Black Buck knows it can be easy to forget about the relationships that keep us grounded and appreciative in a capitalist world overly obsessed with ambition. When one of us beats the odds and ‘makes it’, we believe that everyone can do the same. Askaripour reminds us that capitalism does not work to benefit all of us: capitalism requires a hierarchy, and black people always have it twice as hard. Darren Venderis is a 22-year-old working in Starbucks and living with his mother in Bed-Stuy when he meets CEO Reiss Daniels. As Darren’s career progresses, his relationships with those dearest to him hang in the balance.
A desire expressed many a time by me and other Black women is the desire to be seen and heard, to be afforded the space to stumble, learn and grow. Everyone expects us to fail, and to succeed is to be the exception. The space between renders us unremarkable. While our struggle for perfection isn’t going anywhere, Raven Leilani’s sharp and sparkling Luster presents us with a devastatingly human Black female protagonist: Edie, a twenty-three-year-old artist struggling to make ends meet. It’s in this novel that we are given the freedom to fall short of expectations, given permission to just be in our Blackness. Embrace fallibility as it gives you stories to tell, and those stories are your proof that you were here.
And the Stars Were Burning Brightly by Danielle Jawando is an emotionally rich story about mental health. We follow 15-year-old Nathan, who is looking for answers in the aftermath of his brother Al’s suicide with Al’s former classmate Megan. I interviewed Danielle, who was one of my undergraduate tutors, about her debut novel. We discussed mental health, the need for Northern representation and the impact of covid on both And the Stars Were Burning Brightly and her latest novel.
If Queenie is the black Bridget Jones, then Empress & Aniya is the black Freaky Friday. Friendship and black girl magic permeate these pages, shaped by Candice Carty-Williams’ deep understanding of the nuances that set apart the haves from the have-nots. Having grown up in an area of relative poverty, Empress’ life really struck a chord with me. I got her. I knew what it was like. This truly is a book I wish I had when growing up and learning how to navigate my friendships and my blackness in a world not made for me.
by Kemi Bamgbose I remember the day so vividly. It was the summer of 1996—July to be exact. I was 11 years old and in my last year of primary school. I can remember the atmosphere was electric. There was...
