Percy Hintzen teaches political sociology in the Department of Afro-American Studies. Born in Guyana and educated at Yale University, he is a specialist in the political, economic and social development of the Caribbeans.
“Burning an Illusion is a gripping contemporary tale set in the West Indian community of London. Pat and Del are young British-born blacks, among the many sons and daughters of Caribbean immigrants who migrated to Britain following World War II. Pat is a secretary who aspires to a comfortable middle class life with marriage and all of its trappings. But her naiveté and conventional aspirations are gradually eroded as she confronts British racism. Del's own experiences are a catalyst to Pat's growing consciousness. He is an unemployed toolmaker, trapped in the recessionary downslide of present-day Britain, which has hit hardest at black youth. Del partially masks his frustrations and doubts in machismo towards Pat--underscoring her own awakening to her status as a black woman. Shabazz's portrayal of the young black lifestyle in London is strikingly familiar. Burning an Illusion could have been set in Chicago, Philadelphia, New York or any American city where inequality shapes the lives and conscience of a generation of black youth.” Renee Tajima