Description
A POWERFUL MEMOIR AND MANIFESTO CHALLENGING WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A BLACK MAN IN BRITAIN
A blisteringly honest take on contemporary Britishness that manages to be both nuanced and shocking Highly recommended Afua Hirsch author ofBritish
Youre a black man
Aggressive Athletic
Feared Fetishised
Policed Politicised
Its limiting Its tiring And its not true
What makes a man in the 21st century For generations being a man has meant behaving in a very particular way It has meant being strong sexually assertive and overtly heterosexual Assumptions around masculinity have been the root cause of countless problems which to this day continue to affect the whole of society
When the question of masculinity intersects with race these assumptions too often mutate into pernicious prejudice in ways that are particularly damaging for the men themselves In this groundbreaking and revealing book actor activist and writer Obioma Ugoala a man of mixed Nigerian and Irish heritage examines the ways in which his life has been affected by people failing to address their own prejudices about what they conceive a Black man to be
As well as talking about these often shocking experiences he take a broader cultural and historical view to challenge notions of race and masculinity that have over centuries become embedded in British society poisoning the public discourse and blighting peoples lives
With unflinching honesty and deep humanity this unique and important book challenges us all to face our personal failings while offering a vision of a more positive future if we dare to do better
When first published as The Problem with My Normal Penis the book met resistance from some who considered the title unnecessarily provocative In this updated edition Ugoala addresses the reception his book received and the light this shed on the very issues of race and masculinity that he was addressing
Whipsmart and refreshingly vulnerable In this book Obioma Ugoala brilliantly exposes the systems and the individuals that have long perpetuated dangerous and irresponsible ideals around Blackness and masculinityCandice CartyWilliams author ofQueenie
A valiant venture of a book that is somehow both tender memoir and unflinching excavation of the sociological blights that affect both self and society Looking outward inwards and forward it lucidly explores complicated truths Hopeful and honest uncomfortable and encouraging it is a book this country needsBolu Babalola author ofLove in Colour
An urgent personal compassionate book that never backs away from the difficulty of what we are facing but provides a forgiving mirror and a useable map so we can truly reflect amp navigate Obioma Ugoalas treatise should be a set text for a world in crisis Deborah Frances White
In his enquiring memoir he astutely explores where the expectations of his race and masculinity meet unpicking and challenging his past experiences of prejudice His personal stories are told in the context of the wider culture and the book is a compassionate rallying cry to be more consciousEvening Standard
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