Black History Month book recommendations
‘Though we firmly believe that black history should not be confined to one month and should be taught throughout the year, we also recognise that this is a time to amplify a dialogue that can be continued all year round.
Through our recommendations we have focused on books that explore black history and its legacy on the present day. The books we have selected explore different views of the black experience within Britain, America, the Caribbean and Africa. Though there are similarities connecting these experiences, there are also significant differences that must be acknowledged and understood.
We have tried to focus on a historical perspective but some of the titles we’ve highlighted for Teens/Young Adults focus more on the present fight against racism; instances of police brutality threatening communities and the Black Lives Matter movement fighting for justice.’
Books for children age twelve and under
Title | Author |
| Queen of Freedom: Defending Jamaica | Catherine Johnson |
| Diver's Daughter: A Tudor Story (Voices #2) | Patrice Lawrence |
| Race to the Frozen North: The Matthew Henson Story | Catherine Johnson |
| How High the Moon | Karyn Parsons |
| Freedom | Catherine Johnson |
| The Undefeated | Kwame Alexander |
| Coming to England: an inspiring true story celebrating the Windrush Generation | Floella Benjamin |
| The story of Windrush | K.N. Chimbiri |
| Timelines from Black History: Leaders, Legends, Legacies | Mirielle Harper |
| What is Race? Who are Racists? Why does skin colour matter? And other big questions | Nikesh Shukla |
Books for teens and young adults
Title | Author |
| Black and British: A short, essential history | David Olusoga |
| Cane Warriors | Alex Wheatle |
| I Am Nobody's N***** | Dean Atta |
| Taking Up Space: The Black Girl's Manifesto for Change | Chelsea Kwakye & Ore Ogunbiyi |
| The Black Kids | Christina Hammonds-Reed |
| Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire (Sunday Times bestseller) | Akala |
| Buffalo Soldier | Tanya Landman |
| Dread Nation | Justina Ireland |
| The Hate U Give | Angie Thomas |
| Dear Martin | Nic Stone |
Books for adults
Title | Author |
| Voices of the Windrush Generation: The real story told by the people themselves | David Matthews |
| Black Tudors: The Untold Story | Miranda Kaufman |
| Frying Plantain (longlisted for the Giller Prize 2019) | Zalika Reid-Benta |
| The Louder I Will Sing: A story of racism, riots and redemption | Lee Lawrence |
| Afropean: Notes from Black Europe | Johny Pitts |
| Black and British: A Forgotten History | David Olusoga |
| Insurgent Empire: Anticolonial resistance and British dissent | Priyamvada Gopal |
| Barracoon: The story of the last slave | Zora Neale-Hurston |
| The Underground Railroad (winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 2017) | Colson Whitehead |
| The Sellout: (winner of the Man Booker Prize 2016) | Paul Beatty |
| Homegoing | Yaa Gyasi |
All books are available to purchase from Moon Lane Books, 300 Stanstead Road London SE23 1DE. Open Weds-Sat 9am-5pm, Sun 11am-4pm (closed Monday and Tuesday)