Cover Image: Black, Listed

Black, Listed

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An important and enlightening book, where I really explored the use of linguistics and their origins. The analysis and insight really makes this work a worthwhile read in a non patronising or condescending voice that is witty and informative. Great work!

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I loved this book - it's written so warmly and so well that it feels like the author is sitting beside you while you're having a cup of tea together. Jeffrey Boakye is a schoolteacher in London, and he has put this book together as a list of words, a list of names, used for and about and by Black people, and Black culture.
He talks through his own experiences and preferences, always carefully explaining what it means for him and how it makes him feel.

In this time of BLM, of a raised awareness of being respectful and acknowledging the personal preferences in pronouns, this is an excellent read. As a white woman, I found it really insightful. It doesn't just cover insults, but terms of affection too. The insults chapter is a tough read.

Boakye, as well as weaving in his own experience, draws on the news and historical events in what must have been carefully researched - it really helped me to understand and brought the list to life.

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Black, Listed by Jeffrey Boakye is an important book about the black British experience and unpacks lots of ideas and issues about race.

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Fascinating, enlightening and more than a little bit uncomfortable to read as a white woman. This takes a look at the words surrounding the black british experience and uses academic research and the author's personal experiences to analyse and explain them. It has a light tone - which the author explains at the end is to keep it from becoming bleak and depressing for the reader. I found it a very worthwhile read and learnt a lot - and had to have a think about even more.

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Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book to read and review.

Started out a little slowly - I was initially attracted to this book by the title. But I have to say, I slowly came around. Even though I'm wasn't born in Britain - I was able to identify with most of the book - I laughed, I learned a lot, and I saw myself, my son, my friends - in every single definition.

Great book - ended up buying a copy to finish reading it, worth every penny.

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Blacklisted is another book on Race. But, while Taking up Space explores practical experiences of racism, Blacklisted looks at the language we use to describe and explain issues of Race. It explores the words we use to describe ‘Black’ people. It looks at words, such as; Black Ethnic Minority, Black Minority ethnic, ‘other’, and African American, exploring the various ways that society creates and reinforces racial hierarchies. Each word is given its own essay. Each essay weaves together personal narrative and cultural criticism to form a picture of the word and its place in both; cultural discourse and lived experience. It is a very worthwhile read. I highly recommend both books. What are you reading? Talk to me in the comments.

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Interesting. Should be read. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC and to the author for future works.

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I enjoyed this book, and I did find a lot of the content enlightening.
I've read some books by other PoC authors before, and have been trying to make more effort to educate myself with others' lived experiences. Especially as I make the effort to promote social justice and equity in general, but am trying be as un-ignorant as possible and not exclude people unwittingly.
The musings on different terms and experiences were both interesting and scholarly, but also humourous at times, which helps when covering what is often an intense topic.
There were some things highlighted that I'd never considered before, such as the term 'mixed race' and the connotations or implications of this. It made me want to do a DNA test to understand my heritage!
Overall I enjoyed this book. I would probably read it again/refer to it again for inclusion purposes, and would recommend others read it too.

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Thanks to NetGalley and The Publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I just couldn't get into this. Its essentially a glossary of words associated with the black experience both positive and negative. I felt it lacked consistency and was trying to be too many things to too many audiences. Part academic examination, part personal experience, trying to be funny, trying to deliver cold hard realities and facts. Some words were explored to great depths and other just given a passing glance. And for a British book, far too many references to the American experience.

The style of this book wasn't to my tastes and I found it a chore to read. Not for me but I'm sure others will gain a lot of insight in to an important subject.

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"Black, Listed" is, in the words of its author, 'a list of things that melanin-heavy

human beings might find themselves being referred to as, if they happen to be alive

in the 400-year window that this book peers into'. Boakye sorts his chosen terms into

categories such as official descriptors ('politically correct, endlessly

complicated'), personal descriptors, historical descriptors, derogatory terms, loaded

terms ('blackness in the white gaze'), internal descriptors, terms of endearment

(which includes a lovely section on 'fam'), internal insults, outlaw accolades, and

finally politics.

From the nouns and adjectives which form the book's framework, Boakye covers a huge

amount of ground. Throughout Boakye emphasizes that "Black, listed" is as much about
'the tortured paranoia of dominant whiteness', writing 'my blackness is also created

by the fact that I'm surrounded by whiteness'. As in Emma Dabiri's "Don't Touch my

Hair", Boakye highights the underlying racism of much of the discourse in a society

in which whiteness is seen implicitily as the default.

Boakye mixes his sharp analyses of language and culture with personal anecdotes and

some very funny prose. Throughout, he acknowledges the complexity and sensitivity of

his subject and his own worries about putting a foot wrong, writing for example:

"You can't see it, but underneath the exterior casing of this chapteer is a hopeless

tangle of wires and loose connections that threaten to combust into flames the moment

I prod the wrong thing or pull on the wrong bit. This whole book, in fact, is me

juggling sticks of dynamite on a unicycle. I hope you're enjoying the show."

This is particularly apparent in the section on the n-word in which Boakye movingly

describes his writer's block at this point before a bravura essay which moves from

witty discussions of Quentin Tarantino and Chris Rock to the full horror murdurous

racial hatred.

Boakye is secondary school teacher and having finished "Black, Listed", I feel

grateful that teachers like him exist and that he had time to write this book.

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Im very grateful for a copy of this from Net Galley. Boakye undergoes a much needed investigation of race and racism in the context of Britain, through the exploration of terms such as Yardie and Roadman, words that I am familiar with myself as a Londoner. I believe that analysis of race often pertains and centers around the States, and so Boakye's book is a much needed cultural insight into race/ism in Britain.

I am, as a feminist, incredibly grateful that Boakye explores misogynoir in such depth, through terms such as bitch, roadgyal, angry black women, and so forth. He does not limit himself to his experiences as a black man, but rather, how race intersects with class and gender, too. I would have loved to see a greater exploration into black lesbian identities. It shocked me that he said he had never come across homophobia/gayness in his social circle, which, as a lesbian, find quite hard to believe. Many black feminists I read, such as Patricia Hill Collins, Audre Lorde and so forth discuss their experiences of homophobia and misogyny in the black community in such insight and depth, so I feel that Boakye is lacking in this analysis. Perhaps this is something he could expand upon in future books, as homophobia is going nowhere.

Whilst I admire his attention to misogynoir, and his nuance towards Kanye West, I would have appreciated a greater exploration regarding Kanye West's misogyny - which, lets be honest, he is. His Famous video depicts the (unconsenting) naked bodies of several women and degraded Amber Rose because she worked as a stripper, all whilst marrying into the Kardashian family. So, I would have appreciated some insight into Wests misogyny as he was referenced and discussed so much in Black, Listed.

Finally, I would also like to add some slight issues I have with Boakye's description of Jewishness. Again, I admire his statement that Jewishness has been separated from whiteness due to Nazism, however, there was one moment in Black, Listed where he referred to Jewish people as white passing, which completely overlooks the experiences of Jews of Colour - Yemeni Jews, Black Jews, Ethiopian Jews - I could go on. A simple google search will show that all Jewish people aren't white. Perhaps he is referring to Ashkenazi Jews, instead of MENA Jews, but again, I would have appreciated that clarification.

I enjoyed reading Black, Listed. Boakye has a sharp skill in writing with such humour and satire, which I love. It was a very informative and insightful read. Thank you.

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