Books by black authors to bring you joy

2020 was the year black literature was catapulted into the limelight. As protests against racial injustice spread across the world after the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, there was an unprecedented demand for books written by black authors, in particular, “books”. Against racism “. This was demonstrated by how Reni Eddo-Lodge became the first black British author to take the No. 1 spot on the UK official charts with her book. Why do I no longer talk about race to whites. It’s true, a first, in 2020.

While books like Why do I no longer talk about race to whites and Ijeoma Oluo So you want to talk about race were flying off the shelves, I couldn’t help but wonder: why weren’t the books centered on happy black lives, rather than those covering pain and discrimination, weren’t they receiving the same attention? Where were the stories about black love, families and culture?

This troublesome trend can also be observed in the film industry; films about the black experience that do well during awards season tend to center on slavery, segregation and oppression. While the importance of these issues should never be underestimated, it is essential to take a step back and remember that black life is more than a trauma. Readers deserve to see stories that reflect everyday life; stories centered on love, joy, culture and identity.

It seems black writers don’t have the freedom to tell a good story for a good story; for a “black story” to become marketable and therefore profitable, it must be rooted in trauma. Yet there is an abundance of great stories written by black authors in the fields of cultural explorations, cheesy romantic comedies, and fantasy sagas. So if you’re looking for a way to celebrate Black History Month in the UK in October 2021, do so by checking out this list of eight books that celebrate black love, culture, and joy.