Books to have a good time Black History Month | Library Providers

A listing of guide suggestions from the UCL group celebrating the profound contributions made by Black folks as leaders, activists, and pioneers all through historical past and as we speak.

October is Black History Month and in celebration we requested members of the UCL group to advocate books that spoke to this yr’s theme of Standing Firm in Power and Pride.

Your suggestions inform a mess of tales about Black folks as leaders, activists, and pioneers, from the primary girl engineer employed by the corporate Otis to civil rights icon Maya Angelou. We additionally acquired many considerate suggestions outdoors of the theme. Some of those highlighted vital points just like the commodification of Black identification in literature, whereas others have a good time Black life and expertise extra broadly.

We hope there’s something right here for everybody – we actually have a spooky season suggestion within the type of a group of brief tales chosen by Jordan Peele, the filmmaker behind Get Out.

Thank you to everybody who beneficial a guide. We intention to amass any books which aren’t already in UCL’s library assortment, so that you’ll be capable of borrow them from the library in future.

Let us know what number of you’ve learn, and you may nonetheless share your individual suggestions by the web form or on Instagram.

Standing agency in energy and satisfaction

The Collected Autobiographies of Maya Angelou by Maya Angelou

 “These are not just the stories of a life survived but one f-u-l-l-y lived. As the incomparable Dr Angelou put it, ‘when you know better, do better’ and she really did, along the way inspiring countless others to do the same. Her autobiographies are truly a socio-historical account of American life and not just from an observational lens but as a full participant; transforming it through her art, activism and teaching. I envy new readers the discovery of her lyrical, singular voice. What a life and what a phenomenal woman!”

Davina McAleely, Education, Practice & Society, scholar

Unsung Stories of Black Women’s Activism in the UK: Spirits of Resistance and Resilience by Adele Jones and Diana Watt

“An inspiring book (currently on display at IOE Library) and reflecting the spirit of standing firm for this year. Personal stories, archives and photos tell a story of resistance and activism through the lens of the Abasindi Black Women’s Cooperative. The book was first published under the title ‘Catching Hell and Doing Well: Black women in the UK – the Abasindi Cooperative’ the title telling the story far better than I ever could.”

Dan O’Connor, Library, Culture, Collections and Open Science, employees

Cack-handed by Gina Yashere

“She is most well-known for being a comedian and actress, but at age 21, she was working as the first female lift engineer employed by the company Otis in its century old history. She was the only woman engineer on the building of the Canary Wharf site. The only other women were working in the kitchen or nursing station. Amidst racism and sexism, she helped build the lifts in the One Canada Square building where our UCL School of Management is based. It is a brilliant, funny and inspiring memoir about her early years right up until she moved from the UK to America.”

Sharmay Mitchell, School of Management, employees

Windrush Cricket: Imperial Culture, Caribbean Migration, and the Remaking of Postwar England by Michael Collins

“Reveals an untold history about Windrush migration to the UK, the intimate relationship between cricket and the way in which black people from the Caribbean were able to settle and build new lives in England.” 

Student

“It’s EXACTLY about ‘standing firm’…the cricket part of the book has so many parallels with other black experiences too.”

Alumni

Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story by Ben Carson

“I was handed this book by a visiting doctor who suggested that I read it together with my son. When I started at UCL in 2008 I read the book whilst on the train to and from work and found it inspiring in that against all the odds this black child who came from an inner-city poor family, became a world class paediatric neurosurgeon who led a team of surgeons in the first known separation of conjoined twins. By coincidence when I introduced the book to my son, he advised that he had already read the book at school.”

Janet Nicholas, Developmental Neurosciences, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, employees

A Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela

Lucy Scammell, Alumni

I Write What I Like by Steve Biko

“Collection of essays from Steve Biko, de facto leader of Black Consciousness in late 1960s/early 1970s South Africa. The chapters that critique white liberal-left ‘anti-racism’ are particularly relevant today.”

