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Black and British
- Author
- David Olusoga
- Narrator
- Kobna Holdbrook-Smith
- Publisher
- Pan Macmillan
- Publish Date
- 3 November 2016
- Run Time
- 24 hours 28 minutes
- Format
- x-book®
- Genre
- European history, Social and cultural history, Colonialism and imperialism, Slavery, enslaved persons and abolition of slavery, Ethnic groups and multicultural studies, Social discrimination and social justice
- Rating
- 5.0 (3 reviews)
What to expect
Winner of the PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize
Winner of the Longman History Today Trustees’ Award
Longlisted for the Orwell Prize
Unflinching and revealing, Black and British is a vital history that reveals how black British lives have been woven into the fabric of the nation for centuries – from Roman Britain to the Black Lives Matter protests.
'Groundbreaking' – The Observer
'A radical reappraisal’ – The Guardian
'Written with great force and passion’ – The Sunday Times
Drawing on new research, original records and expert testimony, David Olusoga's Black and British shows us exactly why black history is not a separate or marginalized story, but an integral part of Britain's cultural and economic life.
Stretching back as far as Roman Britain, the medieval imagination, Elizabethan ‘blackamoors’ and the global slave-trading empire, it shows that the great industrial boom of the nineteenth century was built on American slavery, and that black Britons fought at Trafalgar and in the trenches of both World Wars.
Now fully revised and updated to include the Windrush scandal and the Black Lives Matter movement, this is a history that reveals how the lives of black and white Britons have been entwined for centuries – a history that belongs to us all.
Critics Review
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You could not ask for a more judicious, comprehensive and highly readable survey of a part of British history that has been so long overlooked or denied. David Olusoga, in keeping with the high standards of his earlier books, is a superb guide.
Adam Hochschild, bestselling author of King Leopold's Ghost
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Groundbreaking.
The Observer
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[A] comprehensive and important history of black Britain . . . Written with a wonderful clarity of style and with great force and passion.
The Sunday Times
-
A radical reappraisal of the parameters of history, exposing lacunae in the nation’s version of its past.
Arifa Akbar, The Guardian
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A thrilling tale of excavation.
Colin Grant, The Guardian
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[Olusoga] has discovered new and exciting research materials . . . Such sources give his writing freshness, originality and compassion . . . [Black and British] will inspire and will come to be seen as a major effort to address one of the greatest silences in British historiography
David Dabydeen, The New Statesman
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Lucid and accessible.
Herald Scotland
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Olusoga's account challenges narrow visions of Britain's past. By tracing the triangulated connections between Britain, America and Africa, he presents black British history in global terms [...] His subjects, even those who barely figure in the historical record, appear as individuals who matter, both in their own right and as historical exemplars.
The London Review of Books
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An insightful, inclusive history of black people in Britain . . . Rich in detail and packed with strong personalities, this is an important contribution to our understanding of life in the UK.
History Revealed
-
Ambitious . . . Long overdue.
Hakim Adi, The Spectator
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Olusoga has single-handedly over recent years forced our forgotten history on the agenda . . . Written with an urgency it is a thrilling and engaging read.
Nigerian Watch
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An erudite exploration of racism and how it continues to mutate . . . it is exhilarating to read a fine mind at work.
Cathy Rentzenbrink, The Guardian
User Reviews
Book 5.0
Narration 5.0
- No written reviews yet.
Details
- Author
- David Olusoga
- Narrator
- Kobna Holdbrook-Smith
- Duration
- 24 hours 28 minutes
- Release Date
- 3 November 2016
- ISBN
- 9781509837113
- Format
- x-book®
- Publisher
- Pan Macmillan
- Genre
- European history, Social and cultural history, Colonialism and imperialism, Slavery, enslaved persons and abolition of slavery, Ethnic groups and multicultural studies, Social discrimination and social justice
- Rating
- 5.0(3 reviews)
- Narration
- 5.0(3 reviews)
Synopsis
Winner of the PEN Hessell-Tiltman PrizeWinner of the Longman History Today Trustees’ AwardLonglisted for the Orwell PrizeUnflinching and revealing, Black and British is a vital history that reveals how black British lives have been woven into the fabric of the nation for centuries – from Roman Britain to the Black Lives Matter protests.'Groundbreaking' – The Observer'A radical reappraisal’ – The Guardian'Written with great force and passion’ – The Sunday TimesDrawing on new research, original records and expert testimony, David Olusoga's Black and British shows us exactly why black history is not a separate or marginalized story, but an integral part of Britain's cultural and economic life.Stretching back as far as Roman Britain, the medieval imagination, Elizabethan ‘blackamoors’ and the global slave-trading empire, it shows that the great industrial boom of the nineteenth century was built on American slavery, and that black Britons fought at Trafalgar and in the trenches of both World Wars.Now fully revised and updated to include the Windrush scandal and the Black Lives Matter movement, this is a history that reveals how the lives of black and white Britons have been entwined for centuries – a history that belongs to us all.
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