352 pages
English language
Published Nov. 5, 2019 by Hodder & Stoughton.
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.
Interesting historical stuff, for example on the role of Cuba in the defeat of apartheid, but the real strength of the book lies in Akala's accounts of growing up in the UK.
This took me a long time to read. Almost three years! Not because it's bad, but because it is densely packed with informative, challenging, and upsetting information and stories. This is vital stuff. I'll be borrowing from the bibliography for my own reading list.
A long and difficult read. Lifts a stone and a great deal of nastiness is exposed - once read it will be difficult to feel comfortable about our lives and what they have been based on.
