Some Kind of Black
Streetsmart Dele, born in London to African parents, wins a place at Oxford University. On graduation he returns to the streets of Tottenham where he grew up. On a cusp between a world of white privilege and the reality of immigrant life in London he navigates the city, encountering race politics, riots and police violence.
Dele hovers between cultures – most at home on the streets and estates of the city he is still bound by the rules and strict African mores of his parents, who adhere to the culture of their homeland. He dallies with girls, both black and white, but it is his close relationship with his sister Dappo, who suffers from sickle cell anaemia, which underpins the story.
A coming of age story set amongst the African diaspora this is a brilliant debut from Diran Adebayo and breaks new literary ground as one of the first novels to articulate a British-born African perspective. It remains as relevant today as when it was originally published.
