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I Belong Here

A Journey Along the Backbone of Britain

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I Belong Here

By: Anita Sethi
Narrated by: Anita Sethi
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About this listen

Bloomsbury presents I Belong Here written and read by Anita Sethi.

WINNER OF THE 2021 BOOKS ARE MY BAG READERS AWARD FOR NON-FICTION
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2021 WAINWRIGHT PRIZE

"I knew in every bone of my body, in every fibre of my being, that I had to report what had happened, not only for myself but to help stop anyone else having to go through what I did. I knew I could not remain silent, or still, I could not stop walking through the world."

A journey of reclamation through the natural landscapes of the North, brilliantly exploring identity, nature, place and belonging. Beautifully written and truly inspiring, I Belong Here heralds a powerful and refreshing new voice in nature writing.

Anita Sethi was on a journey through Northern England when she became the victim of a race-hate crime. The crime was a vicious attack on her right to exist in a place on account of her race. After the event Anita experienced panic attacks and anxiety. A crushing sense of claustrophobia made her long for wide open spaces, to breathe deeply in the great outdoors. She was intent on not letting her experience stop her travelling freely and without fear.

The Pennines – known as 'the backbone of Britain' runs through the north and also strongly connects north with south, east with west – it's a place of borderlands and limestone, of rivers and 'scars', of fells and forces. The Pennines called to Anita with a magnetic force; although a racist had told her to leave, she felt drawn to further explore the area she regards as her home, to immerse herself deeply in place.

Anita's journey through the natural landscapes of the North is one of reclamation, a way of saying that this is her land too and she belongs in the UK as a brown woman, as much as a white man does. Her journey transforms what began as an ugly experience of hate into one offering hope and finding beauty after brutality. Anita transforms her personal experience into one of universal resonance, offering a call to action, to keep walking onwards.

Every footstep taken is an act of persistence. Every word written against the rising tide of hate speech, such as this book, is an act of resistance.

©2021 Anita Sethi (P)2021 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Biographies & Memoirs Nature & Ecology Travel Writing & Commentary
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Travel along the Pennines

Author utlises walking to reclaim identity in natural landscape after the trauma of a racial attack.

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Wonderful - to listen to and read

I loved listening to the audiobook of this brilliant and moving book, as well as reading it.
A beautifully written book - and a powerfully read audiobook.
Highly recommended.

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Interesting Listen but......

I confess had I not been listening to this for a Book Group I would not have persisted, but I'm glad I did. It is a tribute to the content and style that despite the whining, listless narration of the author, the intelligent, poignant story still shone through. It is very much the work of a fledgling author and is rather repetitive and juvenile in parts but the story, that of a brave woman who feels she has always been excluded finding her equilibrium through nature, is one worth hearing. Oh but I do so wish it had been read by an actor.

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A travel book with a difference

Thought provoking ideas about belonging and some lovely poetic descriptive writing about the Pennines and life.

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Inspirational story

I had the privilege of meeting Anita when we were both on our travels on the Yorkshire coast. After meeting her, I really wanted to read her book and she really is as incredible as I thought in our brief encounter. Her book describes her journey of how nature can help us heal. I learnt so much from her personal story and really recommend this book!

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Loved it

I learned so much from this. There’s so much in it including information about the land- scape .
Well researched by the author /reader who clearly has a love of knowledge.
I’ll listen again so as to pick up the nuances or any anything I’ve missed.

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Lost interest

Unfortunately, I lost interest in this book and didn’t finish it - as did my friend!

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