleeps
Price: £16.99
We Need to Tax Billionaires
Price: £9.99
What If Reform Wins
Price: £16.99