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The Roma: A Traveling History
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.
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.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published May 22, 2025
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October 24, 2025
Where seeing and knowing is a sword
With her autobiographical account, Madeline Potter who comes from a line of travelling people, takes us with her while she travels. She travels to different countries and different times and gives us past and present and hope for a better future.
We go with her to India, then on to Eastern Europe and Western Europe, even America North and South, with a touch of Australia as well. We see migration in action and also how with every step the Roma are targeted as ‘other’, and as such different, and because they are different, they are also bad. Being other and without power is not a good place to be, as can be seen from the Roma’s past. The only way to have a better present and future is to know more, to see more, to not turn your gaze away and let the bad things happen in your name.
Potter writes and shows us people in action, normal people, nothing extraordinary, just people who love their families, who love their music, their dancing and boxing, their fantastical stories, who love flowers on their long skirts, who love to boast of their riches as a shield against the bad stuff. People who have foibles and bad days just like the rest of us.
Seeing, recognising fellow people instead of others, cuts the veil in front of our eyes which might allow us to hide away from what is done in our name.
With her autobiographical account, Madeline Potter who comes from a line of travelling people, takes us with her while she travels. She travels to different countries and different times and gives us past and present and hope for a better future.
We go with her to India, then on to Eastern Europe and Western Europe, even America North and South, with a touch of Australia as well. We see migration in action and also how with every step the Roma are targeted as ‘other’, and as such different, and because they are different, they are also bad. Being other and without power is not a good place to be, as can be seen from the Roma’s past. The only way to have a better present and future is to know more, to see more, to not turn your gaze away and let the bad things happen in your name.
Potter writes and shows us people in action, normal people, nothing extraordinary, just people who love their families, who love their music, their dancing and boxing, their fantastical stories, who love flowers on their long skirts, who love to boast of their riches as a shield against the bad stuff. People who have foibles and bad days just like the rest of us.
Seeing, recognising fellow people instead of others, cuts the veil in front of our eyes which might allow us to hide away from what is done in our name.
July 8, 2025
To declare my bias - I know the author. I am privileged to be one of her students at her university. That did account for much of my enjoyment, because I am a very nosy student who always wants to know more about my professors outside of the immediate sphere in which I see them. This book’s memoir sections were perfect for assuaging that curiosity! If only every tutor I have had wrote books like this…
However, to assess it more objectively - this book is part memoir, part historical chronicle, part literary analysis. It feels very fresh and vibrant because there is so much variety. Potter keeps you on your toes; you never know whether you are about to be hit by mere historical facts or a more personal section. It makes the experience very varied; it feels more alive and human than a typical history book!
There are also some very important facts here about Romani history and culture. I had never before heard Mary Squires’s story, which is a haunting reminder of the importance of innocent-until-proven-guilty, due process, and not automatically believing testimony without evidence. The trial’s sensationalism, and how it split society down the middle - the Canningites vs the Egyptians - has much modern-day relevance in our era of Depp v Heard or Baldoni v Lively.
I also appreciated the story of Johann Trollmann, a hero if ever there was one.
Yet, as Potter reminds us, it is not a story solely of oppression. She also focuses on the extremely heartwarming elements of Romani culture, like manele music (I listened to some - it is good fun), the folklore, and their oral storytelling tradition. This is reflected in the book’s ‘memoir’ sections, which are also a mixture of dark and light experiences.
If Potter hadn’t told the reader she was an academic, you wouldn’t know it was by an academic - the writing style is so smooth. I finished it in a matter of days. It flows brilliantly. It can sometimes be a bit exhausting trying to remember all the facts, figures, and stories, but then that daunting feeling is reminiscent of the book’s central thesis. The Roma are a diverse group encompassing many different walks of life, and they cannot be rationalised neatly in one go, like any other demographic. So it makes sense! And most of the stories are memorable and inspiring enough that they are pretty easy to keep track of.
The only potential criticism (just to preempt them) is that she mentions concepts like critical race theory, power structures, and ‘whiteness’, etc., in passing without questioning them. Some political thinkers may argue that those terms are quite contestable, CRT especially, which is not reflected in Potter’s obvious subscription to them. These are only very fleeting references and not the book’s dominant concern, so it's not a big deal.
At its core, this is a book about a writer taking solace in her culture’s history to recuperate from racial trauma and to feel happier and more inspired as life trundles on. One has to try hard to dislike a book like that. It is a very inspiring, moving account. I will remember this one.
However, to assess it more objectively - this book is part memoir, part historical chronicle, part literary analysis. It feels very fresh and vibrant because there is so much variety. Potter keeps you on your toes; you never know whether you are about to be hit by mere historical facts or a more personal section. It makes the experience very varied; it feels more alive and human than a typical history book!
There are also some very important facts here about Romani history and culture. I had never before heard Mary Squires’s story, which is a haunting reminder of the importance of innocent-until-proven-guilty, due process, and not automatically believing testimony without evidence. The trial’s sensationalism, and how it split society down the middle - the Canningites vs the Egyptians - has much modern-day relevance in our era of Depp v Heard or Baldoni v Lively.
I also appreciated the story of Johann Trollmann, a hero if ever there was one.
Yet, as Potter reminds us, it is not a story solely of oppression. She also focuses on the extremely heartwarming elements of Romani culture, like manele music (I listened to some - it is good fun), the folklore, and their oral storytelling tradition. This is reflected in the book’s ‘memoir’ sections, which are also a mixture of dark and light experiences.
