Black and British: A short, essential history

(Paperback)

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Winner of the Book of the Year, Children's Illustrated and Non-Fiction at The British Book Awards, 2021 Shortlisted for Waterstones Book of the Year 2020 A short, essential introduction to Black British history for readers of 12+ by award-winning historian and broadcaster David Olusoga. When did Africans first come to Britain Who are the well-dressed black children in Georgian paintings Why did the American Civil War disrupt the Industrial Revolution These and many other questions are answered in this essential introduction to 1800 years of the Black British history: from the Roman Africans who guarded Hadrian's Wall right up to the present day. This children's version of the bestseller Black and British: A Forgotten History is illustrated with maps, photos and portraits. Macmillan Children's Books will donate 50p from every copy sold to The Black Curriculum.

Reviews

For readers aged 12+, the book asks some thought-provoking questions and answers them in a smart and thorough style that will teach adults as much as it will children. We can see why its been called a must-read. * Evening Standard *
In non fiction, David Olusogas authoritative text has been condensed for children in Black and British: A Short, Essential History (Macmillan). It ranges from the first Africans to come to Britain to the shameful Windrush scandal, and takes in the industrial revolution, cotton grown on slave plantations and the black soldiers who fought for Britain in the first world war. Olusogas book conveys with calm clarity why all British children should be taught black history * Guardian and Online *
Discovering history is as entertaining as it is informative * Peoples Friend *
And to the present day: David Olusoga is the best possible person to write Black and British: A Short, Essential History (Pan Macmillan). This new, updated edition of his 2016 book is aimed at younger readers, and it appears at a time when many people are debating the best ways to tell histories of empire and race in the classroom. Olusoga describes it as "the book I wish I had been given to read when I was at school", and I couldn't agree more * Yasmin Khan, BBC History Magazine *
In this new title, Olusoga has distilled and reframed his bestselling Black and British: A Forgotten History for younger readers. Spanning the period from Roman Britain to the modern day, Olusogas expertly crafted narrative makes history engaging for a new audience in clever and accessible ways. Olusoga has by no means dumbed-down his research from Black and British: A Forgotten History, and he forces young people to engage directly with Britains often-brutal past, discussing overlooked or ignored histories. Black and British: A Short, Essential History clearly demonstrates that Black History is all our history a vital and important book. * The Scotsman *
An absolute must-read for adults and secondary school children alike. * BookTrust *
Lets face it, some history books can be quite boring unless youre particularly into history, like me, but this highly accessible text from renowned broadcaster and historian David Olusoga is a fascinating eye-opening quick read that you wont be able to put down. Adapted from his best-selling adult version, this clearly written balanced evidence-based history book for 12+ concisely charts the forgotten histories of Black people who have inhabited Britain from Roman times right through to the present day. The most arresting part for me was learning more detail about the logistics of the transatlantic slave trade and Britains absolutely pivotal role in the process - something that has been completely airbrushed out of the teaching of British history. But no longer - this book sets the record straight and is an essential addition for your libraries. As its more suitable for teens upwards I wont be writing a long review, though Id say primary teachers might want to think about reading it for their own knowledge * Cocoa Girl Magazine *
Brilliant, essential, accessible introduction to Black British history. Should be compulsory teaching at school. The author has a wonderful storytelling voice which you can hear coming out of the pages -- It's all about Stories Blog
Black history is all but absent from the British curriculum, making David Olusogas Black and British: A Short, Essential History ( Macmillan) all the more vital. With this new edition of his adult bestseller, aimed at readers aged 12 and over, Olusoga chronicles 1,800 years of black people in Britain, from Roman times to the present day * Observer, part of a 'best of 2020 books' round-up *

Author Bio

David Olusoga is a British-Nigerian historian, broadcaster and BAFTA award-winning presenter and filmmaker. He is Professor of Public History at the University of Manchester and a regular contributor to the Guardian, Observer, New StatesmanandBBC History Magazine. His previous books include Black and British, which won the PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize and the Longman-History Today Trustees Award, The Kaiser's Holocaust and The World's War. He was also a contributor to The Oxford Companion to Black British History. In 2019 he was awarded an OBE for services to history and community integration.