Natives
Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire - The Sunday Times Bestseller
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4.4 • 242 Ratings
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- £4.99
Publisher Description
*RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK* 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
'I recommend Natives to everyone' Candice Carty-Williams
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
Akala was five-years-old when he realised his mother was white. From that day on, his entire life was shaped by race, class and the legacy of the British Empire. Natives is a critical text from the award-winning musician and political commentator. He masterfully weaves colonial history into his autobiographical account of growing up as a mixed-raced man in modern Britain. There are brutally raw recollections of traumatic confrontations with the police, racist teachers and the media, as he examines the origins of white supremacy to contextualise his lived experiences. Emphasising the importance of education, Akala debunks worn-out racist tropes with an abundance of knowledge and sardonic wit.
Customer Reviews
An eye opening read
The author is so incredibly well researched and has explained lots of things so very literally. This book is a must read. I’m so glad I did.
Quality book, very insightful
My sister has been telling me for months to read this book and I’m glad I did, my respect for Akala has grown even more, he’s a national treasure in my opinion
King O
Started off very good which painted a depiction of a child growing up in London. This was juxtaposed with race, politics and economics. I felt it lost steam later on as the book progressed but overall a very solid read.