Ben Judah
This Is London
One dimensional worst case bordering on racist. Sometimes not even bordering on. No success stories - all immigrants shown at their worst. Weird interlude of rich arab princesses - but why focus on them as the only ones who are not in poverty. Even more surreal description of a rich Arab's child birth and if it was related to the book I can't see how. Hardly represents Londoners who are working and not in poverty. Yes it's there but feels like this is sensationalising it. Many of the immigrants complain that there are too many other immigrant groups and the only references to multiculturalism are negative, despite the obvious mix of cultures within London life. Probably no coincidence that the three papers quoted on the jacket are the Telegraph, FT and Sunday Times - just the papers that promote division and the government policies that are worsening poverty and equality. And doing their best to bring about their self prophesies of inter racial strife but Londoners time and again have shown that this won't happen. The plus side is Ben's descriptions many of which are very readable if a little fanciful. Cats fights on the rooftops of Harlesden. Really? I guess give him the benefit of artistic licence. I'm sure he'd make a very good story teller (maybe he is?) but this as a factual book is too mired in examples that Ben thinks prove the rule but don't. Other immigrant groups have been through this over the centuries and Britain has always found a way to incorporate incoming and colliding cultures. Not always without some friction but compared to many other places it's pretty welcoming. The issue is less immigrant poverty and more inequality in society which is what Britain hasn't yet tackled. Post War Labour tried but was sidetracked into having to please the unions who had their own agenda often at odds with equality for all but I guess the Post War Labour Movement is a whole different topic to address. His description of white British is equally generalised and dismissive. The book feels that Ben isn't a native Londoner - the jacket says he was born here but I doubt he's spent his life here. The comparisons on the jacket to Orwell and Down and Out are embarrassing. Whether you like Orwell or not he was down and out (OK, I guess he could bring himself up but he lived it for ages) and on the front line in Spain. Judah dips into the world he's describing often paying cash for stories which, as shown by the red tops, is hardly the best way to get a truthful story. There is a particularly offensive passage at the end describing Brixton as the "end of the line" and saying that you even see white people rushing out of the tube these days. As if whites didn't always live in Brixton. Whilst he may be right that some of Brixton housing is going up in value pushing some out (isn't it in most places in London) the description of whites crossing the road to avoid anyone who is black is both laughable to anyone who lives in south London and offensive. The ending is a bit bizarre as if Ben's been commissioned to write 400 pages and needs some filler. He laughably drops into what he obviously thinks is street language, e.g. using the F word, referring to women working the streets "whores" and going on and on about "hoodies". Maybe save that for a novel Ben which I'm sure would be great if you could ease up on the racial stereotyping. I did persevere to the end after all.
