Maybe I Don’t Belong Here: A Memoir of Race, Identity, Breakdown And Recovery by David Harewood – A Book of the Year in The Observer and The Times and winner at the Visionary Honours Awards.

‘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 colour 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.’

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

In this powerful and provocative memoir, critically acclaimed actor David Harewood, charts his journey from working class Birmingham to the bright lights of Hollywood. He uncovers devastating family history and shares insight into a life lived after an experience of psychosis. Maybe I Don’t Belong Here is a rallying cry to examine the systems and biases that shape our society and a ground-breaking account of the impact of everyday racism on Black mental health.

As a young actor, David 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?

The interview will be followed by a short Q&A and book signing opportunity.

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David Harewood was born in Birmingham, England. His parents are originally from Barbados and they moved to England in the 1950s and 60s. He trained as an actor at London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and is best known for his roles in Homeland and Supergirl. His critically acclaimed BBC documentary Psychosis and Me received a BAFTA nomination for best documentary. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II appointed David a ‘Member of The Most Excellent Order’ of the British Empire for his services to acting in 2012, giving him the title David Harewood MBE. David is married, has two daughters and is an avid Birmingham City FC fan.

Photograph: Noah Asanias/The Guardian