Musa Okwonga

A short memoir about a middle class kid who decided he would like to attend Eton, some years ago. His mum made huge sacrifices so he could do so, but he points out that it simply wouldn't be possible now due to fee inflation at top public schools. Okwonga was born in 1979, so is now in his early 40s.

Okongwa was prompted to write the memoir by an invitation to a school reunion. After considering it seriously, he didn't attend. He recognises that he was lucky to have those opportunities, but... there are a lot of buts. He muses on his experiences of racism at school and outside, and his feelings that he hasn't had the glorious career since that lots of Eton kids would expect. It's fairly clear that he felt those things weren't for him. He's found out since school that some kids who seemed ok to his face were the loudest making racist jokes (not necessarily about him) outside it. Much wealthier economic minority families than his can still buy a top education but they can't buy being an insider.

I'm fascinated by education stories - I went to state school and my kids do, and I am not sorry that I can't afford private school - I want much better access at all levels for everyone. However, I like to read about how different types of education work, because I'm nosy and because it's helpful to understand what I'm involved in campaigning to change.

Thought provoking and a good read.… (mehr)

I love a good book about football, but they're terribly hard to find. Some are well written, like 'Inverting the Pyramid'; some are poorly ghost-written, like the autobiography of Dennis Wise that I half-read over somebody's shoulder, and others are written by writers clearly trying too hard.

Okwonga has researched his book very well, reading the finest literature, interviewing managers across the country and from every different league; yet his prose is stilted, his analogies and similes poorly constructed, and his sentences in dire need of a good editor. I wanted desperately to like this book, but in the end I got through it by force of perseverance more than because I wanted to.… (mehr)