Book of the Week

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
Recommended by James Wilson

Trevor Noah is now a very successful comedian and has a very popular show on Comedy Central. However, his childhood was much more challenging. 

He was born a mixed-race child in South Africa towards the end of Apartheid, and Born a Crime, his autobiography, explores themes such as poverty, racism and belonging in an truly amusing style. However, this does not make the book any less hard-hitting and throughout the book there are many events that will shock and worry the reader.

And the (SPS) Booker Prize Winner of 2019 is ...

This year's Predict the Booker Prize, held last night in the Kayton Library, and compèred by Mr Hollands, gave six Pauline readers the chance to make a case on behalf of one of the books on the Booker shortlist, and win the audience's vote.

First off was Teddy Ackery, whose pitch for Bernardine Evaristo's Girl, Woman, Other focussed on its sense of freedom and lack of exclusivity. The book's characters are predominantly black, working-class lesbians, and Teddy confessed some early hesitation about the appropriateness of a white, middle-class male reader waxing lyrical about experiences so different from his own. But ultimately, he argued, this was a book about inclusion, a funny and accessible novel that speaks to everyone through its diverse range of characters and themes.

Black History Month

As this year's Black History Month begins - with events at SPS including a reading group discussion of Reni Eddo-Lodge's Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race, as well as a display of books in the library and from the SPS archive - here at the book blog, we thought we'd put together some reading suggestions, including fiction and non-fiction, aimed at all ages: some are new works, and others are classics, and some are particularly linked to this year's theme of 'Black Britain'. If you'd like to suggest a book we should add to the list, please feel free to use the comments box at the end of the post. 

Passing for White by Tanya Landman 

1848 – America’s Deep South. Slave girl Rosa is pale-skinned enough to ‘pass for white’, yet escape seems an impossible dream until she meets Benjamin. Together, they hatch a desperate plan. If Rosa poses as a white gentleman, Benjamin can travel as her slave... But can Rosa hold her nerve on their thousand-mile flight to freedom? Inspired by a true story, this is a powerful tale of danger, injustice and unimaginable courage.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Gripping and powerful young adult novel about the point blank shooting by police of an African American teenager, told through the eyes of 16 year old Starr, who is the only witness to her friend's murder. Black Lives Matter.  

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

Raw and compelling young adult novel about contemporary race relations in the US. Justyce McAllister is top of his class and bound for uni, but none of that matters to the police who arrest him. He looks to the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for answers. But do they hold up anymore?