Black, Listed

A groundbreaking book celebrating the words and phrases that by choice or by circumstance define the Black British experience.

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GUARDIAN MUST READ BOOKS OF 2019

FINANCIAL TIMES BOOKS TO READ 2019

NEW STATESMAN MUST READS 2019

'A truly radical book, which manages to be unflinching and constantly entertaining'
CAROLINE SANDERSON, THE BOOKSELLER BOOK OF THE MONTH APRIL 2019

'This book gives a voice to those whose experience is persistently defined, refined and denied by others' DAVID LAMMY, GUARDIAN

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Who is a roadman really? What's wrong with calling someone a 'lighty'? Why do people think black guys are cool?

These are just some of the questions being wrestled with in Black, Listed, an exploration of 21st century black identity told through a list of insults, insights and everything in-between.

Taking a panoramic look at global black history, interrogating both contemporary and historical culture, Black, Listed investigates the ways in which black communities (and individuals) have been represented, oppressed, mimicked, celebrated, and othered. Part historical study, part autobiographical musing, part pop culture vivisection, it's a comprehensive attempt to make sense of blackness from the vantage point of the hilarious and insightful psyche of Jeffrey Boakye. Along the way, it explores a far reaching range of social and cultural contexts, including but not limited to, sport, art, entertainment, politics, literature, history, music, theatre, cinema, education and criminal justice, sometimes at the same time.