Check out our list of non-fiction books to read and enjoy during this year's Global Black History Month 2024. You can purchases any of the books listed in our IBHM Heritage shop on our IBHM Heritage shop, which helps support IBHM-UK website and independent bookshops.
My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Our book of the month is a wonderfully sharp and funny tale from Nigerian writer Oyinkan Braithwaite.
Her debut novel revolves around sisters Ayoola and Korede living in Lagos, Nigeria. Ayoola is a stunningly gorgeous young woman who is notorious for killing her lovers and Korede is a fastidious nurse who helps cover up Ayoola's crimes. Until Ayoola starts dating the doctor where Korede works as a nurse and she isn’t prepared to see him wind up with a knife in his back, but to save one would mean sacrificing the other…
Finding Me by Viola Davis
An inspiring memoir that explores Viola’s childhood in poverty, her journey to Hollywood, and the importance of embracing one's true self. She offers a glimpse into the experiences that shaped her as a woman and an artist, and shares the lessons she learned along the way.
Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley
Nightcrawling details the story of seventeen-year-old Kiara Johnson, a young Black teenager who turns to sex work to pay her family's rent and care for the abandoned nine-year-old boy next door.
Glory by NoViolet Bulawayo
Inspired by George Orwell’s Animal Farm, Glory is set in the animal kingdom of Jidada. After a 40-year rule, the “Old Horse” is ousted in a coup, along with his much-despised wife, a donkey named Marvellous. At first there was great rejoicing and hope for change under a new ruling horse, Tuvius Delight Shasha (the former vice-president turned rival of Old Horse). Hope, however, quickly vanishes and into the period of post-coup despair steps a young goat named Destiny, who returns from exile to bear witness to a land where greed, corruption and false prophets are rampant.
The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw
An award-winning, deliciously rebellious short story collection that teems with feeling, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies follows a cast of Black women navigating social pressure, the hurdles and joys of being in love, and joyous respites from being ‘good’.
There is fourteen-year-old Jael, who nurses a crush on the preacher's wife; the mother who bakes a sublime peach cobbler every Monday for her date with the married Pastor; and Eula and Caroletta, single childhood friends who seek solace in each other's arms every New Year's Eve. With their secret longings, new love, and forbidden affairs, these church ladies are as seductive as they want to be, as vulnerable as they need to be, as unfaithful and unrepentant as they care to be, and as free as they deserve to be.
Thicker than Water by Kerry Washington
Thicker than Water is a moving and honest story of how her parents huge secret effect her even before she knew that they had a secret. Kerry has had to deal with sexual abuse, eating disorders, self esteem issues and constant feeling that something was off in her life. Kerry Washington is an intensely private person.
The Gilded Ones - Gilded by Namina Forna
The first book in the best-selling fantasy series in an ancient West-African inspired world, in which girls are outcasts by blood and warriors by choice.
Sixteen-year-old Deka lives in fear and anticipation of the blood ceremony that will determine whether she will become a member of her village. Already different from everyone else because of her unnatural intuition, Deka prays for red blood so she can finally feel like she belongs.
Leslie F*ucking Jones: A Memoir by Leslie Jones
In this audacious memoir, Leslie Jones opens up for the first time about how she faltered and triumphed on the road to success and, in doing so, encourages others to let go of the fear and self-doubt that has holds them back. Leslie F*cking Jones is a love letter to regular people just trying to make it day to day.
The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa
Mia Sosa delivers a hilarious enemies-to-lovers romance about wedding planner Lina and her ex-fiance’s brother Max and about opening yourself up to a chance at love.
Wedding coordinator Carolina Santos is left at the altar. Three years later, she has an opportunity to win a dream job. She is assigned a marketing specialist - Max Hartwell, her former fiancé's brother and she loathes him.
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
Parable of the Sower (1993) is the story of Lauren Olamina, a young woman who lives in a near-future dystopian California. When her home community succumbs to the destructive forces of the world around it, Lauren is forced onto the road in search of a new life.
You can purchases any of the books listed in our IBHM Heritage shop on IBHM Heritage shop, which helps support IBHM-UK website and independent bookshops.
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