If Potter hadn’t told the reader she was an academic, you wouldn’t know it was by an academic - the writing style is so smooth. I finished it in a matter of days. It flows brilliantly. It can sometimes be a bit exhausting trying to remember all the facts, figures, and stories, but then that daunting feeling is reminiscent of the book’s central thesis. The Roma are a diverse group encompassing many different walks of life, and they cannot be rationalised neatly in one go, like any other demographic. So it makes sense! And most of the stories are memorable and inspiring enough that they are pretty easy to keep track of.
The only potential criticism (just to preempt them) is that she mentions concepts like critical race theory, power structures, and ‘whiteness’, etc., in passing without questioning them. Some political thinkers may argue that those terms are quite contestable, CRT especially, which is not reflected in Potter’s obvious subscription to them. These are only very fleeting references and not the book’s dominant concern, so it's not a big deal.
At its core, this is a book about a writer taking solace in her culture’s history to recuperate from racial trauma and to feel happier and more inspired as life trundles on. One has to try hard to dislike a book like that. It is a very inspiring, moving account. I will remember this one.
July 4, 2025
In "The Roma: A Travelling History," Madeline Potter shifts from her more known research on Gothic literature and celebrates the history of Romani societies, their nomadic traditions and rich cultures. Being a Kalderash from Romania dwelling in Britain, her book is a journey where her personal experience is beautifully intertwined with the survival of the Roma throughout centuries of discrimination, brutal abuse and miscomprehension. Their ‘Othering’ from the non-Roma first as a curiosity, then as a threat, and finally as a burden has led the Roma to unbearable suffering.
Through her thorough historical and social research, Potter analyses the origins of the Roma in India and their travelling communities in diverse countries: Britain, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Austria, Germany, France, Spain, the US and Sweden. Relevant personalities such as Carmen Amaya, Django Reinhardt, Johann Trollmann or Ceija Stojka and their contributions to the visualizing of their ethnic group via their fight against the repressing system or their highlighting of their identity are considered. Stunning historical photographs of them besides unknown Roma emerge in the chapter dedicated to France as a reminder that all of them were united in their resistance.
More subjectively, I especially like the chapters dedicated to Germany and Spain. Potter resuscitates her Gothic spirit when she names her German chapter ‘The dead travel fast: Living with Ghosts,’ a line from Gottfried August Bürger’s ‘Lenore’ which appears in Bram Stoker’s "Dracula." With this quote, the scholar explains in her heartbreaking text how ‘the ghosts of the past loom large in Germany today,’ and pens about the Samudaripen, the genocide of the Roma and Sinti during WWII. Conversely, as a Spaniard, ‘Soy gitano: The Rhythms of Flamenco’ grabs my attention and I merrily enjoy the contrast between the beautiful touristic flamenco showed in Madrid and the raw performance Potter witnesses in Seville, emphasising once more the stereotypes. Nevertheless, if the readers are not from any of the countries the writer mentions, they can equally immerse themselves in her brilliant expedition.
To sum up, I would highly recommend this book both to Roma and non-Roma readers for different reasons: to the former because it is a fascinating study of their provenance and their struggles to maintain their roots in adverse situations; to the latter as a discovery of the authenticity of the Roma outside of the clichés and as a learning of their beliefs.
Through her thorough historical and social research, Potter analyses the origins of the Roma in India and their travelling communities in diverse countries: Britain, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Austria, Germany, France, Spain, the US and Sweden. Relevant personalities such as Carmen Amaya, Django Reinhardt, Johann Trollmann or Ceija Stojka and their contributions to the visualizing of their ethnic group via their fight against the repressing system or their highlighting of their identity are considered. Stunning historical photographs of them besides unknown Roma emerge in the chapter dedicated to France as a reminder that all of them were united in their resistance.
More subjectively, I especially like the chapters dedicated to Germany and Spain. Potter resuscitates her Gothic spirit when she names her German chapter ‘The dead travel fast: Living with Ghosts,’ a line from Gottfried August Bürger’s ‘Lenore’ which appears in Bram Stoker’s "Dracula." With this quote, the scholar explains in her heartbreaking text how ‘the ghosts of the past loom large in Germany today,’ and pens about the Samudaripen, the genocide of the Roma and Sinti during WWII. Conversely, as a Spaniard, ‘Soy gitano: The Rhythms of Flamenco’ grabs my attention and I merrily enjoy the contrast between the beautiful touristic flamenco showed in Madrid and the raw performance Potter witnesses in Seville, emphasising once more the stereotypes. Nevertheless, if the readers are not from any of the countries the writer mentions, they can equally immerse themselves in her brilliant expedition.
To sum up, I would highly recommend this book both to Roma and non-Roma readers for different reasons: to the former because it is a fascinating study of their provenance and their struggles to maintain their roots in adverse situations; to the latter as a discovery of the authenticity of the Roma outside of the clichés and as a learning of their beliefs.
July 28, 2025
As a Romanian living abroad, I’m often asked about the connection between Romanians and the Roma people—whether there is one, and if so, what it looks like. It's a complicated question, and one that speaks to a long and tangled history I’ve never felt entirely equipped to answer. So when I stumbled upon this title by Madeline Potter in a bookshop recently, it felt like an invitation I couldn’t ignore.
