Literary masterpieces to celebrate Black History Month 2025’s core themes of power and pride
Come and Get It by Kiley Reid
Newly single, 37-year-old writer Agatha Paul is starting her life over in Fayetteville, Arkansas after taking a visiting professorship for a year while doing research for her new book on wedding culture.
Meanwhile, Millie Cousins, a student working at the same college as a resident assistant, needs all the funds she can get, so she helps Agatha set up research interviews for her book with other young people in the dorm. The societal truths casually dropped by the candid, off-guard students are much more fascinating than any research project, and just like that: the book is off and running.
Reid effortlessly segues between characters, slowly but surely revealing the links that bind this disparate group of individuals together – more than they might like to admit. As with her first book, Such a Fun Age, this latest novel is completely engrossing from the start, packed with superbly written, whip-smart character studies.
The richly textured cast of characters soon begin to connect in unexpected ways and, as the novel builds, you begin to notice the ripples of characters’ choices crashing up against each other. A brilliantly insightful, unputdownable and deeply clever novel that’s a treat for anyone needing to escape into another world.
Short stories
For Such a Time as This by Shani Akilah
A group of young black British friends navigate London life in this richly imagined collection of tales.
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
Opening this book is like settling down on a sofa with a master storyteller. You might not know where the tale’s headed, but if you can hold tight through the detours and digressions, give yourself up to the ebb and flow of the narratives and trust McBride’s exceptional, award-winning writing, this is the most rewarding and heartbreaking of novels that deserves its position on many best-of lists.
In 1972 Pennsylvania, US, a construction project grinds to a halt when a skeleton, a belt buckle, some old red threads and a mezuzah are found in the bottom of an old well. How they got there requires a jump back in time to the 20s and 30s in the run-down Chicken Hill neighbourhood, where a black community and Jewish immigrants are living side by side, building real connections against all odds.
On paper, this is a small-town murder mystery, but quickly becomes the tale of the US at large: displaced peoples battling against prejudice, poverty and the cruel hand of fate, slowly realising that there’s more uniting them than dividing them, and that if they pull together, there’s nothing they can’t overcome – and no secret they can’t keep.
Forged by Blood by Ehigbor Okosun
Now this is how you do worldbuilding. Okosun’s shimmering debut novel bases its rules and legends on Nigerian folklore and mythology. This is the first in a planned pair of books following young, furious and magical Dèmi as she learns to live without her much-loved mother and strives to put her world firmly back on track.
This epic fantasy is set in Dèmi’s ancestral homeland, Ife, which has long been conquered by the light-skinned Ajes who lack the magical skills of the Oluso people and have outlawed their use. Her early years are lived quietly under her mother’s care, learning the ancient ways and how to wrangle her growing magic, while also keeping her new skills hidden from the Ajes. On an otherwise quiet evening, the small family’s world is shattered when they place their trust in the wrong person and Dèmi swears she will have vengeance, no matter how long it takes for her to enact it.
Years later, Dèmi – now a young adult – is given a chance to strike at the heart of the ruling classes by using her powers to help kidnap a young Aje prince – but as you’d expect, there’s more to the prince than she first thought.
The beautifully depicted magical processes are completely captivating, and the action, of which there is plenty, is extremely gripping – you will find yourself staying up late into the night to discover what happens in the next chapter.
Matters of fact
October’s book list continues with three captivating works of non-fiction…
The Book of Delights by Ross Gay
A total and utter joy of a book. These varying-length essays about unexpected happinesses cover a broad range of topics: from failing to find a public bathroom in NYC to taking a tomato plant on a plane, each of these essays is guaranteed to brighten your day immeasurably.
All Consuming by Ruby Tandoh
Why do we want to eat specific foods? This book traces the trends and examines the stories we’re told about the snacks, dishes and drinks at the top of everyone’s wish list. How is food culture influenced by the rest of society, and how has this entire sector changed so much, so quickly?
Anansi’s Gold by Yepoka Yeebo
This extraordinary, award-winning book tells the tale of a Ghanaian con artist. Taking advantage of the post-independence chaos, he runs a global scam promising a chance at Ghana’s lost millions for just a small up-front investment. Make sure to buckle up and enjoy the ride.
Check out September’s Book Club and the worlds of young adult fiction
