verb: to ramble
1.
walk for pleasure in the countryside.
2.
talk or write at length in a confused or inconsequential way.

Anita Sethi has written an interesting, and in many ways, profound look at Modern Britain. After an encounter with a vicious racist on a train, she embarks on a walk through along the Pennine Way. For her, it's time to examine who she is, where she comes from and where she belongs. Her thoughts, as they do when you walk, cover a wide range of subjects; the nature of language, demonstrations, types of grasses, the number of skin cells (1.6 trillion if you want to know), bananas and their role in culture and black life, female genitalia and on strength, courage and trauma.

The walk serves as her way of grounding herself to aid her recovery from the after effects of the racist attack. A process which is literal, metaphorical, and physical. Interestingly, I grew up less than a mile away from Anita. Our experiences are in many ways similar coming as we both do from that same area of Manchester. It was a tough working class area with a poverty of expectation which still exists to this day. However, as a white male, I did not have to deal with the almost daily racism and xenophobia that Anita had to handle.
Personally, I would have preferred the rambles to have had a little more structure and a stronger editorial voice. But that is nitpicking.

Her book has helped me understand who I am, where I come from and how I belong. Who could ask for more?

I Belong Here is a fascinating book following the author as they embark upon a pilgrimage through Northern England following a racial attack. This book is vastly different to anything I would normally read, much deeper and darker, but I’m glad that I finished it as watching the author overcome everything she has suffered through her life is inspirational. This book is paired not only with the story of the journey itself, but also a multitude of facts about racial events, history and British natural biology. I have taken much more educationally from this book than I had originally expected. Although a hard read due to the wide range of challenging topic (racism, mental health, death and suicide), I recommend this book to everyone as I have gained a significant amount from this novel and will most definitely be reading it again within the future.

This is the brave and powerful true story of how Anita Sethi reacted to a race hate crime. A fantastic read about identity, this is a book that everyone should read. I can't recommend this highly enough.

Thanks to Netgallery for the chance to read this advance copy in exchange for an honest review

I was disappointed with this book. As a person of colour; with a similar cultural background and same hometown as the author - I was expecting so much more.
Anita Sethi was racially abused on a train; it is after this horrific verbal and mental abuse that Sethi finds solace and answers to her sense of belonging by walking the Pennines.
The author's writing style, or rather lack of it, was a complete let down. Had I wanted to read details about the skin's epidermis and melanin or read several dictionary definitions of certain words such as 'scar' and 'backbone', I would have picked up an encyclopedia or dictionary instead. Was the author trying to achieve a word count target by throwing in such unnecessary detail? Her train of thought was also off putting- there was a lot of rambling and also a lack of cohesiveness at times.

A very honest and powerful book by Anita Sethi, detailing the aftermath of a racist attack and how she dealt with the trauma of that by grounding herself in her own country, Her thoughts on identity and belonging are fascinating, and provide much food for thought. I will not forget in a hurry that when she was attacked on the train, there were other people present who could have helped her and didn't. I loved the section where Sethi and her new young friend set off on a walk together, striking out into the unknown.

I did feel as though the book was lacking when it came to the actual act of walking the Pennines. Using the journey as a launching off point to discuss wider ideas and values was obviously always the goal, but there were times I was genuinely struggling to keep up with the narrative. This book has a lot to say - and rightly so - but it came at the expense of some coherency (especially when it meanders over to discuss problems in the USA near the end of the book).

Please see LoveReading.co.uk for the full review of I Belong Here. It has been chosen as a LoveReading Star Book and a Liz Robinson Pick of the Month.

‘I Belong Here’ is an interesting look at race, nature and belonging. Anita Sethi was racially abused on a train and made to feel like an outsider. Following this incident she started to reflect on a sense of belonging and in particular belonging to a landscape. Consequently she decided to walk along the Pennine Way to address this and look at the idea of belonging as she walked. This book explores how things are linked and intertwined and all can effect each other.

