Foreigners

Written by Caryl Phillips

Narrated by Robert Ian Mackenzie, Peter Jay Fernandez, Dion Graham and 4 more

Award-winning author Caryl Phillips shares the factbased story of three foreigners-black men attempting to fit into a white world. Francis Barber worked for Dr. Samuel Johnson, and after the good doctor's death he struggles for respect. Randy Turpin beats Sugar Ray Robinson in 1951, but soon falls into debt and despair. David Oluwale is a Nigerian immigrant who is brutally beaten by Leeds police officers in 1969.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 3, 2008
• ISBN: 9781436133463

Reviews for Foreigners

[dubaireader · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Three 'long' stories.Although this book should fall within my chosen genres it totally failed to grab me.It narrated a series of three fictionalised tales of coloured men who had lived in the UK, two during the last century and one in the eighteenth century.I found it unnecessarily drawn out and wordy and I only finished it because it was an audiobook. Even this was not a great selling point, as the last story, about David Oluwale, a Nigerian stowaway who arrived in Leeds in 1949 and who triggered an awareness of the treatment of immigrants, seems hypocritical, as the main narrator was American, criticising the British police force when his country's history of treatment of couloureds included the Klu Klux Clan.The opening story was about a servant who worked for the writer Samuel Johnson and was treated well, but who couldn't cope once Johnson died.The second was the tale of Randolph Turpin, Britain’s first black world-champion boxer, who ended his life with debts and disillusionment.There was far too much detail, which can be skipped when reading but which is laboriously narrated in an audiobook. An example is the list of 14 prison terms served by David Oluwale, dates, offenses and duration.From reading other reviews, I sense that this is not Caryl Phillip's best work, so I may give another of his books a try in the future.

[ebt1002 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Foreigners is a novel constructed of three stories, each about a Black man who migrated to England, each of them in different circumstances and in different times. First is Francis Barber, a slave given to the writer Samuel Johnson in the 18th century. This story is narrated by a caring colleague of Johnson's who compassionately observes Barber at his master's funeral but rationalizes his failure to reach out to the now freed but unrooted "immigrant." He seeks out Barber many years later and describes the man's attempt to build an honorable life in the face of social isolation, marginalization, and neglect. The second story is that of Randolph Turpin, the son of an immigrant from British Guiana who defeats middleweight champion Sugar ray Reynolds in the boxing ring in 1951. Turpin's own status as champion is short-lived and this story, which especially reads like non-fiction (they all do, but in differing voices), again illustrates the challenge of a Black man making it in England. Social isolation, marginalization, neglect ---- yep, they collude to undermine his ability to break out of the one-dimensional mold established for the boxer by privileged society. Finally, the third story is of a young immigrant (stowaway) from Nigeria and his too-short life in Leeds in the 1950s. A target of abusive and degrading "entertainment" by local police officers, David Oluwale is found dead in a river and "Northern Lights" reads like a series of reports or interviews by anonymous citizens who knew him while he was living rough in the streets of Leeds. We are also provided excerpts from the trial of the two police officers charged with manslaughter in David's death.I think this is an excellent novel with its dispassionate and paradoxically emotional exploration of being "other," of being a "foreigner" living on the margins of society. Phillips considers the different manner in which each of these men tries to cope with their situation, which can be and is considered by some to amount to their own contributions to their tragic endings. Whether they try to assimilate and adapt, or fight, or passively allow their detractors to abuse and torment them, the ending is basically the same. White society sees the men in unidimensional, stereotyped say; no behavioral route on their part will change the story. It sounds depressing and, in fact, it is. It's also a beautifully narrated story with tremendous depth for a reader who's willing to go there.

