Member Review
Review by
Sara B, Reviewer
The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho, by Paterson Joseph.
This is a historical work of fiction but based on the true story of Charles Ignatius Sancho. He is someone I only recently became aware of, and that was due to a Google Doodle. So needless to say when I was given the opportunity to have a ARC copy from Netgallery UK and Dialogue Books I was extremely excited to read more. I wasn't disappointed. Here is my unbiased review.
This book while fictional, draws a lot on Sanchos' (as he was pretty much known throughout his life) own true story and that allows us to be engaged in a memoir style of book, rather than a history text book. As such it works wonderfully and we become immersed in a lifestyle that is both cruel and for Sancho at least, what became a pretty luxurious upbringing in England. Where he was raised though was more for entertainment value to those around him, and it undoubtedly leaves Sancho in a sort of no-mans land of where he belongs.
There is nothing hidden from certain events - the opening chapter alone is gritty and uncompromising in the realities faced by many Black people of the time. Yet Sancho is also shielded from a lot of this reality, and he realised that it became a barrier for him.
Despite some of the bleakness we get a far more rounded view overall and the courtship with Anne who would become his wife, and his desire to leave a mark on this world brought a balance that I worried would be too condescending of the Black experiences, and yet was far from that. If anything it helped highlight the Black experiences from multiple points of view and that for me is where the book really worked.
I highly recommend this book. Both as historical fiction and as a lesson in Black UK history.
Charles Ignatius Sancho deserves to be a household name, and books such as this will hopefully bring him more to the fore.
Highly recommended reading and without a shadow of a doubt, 5/5 stars 🌟
A dazzling book that should grace any bookshelf.
This is a historical work of fiction but based on the true story of Charles Ignatius Sancho. He is someone I only recently became aware of, and that was due to a Google Doodle. So needless to say when I was given the opportunity to have a ARC copy from Netgallery UK and Dialogue Books I was extremely excited to read more. I wasn't disappointed. Here is my unbiased review.
This book while fictional, draws a lot on Sanchos' (as he was pretty much known throughout his life) own true story and that allows us to be engaged in a memoir style of book, rather than a history text book. As such it works wonderfully and we become immersed in a lifestyle that is both cruel and for Sancho at least, what became a pretty luxurious upbringing in England. Where he was raised though was more for entertainment value to those around him, and it undoubtedly leaves Sancho in a sort of no-mans land of where he belongs.
There is nothing hidden from certain events - the opening chapter alone is gritty and uncompromising in the realities faced by many Black people of the time. Yet Sancho is also shielded from a lot of this reality, and he realised that it became a barrier for him.
Despite some of the bleakness we get a far more rounded view overall and the courtship with Anne who would become his wife, and his desire to leave a mark on this world brought a balance that I worried would be too condescending of the Black experiences, and yet was far from that. If anything it helped highlight the Black experiences from multiple points of view and that for me is where the book really worked.
I highly recommend this book. Both as historical fiction and as a lesson in Black UK history.
Charles Ignatius Sancho deserves to be a household name, and books such as this will hopefully bring him more to the fore.
Highly recommended reading and without a shadow of a doubt, 5/5 stars 🌟
A dazzling book that should grace any bookshelf.
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