Michael Reade, Research, Innovation and Global Engagement, employees

The Black Baton: Letters From a Father on Leadership by Oscar Mwaanga

“It is a very contemporary book about inspiring black leaders and all people today to embrace decolonial ideas whilst sharing key personal stories to inspire people to better themselves in a healthy and empathetic way. It also teaches of key African philosophies and role models such as the Ubuntu philosophy.”

Student

Beyond the theme

Erasure by Percival Everett

“Erasure by Percival Everett is a brilliantly satirical and intellectually sharp novel that dismantles stereotypes and critiques the commodification of Black identity in literature, making it a vital and thought-provoking inclusion for Black History Month.”

Leda Kamenopoulou, Psychological and Human Development, employees

The Trembling Hand: Reflections of a Black Woman in the Romantic Archive by Mathelinda Nabugodi

“As a black Brit whose love of literature was built on the foundation of Wordsworth, Byron, Coleridge and co, it is so important to see work that explores their work and lives in an often-overlooked context – Empire and the slave trade. I appreciate Mathelinda’s detailed work, exploring this topic with sensitivity and clarity.”

Yossie Olaleye, The Bartlett, employees

Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

“It gives voice to Nigerian experiences, explores themes of oppression and freedom, and shows a young girl’s journey to find her own voice. It reminds us that Black history is global, with stories of resilience and identity that connect across the African and Black diaspora.”

Alice Auckland, Vice-President External Engagement Communications, employees

Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

“This is the first book by a Nigerian author I’ve added to my collection. While it’s a slight departure from my usual taste, the backdrop of the Nigerian Civil War in the 1960s makes it a fascinating read.”

Sebastian, Institute of Education, scholar

June Givanni: The Making of a Pan African Cinema Archive by Onyeka Igwe

Part of the Radical Black Women guide sequence

“There is limited black feminist emphasis, especially black British, in UCL collections. It could be expanded much further. In fact, I am recommending this whole book series by publisher Lawrence Wishart which consists of 5 books so far.”

Iris-Lara, scholar

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo

“It is one of the few books I’ve read that I finished and immediately wanted to start all over again. The way the stories interweave by the end is so wonderful and very moving, yet each one stands beautifully on its own as an important story. I love her writing.”

Catriona Wilson, Library, Culture, Collections and Open Science, employees

He Tells Tales of Meroe by Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi

“The Sudanese poet Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi, one of the most important African poets writing in Arabic today, worked closely with objects from the site of Meroe in Sudan during a residency at the Petrie Museum of Egyptian and Sudanese Archaeology, UCL, in 2012. This is a beautiful series of poems, in Arabic and English, inspired by the Museum’s collection of objects from Meroe in Sudan that reflected aspects of ancient and modern Sudanese culture.”

Anna Garnett, Library, Culture, Collections and Open Science, employees

Detroit ’67: The Year That Changed Soul by Stuart Cosgrove

“It combines so much that happened in the decade of the 1960s! Motown, the Detroit riots, black music & cultural figures, police & race relations and the wider (and scarier) Vietnam War.”

Rakiya Charles, Undergraduate Admissions, employees

Divided: Racism, Medicine and Why We Need to Decolonise Healthcare by Annabel Sowemimo

“It is about racial science and was written by a former UCL alumna Annabel Sowemimo.”

Maud Waret, Institute of Education, employees

The First Collection by Sarah Lipton-Sidibeh

“It is a volume of primarily lyrical poetry which is about societal issues, Britain’s colonial past, love and relationships, the body and the environment. The collection also explores the body politic.”

Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror by Jordan Peele

“It has some spooky stories perfect for spooky season!”

Dina Madan, Information Studies, scholar

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in UCL Library, Culture, Collections and Open Science

This exercise was organised by the Library Liberating the Collections Group. The goal of this group is to determine and oversee progress with a strategic set of actions supposed to complement the collections, growing visibility of, and entry to, works by authors who’ve been marginalised (and thus much less heard) due to elements reminiscent of race, sexuality, gender and incapacity. Any titles that we don’t already personal we are going to intention to purchase and add to our collections, so they’re accessible to borrow.