[greggchadwick · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Caryl Phillips writes with great power and beauty. Many of his books create a world in which the familiar becomes unfamiliar, as Phillips often writes from the point of view of new immigrants. Caryl Phillips latest work, "Foreigners: Three English Lives", combines three separate tales of black men in Great Britain. All three characters are based on actual individuals whose biographies are mixed by Philips with invented narration and moment. The first novella concerns Francis Barber who found himself in an awkward place as both servant and friend to the 18th century English intellectual Dr. Johnson - who is best remembered as the originator of the dictionary. The second novella brings us up to the 1950's as we consider boxer Randy Turpin and his surprising defeat of the champion Sugar Ray Robinson for boxing's middleweight title in a fierce match in 1951. The third novella tracks, through multiple viewpoints and voices, the death of David Oluwale at the hands of the British police in 1968. Caryl Phillips, by combining three disparate experiences of black men in Britain, forces us to break free from our stereotypes and look at Barber, Turpin and Oluwale as individuals. The three men are united by the color of their skin and the prejudices they experienced, but their separate and precious lives stand out as jewels on velvet. Highly recommended.

[bohemiangirl35 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Foreigners by Caryl Phillips is a collection of 3 long short stories which are fictionalized accounts of real people. All three deal with black men displaced in England. In the first story, the language is over-the-top stuffy, but even though it was almost ridiculous, it did work for the story. The second story couldn't end fast enough for me - boooring! But I loved the last one. David Oluwale, a 15-year-old Nigerian who stowed away on a ship to get to England for a better education, is mistreated by the police his whole life. He turns up drowned sometime in his mid-30s (I think). The story is told in pieces by various people who knew him, however slightly. Very sad.

[cariola_6 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I had high hopes for this book, but, sadly, they were not met. Comparing my thoughts to those of other LT reviewers really reminds me of how different our tastes are. I thought the first story about Frances Barber was moderately interesting but agree that the style was stilted and a bit uneven in trying to replicate eighteenth-century English. As to the Turpin story, I thought it would never end and breathed a big sigh of relief when it did. Everything about boxing just bores me to tears, and the better qualities of this story just couldn't redeem it for me. The final story, about a 1970s activist, was probably the most moving. But overall, not one of my favorite reads thisy year.

[a_musing · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

These are three interlocking "stories" dissecting the lives of three black men in Britain. Diverse yet oddly interconnected, written so that the fictional and non-fictional are indistinguishable (and thus earning the ellipses around "stories"), the stories set out rather straightforwardly tales of the everyday, even when the figures are public and visible. Phillips writes excruciatingly well, and I especially enjoyed the last story, where he drifts in and out of the heads of many observers, maintaining a rarely genuine voice for each separate observer.This is a subtle book and a thoughtful book, but not an engrossing or compelling work. I had to keep reading, and some of the images and tableaus will not leave me, but nothing in the book grabbed and held me, or left me feeling I had discovered new, unexpected or particularly profound insight into any of the characters or their world. The reading experience was peculiarly ordinary. Yet, I keep thinking about it.

[rosecityreader · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

In Foreigners, Caryl Philips, presents three profiles of black men in England: Francis Barber, the servant and companion of dictionary creator Dr. Johnson; boxer Randy Turpin, who beat Sugar Ray Robinson for the world middleweight title in 1951; and David Oluwale, who’s 1968 racially-motivated killing by police scandalized Britain. Although technically novellas, the main characters were real people and the profiles combine fiction with biography and journalism.The three pieces are united by the theme of “foreignness,” examining how each of the three men were outsiders in their worlds, but vary in their style and impact. “Dr. Johnson’s Watch,” about Barber, is a formal, first person account. “Made in Wales,” about Turpin, is straightforwardly biographical. The final piece, “Northern Lights,” about Oluwale, entwines multiple narrative voices with excerpts from public records. The lack of stylistic continuity – especially the radically different style of the last story – is distracting and weakens the thematic coherence of the book. I prefered the second piece. Turpin's rags-to-riches-to-rags story really dragged me in. On the other hand, the final story about Oluwale was too disjointed and abstract for my taste.None of the profiles is fully sympathetic. The main characters are shown with all their faults and weaknesses, and from a historic perspective that distances the reader. While this adds to the idea that the three men are foreign from those around them, it lessens the reader’s ability to fully engage with the book.

