The Roma

Author Madeline Potter
Narrator Madeline Potter
Publisher Random House
Publish Date 22 May 2025
Run Time 10 hours and 9 minutes
Format Audio
Genre Ethnic groups and multicultural studies, European history, Memoirs, Social and cultural anthropology, Social and cultural history, Social discrimination and equal treatment, Social groups: alternative lifestyles, Social groups: religious groups and communities, Travel writing, Violence, intolerance and persecution in history.

This book is not purchasable in your country. Please select another book.

Listen to a sample

What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

The Roma is a profoundly personal portrait of a people and their on-going journey, shedding new light on their history and what it means to be Romani in Europe today. It is a history that is not widely known and understood, and that invisibility has created a space where fear and hostility continue to thrive.

Full of fascinating stories and extraordinary individuals, The Roma is a powerful corrective to the stereotyping and prejudices still faced by Romani communities. We meet the Romani artist who chronicled her experiences of the Holocaust in Austria; the boxer who should have become Germany’s light-heavyweight champion only to have his win scratched from the record by the Nazis; and a eighteenth-century Romani woman in London who was accused of kidnapping a girl and sentenced to death only to be exonerated thanks to some detective work by an unconvinced judge.

Throughout, Madeline Potter weaves in her travels though contemporary Romani Europe as well as strands of her own journey as a Romani woman in Romania and now in Britain. Deftly blending explorative history and portraits of a unique and vibrant culture with intimate accounts of racism, The Roma is a celebration of survival – of resilience and resistance in the face of prejudice and persecution.

© Madeline Potter 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Critics Review

A book that will inspire and inform. Madeline Potter helps us absorb the atmosphere of Romani communities through the stories of prominent Romani individuals as she shares an engaging and illuminating experience that spans different places and times and offers insights into culture and history

Yaron Martas, author of I Met Lucky People: The Story of the Romani Gypsies

The Roma: A Travelling History is a brilliant and vital exploration that intertwines Madeline Potteru2019s personal journey with the rich, often overlooked history of the Roma people. Through compelling accounts and vivid narratives, it challenges stereotypes, revealing the Romau2019s resilience while rejecting romanticism and fear-based portrayals. As MP Jo Cox said, 'We are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us'u2014a truth that resonates powerfully throughout this captivating invitation to see the Roma in their full humanity

Professor David Morley, author of Furu

By turns heartbreaking and hopeful, this book takes us on a journey through centuries of Romani history and culture. Madeline Potter celebrates the resilience and beauty of the Roma, while bearing witness to the trauma of fairly relentless persecution. In the face of modern far-right politics, The Roma feels urgent and necessary

Tabitha Stanmore, author of Cunning Folk

Epic in scale and ambition, Madeline Potteru2019s The Roma belongs alongside TR Fehrenbachu2019s Comanches as an extraordinary history of a misunderstood people. Potteru2019s lucid prose creates a history that doubles as an utterly compelling personal journey

Lanre Bakare, author of We Were There

Here, the past speaks to the present. The Roma mingles fireside tales, testimony and sound historical research. This wise and beautiful book has not left my side

Jo Clement, author of Outlandish

Evocative and intriguing. The Roma lets the reader in on a world which is at once intimate and wide-ranging, magical yet ruggedly realistic. I was moved by Potter's love for her heritage, as well as her rigour in watering her roots. As a tribute to storytelling and as a personal journey alike, this book is to be treasured

Bidisha

Like the Roma themselves, this book refuses to be bordered by expectation u2026 This is a memoir that redefines what it is to be the Romany-Gypsy Other, as well as being an enchanting history of a people and travel journal too u2026 The Roma offers a bold Romani lens that lyrically preserves our fragmented oral histories [and] invites readers on a journey along the often hidden paths of the Roma

Karen Downs-Barton, author of Minx

An exhilarating history of resistance and survival of a people who have refused to be defined by their persecutors

Observer

About xigxag

Enjoy the best audiobooks on xigxag, an innovative, user-friendly audiobook platform that makes it easy to find, purchase, and enjoy your favorite books in audio format. xigxag’s flexible pricing model offers bestselling audiobooks for less – affordable prices and the best audiobook deals with no subscription required. Give the perfect gift with our audiobook gift cards and in-app audiobook gifting options.

xigxag’s commitment to sustainability and ethical practices ensures a guilt-free listening experience from an exceptional digital book platform – an exciting alternative to big tech. Enjoy audiobooks from the only B Corp certified UK audiobook service and a leader in audiobook innovation.

Search effortlessly, read honest audiobook reviews evaluating both the book and the narration, and discover hidden gems. Download or stream top audiobook titles anytime, anywhere and get the best possible listening experience on the UK’s best independent audiobook app. Experience the future of audiobooks today.

The Roma

Titles Purchased

Price p/Title

Listen to a sample

What to expect

Critics Review

About xigxag