Maybe I Don't Belong Here: A Memoir of Race, Identity, Breakdown and Recovery

In his memoir, "Maybe I Don't Belong Here," David Harewood explores the impact of racism on Black mental health, revealing his own experiences with psychosis and his journey to recovery. The book was named one of the Observer's Best Memoirs of the Year and The Times' Best Film and Theatre Books of the Year.

Format: Hardback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 02 September 2021
Publisher: Pan Macmillan

One of the Observer's Best Memoirs of the Year and The Times' Best Film and Theatre Books of the Year.

As a Black British man, I believe it is vital that I tell this story. It may be just one account from the perspective of a person of color who has experienced this system, but it may be enough to potentially change an opinion or, more importantly, stop someone else from spinning completely out of control.

– David Harewood

Is it possible to be Black and British and feel welcome and whole?

In this powerful and provocative account of a life lived after psychosis, critically acclaimed actor, David Harewood, uncovers devastating family history and investigates the very real impact of racism on Black mental health.

Maybe I Don't Belong Here is a deeply personal exploration of the duality of growing up both Black and British, recovery from crisis, and a rallying cry to examine the systems and biases that continue to shape our society.

When David Harewood was twenty-three, his acting career beginning to take flight, he had what he now understands to be a psychotic breakdown and was sectioned under the Mental Health Act. He was physically restrained by six police officers, sedated, then hospitalized and transferred to a locked ward. Only now, thirty years later, has he been able to process what he went through.

What was it that caused this breakdown and how did David recover to become a successful and critically acclaimed actor? How did his experiences growing up Black and British contribute to a rupture in his sense of his place in the world?

Such a powerful and necessary read. Don't wait until Black History Month to pick up this book; it's a must-read just now.

- Candice Brathwaite, author of I Am Not Your Baby Mother

Weight: 470g
Dimension: 162 x 241 x 29 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781529064131