I heard what you said

Amazon's Best Nonfiction Book of 2022

"Essential reading" - The Guardian
"Sharp and intelligent with moments of stunning candor" - i-Newspaper
"Makes a powerful case" - Ms. Hill
"Revealing and beautifully written" - David Harewood
________

Before Jeffrey Boakye became a Black teacher, he was a Black student. This meant he spent his life navigating predominantly white learning spaces. Since his teaching training, he has often been the only Black teacher in a school. Sometimes seen as a role model, other times a source of curiosity, Boakye's journey is one of discovery—from the outside in.

In his groundbreaking book, I Heard What You Said, he recounts what it's like to be on the margins of the British education system. As a Black teacher—an English teacher forced to teach problematic texts—his very existence is a provocation to the status quo, giving him a unique perspective on UK classrooms. Through a series of eye-opening encounters based on the difficult and sometimes scandalous things people have said to or about him, Boakye reflects on what he has discovered about the habits, assumptions, silences, and distortions that Black students and teachers endure and that underpin British education. Thought-provoking, intelligent, and utterly unafraid, it's a timely exploration of how we can dismantle racism in the classroom and improve our performance for all our students.
________

"Very important" - Baroness Lawrence
"Hugely compelling, intellectually precise, and substantial" - Niels Abbe
“Personal and political, profound and funny.” - Darren Chitty
“Written with passion, anger, knowledge, and, despite the painful subject matter, intelligence.” - Patrice Lawrence