IN STORE NOW! A Black Boy at Eton by Dillibe Onyeama
A memoir as powerful as it is harrowing, Dillibe Onyeama’s story is one of alienation, abuse, and perseverance in the face of unimaginable hardship.
Though Dillibe made history as the first black boy to graduate from the ultra-elite Eton College, his experiences during his education will leave you more than just shifting uncomfortably in your seat but wanting to fall out of it all together. Making this read all the more crucial is the knowledge that two of our three most recent Prime Ministers graduated from the same institution (David Cameron and Boris Johnson), one which Onyeama describes as having been a place built on ‘supremacist attitudes’.
That this book landed Onyeama a ban on visiting his former school when it was originally published in 1972 (only being rescinded with an apology almost 50 years later) is telling of all the horrors it entails.
Follow Dillibe Onyeama on Twitter @DillibeOnyeama and on Facebook @Dillibe Onyeama and keep up with news from Penguin and their ‘Black Britain: Writing Back’ series on Twitter and Instagram @penguinukbooks
Order your copy today directly through October Books or buy online through our bookshop store and we’ll get a commission on your purchase.
A Black Boy at Eton by Dillibe Onyeama
Paperback - £9.99
Dillibe was the second black boy to study at Eton - joining in 1965 - and the first to complete his education there. Written at just 21, this is a deeply personal, revelatory account of the racism he endured during his time as a student at the prestigious institution.
He tells in vivid detail of his own background as the son of a Nigerian judge at the International Court of Justice at The Hague, of his arrival at the school, of the curriculum, of his reception by other boys (and masters), and of his punishments. He tells, too, of the cruel racial prejudice and his reactions to it, and of the alienation and stereotyping he faced at such a young age.
A Black Boy at Eton is a searing, ground-breaking book displaying the deep psychological effects of colonialism and racism.
Order your copy today directly from October Books or buy online through our bookshop store and we’ll get commission on your purchase.
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