Firstly I think I should say that I would urge that you listen to the audio version as it is narrated by the author and has interviews with his close friends or ‘The Black Panel’ on what it is to be black. I found myself smiling and chuckling a lot, I found it poignant at times and eye opening but I have to say I didn’t find it as laugh out loud funny as most people did and I think that is down to me being English. I think a lot of the racial stereotypes and themes that were played on we just don’t have over here, like the black people like watermelon thing? I can honestly say I’d never heard that one, doesn’t everybody like watermelon? It’s really nice, in fact I love all kinds of melon, Piel de Sapo, Cantaloupe, Galia! But I digress.

I would love to be able to say that we don’t have racism in the UK but of course we do. However I don’t think it is the same as in the US where it is almost woven into the fabric of society and will take a mammoth effort to genuinely overcome. Towards the end of the book one of the female members of the black panel (I think it was Jacquetta Szathmari) summed it up quite nicely I think by saying if she was rich she would like to send every black child to another country for a year so they know what it feels like to be black outside of America. I really do think it is different over here and that you are defined by many things other than your race, at least coming from London it feels that way.

No two people whether they are both black, both white, whatever, are the same. Everybody is different but that brings different things to the game, what a boring world this would be if we all stuck to one unshakeable path for our entire lives. My advice to anyone with a tendency to stereotype others, or anyone who has uttered the phrase ‘I’m not racist but...’ get out of your bubble and travel, go to India, go to Africa go and see the world it might open your eyes a bit, but first read ‘How to be Black’ because it’s a great place to start.