I’ve always found Romani culture fascinating, but I’d never sought out a structured account of their history before. Potter’s book turned out to be an unexpected gift: comprehensive without being dry, and ambitious without sacrificing clarity. I was especially drawn to the way she organized the narrative by country, allowing for both regional specificity and a broader understanding of how Romani lives have taken shape across Europe and the US. I very much enjoyed the attention she gave to the language, the etymologies of the terms used to refer to the Roma, the debates around naming, and what that reveals about cultural perception and prejudice. Naturally, I was most interested in the chapter on Romania. Potter's treatment of this section was both rigorous and deeply humanizing, particularly since she is Romanian herself.
It’s rare for a work of history to leave me with goosebumps, but this one did. I came to this book with curiosity and left with a deep sense of admiration and a renewed desire to keep learning about this often misunderstood and displaced community. The Roma people remain, in many ways, overlooked and misrepresented, but Potter’s book is a compelling step toward changing that.
I’ve always found Romani culture fascinating, but I’d never sought out a structured account of their history before. Potter’s book turned out to be an unexpected gift: comprehensive without being dry, and ambitious without sacrificing clarity. I was especially drawn to the way she organized the narrative by country, allowing for both regional specificity and a broader understanding of how Romani lives have taken shape across Europe and the US. I very much enjoyed the attention she gave to the language, the etymologies of the terms used to refer to the Roma, the debates around naming, and what that reveals about cultural perception and prejudice. Naturally, I was most interested in the chapter on Romania. Potter's treatment of this section was both rigorous and deeply humanizing, particularly since she is Romanian herself.
It’s rare for a work of history to leave me with goosebumps, but this one did. I came to this book with curiosity and left with a deep sense of admiration and a renewed desire to keep learning about this often misunderstood and displaced community. The Roma people remain, in many ways, overlooked and misrepresented, but Potter’s book is a compelling step toward changing that.
August 27, 2025
very uneven - it is trying to be both comprehensive history and personal memoir and doesnt really succeed at either
July 4, 2025
This felt like How the Word is Passed in the best ways. Drs. Potter and Smith are both steeped in the traditions of the humanities and bring their passion for words to the history of their people and the places where their people have lived and suffered. Both of them also narrate their own journeys in their audiobooks and listening not just to their words but also their feelings as they reread them is a privilege.
As an American who has lived in the UK, I've experienced the American cultural obsession with stereotypes of Roma culture, Americans' fear of being pickpocketed by Roma anytime they travel to Europe, and the ways in which Roma are portrayed in British media. While I was living in the West Midlands, Roma were facing English housing persecution and many news sources were far from unbiased in their coverage, while also questioning the Continent's treatment of Roma.
To many Americans, Potter's portrayal of the surface-level racism toward Roma throughout Europe may seem overblown, but it's just true. America has become so good at dog whistles that Americans are frequently surprised at how obvious prejudice and discrimination is in European life, even while we depend on it for our "travel warnings."
If you can, listen to Potter read her book to you. Revel in the power of her language, and learn how to pronounce some of it, and sit with the discomfort that happens when you hear a first-hand description of discrimination. Then probably go buy the physical copy, too. They're both worthwhile, but it'll be easier to read it again with her narrator voice in your ear.
Audio ARC provided by NetGalley.
As an American who has lived in the UK, I've experienced the American cultural obsession with stereotypes of Roma culture, Americans' fear of being pickpocketed by Roma anytime they travel to Europe, and the ways in which Roma are portrayed in British media. While I was living in the West Midlands, Roma were facing English housing persecution and many news sources were far from unbiased in their coverage, while also questioning the Continent's treatment of Roma.
To many Americans, Potter's portrayal of the surface-level racism toward Roma throughout Europe may seem overblown, but it's just true. America has become so good at dog whistles that Americans are frequently surprised at how obvious prejudice and discrimination is in European life, even while we depend on it for our "travel warnings."
If you can, listen to Potter read her book to you. Revel in the power of her language, and learn how to pronounce some of it, and sit with the discomfort that happens when you hear a first-hand description of discrimination. Then probably go buy the physical copy, too. They're both worthwhile, but it'll be easier to read it again with her narrator voice in your ear.
Audio ARC provided by NetGalley.
June 1, 2025
This was an excellent and often very moving book - all sorts of emotions, I don't want to give the wrong impression as this is a book which movingly celebrates Romani culture and resilience as well as mapping persecution and marginalisation.
The book is a mix of autobiography, travel-writing, folk-tales and history. It's a continually engaging mix which seeks to preserve and honour the oral cultures of the Roma across the world, delve into the histories of Romani groups and individuals in different countries, and offer personal, as well as excellently researched, insights into the lives of the Roma through the last several centuries of history.
I leant a lot from reading. What I enjoyed most was the way each chapter (related to a different country) focused in part on specific individuals, celebrating their achievements, their resilience and their resistance.
It is both an engaging and a necessary read which draws attention to the rich tapestries of Romani life and history in Europe and America. Heartily recommended.
The book is a mix of autobiography, travel-writing, folk-tales and history. It's a continually engaging mix which seeks to preserve and honour the oral cultures of the Roma across the world, delve into the histories of Romani groups and individuals in different countries, and offer personal, as well as excellently researched, insights into the lives of the Roma through the last several centuries of history.
I leant a lot from reading. What I enjoyed most was the way each chapter (related to a different country) focused in part on specific individuals, celebrating their achievements, their resilience and their resistance.