I really enjoyed reading this. Sethi takes a really fascinating and unique approach by using nature to explore the topics of race, racism and belonging. Her writing style is wonderfully descriptive and she is able to show the reader what a place looked like and also her own feelings really well through the words. I loved her incorporation of etymology throughout as well, tracing back word origins. The nature writing was also compelling, I loved reading about the landscape and the people she met along the way. It felt a very multilayered book and definitely one I will pick up again. The only element stopping me giving it a 5 star review is it did feel at times there was a lot of repetition that could have benefited from a bit of editing.

A really thought provoking book!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Following a vicious race hate crime on a train on her way to the North of England, as well as losing a close friend to illness, Anita Sethi decides to walk the Pennine Way, to deal with the aftermath of the attack and her right to exist in the country, after being told to go home. This scenario is something that not many white British people would have to confront; whilst reading, I could feel the fear that she must have had to deal with.

She follows through with the crime, at considerable cost to her mental health. Walking is her way of anchoring herself to the land, dealing with her sense of belonging and wellbeing. She is determined not to be undone by the experience, that as a person of colour she will make her mark on the landscape.

It is part memoir, part travelogue, dealing with both the physical and the mental aspects of being and walking. She refers to the physical aspects of the countryside - chapters are titled Mouth, Skin, Backbone, Lifeblood and Feet. It suggests being comfortable in ones body, and being in tune with nature and the landscape.
She also muses about words related to the countryside, which prove to be both interesting and thought provoking.
Her experiences are mostly positive, and she meets people on her travels that turn the experience of her journey into a positive one.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

3.5 Stars
There was a lot I really liked about this book but I struggled with the fact that it wasn't really natural history/nature writing or even a book about walking which was very much what I was expecting. That said it was an interesting and thought provoking story about the author's desire and attempt to find belonging and a sense of connection to this land following on from a horrible racial attack on a train. It is fascinating book filled with thoughts and ponderings, eye opening etymology, examples of human kindness but also human hate, with a little bit of walking and nature (which was beautiful described and made me get my maps out). This is an important book that leaves you filled with frustration at the world but also the desire to try and make it a kinder place for everyone. I would definitely pick up another book from this author.

Having experienced a racially motivated attack on a train a few miles from where she grew up in Manchester, Anita Sethi seeks to deal with the trauma by walking through the landscapes of the Pennines.

Her response to the attack is hugely admirable, both in the moment - she recorded proceedings on her phone and reported them immediately, leading to her attacker being arrested - and later, taking strength from the act of walking and from reconnecting with the natural world.

Sethi's personal mission to overcome the trauma shines through throughout the book, in her explorations of identity, resilience and a sense of place / rootedness. She draws links between what she sees in the landscapes, flora and fauna and the human body or the human experience. Mostly this works well, though at times the language is clunky and repetitive, or the descriptions of natural features lack depth - like they are the result of two minutes on Wikipedia.

Passionate and perceptive; a rallying cry for equality and a heartfelt love letter to nature.

I thoroughly enjoyed sharing in Anita's inspiring journey of discovery - walking alongside her across the landscapes of past and present, urban and wild. Her rendering of the Northern landscape and its people, flora and fauna, in words, was mesmerising. Facts and statistics are juxtaposed with lyrical and symbolic prose to question life itself; tackling issues of racism, misogyny, mental health, PTSD, climate change, and more, in an honest, open and inclusive way.

Above all, 'I Belong Here' is a reminder of the power that comes from putting one foot in front of the other.

This isn’t your usual walking book. Instead Anita Sethi uses walking to help herself come to turns with her own experience as a British person of colour. Sethi’s parents came to Manchester as a result of the activities of the British empire, yet she has never been made to feel as if she should belong here, despite being Manc born. Following an appalling racist attack on a train and then the sudden death of her friend, Sethi decides to walk through the North to try and make sense of what it means to belong, to be a British northerner. It is obvious that she has a lot to deal with. What makes the book interesting is the complete difference in perspective that we get, how people’s attention to her skin colour has made so many of her life experiences different and often hostile. There is a telling example of comments made to her by Prince Charles when she met him at a function, and following the Harry/ Meghan interview this week nothing he said really comes as a surprise.

