Natives
-
-
4.5 • 268 Ratings
-
-
- £9.99
-
- £9.99
Publisher Description
SHORTLISTED FOR THE JAMES TAIT BLACK PRIZE | THE JHALAK PRIZE | THE BREAD AND ROSES AWARD & LONGLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING
'This is the book I've been waiting for - for years. It's personal, historical, political, and it speaks to where we are now' Benjamin Zephaniah
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 speaks 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.
Natives is the searing modern polemic and Sunday Times bestseller from the BAFTA and MOBO award-winning musician and political commentator, Akala.
'The kind of disruptive, aggressive intellect that a new generation is closely watching' Afua Hirsch, Observer
'Part biography, part polemic, this powerful, wide-ranging study picks apart the British myth of meritocracy' David Olusoga, Guardian
'Inspiring' Madani Younis, Guardian
'Lucid, wide-ranging' John Kerrigan, TLS
'A potent combination of autobiography and political history which holds up a mirror to contemporary Britain' Independent
'Trenchant and highly persuasive' Metro
'A history lesson of the kind you should get in school but don't' Stylist
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
This is a razor-sharp and purposeful audiobook that feels like essential listening for Britons of all backgrounds. Kingslee James Maclean Daley—better known as Akala—is a mixed-race MC best known for his thoughtful brand of hip-hop. His first book is no less incisive. Natives is deeply personal but shines a light on modern Britain’s complex and at times torrid relationship with race and multiculturalism. Akala is a no-punches-pulled narrator blessed with the charismatic flow of any good MC, and his story is told with a searing passion backed-up by clear-eyed, well-researched facts. This is, at times, a tough listen, but it feels like a vitally important one.
Customer Reviews
Natives..
Love this audio book
Great coaching tool for victim mentality
This lazy and ideological book is the ultimate coaching tool on how to develop a victim mentality. The allure of this is clear, if you’re told that you are a victim of a system of oppression then 2 things happen: firstly, you look for evidence of this everywhere and hence suffer more perceived racism and discrimination. Secondly, you no longer have to take any responsibility for your own failures or shortcomings. The problem with this of course is that you’re now stuck in a state of anger, isolation and helplessness. This is actually the goal of Marxism, to use minorities to carry out ‘revolutionary action’ -yes, Karl Marx was in fact a racist.
In conclusion, this is the second most disempowering book for BAME people I’ve ever read -after ‘why I’m no longer talking...’ It is a dangerous book. Preferably don’t support the author. Borrow from a friend or library if you still want to read this.
Brilliant analysis of racism
It’s the most balanced, relevant, accessible & insightful book on race that I have read to date.
The author speaking of his life is also inspiring, with his acknowledgment of the support received from his family & community noteworthy.