Book Review: Small Island

Andrea Levy's Small Island is a book about misconceptions of identity and race during World War II era Britain. The story revolves around Jamaicans who move to England as they believe they are "British" as they feel entitled to all the Mother Country has to offer. What they realize is that not everything is as it may seem. The best feature of this book is the way Levy tries to explain "colonial politics." During the height of colonialism, European rulers instructed their subjects in Africa, Asia and Latin America that if they "act" properly by learning the ways of being a European they will be treated equally. This included having light skinned and having 'proper' Christian education. This book also shows that people of color in England have to deal with the same level of racism as their counterparts in the United States. Although they had the right skin color and education, when the first wave of Jamaicans arrived on British shores in the 1940s, they were relegated to second class citizenship as shown in the novel. Many of these immigrants who fought with the British against Hitler's Germany. Instead of being welcomed with congratulatory arms after the war was won, these former colonial fighters were treated even worse by the country they just helped. This is the same experience African American soldiers saw as they returned to Jim Crow America. It is interesting to note that in the novel much of the racism colonial soldiers have to deal with come from white American GI stationed in England. The book also points out that race relations still has a long way even today both in the US and in England.