This is an emotional read, one which should make everyone think about racism, especially about structural racism. This is not an easy read, it’s heart-breaking, painful, and despairing, it is a survival story, but she paid a horrendous price for it. Triggers of domestic violence, child abuse, discrimination

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is a belated review of the book. I found it hard to start, I have, since Black Lives Matter, read and listened to a number of books regarding black history, fiction written by black Americans and Nigerians and now this. I am blown away by what has happened to Kemi and her family and wonder how it could have happened in this day and age, I misguidedly thought Britain was beyond this. How wrong I was. I was really ignorant of what families could go through. Thank goodness for the good guys who gave unwavering support. It is a heart wrenching read, which should make everyone think about racism, overt and hidden and especially about structural racism. Thank you Kemi for telling it and I hope you have found some peace in the years since you finished the book.

Olukemi Ogunyemi’s memoir is descriptive and impactful. When I was reading about her communion, all I wanted was the opportunity to get to wear such a dress. All of her descriptions were beautiful, until the moment I no longer wanted to wear the dress. I wondered after that violent scene, whether Ogunyemi ever wore a white dress again. Let me warn you that Ogunyemi briefly describes her first rape at eight-years-old and the disregard of the event by everyone around her. I had to take a breath when I realized I was on familiar ground.

The lack of interest in Ogunyemi’s reality had already been bred before this chapter. Her move to a white neighborhood and her integration into her mother’s family. There are many unlikeable people in Ogunyemi’s story, but just breathe because remember she comes out of it to write this book.

Ogunyemi’s story is not an easy read. It is difficult, heart-breaking, pain-searing, and can fill you with desolation. I didn’t come out of this story with hope for a better future for non-whites. This is a survival story and yes Ogunyemi has survived, but her and her family have paid a horrendous price to do so.

I had to read Brown Girl in the Ring in chapters and sometimes one at a time. It’s worth it.

I received a free copy of this book and I am writing a review without prejudice and voluntarily.

DNF 20%

Unfortunately this one wasn't for me and I struggled to stay engaged. Although I did really want to hear and understand the author's struggles, there was something about their overall tone that I found unflattering.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is such a heavy read.

Olukemi Ogunyemi shares her experience growing up as a half-Black in Scotland. Starting with her childhood, Ogunyemi opens up about her dysfunctional family and all the racism and hate she's faced in her life. Clearly resented by her mother and later one of her daughters this story is tragic, deep, and painful. Facing barriers at every turn Ogunyemi's life is a difficult read, but also so necessary. She doesn't chalk up many of her experiences up to race, but talks about it as a factor.

This book is full of difficult experiences like assault, abuse, and gaslighting. Yet Ogunyemi shares her harrowing experiences and what she's learned from it all. This book left me wishing her nothing but a good life after such a raw and honest read.

I was contemplating how to write a review for this without getting too emotional. This was a very heavy read for me and has multiple trigger warnings right, left and center. This is definitely not for the faint-hearted as it covers racism, rape, abusive family and loved ones, trauma, eating disorder and unjust social system. I was so angry, frustrated and heart-broken for Kemi while reading this!

This is a memoir of Olukemi Ogunyemi, who is half Scottish and half Nigerian. She lived with her Scottish mother when her dad went to prison. That’s the beginning of her abuse, from her own mother. She first experience racism when she went to a convenient store and things just got worse from there. Kemi doesn’t understand why she was being treated that way - people disgusted by her skin colour, people hurling hurtful words at her…

Kemi becomes more closed off, being constantly told she is not good enough by her mother and not making any friends. She doesn’t know her self-worth and doesn’t know how to fight for herself. This constant self-loathe took her all the way to adulthood. She was in two abusive relationships where she has no voice until she met Craig! She slowly learned to love and trust again. Kemi has four children and she tries her best to be a good mother but due to certain circumstances, her life was once again thrown into despair and helplessness. Despite it all, she fought hard for her children even when the justice system failed her because of her skin colour, she continued fighting. She found her strength, she found her voice and most of all she found her worth.

Through her ordeal, Kemi had people who supported her and helped her fight the justice system. That really gave her the strength to push on. The events that happened to Kemi are horribly painful and she wrote that things hasn’t changed much from when she was a child to her children’s generation. Her children are still going through the same experiences as Kemi and that is a huge wake up call for her. She goes on to explain the impact of unconscious racial bias and micro-aggressions on coloured community and how it is hard to change the perception of racism that has been there for a long, long time.

This was such an eye opening read and I really enjoyed this even though some things are so painful to read. I really admire Kemi’s compassion, determination and strength to live her life! Thank you Netgalley and Booksgosocial for the arc.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this book for an honest review..
Brown Girl in the Ring tells the stories of Olukemi Ogunyemi and her family. Whilst there are many horrific moments that Olukemi and her family members went through, the story tells clearly explains the extent that racism can have on people through multiple generations. To see that things hadn’t changed much from when she was a child to when her children were going through the same experiences is quite horrific and something that shouldn’t be happening. The story showed the complexity of families with the roller coaster ride that they can often go on getting through life and everything it throws at you and the impact that the big moments in life have on multiple people written in a way that flowed.

Brown Girl in the Ring, by Olukemi Ogunyemi, is a book of her memoirs that is raw and from the depths of her soul. Some readers may be affected by these triggers: domestic violence, traumatization by powers to be, child abuse, discrimination, and unconscious racial bias.
The main character, Kemi, started her young life in England as a mixed Scottish-Nigerian model. She was her mother's accessory. When she moved to Scotland, she became very curious. Moreover, her brown skin and English accent made her get ordered out of the store rudely. When she returned home, she could not understand why her entire family was angry at her. All she did was ask for candy in her English accent in her brown body. After this untimely incident, she faced racism for the rest of her life. She became a lioness to her four children in this world against the system. Kemi climbed many mountains in her tumultuous life. Also, Kemi became an inspiration. She fought the system and became very successful. I felt like I was going through with her at times.
This book was such a great read. I could not put it down! Kemi's memoirs covered so many topics, areas, and age groups. I believe that this book will be of interest to many because it covers a variety of subjects.

Wow! Brown Girl in the Ring, by Olukemi Ogunyemi, is such an important & timely book.
First, let's get some trigger warnings out of the way: racism (obviously), child abuse (physical & extreme psychological), rape, anorexia, domestic abuse (physical & extreme psychological), parental abuse (physical & extreme psychological), abuse by the government & homophobia.
There is so much to unpack with this book. The main character, Kemi is a fellow proud Mama Bear. She had to endure so much, starting with a mom who comes off as racist, abusive and having Narcissistic Personality Disorder. She appears to insert herself &/or try to sabotage every relationship that isn't with her, including ones with her own siblings. Thank God for the loving influences of her Scottish grandparents and her Nigerian extended family. Then there's the racist, insecure boys that she dated, one of which who also seems to have NPD. Since it was so triggering for me, I couldn't read all the parts that detailed the domestic abuse.
Then her oldest daughter gets in on the action and not only does she abuse her entire immediate family, she brings the government in on the action. Child welfare does their typical work towards causing family trauma and not offering any necessary, easily available (in house) services. The oldest has supposedly been traumatized but they don't seem to do a full evaluation, therapy or family therapy. Though it all, she deals with everything in love and with determination.