The sub-title of this excellent book – The Many Lives of Raul Grigera & the Power of Racial Storytelling in Argentina - whilst giving a clear indication of what the book is about gives little indication of just how unexpectedly interesting it is. The life story of Afro-Argentine Raul Grigera, or El Negro Raul as he is more commonly known, follows him through decades in an Argentina that increasingly defined itself as “white” and sought to eradicate all traces of its black population. Caught up in changing attitudes, Raul’s history is ultimately a tragic and moving one. Meticulously researched, and bringing justice to her much maligned subject, author Paulina L Alberto explores the complexities of Argentinian ideas on race, ethnicity and identity. The book brings Raul and his family vividly to life, as well as their day-to-day existence amongst their community. But as well as being about Raul, the book is also a sociological and political history of Argentina itself. It’s a scholarly and academic text, but accessibly written, and I learnt a lot about a subject I didn’t know I would be so interested in. Although it is time, place and person specific, the book has a wider global resonance as attitudes towards “blackness” still prevail in many communities, and thus it informs our thinking in many ways.