No Place Like Home: A Black Briton's Journey Through the American South
Black British journalist Younge contrasts the racial atmosphere of the U.S and Britain in this personal journal of his travels in the American South. Younge, whose parents immigrated to Britain from Barbados, grew up in an isolated suburb aching for racial identity, feeling neither British nor Bajan. Instead, he felt the strong appeal of the American South, for it provided those things he lacked--a sense of place and history. Younge felt that southerners, black and white, had a "heartfelt affinity" for their environment. So he decided to take a personal journey from Washington, D.C., to New Orleans to retrace the route of the first freedom fighters in 1961 to get a feel for the racial climate of America. He discovered a complex environment, greeted with familiarity by other blacks and yet viewed as foreign, granted points by whites because of his accent but still subjected to racism. Younge's book is a blend of travelogue, historical research, and social commentary leavened with the sharp eyes and tongue of an outsider examining the American racial milieu.Vanessa BushCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved