Brilliant Black British History
£11.40£12.30 (-7%)
‘This powerful, vividly illustrated book proudly reframes Black British history’
The Guardian
‘… a brilliant, fascinating history book’
The Week Junior, Book of the Week
‘I started reading and couldn’t put it down. It’s the kind of book I wish I’d had when I was a kid’
Joseph Coelho, Children’s Laureate
‘This book is revolutionary’
Kelechi Okafor, actor, writer and podcast host
An eye-opening story of Britain, focusing on a part of our past that has mostly been left out of the history books: the brilliant Black history of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.
Did you know that the first Britons were Black? Or that some of the Roman soldiers who invaded and ruled Britain were Black, too? Join this fascinating journey through the ages to meet those first Britons, as well as the Black Tudors, Georgians and Victorians who existed in every walk of life here. The incredible journey through time is brought to life through Atinuke’s fascinating storytelling and illustrated scenes, detailed maps, and timelines created by illustrator Kingsley Nebechi.
From science and sport to literature and law, celebrate the brilliant Black people who have helped build Britain. Learn about key and complex historical topics such as the world wars, slavery, the industrial revolution, Windrush and the Black Lives Matter movement. This fascinating book will change everything you thought you knew about our green-grey British isles.
‘We would recommend this book to any child, adult or teacher’
Stop Hate UK
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Additional information
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Children's Books (31 Aug. 2023) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Hardcover | 64 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1526635712 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1526635716 |
| Reading age | 7 years and up |
| Dimensions | 24.1 x 1.2 x 28.1 cm |
by YOM
What a gift of a book! I’ve already started buying more copies to give as gifts! So informative, so well researched with some sources listed at the back of the book.
The simple message is that we all share in Britain’s history and we’ve all contributed. We’re one human race with 99% shared DNA!
The people who are leaving angry reviews clearly have had their worldview rocked by this book and honestly that’s not such a bad thing.
by Wendy Gracias
I liked the simplicity of presentation and the great illustrations. I really think the content should be part of the school curriculum but sadly politicians would never want the past to be viewed objectively. This badly needs to change. Well done Atinuke and Kingsley .. and thank you
by michael36175
A really beautiful rendering of the history of Britain and its people. Generous in its scope and attention to detail, a truly epic compendium that makes complex spans of time engaging and absorbable. I really appreciated the care given to each page and each historical figure. I hope this book inspires many more like it. The more we know our origins and honor our ancestors the better chance we will have of building an equitable world for all. Full of empathy and hope, this is a wonderful book for children and adults to experience. Thank you for this
by Amazon Customer
Bought this book for my grandson so when he starts reading he can learn from an early age
by Paiges
Very interesting to read of black past history particularly good to share with younger members of family.
by Punter
Well done. My daughter loves it. What a fantastic insight into black British history and the contribution made shaping Britain over the centuries.
by Clair D.
Brilliant I bought this for my children but I’ve learnt so much myself I can’t believe how much Black History has been left out and not taught in our school curriculum. Fascinating and eye opening. Easy to read and understand for young children mine are 6 and 8 and love this book.
by marcus
This is a book with numerous false claims scattered throughout its pages. It could have been so much more and highlighted history that was often overlooked. Indeed, at points it succeeds in doing this. For example, witness this:
Queen Victoria had two famous Black godchildren: Nigerian-born Sarah Forbes Bonetta and the Ethiopian Prince Alemayehu.
Atinuke,. Brilliant Black British History (p. 73). Bloomsbury Publishing. Kindle Edition.
This is true and Prince Alemayehu is an interesting figure in whose life history all the contradictions and paradoxes of Empire can be seen. However, the author has rather less accurate information the reader should be very careful of. Such as:
Bombs were dropped on British cities and thousands of people were killed. Children, Black and white, were sent to live in the countryside. British women of all colours worked together in factories, farms, hospitals and war offices.
Atinuke,. Brilliant Black British History (p. 84). Bloomsbury Publishing. Kindle Edition.
The number of black people in the UK was small during World War Two and while the work of any person who aided in the war effort should be praised this section of the book would work better if it made this more plain. Also, there was only one entity called the War Office in the UK during the war, although it had numerous divisions. The book sets out with a noble aim but is poorly written and strays toward being polemical numerous times.
The writer would be advised to do longer and more sustained research with regards to some of her claims and note that some are open to debate at present.
This is true