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Brit(ish)
- On Race, Identity and Belonging
- Narrated by: Afua Hirsch
- Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins
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Brit(ish)
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Summary
Random House presents the audiobook edition of Brit(ish): On Race, Identity and Belonging written and read by Afua Hirsch.
Afua Hirsch is British. Her parents are British. She was raised, educated and socialised in Britain. Her partner, her daughter, her sister and the vast majority of her friends are British. So why is her identity and sense of belonging a subject of debate? The reason is simply because of the colour of her skin.
Blending history, memoir and individual experiences, Afua Hirsch reveals the identity crisis at the heart of Britain today. Far from affecting only minority people, Britain is a nation in denial about its past and its present. We believe we are the nation of abolition but forget we are the nation of slavery. We sit proudly at the apex of the Commonwealth, but we flinch from the legacy of the empire. We are convinced that fairness is one of our values but that immigration is one of our problems.
Brit(ish) is the story of how and why this came to be and an urgent call for change.
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Critic reviews
"Brit(ish) is a wonderful, important, courageous book, and it could not be more timely: a vital and necessary point of reference for our troubled age in a country that seems to have lost its bearings. It's about identity and belonging in 21st-century Britain: intimate and troubling; forensic but warm, funny and wise." (Philippe Sands)
What listeners say about Brit(ish)
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- Seph
- 22-07-20
Great read for anyone looking for a British take on race and identity
What a fantastic, insightful and thought provoking book!!
I loved that it’s written from a British and female perspective. I was looking for something to help me get better educated about racism in Britain today - this certainly opened my eyes and has made me re evaluate some things.
Beautifully written and spoken by the author.
I would recommend for anyone looking for something that isn’t too heavy on facts and figures. The author writes of her personal lives experiences and that adds a wonderful contextual quality to this book.
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- Mary Mercy
- 25-05-19
Race, class and identity
Excellent read. Addresses the question of how black and brown people make sense of their identity in a racist country and the insecure identity of white British people including the relevance of this for brexit
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 07-07-18
Captivating and eye opening
A very captivating book, highlighting modern day Britain's relation with race. Relevant for anyone living in the UK and beyond.
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- Justin D. Rumsby
- 08-12-19
Explaining identity with clarity
Listen ping to this book has opened my eyes further in regards to clinging to the past of slavery by current generations. The belong, lack of, disrupting of family lines by abduction to serve a foreign power else where.
I understand more fully the current resentment from Black Britains. This book shows that beyond the professing of being not racist by forcing fanciful colourblind thinking onto ourselves is allowing to end up being racist in a different way.
Afua’s personal journey is a fascinating one that can’t be guessed at by assumptions of past generations of black people.
The book’s opinion on multi-culturalism is very balanced. It explains, without intention to do so, why it hasn’t worked well. Might give people out there thought as how to positively turn it around.
I’m glad I chose this book. I wish everyone in this country would read it now. Really would help change the anger and scapegoating.
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- Karl Wilson
- 23-05-20
A great listen, impossible to pigeon-hole.
A friend shared her Guardian article on European attitudes to African innovation and I immediately came to see whether Agua had written any books.
I downloaded this and literally couldn't stop it. I listened to it in a day. Afua gives a really interesting snapshot of race and identity in the UK from a place of relative black privilege. There are some things we already know but the appeal is in the way Afua articulates things that we struggle to put into words.
It's an interesting listen that you can pass on to your friends who enjoy white privilege, so they can understand it without you doing any more of the legwork.
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- Ed
- 17-07-19
could really read this 5 times
remarkable. so many things i had never considered. even about myself. made me axtad upset, but i guess that happens when one's eyes open.
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- Anonymous User
- 03-03-18
loved it
so insightful and well researched.loved it. will listen again and again and again AND again
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- Lexas
- 29-03-18
Brilliant!
I bought this book in print back in 2017 and read it twice, because it was that good. I then bought the audio book so I could listen to it wherever I was, whatever I was doing. Afua hits home what it's like to be black and british living in this country and all the complexities of our identities that come with it. A truly brilliant read.
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- Amazon Customer
- 24-12-20
Emotive and yet surgical in examination racism
This book not only validates my livid experience but also acts a therapy. Feel fortunate to have read it.
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- Dan Alem
- 31-07-23
Enlightening
This book will give you a greater knowledge and understanding about Britishness from a different angle with a beautiful soothing sound..
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