Maybe I Don't Belong Here
A Memoir of Race, Identity, Breakdown and Recovery
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Maybe I Don't Belong Here
Buy Now for £12.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
David Olusoga
-
David Harewood
-
By:
-
David Harewood
About this listen
This audio edition is read by the author, and includes an exclusive conversation between David Harewood and historian and writer David Olusoga.
Is it possible to be Black and British and feel welcome and whole?
Maybe I Don't Belong Here is a deeply personal exploration of the duality of growing up both Black and British, recovery from crisis and a rallying cry to examine the systems and biases that continue to shape our society.
In this powerful and provocative account of a life lived after psychosis, critically acclaimed actor David Harewood uncovers devastating family history and investigates the very real impact of racism on Black mental health.
When David Harewood was 23, his acting career beginning to take flight, he had what he now understands to be a psychotic breakdown and was sectioned under the Mental Health Act. He was physically restrained by six police officers, sedated, then hospitalized and transferred to a locked ward. Only now, 30 years later, has he been able to process what he went through.
What was it that caused this breakdown, and how did David recover to become a successful and critically acclaimed actor? How did his experiences growing up Black and British contribute to a rupture in his sense of his place in the world?
©2021 David Harewood (P)2021 Macmillan Publishers International LimitedListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
"A heartfelt memoir about race, identity and mental illness. Read by the actor himself, it makes for moving listening." (Fiona Sturges, Guardian)
"Such a powerful and necessary read.... Don't wait until Black History Month to pick up this book, it's a must-read just now." (Candice Brathwaite, author of I Am Not Your Baby Mother)
"David Harewood writes with rare honesty and fearless self-analysis about his experiences of racism and what ultimately led to his descent into psychosis.... This book is, in itself, a physical manifestation of that hopeful journey." (David Olusoga, author of Black and British)
What listeners say about Maybe I Don't Belong Here
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 04-11-21
Brilliant
Just brilliant. Thought provoking , uncomfortable to listen to at times and absolutely worth listening to. This will stay with me. Well done and thank you David.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- NB
- 01-01-22
This story so needed to be told
Being a black woman living here, this story needs sharing with the black British.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Treasure
- 18-01-22
Loved it
Loving David Harewood’s book. A story about being Black in Britain. The lack of opportunities for black actors. How poorly they treat black people dealing with mental health issues. Coming from Caribbean parents🇧🇧
Another black actor shinning Stateside 🇺🇸 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- MR MICHAEL WILLIAMS
- 10-03-22
Inspired
Just an amazing story of real life struggles, me being a black man who grew up in the 70s 80s, I know these issues too well, so many I could honestly relate too. This book had me smiling and crying. Thank you David for being so so honest, a true real life superhero.
Thank you brother
Mike Williams
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jim
- 06-04-22
An eye opener and an emotional journey for sure.
Listening to David's story was enticing enough, but it was helped a lot by his fantastic reading voice. Describing the life of a young actor was also very inspiring for me. His life hardly parallels mine at all yet I can relate to him so much, on a fundamental level. We all want to feel welcomed, noticed and appreciated, and I never knew just how hard it was for black people in UK society to feel like they "fit in". It's definitely given me plenty to reflect about.
His brutally honest descriptions about his breakdown and what came after/preceded it was also so understandable when told truthfully and from his point of view, and not brushed over or stigmatised. I could almost feel myself in his position. Mental health issues can affect anybody, and they almost always do affect everyone at least once or more. It's made me a little less afraid of my own mental health issues, and made me remember who I have to support me through whatever time. I'll probably not forget about the ideas this story has put in my mind for a long time, and it has also fortified my solidarity and love for the black people of Britain.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mr L
- 12-04-22
Outstanding Mr Harewood
Thank you for bringing attention to a very important topic / subject 'mental health' impacting all communities. And for delivering an equally important 'black perspective' on the above... Well Done Sir!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Karl Wilson
- 16-04-22
Amazing!
This book was harrowing, funny, informative AND inspirational!
I had a feeling that it was the book I wanted, but it turned out to be the book I needed.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- AsGoodAsThis
- 30-12-22
Essential listening
Beautifully read, and an exposition of the insidious destructiveness of covert and overt racism and interesting and gentle too
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- U C EZE
- 12-07-23
Great book
This is a great book. Thanks David for opening up on your journey. Enjoyed it
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- tatsupreme
- 03-05-23
👍🏽
Inspirational & sincere how David tells the story of his journey to ask his personal life, and throughout his professional career, and the challenges he had to overcome to get Williams now, because I have found myself in a similar position in similar ways to have my own life, so it’s almost like a manual for life for people in our position
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!