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adrizeuza's review
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
This book should be mandatory reading in all social science courses in Europe. Jonny has such a unique writing voice and is also a great narrator in the audiobook. I really liked the intertwining of personal experience (although I feel like certain parts of the book were sparser on this side of the equation) and historical / political reflection. Especially relevant to think Afropean as a potential international political movement. I learned so much about the history of the African diaspora and liberation movements in Europe. Especially loved the working class perspective that permeated the whole book. Highly recommend!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs
Moderate: Colonisation, Xenophobia, and Classism
Minor: Police brutality and Islamophobia
rcsreads's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
This was really well written and as well as being about modern Europe I learned a lot of colonial history I didn't know. There are obviously lots of books about Black Americans and I've read some books about Black Britain but they tend to be very London-centric. It was great to read a book about different Black experiences that I wouldn't normally see or hear about.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Racial slurs and Colonisation
Minor: Violence, Hate crime, Islamophobia, Xenophobia, and Slavery
qqjj's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Xenophobia
questingnotcoasting's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
This was fascinating. It's a travelogue, following a journey Pitts took around Europe learning about the lives and communities of ordinary Black Europeans in Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Berlin, Stockholm, Moscow, Marseille and Lisbon. I really like his writing and his descriptions of the people he met and places he visited are so vivid. I learnt a lot about European colonialism and how the communities being discussed came to exist. I also enjoyed the memoir element, as he reflects on his own community and upbringing in Sheffield. It's taken me almost a month to read but only because I liked dipping in and out of it. It's written in a conversational, accessible way and I could equally have sped through it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Xenophobia
Moderate: Police brutality, Racial slurs, and Slavery
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