It is both an engaging and a necessary read which draws attention to the rich tapestries of Romani life and history in Europe and America. Heartily recommended.
August 21, 2025
The Roma is a portrait of a proud and unique people and their ongoing journey. Madeline Potter’s exploration of Roma history and what it means to be Romani in Europe today is important because there are so few records. Their history is not widely known and understood, which has allowed fear and hostility continue to thrive. Potter blends history and portraits of a unique and vibrant culture with intimate accounts of racism.
Potter weaves in her travels through contemporary Romani Europe as well as strands of her own journey as a Romani woman in Romania and now in Britain. Understanding her experiences and life growing up Roma made the history more personal.
The Roma is a celebration of resilience and resistance in the face of prejudice and persecution. These traits have ensured their survival and The Roma assists in the survival of Romani history and culture.
Potter weaves in her travels through contemporary Romani Europe as well as strands of her own journey as a Romani woman in Romania and now in Britain. Understanding her experiences and life growing up Roma made the history more personal.
The Roma is a celebration of resilience and resistance in the face of prejudice and persecution. These traits have ensured their survival and The Roma assists in the survival of Romani history and culture.
August 27, 2025
Excellent book, providing patient, nuanced and varied insights into Romani history and life: records and their absence, (auto)biographies, literature, music, painting, folk tales...and of course the author's invaluable experience as a Romanian Roma herself.
May 29, 2025
This was a really good and fascinating read and I really recommend it to others. The book goes is organised by country and covers the history and current situation for Romani people in each, as well as some of their folk tales. If you, like me, know barely more than the stereotypes, this is a great book to start.
It's also very much written from the perspective of Madeline Potter, herself a Romani woman originally from Romania: she talks about her childhood and her conversations with people in the countries she visits. This took me a bit to get into, as I guess I'd originally expected a dense history book. I suppose I'd still be very interested in reading that, but the personal perspective was immensely valuable here. I can't stop thinking about her recounting reading in a park in Romania as a child and getting harassed by a policeman who slaps her. While I know that antiziganist racism remains really, really bad across Europe, it's still shocking to hear how casual the racism is.
So yes, very much recommended to others!
It's also very much written from the perspective of Madeline Potter, herself a Romani woman originally from Romania: she talks about her childhood and her conversations with people in the countries she visits. This took me a bit to get into, as I guess I'd originally expected a dense history book. I suppose I'd still be very interested in reading that, but the personal perspective was immensely valuable here. I can't stop thinking about her recounting reading in a park in Romania as a child and getting harassed by a policeman who slaps her. While I know that antiziganist racism remains really, really bad across Europe, it's still shocking to hear how casual the racism is.
So yes, very much recommended to others!
September 1, 2025
I really love how the author combined historical facts with her personal history, not sticking to a boring dry "fact" writing style but using such beautiful expressive language to tell the story or the Romani people and her own.
And in keeping with the Romani tradition of oral storytelling, I highly recommend listening to the audiobook (read by the author herself) as well!
And in keeping with the Romani tradition of oral storytelling, I highly recommend listening to the audiobook (read by the author herself) as well!
September 2, 2025
really like the way this was formatted!!
January 3, 2026
Too woke and whiny. Really expected more about the history.
December 26, 2025
Very disappointing. Author attempts to write a personal memoir & a history of the Roma and makes a hash of both. Fails to answer most of my questions about the Roma, which should be a fascinating subject. Now I want to find an actual history of the Roma.
December 9, 2025
The more you know about the “other”, the less they will seem like the “other”. It’s pretty much common sense, but we all fail at it; don’t deny it. Being attracted to the study of things outside of the norm, one needs to look no further than the history of racism which is a millennia-long polemic on hating those who may look different, act differently, eat differently, but still are very much human. Not lesser than us, perhaps in some ways even higher.
Jews, my group, the “forever” other of Western civilization may have predated the Roma, but are surely not alone. We may have a homeland putting to rest the ‘Wandering Jew’ meets Augustine’s “they shall witness!” polemic, but if there’s one group that took being itinerant in stride, it’s the Roma. Not ever settling down has given them a certified outsiders status that has sadly gone hand-in-hand with a whole bunch of negative traits. Thus, finally having a book to read more about them and their culture gives me the first step needed in understanding. It’s a short one though and for all I know, only the first of a long line of books about them, but with succinctness may come a story razor-focused on what’s important leaving filler for those who later want even deeper dives.”
Working a bit more with the above subject—Jews and now their possible similarities with Roma, it wasn’t long before nuggets of curiosity began sprouting up akin to delicious mushrooms in a forest after a spring rain (this is both a metaphor and something I can personally attest to). Both peoples have their own autonomous legal systems and courts, both peoples also have a concept of ritual purity and impurity when it comes to separation of certain types of clothing, food preparation, and the overall concept of clean/unclean. Both, as noted above, have been seen as nomads, wandering forever unsettled and unrooted, dare one say (for Jews at least) “rootless cosmopolitans” and Roma “unwanted homeless trespassers”. Both have worn this—the ability to find peace and even success while abstaining from mainstream societal norms—with pride.
