In honour of Black History Month, we’ve assembled a selection of our booksellers’ favourite books by Black authors. You can find our display with all of these featured titles in the bookshop!
Set in the 1840s, James is a retelling of Mark Twain's classic novel Huckleberry Finn, told from the point of view of Jim. Jim, a runaway slave, and Huck, a boy escaping a violent father, embark together on a rollicking adventure down the Mississippi River. They encounter con men, fellow slaves, a troupe of travelling singers performing in blackface, and more.
It's poignant, tender in subtle ways and, as always with Percival Everett, very funny, whilst highlighting the horrors of slavery through lacerating observations.
James is the best book I have read in a while, with a very satisfying ending, and Jim is an unforgettable character. A new classic!
Alice
Published: 11th Apr '24
Format: Hardback
Price: £20.00
I thoroughly enjoyed Jason Okundaye’s debut Revolutionary Acts, which springs from a series of interviews the author conducted with older Black gay men about their histories and experiences. Okundaye does a lovely job braiding the testimonies of his subjects, as each of them spends a significant period of their lives in Brixton. But that dovetailing effect does not only bring out the common features of their reports, but also the disagreements; nor does he shy away from the harsher truths of their pasts or from the reality of the doubled effects of racism and homophobia when they work in tandem. The book is beautifully judged and full of gossip, which I can’t resist.
Marc
Published: 7th Mar '24
Format: Hardback
Price: £20.00
Published: 25th Apr '24
Format: Paperback
Price: £10.99
Okechukwu Nzelu dissects love, grief and masculinity in a powerful and at times incredibly raw way in his second novel, Here Again Now. My favourite thing is when Nzelu traces the lives of his main characters Achike, Ekene and Chibuike – deep dives into their past contextualise their present selves in surprising and endearing ways.
Euan
Published: 2nd Mar '23
Format: Paperback
Price: £9.99
Published: 5th Mar '20
Format: Paperback
Price: £9.99
I really loved Ekow Eshun’s new book and it’s definitely one of my non-fiction picks of the year. Written in the second person, Eshun writes the story of five different black men and their histories. The book conjures their lives in a vivid and fascinating way that draws readers intimately into their stories and builds a sense of intimacy and understanding with each life. Ira Aldridge: nineteenth century actor and playwright. Matthew Henson: polar explorer. Frantz Fanon: psychiatrist and political philosopher. Malcolm X: activist leader. Justin Fashanu: million-pound footballer. These are the figures Eshun focuses on and he treats each with a level of empathy and detail that really make their stories come to life.
Jack
Published: 19th Sep '24
Format: Hardback
Price: £20.00
Published: 2nd Mar '23
Format: Paperback
Price: £9.99
Ropa can see ghosts. She dropped out of school in order to serve as a go-between for the dead and the living. Soon, she discovers an underground library that may hold more questions than it does answers, and gets embroiled in a conspiracy involving children that are left as husks, and in her territory, no less! Strange, atmospheric, immersive.
Ness
Published: 14th Oct '21
Format: Paperback
Price: £9.99
Published: 1st Feb '24
Format: Paperback
Price: £10.99
Published: 12th Sep '24
Format: Hardback
Price: £14.99
Adam is a powerful and special collection from Gboyega Odubanjo. The poems revolve around the finding of a black boy's torso in the River Thames on the 21st of September 2001. Each poem explores who the boy is, where he comes from, and who cares for and misses him. Adam tore me apart and left me speechless.
Jenna
Published: 4th Jul '24
Format: Paperback
Price: £12.99
Having first found George the Poet through his collection, Search Party and then his podcast, Have You Heard George's Podcast?, it felt right to listen to Track Record as an audiobook. Mpanga's reflection on his education, rise to fame and tumultuous journey through various media industries is that his journey is inextricable from the exploitative racist capitalist system in which we live. His ability to express political ideas in an accessible and poetic way makes this a powerful and important read.
Molly
Published: 25th Apr '24
Format: Hardback
Price: £20.00
The Team
Published: 19th Oct '23
Format: Hardback
Price: £20.00
The Team
Published: 6th Dec '01
Format: Paperback
Price: £9.99
The Team
Published: 4th Mar '21
Format: Paperback
Price: £12.99
Based on the real events of the Tichborne trial, Smith depicts the intertwining history of 19th century England and Jamaica through a bold tale of deception and hypocrisy. Most memorably, we are given the wonderfully complex character of Scottish housekeeper Eliza Touchet who, as narrator, propels the novel through astute observations and witty dialogue. In her first work of historical fiction, Smith turns the classic Victorian novel on its head as she details an England that must reckon with its history of slavery.
Selena
Published: 6th Jun '24
Format: Paperback
Price: £9.99
The Team
Published: 3rd Oct '19
Format: Paperback
Price: £9.99