Black History Month - Books

Admittedly, when I was doing the research to write this blog, I discovered that I am seriously lacking in the book department in regards to having read black authors. I suppose when I pick up a book I chose it because I like the sound of it, I have never really gone out of my way to consider who the author is particularly. I have never read a book just because of the author. I guess this is something I need to change; I need to make a conscious effort to ensure that I am not only supporting white authors but also black. It would also do no harm for me to not only support black authors but to also read books that celebrate black life and culture as well as inform me about political issues within the black community. Embarrassingly, I only have two books that I can discuss for this article. Well, enough about me, this is of course an article for black history month and so I should get to discussing.

My first book, which I wasn’t aware was by a black author until recently is ‘Giovanni’s Room’ by James Baldwin. This book was published in 1956, which makes it quite a revolutionary novel as it explores homosexuality quite openly. It is important now to recognise that Baldwin grew up in Harlem to a poor family, his only escape [like most artists who struggle in their youth] being his art or rather his writing. Baldwin was a gay man and was fairly open about this, which is evidently seen in this novel as it was published before any sort of gay liberation had taken place in America. Baldwin was also heavily involved in influential black circles, being famously friends with Nina Simone and Maya Angelou – both women inspirational and important figures in their own right. ‘Giovanni’s Room’ is a short novel, it explores the life and relationships of the main character – David – during his time living in Paris. He meets Giovanni and they live together in a small room as lovers, with the novel exploring their relationship and David’s bisexuality, something which would have been considered quite taboo at the time. This clearly demonstrates Baldwin’s forwardness and willingness to bring the discussion of sexuality to the public eye. The novel clearly explores the guilt that David feels regarding his own sexuality and thus helps the reader to understand the societal pressures for gay people at the time, in an empathetic and revealing light. The novel is enjoyable and interesting, it is definitely a recommend read and it highlights Baldwin’s political importance as an author.

The other book that I think is particularly important is Reni-Eddo Lodge’s ‘Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race’ published in 2017. Reni is a freelance journalist and has written for numerous renowned newspapers and columns, she was educated at University which is where she importantly developed her political beliefs surrounding feminism and racism. I read this book in the summer of 2020, most likely a result of its growth in popularity after the murder of George Floyd which brought a new spotlight onto the Black Lives Matter movement across the world. It is somewhat unfortunate that this book reached number one in the non-fiction charts [Reni being the first black woman to achieve this] after the murder of a man. It is also perhaps fitting as it supports Lodge’s argument about the continued existence of systemic racism which is perhaps what I found to be the most revealing insight in the book. The text is non-fiction and it explores ideas about racism and how it is affected by class, gender and feminism. Lodge’s book is an essential read in order to understand the experiences of black people, particularly in Britain. Of course, Lodge’s feminism is a strong aspect throughout the text and it opened my eyes further to the problems with white feminism and also the need to seriously recognise and understand the separate struggle of black people rather than ignoring them in an attempt to move on. In order to make any serious political changes the problems need to be sufficiently recognised. I strongly believe that everyone should read this text in order to understand the issues it discusses as it is written in an accessible way.

Both of these texts are important and revolutionary in their own right, perhaps because they both stood out significantly to their contemporaries. It is somewhat unfortunate these are the only texts that I have read by black authors, especially when there are so many more great black authors out there. I think I will make it a goal of mine to make sure that I read more black authors and make a more conscious effort to explore them. It would be a disservice for me to list other black authors or novels or to discuss them as, although I have an awareness of them, I have no deep knowledge of them. That is why I have added the links to some great articles that discuss black authors, which you can browse to further your knowledge.

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/the-read-down/books-by-contemporary-black-authors/

https://www.oprahdaily.com/entertainment/books/g26187205/best-books-black-authors/

https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/books/g33625689/best-books-black-authors/

https://www.penguin.co.uk/articles/children/2019/jun/childrens-books-with-black-characters.html