Customer Reviews
A Worthwhile Book - By: , 10 Jun 2005 
Being an accomplished Jack-of-all-Trades is no easy thing. It requires great skill, understanding & effort. In producing this book, Ian Hancock has proven his capacityin each of these areas. He has managed to create a book that concentrates a vast amount of information & presents itin a way that is not only palatable, but of use to anybody reading it.
The gadje (non-Romanies) will find a clearly presented, blunt account of who, what, why & how the Romani are. No stereotypes & only the absolutely necessary pretensions to grandeur.
Professionals, gadje or not, will be pleased to discover a fastidiously researched text complete with a comprehensive reference list. Problems facing the Romani - & gadje who work with the Romani - are pin-pointed & summarised with a fastidious elegance. If further information is required then it is a simple matter to explode the summary by using Hancock's bibliography as a guide. Whether the reader worksin health care, social care, or some other area, this book WILL BE useful.
For Romani readers, Hancock provides information about our past that may have been lost & a carefully researched list of resources available for the use of Roma. His review also offers an opportunity to recognise what makes us a single people despite our vast differences. In his book, Hancock says, "it is tempting to see resistance to intra-group co-operation as an ingrained characteristic of our people". I feel I must agree, but much as that resistance makes us strong as individuals & families, it can also make us weak as a people.
Opre Roma.
good introduction to Gypsies 101 - By: Deborah MacGillivray, 03 Jun 2005 Likely Gypsies are one race that has been stereotype, maybe often without real thought. Such as the "stolen by the Gypsies..." I often heard that when I was growing up, but never stopped to see it for what it is - a perpetuating of a myth. Well, this book gives you a good start at shattering these pre-set images that are connected to the Gypsies. Written by a man of Gypsy blood, he set out to break these prejudices. He gears this book for schoolteachers, social workers, physicians or other walks of life that comesin contact daily with those of Gypsy origins, with eye to making you see them as the diverse people they are. He gives you a light introduction to Gypsy life & customs, challenges the narrow minds & misconceptions, replacing them with clear-cut, well written information designed to enlighten & foster tolerance between the Romani & the gadze.
As one who adores my Scottish heritage, I have a great interestin the lore & ethnic heritage of different races. This book does a lot to answer questions & get you started on the road to leaning more about the Romani people.
Very interesting reading.
