Cart
Free US shipping over $10
Proud to be B-Corp

Nationality Kester Aspden

Nationality By Kester Aspden

Nationality by Kester Aspden


$31.99
Condition - Very Good
Only 4 left

Summary

When the body of David Oluwale was pulled out of the River Aire near Leeds in May 1969, nobody asked too many questions about the circumstances of his death. A year and a half later, rumours that the Nigerian man had been subject to a lengthy campaign of abuse from two police officers led to the opening of the grave and a criminal investigation.

Nationality Summary

Nationality: Wog by Kester Aspden

When the body of David Oluwale, a rough sleeper with a criminal record and a history of mental illness, was pulled out of the River Aire near Leeds in May 1969, nobody asked too many questions about the circumstances of his death. A police charge sheet from three months before had 'UK' scored out, and his nationality replaced with a handwritten 'WOG'. This 'social nuisance' went unmourned to a pauper's grave. A year and a half later, rumours that the Nigerian man had been subject to a lengthy campaign of abuse from two police officers led to the opening of the grave and a difficult criminal investigation. Drawing on original archival material only just released into the public domain, and interviews with police officers and lawyers involved in the eventual prosecution of two Leeds City Police officers, Kester Aspden's chilling book revisits one of the most notorious racist crimes in British history. David Oluwale came to Britain as a stowaway in 1949. He also came as a British subject and citizen with a belief that 'the Mother Country' was a place of fairness and liberty and law. Nationality: Wog is not just the forensic examination of a crime; in his imaginative reconstruction of the life and death of this obscure man Kester Aspden exposes Britain's belligerent and painful response to the fact that black people were part of the national story. It raises questions as relevant today as they were at the end of the 1960s.

About Kester Aspden

Kester Aspden was born in Toronto in 1968, and raised in Todmorden, West Yorkshire, and York. He has a doctorate in history from Cambridge University, and taught history of crime at Leeds University whilst researching this book. He now lives in Istanbul.

Additional information

GOR001362298
9780224080408
0224080407
Nationality: Wog by Kester Aspden
Used - Very Good
Hardback
Vintage Publishing
20070607
256
Winner of CWA Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction 2008
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in very good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us

Customer Reviews - Nationality