This month I have had the opportunity to start rereading some of the old books in my library (although I still haven’t got to Captain Corelli’s Mandorin) and also discovering some literature that has passed me by.
In trying to get an even mix, I have been delving into more African and Caribbean influenced literature, and will soon be venturing back into some more African American literature from the likes of Baldwin, Hooks and Langston Hughes. I digress.
Some Kind of Black by Diran Adebayo is the story of Dele. A young man of Nigerian heritage and of his exploits between living in London and finishing his degree in Oxford.
Diran paints a very familiar picture of London in the 90s, exploring its music scene, the drug use, the contrasting views of mixed race relationships, and the somewhat eerily familiar views on community mismanagement. He jumps into between prose and matter of fact conversational dialogue. I laughed at much of the slang being used as even when one tries to read it in context many of the phrases would be difficult for a non-Londoner to understand.
All in all it had my attention for the best part of two days (I speed read!) and I think I would like to read some more of his stuff. 4 stars out of 5 for me!!
