As a young man, James Johnson left his native Liberia with his family to escape violence, intimidation and the threat of civil war in the disturbances of the 1980s.

Embarking on a career in social services in supposedly fair and egalitarian Britain, he found he had a different kind of battle on his hands - the fight against institutional racism and stereotyping at work, often subtle and propagated through ignorance.

To succeed in his professioon he found himself having to prove, at every turn, that he was not just as capable as his colleagues but more so. This enlightening, even inspiring, memoir gives an eye-opening insight into the world of a professional black man.