Sethi attempts to join her theme of belonging, culture and race with that of destruction of the environment which is less successful than the race aspect, nevertheless, this is a fascinating book, telling one woman’s truth and deserves to be read.

Anita Sethi was travelling on a train when a fellow passenger who was playing music was asked to turn down the volume by the conductor. The passenger ignored the request, increasing the volume instead. As she could feel a migraine coming on, Anita asked him again to turn down the volume. His response this time was to direct a torrent of racist abuse at her for which, in due course, he was sentenced for having committed a racially motivated hate crime. Anita was severely traumatised by the events of that day. She was shown a lot of kindness by some of her fellow passengers and by the railway staff but others just turned away.

I cannot imagine what it is like to be abused because of the colour of your skin, to feel self conscious about your skin colour, or to be on the receiving end of racism. I realise now, I’ve never given it enough thought. I was bullied at school for a while and have been on the receiving end of the usual rubbish women have to contend with but I’m certain that isn't a meaningful comparison. Anita Sethi’s honesty in talking about this issue has heightened my awareness of how stressful and frightening it is to be attacked, verbally and physically, because of your skin colour; for people constantly asking you where you’re from when the answer is here. Her revelations have given me a lot to think about. I believe I can say, hand on heart, that I have never discriminated against someone because of their race, religion or skin colour, but is that enough? Would I stand up to the ned on the train?

As part of her recovery programme, Anita decides to walk in the Pennines, mainly on her own. Starting in Gargrave, she walks to Malham and on to Settle and beyond. As she passes through small villages, she wonders what the locals think of this brown woman walking past their homes. She tells us that BAME people are not seen in rural locations as much as they should be, that they don’t have the same level or comfort of access that white people do. That is why she is particularly self conscious of her skin colour there. On a later trip, she walks along Hadrian’s Wall. Whilst walking, she muses on the power of nature, the dangers the environment is facing across the globe, about the sense of belonging to a place, about the roots of words, their original meanings, their meanings now and their personal meanings to her.

While the earlier part of the book is really powerful, and throughout there are interesting facts to be learned, I found that it became quite repetitive and also quite disjointed. Anita’s rambling* through the countryside was accompanied by rambling thoughts and, for me, too many overworked analogies. I particularly enjoyed the etymological passages but I grew weary even of them as the book went on. On balance, however, I’m glad I read it due to the many very important issues Sethi raises and I have a lot of respect for what is a very poignant and timely book.

*To ramble: 1. To walk for pleasure in the countryside. 2. To talk or write at length in a confused or inconsequential way. (OED)

With thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing Plc for a review copy.

Anita Sethi was on a journey through Northern England in Summer 2019 when she became the victim of a racially motivated 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 from travelling freely and without fear.

This book is about the impact of racism, hate crime, loss and grief. It gives an in-depth exploration of racism within the UK and the feeling of being a minority and people making you feel as though you do not belong. This is the perfect book for lockdown, the author transports you along the journey with her and it feels as though you are with her.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

This book makes you think about yourself as a person with thoughts and idaes that you think you understand. It provokes your thoughts about racism in a more eclectic way. Combines vocabulary of things such as the spine (or backbone) of Britain with your own backbone and makes you question your thoughts and feelings. It provokes interest and explanations from a different perspective. Very interesting. Not exactly the travel book I had in mind as a wander along the pennines though. But very interesting and a good read. I didn't see it as a parallel - or similar- book to the salt path which was a more direct story of a couple's life. However it is an excellently written book which will provoke thought.

There is a lot of talk about privilege and prejudice and a lot of arguing about whether they exist. There is a tendency for those with privilege to prefer to focus on what they have done to get where they are rather than how they were helped up before they even started, to discount the systemic struggles of others by highlighting the personal struggles of one’s own.

