A Home from Home: From Immigrant Boy to English Man

by George Alagiah

Book Overview

When George Alagiah was dropped off at a Hampshire boarding school as a child back in 1967, he was confronted with an extreme version of the private struggle faced by all immigrants - the battle to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0349119112
• ISBN13: 9780349119113
• Release Date: July 2007
• Publisher: Abacus Software
• Length: 320 Pages

Customer Reviews

It doesn't have to be Sri Lanka or Britain. It can be both. They are linked, tied together in a migr

Why isn't everybody reading this book? It is so good and so true and so perceptive, but most of all so close to what I have believed for years, that it's unreal. In fact, it is undoubtedly one of the most important secualr books written, and should be used extensively both in Britain and abroad, perhaps in an adapted format, to inform policy, not just on immigration, but also on a myriad of other issues. Alagiah's sharp insight and at times perhaps deviating non-mainstream opinions may sit uncomfortably with many readers, ethnic Britons and immigrants alike, but nevertheless should be listened to and considered. In spite of the strongly expressed opinions, Alagiah manages to render a fairly balanced viewpoint. I know that sounds like a contradiciton in terms, but if you read this, you'll see what I mean. It's like a melange of the neutral observing journalist in him at work, coupled with him as a person, from his own experience. A clever combination of the history of migration into 20th century Britain and an, at times initmate, autobiography. As a twice-over- immigrant, I found myself chuckle, nod, cry and squirm as I read of Alagiah's individual journey, as well as his extremely carefullly researched and documented historical accounts and fascinating case-studies. Back in October I had the good fortune to see Alagiah speak and read from his own work. He was as genuine then as he comes across in the book. Without wanting to decry this man's work on the 6 o'clock news, this is where he shines. The ending of the book is particularly touching, signifying that the process of writing the book was in itself an outward expression of a homecoming for this exceptional man, as Walcott put it to "greet yourself arriving at your own front door... to love again the stranger who was your self". The realisation that where we belong in terms of nationality or race should never be a choice of sides, but that it can indeed be both, a marriage of old and new, a wonderful, workable hybrid, that probably touched me most and is a theme anyone who has ever been removed from roots will well appreciate. Read it.

The thorny question of identity

Of all the issues that face the world in the twenty-first century, perhaps the most difficult is the issue of race relations. George Alagiah was born in Ceylon a few years before it became Sri Lanka, and raised there and in Ghana before being sent to boarding school in England, so is better qualified than most to write a book on the subject. Not only that, but he mainly sticks to writing about his own experiences and research that is clearly informed by those experiences, without any need to set up any contrived situations to make his points. George sometimes uses terminology that a white person could never get away with using, but he uses it sparingly just to make an occasional point. It seems that even George is wary of such words, as he seems to avoid them as far as possible. While this is not George's autobiography, there is plenty about his life here that he might wish to reproduce in his autobiography if he decides to write it. He discusses his time at boarding school in Portsmouth and at university in Durham, pointing out that he found acceptance by whites easy because of his novelty value, but contrasts this with situations that other immigrants have found themselves in. In this, he confirms what I'd tended to assume based on my own observations. If a society is composed almost entirely of one racial group of whatever color, the small minority have no choice but to conform because they don't have anybody else to befriend. When the size of the minority increases to the point where they form a significant group, that's when the potential trouble arises. Ultimately, it is for politicians at local and national level to find solutions. As George points out, those solutions, however well intentioned, don't usually work. George goes back in time to describe how Britain became a multi-cultural society and how the process accelerated in the second half of the twentieth century. He discusses the legislation passed by various British governments, beginning with the Aliens Act of 1905 and how, with one exception, that act and all subsequent immigration acts have tightened the rules, especially aimed (it seems) at keeping out non-whites. He also discusses the 1948 act (the one exception) and how it seemed like an open invitation to Jamaicans, Indians and Pakistanis. They gleefully accepted although that was apparently not the British government's intention. Much of George's book contains stories of ordinary people who have lived in multi-cultural Britain. Most are from the immigrant communities themselves, but George also includes white people who are in a minority in their own local area; one white boy only knows one other white boy. George illustrates how policies intended to make outsiders feel welcome may have made it easier for them to stick with their own kind, making no attempt to mix with others. This means mixing with other immigrant communities as well as with whites. Some inter-racial violence has been between rival immigrant groups alth