Did you know we have a Community Library on the ground floor of Devonshire House (next to the Greenhouse)?
We've got a wide range of books on our shelves expressing someone’s lived experiences. The Students’ Guild is radically inclusive – and one of the ways we live this out is by being inquisitive, by learning about people who are not like ourselves. We invite you to borrow a book – have a read and consider life from someone else’s perspective.
That’s why we’ve provided a wide range of books especially for Black History Month covering topics like racial justice, Black history, and lived experiences of People of Colour.
Our Black History Month student intern has created this reading list of top 5 books (we’ve got extra copies of these ones!) to get you started:
1. Taking Up Space by Chelsea Kwakye and Ore Ogunbiyi
- This book presents an insight into how black women navigate the world of academia
2. Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
- This book follows the life of a Black British woman living in London who seeks comfort in all the "wrong" places that some readers may be able to relate to.
3. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
- This book tackles themes of violence, police brutality, politics, discrimination, and the feeling many Black people may have: of living in what seems like two distinct worlds: a Black and White one.
4. Don't Touch My Hair by Emma Dabiri
- This book explores the history and realities of the distinct "Black Hair" that many people are born with yet are discriminated against pertaining to the difference in qualities such as length and texture alone.
5. Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson
- This book explores how one expresses oneself against the backdrop of masculinity and race, and offers a raw and unique perspective into how affected one can become by the deep-rooted injustice of the world.
We hope to see you browsing the Community Library soon! You can also find more to read in the University Library’s Black History & Black Lives Matter Collection.