Right at the start of I Belong Here you begin to see privilege in something as simple as the need Anita Sethi has to make that statement, “I belong here”, because she has had it questioned by others for so long. It is bad enough that anyone might experience abuse based on their race, to be told to “go back where you came from” even if you came from somewhere else, but how must it feel and impact you when the place you were born treats you with such venom? Here is a chance to understand.

Throughout the narrative Sethi skilfully combines her journey as a woman of colour whose country has become a hostile environment with her journey through the wilder landscapes of that country experiencing its natural wonders on the Pennine Way. Both feed into her sense of identity, her connection to the physical place that she calls home and her rejection by at least part of the nation that overlays that land.

As she travels through this beautiful backbone of the country, she recognises elements of her journey in its structure and evolution. The scars left on the land by violent ruptures in its past mirror her own and she finds strength. The Pennine Way shines throughout and Sethi brings it to life as she explores it through both her own eyes and those of people she meets along the way, Rori’s young enthusiasm for the landscape being particularly enjoyable.

The author’s race is inevitably a key part of the narrative, as it is central to her relationship both to the land, which provides her with an escape from the anxiety that a history of racist abuse has created, and the nation, in which she was born but which regularly rejects her. It is a burden that takes compassion to understand, maybe Anita Sethi would like to be a nature writer in the mould of Nan Shepherd or Robert Macfarlane, but she cannot do that while racism remains such a fundamental part of our culture.

We have reached a point in this country where “liberal” is an insult, where you are considered a traitor to the country if you question its history, are dismissed as an extremist if you value diversity and welcome the stranger as another expression of your own essence. It is a frightening atmosphere designed to create division and prevent cohesive scrutiny and accountability of power and it corrodes what it is to be human and to be alive.

We need to create an atmosphere in which people are encouraged to share their stories honestly and we all pause to listen deeply. The present climate does not provide space for either as it encourages rage, division and an orientation of defence rather than compassion. If we collectively take a deep breath in which we seek to understand each other’s pain and anger then we may stand a chance of working through it and realising that we are all part of one whole. Maybe then, we can move forwards.

I was really looking forward to reading this book. It is the tale of a journey - through the physical landscape of the Pennines and the North of England, and also through the experiences of the author who was attacked verbally on a train by a man who wanted her to feel hated, unwanted and unwelcome.

Anita Sethi is a British writer born in Manchester. Her roots are deeply embedded in the North of England but because of her family tree stretching its branches to Kenya and to the Caribean and because she is a 'woman of colour', she has had to fight for her sense of belonging. There are forces in this world that try to exclude and diminish others and she is determined to stand up to them. The cultural wounds of racism and sexism damage us all but the day to day battle is felt most strongly by those whose voices are marginalised and often suppressed.

This book is about walking, and taking space, and being heard and standing firm in the face of opposition. The healing power of Nature is the birthright of all living beings but there is a reality that for people of colour, the rural spaces are sometimes made uncomfortable by the white people that live there. Will that old man sitting on a bench at the foot of a mountain just hello or will he question my right to be here? As a white woman I do not have to consider this when I travel the country. As a woman I understand very well the need to be on alert.

This book is a personal journey, and also an educational one. I found many interesting stories and facts that I didn't know. I didn't know that birds have magnetite in their beaks, nor that the North of England was once awash with tropical seas. I liked Ms Sethis's description of her journey as 'one of reclaiming both language and landscape'

So much history and information, and the descriptions of places make me want to grab a map and plan a visit, It offers inspiration to take a walking trip, to walk oneself well.

My one misgiving about this book was that sometimes I found the sentence structures clunky and it didn't flow well for me. I think it could have benefited from a stronger edit. The bumpiness I noticed, troubled my journey somewhat but didn't stop me moving along through an otherwise fascinating, moving and inspiring book.

Let me finish on one of the many thought-provoking questions that the book invites us to answer:
"Where were the first steps you took and what place did you most spend your early life walking through?"

