Looking for a page-turner?
Why not try one of the books recommended for the Amoria Bond Book Club by our UK Inclusion Advocates in light of Black History Month?
Amoria Bond provides employees with a monthly book allowance to pay for a book or e-book of their own choice. As part of their program of events to recognise Black History Month, our UK Inclusion Advocates recently decided to shine a light on some enlightening and engaging reads – both fact and fictional - that have resonated with them personally about black culture and history, written by black authors, and/or featuring black protagonists.
Their recommendations are so good that we couldn’t keep them to ourselves, so here are their top 3:
The Book?
An American Marriage: Tayari Jones
Fact or Fiction?
Fiction.
What is it about?
'A moving portrayal of the effects of a wrongful conviction on a young African-American couple.' - Barack Obama
A Book of the Year according to the i, Guardian, Sunday Times, Sunday Mail
Newlyweds Celestial and Roy are the embodiment of the American Dream. He is a young executive, and she is an artist on the brink of an exciting career. Until one day they are ripped apart by circumstances neither could have imagined. Roy is arrested and sentenced to twelve years for a crime Celestial knows he didn't commit.
Devastated and unmoored, Celestial finds herself struggling to hold on to the love that has been her centre, taking comfort in Andre, their closest friend. When Roy's conviction is suddenly overturned, he returns home ready to resume their life together.
A masterpiece of storytelling, An American Marriage offers a profoundly insightful look into the hearts and minds of three unforgettable characters who are at once bound together and separated by forces beyond their control.
Is it for me?
If you like books that stir emotion – this book is for you. A genuine page-turner, it will stay with you long after you have finished it.
The Book?
Black And British
Fact or Fiction?
Fact
What is it about?
In this vital re-examination of a shared history, historian and broadcaster David Olusoga tells the rich and revealing story of the long relationship between the British Isles and the people of Africa and the Caribbean.
Drawing on new genealogical research, original records, and expert testimony, Black and British reaches back to Roman Britain, the medieval imagination, Elizabethan 'blackamoors' and the global slave-trading empire. It shows that the great industrial boom of the nineteenth century was built on American slavery and that black Britons fought at Trafalgar and in the trenches of both World Wars.
Black British history is woven into the cultural and economic histories of the nation. It is not a singular history, but one that belongs to us all. Unflinching, confronting taboos and revealing hitherto unknown scandals, Olusoga describes how the lives of black and white Britons have been entwined for centuries.
Winner of the 2017 PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize. Winner of the Longman History Today Trustees' Award. A Waterstones.com History Book of the Year. Longlisted for the Orwell Prize. Shortlisted for the inaugural Jhalak Prize.
Is it for me?
More than just a historical account, this book is truly eye-opening. Written in a way that is accessible to readers who prefer fiction as well as those who enjoy nonfiction. You will enjoy this book If you are interested in going beyond the history lessons you were taught in school and are keen to see an alternative perspective on life in Britain.
The Book?
Why I’m no longer talking to white people about race: Reni Eddo-Lodge.
Fact or Fiction?
Non-Fiction.
What is it about?
The book that sparked a national conversation.
Exploring issues from eradicated black history to the political purpose of white dominance, whitewashed feminism to the inextricable link between class and race, Reni Eddo-Lodge offers a timely and essential new framework for how to see, acknowledge and counter racism.
It was chosen as Foyles Non-Fiction Book of the Year and Blackwell's Non-Fiction Book of the Year longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize and shortlisted for the Books Are My Bag Readers Award for Non-Fiction.
Is it for me?
If, like so many, you have been inspired by the BLM movement and would like to learn more - perhaps to facilitate change, or perhaps to see things from an alternate perspective - this could be the place to start. Eye-opening, exciting and moving it is a book that is widely considered one of the most important books of 2017.
Big thanks to Leah, Rachel & Edie for your time, energy, passion, and brilliant ideas!