[osbaldistone · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

My strongest overall impression of this work is the apparent deterioration in the treatment of black men in England between the first story (1700s) and the third and last story (mid to late 1900s). Phillips brings us the mostly tragic true (but embellished) stories of three black men from English history - Dr. Johnson's servant; a boxing champion; and an African immigrant. Dr. Johnson's servent seems to come to a tragic end mostly due to his own inability to find his way after his long-term employer's death. Turpin, the boxer, is much his own worst enemy, but is also "fed upon" by white and black hangers-on, and the white community which was his home failed to provide support or assistance once he was no longer a star. The African immigrant's story, however, is more like that of an American inner-city black - a story of closed doors, no opportunity, hopelessness, and police brutality, at a time when the idea that racial prejudice is inhumane was just beginning to be more generally accepted.Overall, an interesting and fairly enjoyable read. Certainly educational. That combined with the importance of the subject matter make this a strongly recommended work.The memoirist/reporter style is a bit dry for the long haul, but the structure and the subject matter provide plent to keep the reader plugged in. The multiple voices in the last story, switching without much warning and often without clear identification, make it a bit difficult. But it does achieve the documentary feel that is apparently intended.Os.

[bhowell_35 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

With this review, I read the other reviews posted first. Since I am a big fan of Caryl Philips I wanted to see how this book appeared to others. The first book that I read by Carlyl Phillips was "Cambridge" published in 1992. I was hooked. I do think Foreigners deserves at least 4 stars because it is so well written. It is literature. It is actually not a novel but 3 novellas and each must be treated separately. The common bond is little more than their colour and country but that is a great deal where Britain is concerned. It might also be looked at as the stories of 3 men who, in spite of certain advantages, ruined their own lives. This would only, however, be applicable to the first 2 stories. The 3rd story is not so straightforward yet David Oluwale by his sheer stubborness and dignity also walked away from opportunities which might have made his life easier. The story of David is in a class of its own, combining history and an imagined inner life of a person who really existed but was not himself an historical figure like the other characters. I am assuming that the history is correct as it seems carefully researched but in this story the author must insert more of his imagination.If I were to choose among the novellas, I would have to say that I enjoyed the story of "Made in Wales" the least. I find the sport of boxing repugnant even today simply because of its history which is not common knowledge or at least is ignored. Hundreds of young men in the US, mostly black, have died from the sport. Scores more have been permanently brain damaged. Turpin chooses his career but does he in fact have less choice than if he had been white? Is that also true for many American black men? Otherwise, Turpin's story differs little from the stories of many boxers, white or black, who make poor personal and financial choices and end up penniless when they leave the ring. Mr Phillips never drives a point home with a sledge hammer and we have a story where we can make our own judgments of Mr Turpin. The story of Francis Barber is both amusing and sad. We see the conflicting attitudes of Dr Johnson to his servant who was a friend (but how), his servant (not a slave but should not leave his master), a companion (but mostly onesided) and someone who should be given a classical education (but why). The story doesn't really tell how or why the generous sum left to Mr Barber in Dr. Johnson's will disappeared resulting in poverty for himself and family. There is a hint that he may have been cheated by the Executors but nothing substantial. Otherwise we are left with the conclusion that he has done it to himself by being foolish in his expenditures. The treatment of his family is interesting but hardly surprising. There was severe prejudice against black people in Britain but it was different than the US. In Britain blacks were intitially brought as novelty servants for the rich, but some also emigrated on their own. They never had, until the end of the 20th century, the sheer numbers of the US. The British at that time (has anything changed?) disliked any kind of foreigners and black faces would always be foreigners. These are very readable stories and Ihighly recommend them.

[keren7_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The foreigners ibegan slow. The writing was top quality. However, the stories started off slow and the first story was kind of slow and unengaging. The second story started off even slower, and for a while I was kind of dreading finishing this book. And then, the story picked up and I found the third story riveting and heartbreaking. I think the first story was subtly trying to make the points that the second and third story kinds of scream at you.I wish it was clearer whom the narrator was in the second story and in the third story. He writes in the second story of interviewing Ray Turpin's kids and I was wondering if he was writing as himself or as a character?Other than that, an outstanding book. The last story more than made up for the slowness of the first story. And the subject matter was gripping and heart breaking.