By now you've seen this book everywhere, but if you haven't already picked it up, especially if you live in the UK, then you really should. Reni Eddo-Lodge lays out the systemic racism in the UK clearly and succinctly. Some things you might know already, but I guarantee that you will learn something new here about Black History or racism in the UK, because it's simply not talked about. Most of us aren't aware of Black British history and unless you actively go looking for it, you won't find it, and that needs to be changed, the whole school syllabus needs an overhaul.
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I learned a lot from this book, but my main takeaway from it is that Britons are masters of misdirection. Pros at sweeping less-than-savoury pieces of Black British history under the rug. 'Racism? Here? But haven't you seen what's happening over in America? We don't have a racism issue here compared to them! Racism? I think you'll find the REAL problem in Britain is class prejudice!' Brits will do anything to avoid admitting that racism is a real problem embedded in our society.
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There's a section on the 2015 protests against having a statue of Cecil Rhodes at Oxford University that I just wanted to print out a thousand times and distribute to anyone having difficulty understanding the statue debate still ongoing. 5 years ago, people voiced the same ridiculous concerns of 'we can't expunge these people from history'. Which is not what taking a statue down does, it just removes it from a position of being overtly celebrated. But some people can't seem to wrap their heads around this.
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I can't recommend this one enough, not only to UK folk but to everyone. I've seen people calling for this book to be included in the curriculum in schools which would be amazing. It perfectly explains what it means to be Black in a country that is determined to keep its problematic past and present firmly under wraps.