Bernardine Evaristo recommends 6 books on being Black and British
The Booker Prize winner suggests works by Afua Hirsch, David Olusoga, and more
Novelist Bernardine Evaristo is the author of Girl, Woman, Other, winner of the 2019 Booker Prize. Her ninth book, and nonfiction debut, is Manifesto, a memoir. Below, she recommends six other books that offer insights on being Black and British.
Brit(ish): On Race, Identity and Belonging by Afua Hirsch (2018).
Exploring her British, Ghanaian, and Jewish heritage in a blend of memoir, history, and social commentary, Hirsch— a phenomenal journalist and broadcaster— writes honestly, wisely, and beautifully about culture and identity and the contradictions inherent in a racially stratified society. Buy it here.
Black and British: A Forgotten History by David Olusoga (2016).
One of Britain's leading historians offers a fantastic introduction to the still little-known Black strands of British history, traveling back to the Roman occupation 2,000 years ago. This chunky book is fascinating, entertaining, and educational. Buy it here.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
House of Music by Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason (2020).
Kanneh-Mason shows us how she and her husband, Stuart—he of Antiguan heritage, she Sierra Leonean— raised their seven children. Now ages 12 to 25, they have all become outstanding classical musicians. House of Music is a gorgeous, glorious, award-winning book about lovingly nurturing your children to help them achieve their full potential. Buy it here.
Loud Black Girls edited by Yomi Adegoke and Elizabeth Uviebinené (2021).
It's still a rare thing: 20 young Black British women reflecting on what it's like to live in these times. Their voices are lively, intellectually curious, and challenging, and cover a wide range of issues, including social media and the arts, representation and isolation, and sexuality and self-discovery. Buy it here.
The Grassling by Elizabeth-Jane Burnett (2019).
Burnett's deliciously tactile and meditative evocation of the Devon countryside is a memoir and nature book about the land from a uniquely Black British perspective. Burnett is also a poet, and her sensory descriptions are par excellence. To read this is to luxuriate in the land, and to connect to it and oneself. Buy it here.
Tribes by David Lammy (2020).
This book takes you inside the mind of one of Britain's finest, most fearless politicians. Raised in a working class Black immigrant family, Lammy has been a Labour member of Parliament since 2000. It's hard to briefly encapsulate such a wide-ranging book, but it offers penetrating insights into how we live, in Britain and elsewhere. Buy it here.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
This article was first published in the latest issue of The Week magazine. If you want to read more like it, you can try six risk-free issues of the magazine here.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Duchess of Gloucester: the hard-working royal you've never heard of
Under The Radar Outer royal 'never expected' to do duties but has stepped up to the plate
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Are 'judge shopping' rules a blow to Republicans?
Today's Big Question How the abortion pill case got to the Supreme Court
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Climate change is driving Indian women to choose sterilization
under the radar Faced with losing their jobs, they are making a life-altering decision
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Keith O'Brien's 6 must-read books about significant moments in sports history
Feature The best-selling author recommends works by Laura Hillenbrand, Jonathan Eig and more
By The Week US Published
-
Lauren Oyler's favorite collection of essays that will leave you deep in thought
Feature The author recommends works by Elif Batuman, Mark Greif, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Rebecca Serle's 6 favorite books about interpersonal relationships
Feature The best-selling author recommends works by J.D. Salinger, Dolly Alderton, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Cristina Henríquez's 6 popular books with historical themes
Feature The novelist recommends works by Min Jin Lee, Kurt Vonnegut, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Mark Greaney's 6 favorite suspenseful books about espionage
Feature The author recommends works by Tom Clancy, John le Carré, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Hisham Matar's 6 favorite books that are part of a collection
Feature The Pulitzer Prize-winning author recommends works by Jean Rhys, Michael Ondaatje, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Yangsze Choo's 6 favorite works about love and human connection
Feature The best-selling author recommends works by Cho Nam-Joo, Hiro Arikawa and more
By The Week US Published
-
Kwame Alexander's 6 must-read books about the art of poetry
Feature The poet recommends works by E.E. Cummings, Clint Smith and more
By The Week US Published