Black Britain: Writing Back

Brought to you by Penguin. A visceral reimagining of 1780s London, showcasing the untold stories of African-American soldiers grappling with their post-war freedom In the years just after the American revolution, London was the unlikely refuge for thousands of black Americans who fought for...

Brought to you by Penguin. WINNER OF THE SAGA PRIZE 1997: a literary award for trailblazing new Black British novelists A shattering portrayal of family, guilt and unshakable bonds as a family's deepest secrets explosively unravel When Anita finally returns home to London after a long absence...

Brought to you by Penguin. The only novel from the world-renowned writer C.L.R. James - this extraordinary, big-hearted exploration of class was the first novel by a black West Indian to be published in the UK 'As he walked home he looked up at the myriads of stars, shining in the moonlight. Did...

Brought to you by Penguin. A groundbreaking novel exploring the intersection between race, class and mental health in the UK 'That is the glory of being a mental patient. Nothing is impossible.' It is the 1990s, and Gloria is living in a London psychiatric ward. She is unapologetically loud...

University Lecturer Gus knows that stealing the priceless Benin mask, the Dancing Face, from a museum at the heart of the British establishment will gain an avalanche of attention. Which is exactly what he wants. But such a risky theft will also inevitably capture the attention of characters with more money, more power and fewer morals. Naively entangling his loved ones in his increasingly dangerous pursuit of righteous reparation, is Gus prepared for what it will cost him?

A powerful, intimate memoir of Eritrean British journalist Hannah Azieb-Pool, who returns to Eritrea at the age of 30 to meet her family for the first time. In her 20s, Hannah Azieb-Pool is given a letter that unravels everything she knows about her life. She knew she was adopted from an orphanage in Eritrea and that as her adoptive family brought her to the UK, they believed she did not have any surviving relatives. When she discovers the truth in a letter from her brother - that her birth father is alive and her Eritrean family are desperate to meet her.

Amryl Johnson came to England from Trinidad when she was 11. As an adult in 1983, ready for a homecoming, she embarks on a journey through the Caribbean searching for home, searching for herself. Landing in Trinidad as carnival begins, she instantly surrenders to the collective, pulsating rhythm of the crowd, euphoric in her total freedom. This elation is shattered when she finds the house where she was born has been destroyed. She cannot escape - nor does she want to - from the inheritance of colonialism.

Travelling over from Jamaica as a teenager, Barbara's journey is remarkable. She finds her footing in TV and blossoms. But with the responsibility of being the first Black woman reporting on TV comes an enormous amount of pressure, and a flood of hateful letters and complaints from viewers that eventually costs her the job. In the aftermath of this fallout, she goes through a period of self-discovery that allows her to carve out a new space for herself first in the UK and then back home in Jamaica.

Brought to you by Penguin. 'We shall therefore confine our walk to Central London where people meet on business during the day, and to West London where they meet for pleasure at night. If you will walk about the first City in the British Empire arm in arm with Merriman-Labor, you are sure to...

Dillibe was the second Black boy to study at Eton - joining in 1965 - and the first to complete his education there. Written at just 21, this is a deeply personal, revelatory account of the racism he endured during his time as a student at the prestigious institution. He tells in vivid detail of his own background as the son of a Nigerian judge at the International Court of Justice at the Hague, of his arrival at the school, of the curriculum, of his reception by other boys (and masters) and of his punishments.

As the daughter of a white Welsh-speaking mother and black father from Guyana, Charlotte Williams's childhood world was one of mixed messages dominated by the feeling that 'somehow to be half-Welsh and half Afro-Caribbean was to be half of something but never quite anything whole at all.' Sugar and Slate tells the fascinating story of her journey of self-discovery, from the small north Wales town of her birth to Africa, the Caribbean and back to Wales.

Leonora Brito was a writer of exceptional stories. In Dat's Love, she soaks up the sights, sounds and colours of Cardiff to boldly explore race and history. With each electric story, Brito introduces a unique cast of characters, vibrantly elevating their everyday lives. From 59-year-old Dorothy taking up nude modelling to black aristocrat Dido Elizabeth Belle, from the assassination of JFK to what's going down at the Blue Bayou, Brito blends the surreal and the mundane to redress history and immerse the reader in a vibrantly painted world.