The major thing I enjoyed in this book was the author's raw honesty and courage in sharing her process of healing with the reader. She did what is always necessary but which is also always terrifying after an attack, she stood tall and spoke her truth and held her space. Walking through a wild landscape is deeply nourishing but each step is a brave one and sometimes we wobble, and sometimes we soar.
Let me end on one of my favourite quotes : "Lichen is a survivor, growing even when the odds seem to be against any kind of flourishing, 'Be more like lichen', I think"

The first 20% or so of this book was mainly about the author's horrendous experience of being racially abused on a train. As I had been under the impression that this was a book about hill walking I found that quite disappointing, although understandable given the circumstances. The author covers many subjects and references a lot of books and writers. I enjoyed the nature writing when that eventually appeared and I hope that Sethi continues with that in the future.

First of all, I wanted to say a big thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

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First of all, I want to put some trigger warnings in place as there is mention of hate crimes, particularly race, hate crimes so please be cautious if this may present a trigger to you.

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“Racism is about the skin, with no regard of the human heart beating within”

This novel is such a raw account of how trauma from racially aggravated attacks can stay with an person. They can become suffocated, as though they’re constantly re-drowning underneath the abhorrent assault of words projected. It’s so so important to read such memoirs, as heartbreaking as it is to read, people of different races and cultural backgrounds don’t have the option of just reading these horrid events. They have to deal with this on a regular basis. Absorbing this and not being ignorant or complicit when you see hate crimes being committed is essential! Systemic change is needed drastically, and as the oppressors, white people need to (at bare minimum) read such harrowing memoirs, it’s easy to turn a blind eye, it’s harder to face what’s actually happening and do something about it. The hard way is the only option.

Personally I was mesmerised by this memoir, I particularly adored how Anita took such a disgusting event that happened to her, and turned it into a place of empowerment. It’s very beautifully written, it flows very easily and makes you feel utterly immersed in the landscape of the Pennines, each page leaps out like a vivid trance. You can see what’s happening like a movie in your mind, the raw emotions this book elicits is so powerful and unique to other memoirs I’ve read. It made me wish I was there with Anita myself, holding her hand in solidarity and reassurance that she’s such a powerful woman.

Reading about her confidence and empowerment was so heartening, she is an utterly exceptional woman. I am truly so grateful I got to read her beautiful words. Her actions of solidarity towards fellow ethnic minorities and words of empowerment were so uplifting and moving.

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Its also an incredibly educational novel, about past racism in Britain and how it needs to be brought to light, rather than being pushed aside, enabling white washing of British history to almost encourage, further racism from generations. Anita’s highlighting of such racist systemic events, are commendable. I know that shouldn’t be the case, but I can only imagine how difficult speaking up can feel, particularly in a systematically racist country, often in fear of your life, which is utterly abhorrent.

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This is just an utterly empowering novel and I couldn’t recommend it enough, I can’t be more grateful that I managed to get my hands on an ARC. I would recommend this book to everyone, but I would also boost this to those of ethnic minorities or marginalised groups, it’s a great book if you feel alone. It touches on such important aspects including mental health following traumatic events (particularly hate crimes) and how nature can be such a healing and loving space in which to feel like you belong. Because you do, you do belong here, no matter your skin colour, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, you matter.


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was looking forward to reading this as it was likened to The Salt Path by Raynor Winn which I enjoyed. I Belong Here is a completely different tales, but albeit in a good way. It is a brilliant blend of current affairs, memoir and a travelogue. The author takes you on a physical journey through the Pennies but also on an emotional journey as she recounts the reasons behind her travels.
A racist attack on a train against the author and her description of the way in which it was dealt with by both the railway staff and the police was well written.
Her inspiring journey through the North was also prompted by the death of a friend. As she travels, she explores the themes of loss, language, grief, friendship, place and race. What it means to have a home and the healing power of nature and the wild.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Bloomsbury for an eARC of this book in exchange for a honest and unbiased review.