Stepping back now and traveling (forgive me just once) onto the territories of the book itself, each chapter focuses on a different country and seems to approach its subject matter in two ways: a historical overview along with zeroing in on a certain notable figure (with some also including retellings of popular Roma stories unique to the region). Thus, The Roma: A Traveling History may not be a ‘proper’ history book, but that does not make it a proper book. Far from it: unless one already knows a lot on the subject matter, this is a work that will enlighten, educate, and entertain. There’s some real beauty too from describing a horse being bathed in a lake by its owner before the sale, the care going into putting ink to paper highlighting the sheer beauty of late 19th century caravans, and most importantly dispelling the multitude of negative associations attached to the author’s people. Outside of the historical specialist, this is a book written for most everyone.
Jews, my group, the “forever” other of Western civilization may have predated the Roma, but are surely not alone. We may have a homeland putting to rest the ‘Wandering Jew’ meets Augustine’s “they shall witness!” polemic, but if there’s one group that took being itinerant in stride, it’s the Roma. Not ever settling down has given them a certified outsiders status that has sadly gone hand-in-hand with a whole bunch of negative traits. Thus, finally having a book to read more about them and their culture gives me the first step needed in understanding. It’s a short one though and for all I know, only the first of a long line of books about them, but with succinctness may come a story razor-focused on what’s important leaving filler for those who later want even deeper dives.”
Working a bit more with the above subject—Jews and now their possible similarities with Roma, it wasn’t long before nuggets of curiosity began sprouting up akin to delicious mushrooms in a forest after a spring rain (this is both a metaphor and something I can personally attest to). Both peoples have their own autonomous legal systems and courts, both peoples also have a concept of ritual purity and impurity when it comes to separation of certain types of clothing, food preparation, and the overall concept of clean/unclean. Both, as noted above, have been seen as nomads, wandering forever unsettled and unrooted, dare one say (for Jews at least) “rootless cosmopolitans” and Roma “unwanted homeless trespassers”. Both have worn this—the ability to find peace and even success while abstaining from mainstream societal norms—with pride.
Stepping back now and traveling (forgive me just once) onto the territories of the book itself, each chapter focuses on a different country and seems to approach its subject matter in two ways: a historical overview along with zeroing in on a certain notable figure (with some also including retellings of popular Roma stories unique to the region). Thus, The Roma: A Traveling History may not be a ‘proper’ history book, but that does not make it a proper book. Far from it: unless one already knows a lot on the subject matter, this is a work that will enlighten, educate, and entertain. There’s some real beauty too from describing a horse being bathed in a lake by its owner before the sale, the care going into putting ink to paper highlighting the sheer beauty of late 19th century caravans, and most importantly dispelling the multitude of negative associations attached to the author’s people. Outside of the historical specialist, this is a book written for most everyone.
January 7, 2026
I knew very little of the Roma going in, and tbh I still don't know a lot, but this was a really great introduction to it. And the way the writer infuses the tale of her life and her people with her background in gothic literature, was beautiful.
January 22, 2026
Made it all the way to page 10, where she started talking about George Floyd. Nope
December 23, 2025
I learned a lot from this place-based history as well as the stories.
September 14, 2025
The Roma history and its origins are mysterious. The author's best guess (well-researched) is that the "gypsies," or "the travelers" were originally from India. Potter is Roma; she grew up in Romania and has been quite the traveler herself. She does her best to illuminate who the Roma are, as well as narrate their never-ending persecution, stereotyping, diversity, personality, etc.
I know more than I did before reading, but for me 'The Roma' was often confusing--mostly because of the Romani vocabulary and idiom she uses. And what a collection of folk stories she includes whose morals and plots frequently seemed contradictory.
I know more than I did before reading, but for me 'The Roma' was often confusing--mostly because of the Romani vocabulary and idiom she uses. And what a collection of folk stories she includes whose morals and plots frequently seemed contradictory.
October 14, 2025
i can see the viewpoints of the other reviews in regards to the integration of the authors lived experience with history but i personally didn’t mind it. it’s important to processing the cruel history of your people (esp when you’re removed from them in a sense) to try to find yourself in it. a lot of this information i didn’t know and i’m glad to know it now. i’m sure this book and its subject matter might be harder to appreciate if you are not romani yourself but this has made me contemplate my own romani blood a lot. wondering what it was like and how they grew up. what traditions they followed. cuz all of that was thrown out when they came to the united states. nothing remains of that because it was purposefully discarded in order to integrate. was almost healing to the soul to hear about how the united states especially erases the existence of romani people to the point where many aren’t aware they are real and still living, not just some fictional trope.
all in all, i appreciated this book a lot. and if the author reads these reviews, i want to thank her for writing it
all in all, i appreciated this book a lot. and if the author reads these reviews, i want to thank her for writing it
July 20, 2025
When I was a teenager, I developed a keen interest in learning about various ethnic groups and religions. Moreover, I wanted to read all I could on prejudices and discrimination. It never dawned on me at the time to read about “gypsies”, as they were known to most of us back then. We only saw them in TV shows or movies, almost always as fortune tellers. The only movie I ever saw that painted a much clearer picture of them was a 1994 TV one called “Christmas Reunion”. Why it was being passed off as a Christmas film was beyond me, because only the first and last five minutes or so were about Christmastime. The rest of the movie was about a teenage boy named Tim in Wales who was half Roma and half gadjo. Tim was a very proud Roma who did not accept his mixed heritage, but the past had caught up with him and he had to deal with it.
