Black and British: A short, essential history for young readers
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4.3 • 15 Ratings
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- £4.99
Publisher Description
Winner of the Book of the Year, Children's Illustrated and Non-Fiction at The British Book Awards, 2021
Inspire young readers with this short, essential introduction to Black British history by award-winning historian and broadcaster David Olusoga.
When did Africans first come to Britain?
Who are the well-dressed black children in Georgian paintings?
Why did the American Civil War disrupt the Industrial Revolution?
These and many other questions are answered in this essential introduction to 1800 years of Black British history: from the Roman Africans who guarded Hadrian’s Wall right up to the present day.
This children's version of the bestseller Black and British: A Forgotten History is illustrated with maps, photos and portraits.
Customer Reviews
Black and British
I enjoyed this book. I enjoy history. It’s always good to gather facts and it’s obvious that black people played a part in shaping the history of this country. This is the first book I’m aware of that I’ve read on British history that’s been written by a black author. I believe this book should be made available in schools and that Black history should be taught as part of the curriculum. My only criticism would be that when talking about events of the past, the author doesn’t talk enough about the general knowledge of the population at various points in history. For example, the Tudors still believed in witchcraft. People’s attitudes were dictated by what was acceptable at the time. Edward Colston is depicted as an evil man and by today’s standards, what he did for the slave trade was despicable. However he also did a lot for charity during his life time. He was born into a trading family and saw Black Africans as a commodity. Yes he was wrong, but in his time, people believed it was normal to trade like this. I can never condone the riots that saw his statue dumped into Bristol harbour.
I’m proud to call myself a British citizen. I believe that our country is one of the most diverse in the world. We have been through a lot of pain to achieve this and understanding all the pain is a great way to move forward to a more peaceful future. This book is a good brief history in and a step in that direction.
Chris Hill