In the final section of this very good memoir of his experience of attending Eton, Musa Okwonga writes "If Eton has any devastating weapons against its opponents, then the greatest of them is its ability to leave things unsaid". His book goes some way to countering that in his passionate but still largely objective account of the challenges and racism he encountered there as one of its few Black students. For me the book took a bit of time to get into its stride - I was never entirely sure why where his desperate desire to go to Eton came from for example - but it engages you as soon as he starts boarding there. He's very good on his position as outsider both at school and in his home town and the use of the present tense gives the book a pace and sense of immediacy that is compelling.

One of his conclusions is that "Shamelessness is the superpower of a certain section of the English upper classes". That captures so much why England and the UK are in the mess they're in at the moment.

Such a compelling memoir. Beautifully written, insightful, measured and balanced, and a truly illuminating portrait of Eton, a school that holds an almost mythic status in Britain, a school for the most privileged and a stepping stone to power. It has produced 20 prime ministers, including 2 out of the last 3. There have been very few black pupils, but Musa Okwonga, who saw a documentary about the school when he was 11 and longed to attend, can surely be considered one of Eton’s success stories. He was an outsider, but found himself an insider and he thrived during his time there. This is the first detailed account of life at the school for a long time and is all the more welcome for that. It’s an affectionate account. He did encounter some racism but it tended to be casual rather than cruel, usually taking the form of ignorant muttered comments. Unforgivable, for sure, but Okwonga felt safer in school than out in the wider world, where he was actually more likely to encounter dangerous racism. Acutely observed, the book isn’t uncritical, and he questions whether the school produces the sort of leaders this country needs today. Eton instils confidence in its pupils but we are all too aware how confidence can become arrogance, and lead to a sense of entitlement. Okwonga doesn’t name names (which can be frustrating at times) but perhaps he doesn’t need to. The book is a nuanced and intelligent exploration of class, race and privilege and a real delight to read.

This is a reflective memoir looking at social inequality in education from the perspective of the author, a student of Eton College and son of Ugandan refugees.

I found most engaging the discussion of how supportive Eton College was to the author at times. I think I was expecting a narrative of how terrible the inequalities in the British education system are, and how antiquated the College is but, as with all experiences, this book details how it is far more complex than that.

I found this book so interesting and relevant to the sociology curriculum. I will be recommending this to my students for an insight into what public education can look like to compare to their school experience. I will be pulling quotes to use in my lessons as it provides a fascinating insight into an institution we rarely are shown the truth of.

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.