Madeline Potter deals with Roma life in all sorts of ways in this book. She looks at their history, starting with their origin in India; at how they are and were treated in various countries, such as Germany, the US, the UK, France, Spain and Sweden; the many ways they have faced all sorts of discrimination and stereotyping; their art, music and dancing, including flamenco; famous Romani individuals, such as Katarina Taikon-Langhammer; oral tales passed down through the ages, etc. One very sad thing the author dealt with was the Holocaust. I’ve read countless books and watched many movies and documentaries about the Holocaust, and what happened to the Romani people was hardly ever or barely mentioned, even though hundreds of thousands of them were persecuted and murdered by the Nazis.
Ms. Potter also includes many of her own experiences as a Romani woman, both good and bad. A most interesting thing is how she is so often recognized by fellow Romani individuals as one of them wherever she goes. That does make her happy. While her book was a wealth of information and certainly educated me about Roma life, I am only giving it three stars because I thought it was written in a disorganized way. It jumped from one thing to another, from one person to another, from one place to another, so much that at times I had to stop reading for a while. I always returned to it, however, and stuck with it to the end. The ARC unfortunately did not have the photographs that will be included in the final copy, photos that will most certainly add to helping the reader to picture Roma life throughout time.
(Note: I received a free e-ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher.)
Madeline Potter deals with Roma life in all sorts of ways in this book. She looks at their history, starting with their origin in India; at how they are and were treated in various countries, such as Germany, the US, the UK, France, Spain and Sweden; the many ways they have faced all sorts of discrimination and stereotyping; their art, music and dancing, including flamenco; famous Romani individuals, such as Katarina Taikon-Langhammer; oral tales passed down through the ages, etc. One very sad thing the author dealt with was the Holocaust. I’ve read countless books and watched many movies and documentaries about the Holocaust, and what happened to the Romani people was hardly ever or barely mentioned, even though hundreds of thousands of them were persecuted and murdered by the Nazis.
Ms. Potter also includes many of her own experiences as a Romani woman, both good and bad. A most interesting thing is how she is so often recognized by fellow Romani individuals as one of them wherever she goes. That does make her happy. While her book was a wealth of information and certainly educated me about Roma life, I am only giving it three stars because I thought it was written in a disorganized way. It jumped from one thing to another, from one person to another, from one place to another, so much that at times I had to stop reading for a while. I always returned to it, however, and stuck with it to the end. The ARC unfortunately did not have the photographs that will be included in the final copy, photos that will most certainly add to helping the reader to picture Roma life throughout time.
(Note: I received a free e-ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher.)
December 22, 2025
So:
1. Taraf is much much better than manele and have so much history to them, I fully recommend to those that are not aware of romani music to experience it, it’s a must listen to.
2. Romani have been renowned for their talent in crafts as well as gorgeous culture even among Romanians. Whilst i get the hatred between the two because of the violence each side has suffered, each in the UK are an ethnic minority, since the dominant ethnicity is white british. Ethnicity =/= racial minority, which I’m sure the author knows, but I’m aghast that she does so much harm by putting the equal between the two.
3. Whilst you an author has the right to describe their experience and the experience of their community, rightfully, the shouldn’t describe the slavery in the same light as the slavery black communities suffered, it was not the same
4. If you speak of racism suffered in Romania, keep it to that, absolutely valuable to talk about it. But don’t single Romanians out as if we’re like the westerner conquerers, and if you want to include how Romanians are seen abroad: we are not and we equally suffer our own xenophobia and racism in the Western communities (have examples for you believe it or not). I too despite being white am seen as if I’d steal and have suffered the same fcking label in the UK, because of those that do practice this habit and give us this “tradition”. And single-ing us out will only perpetuate the westernisation wave of not recognising the poorer cultures.
I tried to like it and I get the hatred and grief, I am one of the biggest allies since I was a child, but there is so much unsaid.. and the mixture of subjective and objective didn’t work well, like other reviewers have said.
I loved the culture intros, I’ve always been in awe to it and in love to the gorgeous musicality that should not be buried. But it was genuinely buried/ruined by the subjective “woe is me” which could’ve been written better as a memoir - worth considering should the author want to and/or like Svetlana Alexievich a plethora of stories. Potter writes as beautifully and metaphorically as Lefteri and Alexievich write and I’m certain she’d ace writing something like these 2 writers did.
1. Taraf is much much better than manele and have so much history to them, I fully recommend to those that are not aware of romani music to experience it, it’s a must listen to.
2. Romani have been renowned for their talent in crafts as well as gorgeous culture even among Romanians. Whilst i get the hatred between the two because of the violence each side has suffered, each in the UK are an ethnic minority, since the dominant ethnicity is white british. Ethnicity =/= racial minority, which I’m sure the author knows, but I’m aghast that she does so much harm by putting the equal between the two.
3. Whilst you an author has the right to describe their experience and the experience of their community, rightfully, the shouldn’t describe the slavery in the same light as the slavery black communities suffered, it was not the same
4. If you speak of racism suffered in Romania, keep it to that, absolutely valuable to talk about it. But don’t single Romanians out as if we’re like the westerner conquerers, and if you want to include how Romanians are seen abroad: we are not and we equally suffer our own xenophobia and racism in the Western communities (have examples for you believe it or not). I too despite being white am seen as if I’d steal and have suffered the same fcking label in the UK, because of those that do practice this habit and give us this “tradition”. And single-ing us out will only perpetuate the westernisation wave of not recognising the poorer cultures.
I tried to like it and I get the hatred and grief, I am one of the biggest allies since I was a child, but there is so much unsaid.. and the mixture of subjective and objective didn’t work well, like other reviewers have said.
