October marks the celebration of Black History Month here in the UK! And this year we’ve got some incredible titles we want to highlight across both fiction and non-fiction. Today we’ll be focusing on this year’s incredible list of non-fiction from Black authors, artists and musicians. Since there are so many books to cover, we’ve split this post into four sections:
- Memoir, biography & autobiography
- Activism & history
- Essays
- Music
Keep reading for our recommendation and as usual, contact your local Turnaround sales representative to place an order.
Memoir, Biography & Autobiography
This Boy We Made
By Taylor Harris
9781646221622 | Catapult | Paperback | £15.99 | Published 19th Jan 2023
A Black mother bumps up against the limits of everything she thought she believed, in search of the truth about her son.
Black Founder: The Hidden Power of Being an Outsider
By Stacy Spikes
9781496739568 | Dafina Books | Hardback | £26.99 | Published 26th Jan 2023
An empowering memoir of a trailblazing business leader and an unflinching look at what it means to be Black and ambitious.
Beyond These Eyes
by Faith Tull
9781569028087 | Africa World Press | Paperback | £24.95 | Published 9th Feb 2023
A memoir of hope and triumph over adversity in 1970s post-colonial Jamaica.
Fastest Bicycle Rider in the World
by Marshall ‘Major’ Taylor, Adonia E. Lugo PhD & Ayesha McGowan
9781648411328 | Microcosm Publishing | Paperback | £15.99 | Published 16th Feb 2023
The inspirational autobiography of Major Taylor, an African-American cycling superstar who became a global phenomenon.
The Urgent Life
by Bozoma Saint John
9780593300176 | Viking Press USA | Hardback | £24.99 | Published 21th Feb 2023
From iconic business leader and influencer Bozoma Saint John, comes a memoir of grief, and one woman’s drive to thrive in the face of loss.
Ms Davis: A Graphic Biography
by Sybille Titeux de la Croix, Amazing Ameziane & translated by Jenna Allen
9781683965695 | Fantagraphics | Hardback | £24.99 | Published 14th March 2023
An acclaimed French writer and artist duo tell the story of Black activist, professor, and prison abolitionist Angela Davis.
I Can’t Save You
by Anthony Chin-Quee
9780593418888 | Riverhead | Hardback | £24.99 | Published 6th April 2023
The raw and gripping memoir of a Black physician who confronts his past mistakes and relationships as he learns to find his own path forward.
The Dead are Gods
by Eirinie Carson
9781685890452 | Melville House Publishing | Hardback | £20 | Published 13th April 2023
From an exciting new literary voice: a memoir that explores grief, Black love and Black life, and the recovery of love and life after the death of a dear friend.
The Ditchdigger’s Daughters
by Yvonne S. Thornton
9781496739193 | Dafina Books | Paperback | £15.99 | Published 27th April 2023
An inspiring portrait by a loving daughter of a father whose pervasive common sense, folk wisdom, and right-on insights gave his children their road map to a better life.
The Yards Between Us
By R. K. Russell
9781368081368 | Andscape Books | Hardback | £25.99 | Published 18th May 2023
A groundbreaking memoir from the first active NFL player to come out as bisexual.
bell hooks: The Last Interview
by bell hooks
9781685890797 | Melville House Publishing | Paperback | £13.99 | Published 20th July 2023
This collection remembers the legacy of bell hooks, the trailblazing author, cultural theorist and activist, public intellectual, teacher and feminist writer.
Shooting Stars
By LeBron James
9780593830444 | Penguin Books (USA)| Paperback | £16.99 | Published 1st August 2023
The celebrated memoir from NBA star LeBron James – a poignant, thrilling tale of how the power of teamwork transformed young lives, including his own.
Octavia E. Butler: The Last Interview
By Octavia E. Butler
9781685891053 | Melville House Publishing | Paperback | £13.99 | Published 21st Sept 2023
Celebrating the pioneering author Octavia E. Butler, one of the first Black female science fiction writers, who inspired generations.
An African Revolution Reclaimed
By Mesfin Hagos & Awet Tewelde Weldemichael
9781569028315 | The Red Sea Press | Paperback | £34.95 | Published 28th Sept 2023
The memoir of a key figure in the Eritrean war of independence and former defence minister of Eritrea, Mesfin Hagos.
Aimé Cesaire: No to Humiliation
By Nimrod & translated by Emma Ramadan
9781644212578 | Triangle Square Press | Hardback | £14.99 | Out 19th Oct 2023
The only YA book to tell the story of Aimé Césaire, the rise of Negritude, and the crusade for Black African and Caribbean independence from colonial rule.
Make Your Own History
By Joseph Holland
9781496743251 | Dafina Books | Hardback | 2£6.99 | Out 24th Oct 2023
One hundred and twenty Black leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs share their wisdom and experience across the centuries.
Activism & History
The Enduring Legacy of Portland’s Black Panthers
By Joe Biel & Intisar Abioto
9781648411816 | Microcosm Publishing | PB | £14.99 | Published 9th Feb 2023
An epic, motivating, and powerful tale of growing up Black in Portland’s then-suburb of Albina in the 1960s.
The George Floyd Uprising: An Anthology
Edited by Vortex Group
9781629639666 | PM Press | Paperback | £21.99 | Published 16th Feb 2023
A compendium of the most radical writing to come out of one of America’s biggest uprisings in half a century.
Jackson Rising Redux
By Kali Akuno, Matt Meyer & foreword by Richard Wolff
9781629638645 | PM Press | Hardback | £56.99 | Published 20th April 2023
An anthology detailing Cooperation Jackson (a worker-owned self-managed cooperative), its organising strategies, and methods.
Summer of Hamn
by Chuck D
9781636141527 | Akashic Books | Hardback | £19.95 | Out October 2023
The tragedy of gun violence is depicted in
annotated illustrations that illuminate a
society gone hamn; from legendary hip-hop artist Chuck D.
Essays
In Our Shoes: On Being a Young Black Woman in Not So “Post-Racial” America
By Brianna Holt
9780593186398 | Plume | Paperback | £16.99 | Published 13th April 2023
A memoir-in-essays about Black millennial women and the preconceived notions they are expected to live up to, through the lens of Brianna’s lived experience and pop culture.
Burnt Eucalyptus Wood
By Ennatu Domingo
9781911648581 | The Indigo Press | Paperback | £9.99 | Published 20th April 2023
Torn between forgetting and remembering, Ennatu explores the dilemma of international adoptees and migrant children and their quest for belonging in a book destined to be a classic of its genre.
We See Each Other: A Black Trans Journey Through TV and Film
By Tre’vell Anderson
9781368081733 | Andscape Books | Hardback | £25.99 | Published 11th May 2023
A groundbreaking look at the history of transgender representation in TV and film, by an of-the-moment and in-demand culture reporter.
Some of Us Are Brave (Vol 2): Interviews and Conversations with Sistas in Life and Struggle Volume 2
By Thandisizwe Chimurenga
9781990263835 | Daraja Press | PB | £28.99 | Out 1st November 2023
Conversations between Black women on correcting misogynoir.
Music
Black Punk Now
Edited by Chris L. Terry & James Spooner
9781593767457 | Soft Skull Press | PB | 17.99 | Out 31st Oct 2023
A canonising, bold and urgent anthology setting a new precedent for Black Punk Lit, created by generations of Black punks.
The Book of Rhyme & Reason
by Peter Spirer & ICE-T
9781909526891 | Reel Art Press | Hardback | £39.95 | Out 7th Nov 2023
An inside look at the making of Hip-Hop documentary Rhyme & Reason, over 25 years since its ground-breaking release.
