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?

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

A novel about finding your voice and standing up for what you believe in, The Poet X follows the journey of Xiomara, a teenager growing up in a tough Harlem neighbourhood and her creative release in the world of slam poetry.  

The Rose that Grew from Concrete by Tupac Shakur 

'The seed must grow regardless of the fact that it's planted in stone.' Poems by one of the most revered rap artists in the world.    

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds 

Electrifying verse novel that takes place in sixty potent seconds—the time it takes a kid to decide whether or not he’s going to murder the guy who killed his brother.

The March Trilogy by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell 

Three graphic novels that tell the story of the American Civil Rights movement, from the Freedom Riders to Selma, through the firsthand experience of congressman John Lewis.  

Letter from Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr

Pivotal defence of non-violent civil activism written during Dr King's imprisonment in 1963: 'an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law.'

Beloved by Toni Morrison

The late, great Toni Morrison's Pulitzer prize-winning novel has been called the defining novel about slavery in the US. Morrison blends horror and tragedy through the story of fugitive slave Sethe, who tries to build a new life for her family after the Civil War, but finds herself haunted by ghosts from her past.

Small Island by Andrea Levy
Small Island is the story of the Windrush Generation, and their journey from one small island (Jamaica) to another (not so great Britain). The wartime sections are particular memorable, exposing the different ways in which black servicemen were treated in the UK and the US. 

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Teenagers Ifemulu and Obinze are in love, but their country, Nigeria, is falling apart. So they escape - Ifemulu to America and Obinze to the UK. The different ways in which their lives unfurl test their love to its limits, as well as allowing Adichie to cast a sharp and satirical eye on the ways in which the different countries negotiate racial politics.

The Autobiography of Malcolm X
This autobiography charts Malcolm X's journey from street hustler to 'the most dangerous man in America'. Based on interviews by journalist Alex Haley (who would go on to write African-American historical epic Roots), the book offers a powerful and compelling account of Malcolm's political beliefs, and makes a strong case for armed activism as opposed to Martin Luther King's non-violent resistance. 

We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo

Ten year old Darling, and her friends Stina, Chipo, Bastard and Godknows, live in a shanty town ironically known as Paradise. Resourceful, clever and anarchic, even as life throws chaos and disaster at them from all sides, the children's friendship helps them survive - until Darling is sent to America. Suddenly on her own, in a new world, and a new culture, can she keep her identity and her friendships alive? Sharp, savagely powerful novel that looks at Mugabe's Zimbabwe through a child's eyes. 

My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

Braithwaite's Nigeria-set novel was longlisted for this year's Booker prize, and does exactly what it says on the tin: nurse Korede's sister, Ayoola, is a serial killer - a beautiful siren, who murders the men she attracts, and relies on her sister's medical skills to mop up the mess. But when both sisters fall in love with the same man, Korede's loyalty is tested to its limits ... 

White Teeth by Zadie Smith

Sprawling comic novel of North London life, telling the story of two friends - Archie Jones and Samad Iqbal - and their intertwining families. Written while Smith was still a student at Cambridge, White Teeth became the defining picture of London in the year 2000. It makes Willesden look like the centre of the world - which of course it is. 

Exposure by Mal Peet

Exposure is a young adult novel inspired by the story of Shakespeare's Othello. A love story set in the world of contemporary sport and celebrity, it explores racism on and off the pitch, as well as the cost of fame and the tactics of the paparazzi. 

The Good Immigrant (edited by Nikesh Shukla)

Brilliant collection of essays by different authors, focussing on race in today's Britain: Riz Ahmed's essay, 'Airports and Auditions', is a particular standout.  

Black and British: A Forgotten History (David Olusoga)

David Olusoga's history is full of compelling stories that should be better known, forcing a complete re-think of the often white-washed version of Britain's past. 

Black Tudors by Miranda Kaufmann

From Henry VII's trumpeter John Blank to the African divers who helped salvage cannons from wrecked Elizabethan battleships, Kaufmann unearths traces of a black community in Britain much more developed and documented than is usually understood. Think you know all about Tudor Britain? Think again. 

Red Dust Road and The Adoption Papers by Jackie Kay 

Poet Jackie Kay's autobiography describes what it was like growing up as a black child adopted by a white family in Orkney, and her search for her father: The Adoption Papers re-tells the story as a collection of poems.

The Colour Purple by Alice Walker

Set in the American Deep South in the 1930s, Walker's Pulitzer-prize winning novel tells the story of a young girl born into poverty and segregation who gradually takes control of her own destiny. 

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

Powerful and inspirational autobiography, also set in the American Deep South: 'I write about being a Black American woman, however, I am always talking about what it's like to be a human being. This is how we are, what makes us laugh, and this is how we fall and how we somehow, amazingly, stand up again.'