Reclaiming narratives this Black History Month

Oct 9 2024

Book covers of My Fathers' Daughter, A Black Boy at Eton, and I'm Black So You Don't Have to Be

This year’s Black History Month’s theme is reclaiming narratives. Historically, Black communities have been overlooked and disregarded, and diverse experiences have been ignored. This year’s theme is all about changing that by celebrating Black heritage and voices.

In honour of Black History Month and 2024’s theme, we’ve created two collections of books on BorrowBox, one celebrating Black voices for younger readers and one called reclaiming narratives which explores identity, race and belonging in Black British writing.

Read more about our five favourite memoirs by Black authors.

My Fathers’ Daughter by Hannah Pool

My Fathers’ Daughter by Hannah Pool

In 1974, Hannah was adopted from an orphanage in Eritrea and brought to England by her white adoptive father. She grew up with no contact with her blood relatives until one day a letter from a brother she didn’t know she had arrived. Not knowing what to do, Hannah hid it. But ten years later she finally decided to track down her surviving Eritrean family. The journey that followed took her far away from her comfort zone and forced her to confront a life of poverty and oppression that could’ve been hers.

Growing Out by Barbara Blake Hannah

Growing Out by Barbara Blake Hannah

Growing Out is an extraordinary portrait of race and womanhood in the 1960s from the perspective of the first Black woman reporting on TV.

After moving to the UK from Jamaica and beginning a career in TV, Barbara’s life is full of fame and travel. But being Black on TV also comes with enormous pressure and hateful letters. After complaints cost Barbara her job, she decides to find a way embrace her Black identity rather than feeling suffocated in her attempts to emulate whiteness and conform to the culture around her.

It Takes Blood and Guts by Skin and Lucy O’Brien

It Takes Blood and Guts by Skin and Lucy O’Brien

Lead singer of multi-million-selling rock band Skunk Anansie, Skin is a solo artist, LGBTQ+ activist and all-around trail blazer. This memoir tells the story of how a gay, Black, working-class girl from Brixton fought poverty and prejudice to become one of the most influential women in British rock.

I'm Black So You Don't Have to Be by Colin Grant

I'm Black So You Don't Have to Be by Colin Grant

As a child, Colin Grant’s uncle told him: 'I'm Black, so you don't have to be’. Similarly, he grew up believing that if he worked hard enough his race would become invisible. The reality he experienced was extremely different. Told through a series of intergenerational portraits, this memoir crafts an insightful testimony of the Black British experience over decades.

A Black Boy at Eton by Dillibe Onyeama

A Black Boy at Eton by Dillibe Onyeama

In 1965, Dillibe became the second Black boy to study at Eton and the first to complete his education there. Written at just 21, his memoir is a deeply personal account of the racism he endured at Eton and the deep psychological effects of colonialism.

What’s your favourite memoir written by a Black author? Let us know on Facebook or Instagram. Don’t forget to explore the rest of our reclaiming narratives collection, and sign up to our newsletter to keep up to date with the latest bookish news.