The Romani people have faced persecution throughout the many lands to which they have traveled, and in which they now live, but their culture and their resilient community members persist. In this book, Romani author Madeline Potter combines personal experience and historical fact to paint a truly beautiful picture of the Roma across time and space. She tells Romani folktales, writes about Romani artists and activists and athletes, and sheds light on a group which has historically been--at best--written off and--at worst actively stereotyped and discriminated against. After being enslaved in Romania, forced to assimilate in France, ignored in the United States, and put through the horrors of the Samudaripen, the Romani Holocaust, the Roma have remained. This history is a beautiful recognition of the pain that has been inflicted and the triumphs that shine through.
This is a wonderful introduction to Romani history. Madeline Potter does a great job of addressing stereotypes and disputing them with historical fact and context. There is so much about the Roma I did not know, and I really appreciated how accessible this book is in introducing the reader to so much culture. Each chapter encompasses a quick history in a certain country, and despite including so much knowledge, it is a pretty quick read. I highly recommend for those looking to learn more about this marginalized group.
