Absorbing... revealing and affecting. There are pleasures here, and lessons to be learnt, whatever colour you are' - The Sunday Times
'Michael Fuller is an extraordinary man with a remarkable and interesting story' - Helen Mirren
A story about race, identity, belonging and displacement, "Kill the Black One First" is the memoir from Michael Fuller - Britain's first ever black Chief Constable, whose childhood in care and career in policing is not only a stark representation of race relations in the UK, but also a unique morality tale of how humanity deals with life's unfairness.
Hoping to tackle injustice and create change from within, Michael joined the police force. There, he experienced racism and inequality, from colleagues shouting racist insults, to the Brixton Riots where 'Kill the black one first!' was yelled from the crowds. Determined, despite everything, not to turn and walk away, he rose through the ranks and made his way to the very top.
"Kill the Black One First" is an unflinching account of a life in policing during a tumultuous period, and how one man set out, against the odds, to try and belong. Michael Fuller was the first ever ethnic minority chief constable in the UK. He joined the Metropolitan Police Service in 1975 as a cadet and served in uniformed and CID positions throughout London. Michael has helped set up the Racial and Violent Crime Task Force and Operation Trident. A hard-hitting and honest memoir from Michael Fuller, Britain's first black Chief Constable, who reflects on his astonishing life growing up in care and his extraordinary experience of the race and cultural barriers in his career. Comparative titles include The Good Immigrant (55k Total TCM) and Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race (109k Total TCM). Publishing just ahead of Brexit (29th March 2019) will lead to great media interest around publication time. Ghost written by bestselling novelist and screenwriter, Liz Rigbey. Michael Fuller has worked on the Stephen Lawrence investigation, implemented Operation Trident and was frontline policing during the Brixton riots. This provocatively titled memoir is one of a kind and offers up a perspective that is currently lacking in the discourse surrounding race in Britain. This is the story of a diligent, bright and sensitive individual who cares passionately about justice [but] at the heart of Fuller's journey is a quest to belong... His journey is utterly inspiring and it powerfully illuminates the dynamics of racial conflict in England over the past fifty years from someone who was in a very unique position. Absorbing... revealing and affecting. There are pleasures here, and lessons to be learnt, whatever colour you are. Michael Fuller is an extraordinary man with a remarkable and interesting story.
