The Best Six Books to Read This Pride Month
By Fisayo Verissimo
Welcome to Pride Month! May your shelves be filled with great books and your mind with great ideas. Our latest MC book recommendations #MCBookRecs are here to help you with both. Get ready to turn those pages and dive into the captivating world of literature, exploring queer life and experiences.
- “The Stars and the Blackness Between Them” by Junauda Petrus takes vou on a poetic journey, embracing love, truth, and the beauty found in the darkest of skies.
- “Ace of Spades” by Faridah Abike-Iyímídé uncovers the hidden truths of Chiamaka and Devon, as they face the consequences of an anonymous bully’s malicious intentions. Prepare for a gripping narrative that will leave you questioning the depths people will go to ruin lives.
- “When We Speak of Nothing” by Olumide Popoola delves into the challenges of being young, black, and queer in London, beautifully capturing the essence of an ever-changing city. Brace yourself for a powerful exploration of identity and resilience.
- “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George M. Johnson offers an intimate account of a queer Black boy’s journey through self-discovery, shedding light on the importance of representation and the transformational power of storytelling.
- In “Pet,” by Akwaeke Emezi, Jam, a transgender Black teen, embarks on a thrilling adventure as she confronts evil and learns the power of standing up for what is right. Prepare to be captivated by the supernatural and thought-provoking themes.
- “Yesterday is History” by Kosoko Jackson transports Andre, a gay Black protagonist, on a time-travelling journey that challenges his understanding of himself and his future. Join him as he navigates love, racial dynamics, and the mysteries of time.
Enrich your TBR list with these extraordinary reads and share the love with your friends and family.
Happy Pride Month!
Twelve More Book Recommendations to Explore
April MC Book Recommendations
- “Dele Weds Destiny” by Tomi Obaro
A lively novel about the incredible tenacity of female friendships, it tells the tale of three once-inseparable college friends from Nigeria who reunite in Lagos for the first time in thirty years.
- “Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband” by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn
A thirty-something-year-old Nigerian woman searches for a wedding date while picking up some crucial life and love lessons.
- “Black Sunday” by Tola Rotimi Abraham
Black Sunday goes into the tumultuous core of family life with interesting intimacy and ironic attention to the fickleness of fate.
- “Dear Naija Girl” by Cynthia ‘Tasha’ Osajibenedict
A collection of tales and experiences, “Dear Naija Girl” explores women’s struggles and what it means to be a woman in Nigeria.
- “In Every Mirror She’s Black” by Lola Akinmade Akerstrom
Three women’s lives—Kemi, Muna, and Brittany-Rae—are followed in this novel, “In Every Mirror She’s Black”, as their paths cross in Sweden.
- “Dazzling” by Chikodili Emelumadu
Dazzling follows the POV of two young girls, Ozoemena and Treasure, who live in Nigeria, and find their lives intertwined when mysterious things happen. It explores how far both girls are willing to go (as well as what they are willing to sacrifice) to survive in a world that is out to get them.
May MC Book Recommendations
By Bene.reads
- “So Long a Letter” by Mariama Bâ
“So Long a Letter” deals with multiple themes, including the life of women in Senegal during the 1970s, family and community life, Islam and polygamy, and death rituals.
- “Co-wives, Co-Widows” by Adrienne Yabouza
This book explores the issue of love, family bonds, and female friendship within the context of polygamous relationships. The two main female characters in the book support each other and want the best for one another and their shared children.
- “Changes” by Ama Ata Aidoo
“Changes: a Love Story” is a 1991 novel by Ama Ata Aidoo, chronicling a period of the life of a career-centred Ghanaian woman as she divorces her first husband and marries into a polygamist union.
- “Housemaid” by Amma Darko
This novel tells the story of a poor family in a Ghanaian village who decides to jilt a wealthy businesswoman in the city by using their daughter—who becomes a housemaid— to attempt to steal the woman’s wealth.
- “The Impatient” by Djaili Amadou Amal
This novel follows the story of a trio of women in Cameroon who dare to rebel against oppressive, long-held cultural traditions—including polygamy and domestic abuse—that define and limit their lives.
- “Houseboy” by Ferdinand Oyono
Houseboy, written in the form of Toundi’s captivating diary and translated from the original French, discloses his awe of the white world and a web of unpredictable experiences. Early on, he escapes his father’s angry blows by seeking asylum with his benefactor, the local European priest, who meets an untimely death.
