Brit(ish)

On Race, Identity and Belonging

By: Afua Hirsch

Narrated by: Afua Hirsch

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.

©2018 Afua Hirsch (P)2018 Random House Audiobooks

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)

Exceptional

This book is an important contribution to the conversation about British identity. It’s thoughtful, insightful, and incredibly honest.

Stunning exploration

It's not often you would find a book that explores the feelings of being of mixed race in such a full and intensive way. Quite often you get a fictionalized or romanticized story. Or you only get the trauma-based story. This book was well rounded

Fantastic book well worth a listen

Really refreshing fanatic book whjch sums up much of the race issues that exist in the uk. Afua describes her experiences as a young mixed rac girl almost in search of her identity. All the time underlying what it is to be part of the new black british generation.

Great read

I feel Brit(ish) too!

"So where are you from?"
"Ealing"
"No, where are you FROM?"
"Oh, do you mean where are my parents from?"
"Yes"
"Oh, they are from Ealing too!"
"No, where do they come from?"

If like many Londoners you have had this conversation while growing up you will appreciate Hirsch's perspectives around growing up Black British.

Often others won't see you as British despite the fact that your parents, grandparents and maybe their parents were all British citizens or British subjects or some combination of the two.

An excellent book about the search for identity which is well read by the author.

This is maybe the third book that I have written a review of in over 12 years of being an audible member. Definitely worth a credit.

Important read

Every White British person should read and think about this book. Thought provoking and especially interesting to understand since I live in the USA and am well versed on racism and white supremacy here.