Books to celebrate Black History Month

October is Black History Month and in celebration we asked members of the UCL community to recommend books that spoke to this year’s theme of Standing Firm in Power and Pride.

Your recommendations tell a multitude of stories about Black people as leaders, activists, and pioneers, from the first woman engineer employed by the company Otis to civil rights icon Maya Angelou. We also received many thoughtful recommendations outside of the theme. Some of these highlighted important issues like the commodification of Black identity in literature, while others celebrate Black life and experience more broadly.

We hope there is something here for everyone – we even have a spooky season recommendation in the form of a collection of short stories selected by Jordan Peele, the filmmaker behind Get Out.

Thank you to everyone who recommended a book. We aim to acquire any books which aren’t already in UCL’s library collection, so you’ll be able to borrow them from the library in future.

Let us know how many you’ve read, and you can still share your own recommendations through the online form or on Instagram.

Standing firm in power and pride

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, student

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, staff

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, staff

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, staff

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, staff

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, staff

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, staff

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, staff

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, student

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

Part of the Radical Black Women book series

“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, student

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, staff

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, staff

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, staff

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, staff

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, student

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

This activity was organised through the Library Liberating the Collections Group. The purpose of this group is to identify and oversee progress with a strategic set of actions intended to enrich the collections, increasing visibility of, and access to, works by authors who have been marginalised (and thus less heard) because of factors such as race, sexuality, gender and disability. Any titles that we don’t already own we will aim to buy and add to our collections, so they are available to borrow.