A Home from Home: From Immigrant Boy to English Man

by George Alagiah (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  2007

  $3.25

  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 leave the past behind and fit into a new culture. His arrival in Britain coincided with the unhappy intrusion of race into politics. A key part of the ensuing fight against racism was the concept of multiculturalism. But in a closely argued and forthright chapter, Alagiah suggests that, far from improving the prospects for some immigrants, multiculturalism may be an impediment to integration. All too often these are the poor and isolated communities who most need the help of the state to break out of what is fast becoming a version of ghetto life. Above all, this book is a tender and evocative portrayal of the immigrant experience. Alagiah brings colour and life to a subject that is too often reduced to screaming tabloid headlines, and sheds light on the controversial question of British identity.

• Used

  Paperback
  2007

  $9.45

  George Alagiah was born in Sri Lanka and grew up in Ghana. His family came to Britain in the 60s. This is his story, going to school in Portsmouth (where his friends were all white and teased him in the shower room for not having a summer tan) and gradually discovering his immigrant identity. 'It crept up on me - this feeling that I wanted to be Sri Lankan again. Or, at least, allow Sri Lanka to be a part of me again. This is not about citizenship. I am British. This is not about allegiance. I am loyal to Queen and country. This is about a feeling. How do you account for what I can only call an umbilical connection with a place you have left over forty years ago?' And this feeling is also something Alagiah examines more widely, looking at how immigrant experiences have differed in Britain in the post-war years, how multiculturalism has led to ghettos and failure, and how we should celebrate our immigrants both through their civilising values and economic necessity. Alagiah's A HOME FROM HOME can be read as the moving sequel to A PASSAGE TO AFRICA or as a stand-alone autobiography of the immigrant experience.

• New

  Paperback
  2007

  $13.02

  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 leave the past behind and fit into a new culture. His arrival in Britain coincided with the unhappy intrusion of race into politics. A key part of the ensuing fight against racism was the concept of multiculturalism. But in a closely argued and forthright chapter, Alagiah suggests that, far from improving the prospects for some immigrants, multiculturalism may be an impediment to integration. All too often these are the poor and isolated communities who most need the help of the state to break out of what is fast becoming a version of ghetto life. Above all, this book is a tender and evocative portrayal of the immigrant experience. Alagiah brings colour and life to a subject that is too often reduced to screaming tabloid headlines, and sheds light on the controversial question of British identity.