I will begin this review by copying the following from the description of the book:

"Woven throughout this deeply personal and unflinching memoir of Musa’s five years at Eton in the 1990s is a present-day narrative which engages with much wider questions about pressing social and political issues: privilege, the distribution of wealth, the rise of the far right in the UK, systemic racism, the ‘boys’ club’ of government and the power of the few to control the fate of the many. One of Them is both an intimate account and a timely exploration of race and class in modern Britain."

What I expected from this book is not what I got from it. For some reason, I thought this would be a biography of Musa's life, from birth to modern day. I should have paid more attention to what the description said.

This book is brilliant, Musa has a skill where he writes about the everyday and mundane (to him) in a way which makes reading about it an absolute joy. I feel my eyes just running along the lines absorbing the words. The book starts with a basic description of Musa's life, how he ended up in the UK and his set-up here. I grew up a few stops down the line from where Musa grew up and I have been to the area where Musa lived as a child so was semi familiar with what he was going from, and to.

The book does exactly what it says, it tracks Musa's journey to Eton, from seeing it on tv, to going to prep school and finally to Eton. This is a book which touches on every aspect of his life, it is about Eton, how he fared there, how he came home and welded both lives together.

Musa explains the various systems within Eton, the type of people he studied with and of course, how he, like most of us, were bullied for short periods.

Links are made between the past and the future at all times throughout this book in a way which is informative but not at all over the top and repetitve.

4.5/5

This book is incredible. Okwonga’s writing is so easily read and the structure of shorter sections/chapter pieces enabled all of his memories to stand out. I felt like he gave me a personal tour of his schooling, both opportunity and difficulties. I couldn’t put the book down, it was so moving and really made me think about what it means to live a ‘good life’. As an educator, it made me think about the system in this country- and inspired me to continue to strive for more equal opportunities for all. Thank you for writing this book.

One of Them is a memoir about being a Black student at Eton in the 1990s, and also a reflection on how so much power is concentrated in people who went there. Musa Okwonga was a middle class boy from a small town in Greater London who dreamt of going to Eton, and this book charts his time there from dreams and prep school to leaving, and also looks at the impact of Eton on his own life and how it reflects wider society. Issues of race, sexuality, and privilege run through the memoir and it becomes clear that with hindsight, the distribution of power and the 'boys club' of Tory government aren't surprising to someone who went to Eton.

This is a highly readable memoir broken into short chapters that provide vignettes of Musa Okwonga's experiences, not only at Eton but also growing up in a town very unlike where most of his classmates lived but still seeming out of place there due to going to boarding school. The depiction of Eton probably won't surprise people who've heard about the people who've come out of it, but it was surprising to see a more balanced view at times that gives the positive experiences one man had, but also the negative (and those that were more negative with hindsight). There's a lot to think about in terms of class and race and why the people in government are set on increasing inequality, but through a personal lens with conflicted thoughts at times.

This is such an interesting looking into Britain's most famous boarding school. It's an insight that I think many are missing. It's so elite that you rarely hear much about it other than who attends. I think this book points out some very interesting things that I wasn't sure actually happened in Britain, like systemic racism. I loved the perspective and appreciate the author's willingness to share his story.