I loved the culture intros, I’ve always been in awe to it and in love to the gorgeous musicality that should not be buried. But it was genuinely buried/ruined by the subjective “woe is me” which could’ve been written better as a memoir - worth considering should the author want to and/or like Svetlana Alexievich a plethora of stories. Potter writes as beautifully and metaphorically as Lefteri and Alexievich write and I’m certain she’d ace writing something like these 2 writers did.
December 9, 2025
3.75 stars. I've always wanted to learn more about the Roma, especially since I have traveled across various countries in both eastern and western Europe recently and they always seem to come up in one way or another in their histories. I think the author does a decent job in providing some well-rounded context to both their historical traditions and the many ways they have been persecuted, enslaved, and other-ed over the centuries, even into modern day. I had no idea Flamenco had Romani roots, which was super neat to learn! Current Romani culture seems to be fairly nebulous, given how far and wide they have spread and settled into various cultures, like a true melting pot that still maintains some of the original flavor, and I find that to be incredibly admirable.
That said, I do have a minor quibble: The author tends to hold a myopic view of victimhood of the Roma (rightly so!). HOWEVER, I take anyone who has zero criticism of their own culture with a grain of salt, especially when the cultural stories & beliefs are sometimes contradictory in nature. Multiple things can be true at once, and some interesting nuance gets lost when The Roma are one-dimensionally framed as "great people who are always harmed by everyone else bc racism". Humans are fickle, all cultures are complex, and unfortunately within every horribly wrong stereotype, there is often the TINIEST grain of truth, even if it is 99.9% wrong otherwise. While I understand the oversight within the author's own experiences in living with various bigotry over her life, IMO given the factual/historical narrative the book is framed with, more acknowledgement of these complexities would've lent more credibility and offered a deeper, more engaging conversation on the whole.
That said, I do have a minor quibble: The author tends to hold a myopic view of victimhood of the Roma (rightly so!). HOWEVER, I take anyone who has zero criticism of their own culture with a grain of salt, especially when the cultural stories & beliefs are sometimes contradictory in nature. Multiple things can be true at once, and some interesting nuance gets lost when The Roma are one-dimensionally framed as "great people who are always harmed by everyone else bc racism". Humans are fickle, all cultures are complex, and unfortunately within every horribly wrong stereotype, there is often the TINIEST grain of truth, even if it is 99.9% wrong otherwise. While I understand the oversight within the author's own experiences in living with various bigotry over her life, IMO given the factual/historical narrative the book is framed with, more acknowledgement of these complexities would've lent more credibility and offered a deeper, more engaging conversation on the whole.
September 8, 2025
I don't know much about the Roma so I was very much looking forward to this book. I know they have been stereotyped, that they are a traveling people, that there a few famous characters in fiction (Dick Grayson's Robin/Nightwing, Doctor Doom, etc.) but otherwise my knowledge is pretty limited.
Author Potter weaves history and memoir together, looking at both her own experiences as being Romani as well as the experiences of Romani populations in Europe, the United States, etc. Their lives, contributions and unfortunately the oppression and scapegoating by others. It is a familiar story to oppressed and under represented groups and it is no surprise this repeats itself with the Romani people.
I have to say that this was a disappointment. The author tries to do both things: provide a history of the Roma while also interjecting her own experiences and it doesn't really work. It needed to be one or the other (and based on the book I had assumed it was more about the Roma). And even then it also felt very dull--it read very much like a history overall.
It is, of course, important, because I do not know of another contemporary book about the Roma and I would guess that resources like this are limited. If you're Romani yourself, a historian, someone interested in learning more, etc. then it might not be a bad read. But if you're just casually interested and have no specific interest this is probably something you can wait on at the library and not rush it.
Library borrow and that was best for me.
Author Potter weaves history and memoir together, looking at both her own experiences as being Romani as well as the experiences of Romani populations in Europe, the United States, etc. Their lives, contributions and unfortunately the oppression and scapegoating by others. It is a familiar story to oppressed and under represented groups and it is no surprise this repeats itself with the Romani people.
I have to say that this was a disappointment. The author tries to do both things: provide a history of the Roma while also interjecting her own experiences and it doesn't really work. It needed to be one or the other (and based on the book I had assumed it was more about the Roma). And even then it also felt very dull--it read very much like a history overall.
It is, of course, important, because I do not know of another contemporary book about the Roma and I would guess that resources like this are limited. If you're Romani yourself, a historian, someone interested in learning more, etc. then it might not be a bad read. But if you're just casually interested and have no specific interest this is probably something you can wait on at the library and not rush it.
Library borrow and that was best for me.
January 10, 2026
This is a brief history of the Roma in a few countries in Europe as well as the US. The story of Johann Trollmann was especially sad. The author also weaves in Roma folklore and customs while focusing a lot on stereotypes.
The author constantly interjects her own experiences which could be interesting, but it seemed to take away from the specific narrative of the chapter. Throughout the book, she constantly talks about racist, and hurtful comments she has encountered thoughtout her life. She should have made it a book about her life as Roma or just a history book.
The part about the Roma experience in the US was interesting, but it seemed as though she was focused on how the Roma seemed to be invisible there as people aren't as familiar with Roma or that they blend in with other ethnic groups. This is almost the opposite as the experience in Europe as the Roma had a history of persecution and prejudice.
