Review: 'No Place Like Home: A Black Briton's Journey Through the American South'

It’s taken me a while to write this review of Gary Younge’s book ‘No Place Like Home: A Black Briton’s Journey Through the American South’ largely because of other obligations and, admittedly, forgetfulness. Since finishing this book I just needed to write a review, and have been sitting on this for a few weeks now.

The book focuses largely on the journey of the Freedom Riders, a group of black and white activists who decided to challenge a decision by the United States Supreme Court. Despite the decision, that stated public buses were no longer segregated, the law remained unenforced in most states, especially in the Deep South. A group of black and white activists decided to challenge this non-enforcement by embarking on a journey, via public bus, through the Deep South. They refused to “correctly” use segregated facilities, from the seating areas to the facilities in bus stations. The reaction they received was beyond anything they could have imagined. They were mobbed, violently beaten, hospitalised, their buses were set on fire and eventually they were arrested.

Journalist Gary Younge decided, 36 years later, to retrace their route, visiting key sights and interviewing a variety of people along the way. More than just a simple historio-travelogue, ‘No Place Like Home’ has entrenched within its pages a political polemic about racist practices today in both America and Britain.

Younge was born in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, to Barbadian parents, and grew up in the care of his mother, who instilled in him a deep sense of racial identity. Younge devotes his opening chapter detailing his own upbringing right up to an incident on a bus in Brighton, where, as part of a group of black youth visiting Brighton, his bus was attacked by skinheads. As he decides to embark on his own Freedom Ride, he recalls this memory that had been previous buried deep in his memory.

This mini-autobiography prefacing the rest of the book isn’t mere indulgence on Younge’s part. Not only

does it allow us to see what sparked Younge’s interest in the Freedom Riders, it also gives us an idea of British racism, as the book uses America and the Freedom Riders not just to polemicize against American society, but towards Britain as well. My favourite quote happens very early on, when he notes why race is such an issue in America and seemingly non-existent in Britain (by that I mean, not really outwardly spoken about):

“In Britain you are encouraged to keep your racial identity under lock and key; in America you are a slave to it”

In Britain, we don’t talk about it. A colleague describing Younge would use every word except “black”. In America, meanwhile, McDonalds post adverts in African-American magazines promoting the contributions of its black workers.

The problem of this sense of “lacking” in Britain is that you feel like you have this big secret, and whenever you mention the topic of race you’re “bringing up the race thing” you’re “forcing it down their throats”. This doesn’t mean America is so liberal in its attitude. In America, your race defines you; segregation occurs on a much larger scale than in Britain. You are told “you are black, here is where you live, this is where you work and this is what you like”.

Amongst many things, Younge’s book really helped me verbalise my thoughts on the Trayvon-Zimmerman trial. Many people around me acted as if the shooting of an unarmed  person of colour and the acquittal of the murderer could only happen in America. I actually wrote an article entitled “The British Trayvon Martin: Muhammed Asghar”. This was a similar case, where a man clearly in the wrong was acquitted with murder on “self-defence” grounds. Click the link if you wish to find out more.

The question of black people in Britain appeals to me in particular, as in Britain, my race does feel a bit like a secret. I am white in appearance, and when I tell people I’m mixed race they are just startled and avoid asking the question that’s burning in their minds: “why do you look so white then?”. Younge’s book got me thinking, what would it be like if I was American? Would I be able to openly say “I’m mixed race” without feeling like I’m “shoving it down people’s throats”? Would I be able to comfortably delve into black history and reggae music without people accusing me of acting something they insist I am not? What would be the price of this apparent “freedom”?

‘No Place Like Home’ provided me with a thoroughly intriguing and entertaining read, and certain phrases and occurrences will remain ingrained on my memory for a long time. Still, a few weeks after reading it, I find myself asking questions and debating internally some of the arguments Younge presents. Finally, if you are looking for something to compliment the book, I recommend the documentary “Freedom Riders” on the PBS website (possibly could be found elsewhere). I think it’s important to have a visual representation of events, and the documentary certainly does this with interviews and pictures.

-Khia Reynolds