John Barnes spent the first dozen years of his life in Jamaica before moving to the UK with his family in 1975. Six years later he was a professional footballer, distinguishing himself for Watford, Liverpool and England, and in the process becoming this country's most prominent black player.

Barnes is now an articulate and captivating social commentator and in The Uncomfortable Truth About Racism he tackles head-on the many complex issues surrounding prejudice with his trademark intelligence and authority.

By vividly evoking his own experiences, and holding a mirror to this country's past, present and future, Barnes provides a powerful and moving testimony. The Uncomfortable Truth About Racism is a personal and thought-provoking book that will help to inform and advance the conversation around society's ongoing battle with the awful stain of discrimination.

'We need to open up the discussion about racism, be brave and honest, and hope that we as individuals can do our small part in changing the perceptions of society.'

'What we need to do is to explain to people WHY it's wrong to be racist, and how we all became racially biased in the first place through unconscious conditioning.'

'Society needs to learn more about its own history and culture to understand how we got to this position of such unconscious superiority and inferiority.'