Overall, the book had a negative feel to it even when she tries to focus on the resilience of the Roma people. The last chapter was the highlight of the book. I think the book Bury Me Standing by Isabel Fonseca was a much better book about the Roma, although it is now a little dated.
The author constantly interjects her own experiences which could be interesting, but it seemed to take away from the specific narrative of the chapter. Throughout the book, she constantly talks about racist, and hurtful comments she has encountered thoughtout her life. She should have made it a book about her life as Roma or just a history book.
The part about the Roma experience in the US was interesting, but it seemed as though she was focused on how the Roma seemed to be invisible there as people aren't as familiar with Roma or that they blend in with other ethnic groups. This is almost the opposite as the experience in Europe as the Roma had a history of persecution and prejudice.
Overall, the book had a negative feel to it even when she tries to focus on the resilience of the Roma people. The last chapter was the highlight of the book. I think the book Bury Me Standing by Isabel Fonseca was a much better book about the Roma, although it is now a little dated.
July 29, 2025
Madeline Potter combines travel writing and historical research to tell the story of her community in a way that makes you feel like you are traveling along with her. Madeline, who is Romani and was born and raised in Romania, travels to multiple European countries as well as the United States to share both historical information about the Romani community in each place and information on communities today. She shares information about famous Rom figures, the history of each community arriving in the country, and explores the challenges and joys each community has faced historically. Potter gives a peek at her emotions and deeper connection with her culture as she goes on this journey, making it all the more meaningful, as we see its impact, and even healing power, within her life as she connects with those she shares a heritage with. One of the most interesting aspects Potter shares is how much Rom culture has impacted Europe and how much music, dance, and literature that we associate with different countries was originally brought to those countries or influenced by Rom culture.
December 3, 2025
A light 7/10 - Melding the personal with the historical and the cultural, Madeline Potter produces a small but intriguing piece within these pages. The semi-autobiographical framing acts as a narrative frame to illuminate the past and the present of the various Roma subcultures, from folklore to customs to heroes to legends big and small. All of this was done to better capture the humanity of a dehumanized and brutalized people, and I admire it for that aspect wholeheartedly. There were some pitfalls, though, that deserve mentioning. The prose was stiff in areas and could have done with a bit more in the way of content both on her history as well as the various aspects of the book's subject. At times it felt as if the author had run out of things to say about her own background or that of the Roma, which obviously was not true due to there being only 216 pages total. Perhaps the framing device had become a hinderance in the end? All in all, though, this work is still a path worth traveling.
December 15, 2025
Potter made me realize there is so much I don’t know about the Roma and that most of what I thought I knew was wrong or skewed. This is an engaging, informative overview of Roma history, traditional and modern culture, peppered with family and travel anecdotes from the author’s life, often stressing the maltreatment of Roma under racist and exclusionary (or murderous) policies.
Potter gives an overview of Roma origins in India, and their subsequent history, legends, arts, values, and their gradual spread around the world, including linguistic differentiation over time and place. She provides chapters on the past and present Roma communities in Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Austria, Germany, France, Spain, Sweden, and the US.
Although Potter is an academic, it’s not a ‘balanced’ presentation in an academic sense. It’s more a balancing of the books, a redress and a love-letter that emphasizes the many rich and positive aspects of Roma culture and the admirable resilience of the people in the face of widespread prejudice, violence, and hatred.
Potter gives an overview of Roma origins in India, and their subsequent history, legends, arts, values, and their gradual spread around the world, including linguistic differentiation over time and place. She provides chapters on the past and present Roma communities in Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Austria, Germany, France, Spain, Sweden, and the US.
Although Potter is an academic, it’s not a ‘balanced’ presentation in an academic sense. It’s more a balancing of the books, a redress and a love-letter that emphasizes the many rich and positive aspects of Roma culture and the admirable resilience of the people in the face of widespread prejudice, violence, and hatred.
January 3, 2026
I found this book to be a very worthwhile read because I learned so much. I knew very little about Roma history before reading this book. I liked the overview of the various groups of Roma, their livelihoods, culture, and religion. I was particularly interested in the music (I play traditional Greek clarinet), and how there is a definite influence in Greek music. I absolutely loved the really old varga interiors. I loved the folk tales as well. I am glad that some Roma people value their culture and pass it on despite terrible challenges. It speaks to certain kinds of artists who are not Roma as well.
I do find the combination of memoir and history a difficult genre. I prefer one or the other to be truthful. I found myself as I was reading, wanting more history or wanting more memoir. I had the same feeling reading Paper Girl. That being said, the book is wonderful on so many levels and will speak to a wide variety of people because of that.
I do find the combination of memoir and history a difficult genre. I prefer one or the other to be truthful. I found myself as I was reading, wanting more history or wanting more memoir. I had the same feeling reading Paper Girl. That being said, the book is wonderful on so many levels and will speak to a wide variety of people because of that.
January 1, 2026
This was interesting. I knew next to nothing about the Roma people before I listened to this audiobook, so I learned a lot. Who knew they originated in India…not me! The book intersperses the history of the people in different regions of Europe with folk tales and the author’s own experiences as Roma person in the modern era. It was sad to ready about all the prejudices the Roma have had to deal with over the centuries, but even worse, still face today. The folk tales weren’t really my jam but I enjoyed the history. The author read the book herself and had a pleasant voice, which matters when listening for 10+ hours. No regrets.
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