5 books to read for Black History Month
- Lauren H
- Nov 26, 2017
- 2 min read
October is Black History Month in Britain so I have added some books by black authors to my reading list that I would like to read. I am around halfway through my Classic book series, so after I finish these I will be reading the books on this list which I have heard are very good. Some are fiction, some are biographies and one is an exciting mix of poetry and photography.
Unseen: My Journey by Reggie Yates
Unseen, by Reggie Yates, is about his experiences as a documentary filmmaker and being a TV host. He has experienced embedding as a prison guard and in refugee camps and met/spoken to people in these situations about their experiences. The embedding of Journalists is involved with my course so this will be an informative read as well.
The Hate you Give by Angie Thomas
This is a fictional, young adult novel that addresses so many areas of racial tension that are relevant now. From police brutality to de facto segregation and the story is centred around a teenage girl and how she experiences these issues specifically. A film is being made of this novel that will star Amandla Stenberg.
Kink by Jay-Ann Lopez & Patrina Charles
This was created by bloggers, Jay-Ann Lopez and Patrina Charles, the imagery is of different hairstyles, hair textures and skin tones than those that are usually shown in the media. The about section of the website describes the book as containing “personal mantras and poetry” to empower and uplift black females.
God help the Child by Toni Morrison
This is Toni Morrison’s most recent novel. I have never read a book by Toni Morrison before so this will be incredibly interesting. This is about a girl who is described as having a ‘blue-black’ complexion and her experiences being raised by lighter skinned parents and in society learning to love her skin colour. The description regards this a ‘coming-of-age’ story for adult women.
A Taste of Power: A Black Woman’s Story by Elaine Brown
Elaine Brown was the only woman to lead the Black Panther Party. She chaired the Black Panther Party from 1974 to 1977. This memoir, published in 1992, talks about her experiences as a black woman in the party and the difficulties she faced leading it.
Britain’s Black History Month
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/m-proud-britain-black-history-050056830.html
De Facto meaning
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/de-facto
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