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I Belong Here

A Journey Along the Backbone of Britain: WINNER OF THE 2021 BOOKS ARE MY BAG READERS AWARD FOR NON-FICTION

ebook
2 of 2 copies available
2 of 2 copies available
WINNER OF THE 2021 BOOKS ARE MY BAG READERS AWARD FOR NON-FICTION
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2021 WAINWRIGHT PRIZE

"I knew in every bone of my body, in every fibre of my being, that I had to report what had happened, not only for myself but to help stop anyone else having to go through what I did. I knew I could not remain silent, or still, I could not stop walking through the world."

A journey of reclamation through the natural landscapes of the North, brilliantly exploring identity, nature, place and belonging. Beautifully written and truly inspiring, I Belong Here heralds a powerful and refreshing new voice in nature writing.

Anita Sethi was on a journey through Northern England when she became the victim of a race-hate crime. The crime was a vicious attack on her right to exist in a place on account of her race. After the event Anita experienced panic attacks and anxiety. A crushing sense of claustrophobia made her long for wide open spaces, to breathe deeply in the great outdoors. She was intent on not letting her experience stop her travelling freely and without fear.

The Pennines - known as 'the backbone of Britain' runs through the north and also strongly connects north with south, east with west - it's a place of borderlands and limestone, of rivers and 'scars', of fells and forces. The Pennines called to Anita with a magnetic force; although a racist had told her to leave, she felt drawn to further explore the area she regards as her home, to immerse herself deeply in place.

Anita's journey through the natural landscapes of the North is one of reclamation, a way of saying that this is her land too and she belongs in the UK as a brown woman, as much as a white man does. Her journey transforms what began as an ugly experience of hate into one offering hope and finding beauty after brutality. Anita transforms her personal experience into one of universal resonance, offering a call to action, to keep walking onwards.

Every footstep taken is an act of persistence. Every word written against the rising tide of hate speech, such as this book, is an act of resistance.
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    • Booklist

      May 15, 2021
      The man on the train hurled racist abuse at Sethi after she simply asked him to turn his music down. He was arrested and later pleaded guilty to the hate crime. Shaken by the experience, and mourning the death of a friend, Sethi finds herself yearning to take a long journey and sets out for the Pennine Way, the oldest long-distance trail in Britain. As she walks, Sethi, whose grandfather worked for East African Railways in Nairobi and whose parents migrated to the United Kingdom as young adults before meeting, considers her place in the north of England. As a brown-skinned Brit, when she replies "Manchester" to those who ask where she is from, they answer, ""But where are you originally from?"" Sethi unpacks the traumatic legacy of racism, the scars her experiences have left, and the survival strategies she has learned. Fluidly balancing searing examinations of racial justice with lush descriptions of natural wonders like the waterfall gurgling in Hull Pot chasm, Sethi finds solace in her explorations of nature.

      COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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  • OverDrive Read
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Languages

  • English

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