A hand up, not a handout
‘Safe: On Black British Men Reclaiming Space’ editor Derek Owusu gives us his rundown of the best reads by black British male authors
Kill The Black One First
by Michael Fuller
This provocatively titled memoir is one of a kind and offers up a perspective that is lacking in the current discourse surrounding race in Britain.
Prisoner To The Streets
by Robyn Travis
Travis is the voice of a generation whose adept use of language is without equal. Prisoner To The Streets is a book we need to put into the hands of so many young black boys in Britain.
Hold
by Michael Donkor
Michael Donkor is the freshest new voice in Black British literature, and Hold crosses borders and brings Ghanaian culture to life in Britain.
Think Like A White Man
by Boulé Whytelaw III, as told to Nelz Abbey
A satirical work of non-fiction in the same vein as The Sellout by Paul Beatty. I have no doubt this is the book to shake up 2019 the same way Renni Eddo Lodge’s WhyI’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race did in 2017.
Kumukanda
by Kayo Chingonyi
Chingonyi is the living writer who inspires and influences me the most. The texture and sincerity of his poems ensures that I always aim for honesty in mine.
Safe: On Black British Men Reclaiming Space, edited by Derek Owusu, is released on March 7
