Six top books to read this month
Black history month is an annual celebration of achievements by those from African and Caribbean backgrounds. This is to honour the history, culture, artists, traditions and legacies.
This month is an opportunity for people to learn more about the effects of racism and how to challenge negative stereotypes, with the racial injustices that still happen throughout the world today. We need to use this time to listen and learn and to understand others and ourselves.
Black history is rich and diverse in perspectives and
experiences. However, it should stretch far beyond a dedicated month of recognition, and it should be constant, so take these books recommendations to read now and for the future.
The books I chose to share today are all releases that tell stories of resistance and overcoming adversity and racism. These books are mainly young adult, but anyone is welcome to read them.
- The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas: A book and movie that tells the story of Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends.
- Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo: That follows the lives and struggles of twelve different characters. Mostly women, black and British
- Rainbow Milk by Paul Mendez: this book is an intersectional coming-of-age story, following nineteen-year-old Jesse McCarthy as he grapples with his racial and sexual identities against the backdrop of a Jehovah's Witness Credit: @Lizzyy.reads
- It’s Her Story by Josephine Baker by Lauren Gamble and Markia Jenai: a graphic novel that tells the life story of performer and activist Josephine Baker.
- Black Swans by Laurel van der Linde and Sawyer Cloud: inspiring true stories of Black dancers and ballerinas who revolutionized the dance world.
- Bessie the Motorcycle Queen by Charles R. Smith Jr and Charlot Kristensen - the little-known story of motorcyclist Bessie Stringfield.
Find out more on: https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/
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