Who are We - and Should it Matter in the 21st Century?

'We are more alike than we are unalike. But the way we are unalike matters. To be male in Saudi Arabia, Jewish in Israel or white in Europe confers certain powers and privileges that those with other identities do not have. In other words identity can represent a material fact in itself.' Gary Younge demonstrates, in his urgent and brilliantly illuminating new book, that how we define ourselves affects every part of our lives- from violence on the streets to international terrorism; from changes in our laws to whom we elect; from our personal safety to military occupations. Moving between fascinating memoir and searing analysis, from beauty contests in Ireland to the personal views of Tiger Woods, from the author's own terrifying student days in Paris to the truth behind the Danish cartoons controversy, Gary Younge makes surprising and enlightening connections and a devastating critique of the way our society really works. 'Younge ends his book with a plea that we search for a common higher ground that lies beyond our conflicted and confused identities. To reach this promised land he suggests the familiar routes of greater equality and more democracy. That common ground would be likely to be reached sooner, I would suggest, if we had more in common with those who we elect to power. Of the 23 members of the new cabinet, 22 are white, 18 are millionaires, 15 are Oxbridge graduates and 13 went to private schools. It is not just those who run the country who are overwhelmingly from this background, but the media too. It is hard not to reflect on the privileged clique and conclude that although the world is becoming ever more mixed up, and identities ever more complicated, the identities of those in power are the same as they ever were.' Sarfraz Manzoor, The Guardian