Click on the link below to join our monthly live discussion thread: your chance to share anything cultural you’ve been enjoying over the past month, and also recommendations on a specific theme. It’s a great resource if you’re after some tips for things to read, watch or listen to.
This month, we’re joined by talented author Ashley Hickson-Lovence. He’s going to tell us a little about his own books: The 392 (set on a London bus) Your Show (a fictionalisation of the life of the Premier League’s first black referee, Uriah Rennie, alongside his work for children and his forthcoming novel. He’s also going to be recommending some great books that explore race relations in different contexts.
Alongside my questions for Ashley, I’d love to know:
What have you loved reading / watching / seeing / listening to this October?
On the theme of RACE RELATIONS: What books / films / music / art have provided you with insight into the complex relationships within a diverse group of people?
The live typing event takes place TODAY at 1.30-2pm, but if that time doesn’t work for you, please feel free to add your contribution whenever you like.
My first tip for a great book that engages with race relations in contemporary Britain is this one:
I was lucky enough to review it for the FT before it even made the Booker longlist … Have you read it? Please share your thoughts and any questions for Ashley on the thread.
There is an interesting exhibition at the National Portrait gallery- the Windrush generation. Ten portraits of the Windrush generation commissioned by King Charles. It is in one room on 3rd floor so a quick visit if in the area and it is free.
Finally, is there any advice you’d share to book clubbers who would like to read more by black writers? Although much is being done to correct the bias, it can still be a challenge to find culturally diverse recommendations in the mainstream media, so where should we look to find good tips and reviews? Are there any podcasts, magazines, critics or influencers we should keep track of? Are there any particular bookshops or venues that could provide inspiration?
New Beacon Books in Finsbury Park (north London) and Afori Books in Brighton are two excellent black-owned bookshops. Black Prose is a podcast I’ve listened to a few times that have had some excellent guests on. Bad Form are a magazine run by good people. Allyship is important, so there are also many shops/organisations that aren’t necessarily black-owned but have been supportive to writers like myself. Foyles in Stratford (East London) have been brilliant towards my work and I will always be very grateful.
Yes, WILD EAST coming out 2nd May 2024 with Penguin. As a former secondary school English teacher, I have years of experience working with teenagers. Even now, as an author, I regularly do school visits: assemblies and workshops etc. and not all of The 392 is appropriate for younger readers, so I wanted to write something that I could share with them cover to cover.
Writing Wild East was challenging at times: many of the scenes are based on lived experience – sometimes traumatic memories, it is written in verse - so there’s lot of rhythm and rhyme in there to get right. Hopefully it finds its way to readers once released (these things aren’t always guaranteed despite best intentions – books can get lost).
No problem. I will say here that my main aim in life is to help young people become readers. Everything I do, everything I write, is with the ambition to engage and appeal to so-called ‘reluctant readers’. If the project is right and helps me towards that aim, it’s hard for me to say no. I am, and always will be, immensely passionate about the healthy and honest depiction of Black men in literature. I never really had that in the books I read when I was growing up so we’ve got some catching up to do! Here’s a few of the books I have worked on recently (sorry for the Am*zon links).
I loved reading Orbital by Samantha Harvey - look out for my review coming out in the Spectator and also for a chance to see me interview her at Daunt Books Marylebone here:
I've been on a binge of Alan Garner books as I very excitingly interviewed him at his home... I'll share the link when my piece is published. What an amazing author, and his work sits really nicely alongside Susan Cooper (our December book club pick).
How about even further afield? Could you share your Top 5 books that engage with diversity outside the UK? I know it’s not easy to cut the list down to five … Feel free to sneak in a good film or two as well!
I'm not sure I have a Top 5 per se but a classic is Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achibe. Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid is short and memorable. I loved Sasha Knight by Sean Godfrey, published last year by OWN IT! who published my debut, The 392, back in 2019. I also really like the work of Brandon Taylor, I was lucky enough to interview him earlier this year about his new book The Late Americans. A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James was a proper tour de force.
How does Sheffield as a setting compare to London? Are there some great novels that explore diversity in the North of England that you could recommend?
For Your Show, I combined writing about my own experiences as a referee, with years of reading and research – which involved going up to Sheffield in south Yorkshire, to interview Uri a few times - to create a novelistic timeline of his life and career, as well as, attempting to narrate what it means to be a Black referee at this highest level. On top of the recorded material, I watched hours of YouTube videos, bought old matchday programmes on EBay and asked many people – including friends and family – about certain locations that feature in the book to try to make sure I was doing the story justice.
Oxblood by Tom Benn is set in Manchester and won him the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award last year. He currently lives around the corner from me in Norwich and he’s a great writer and teacher. I know Bristol is very much west of England but An Olive Grove in Ends by Moses McKenzie is a brilliant book not set in London. I wrote a review of it last year here: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/may/22/an-olive-grove-in-ends-by-moses-mckenzie-review-trials-of-a-bristol-rover
Looking beyond London, there’s a wealth of other settings that have inspired great books exploring diversity, including Sheffield (see my comment to Julia below), which is also the setting for your more recent novel about the life of Uriah Rennie – the Premier League’s first black referee.
Please can you tell us a bit more about Your Show? Who do you think would enjoy reading it?
Your Show, a book that took about two years to write and draws on my own experience as a former semi-professional referee, is born out of a frustration of society’s failure to champion unsung Black heroes like Rennie who since his retirement in 2008 remains the last, and still the only, Black official to actually referee in the Premier League. Your Show is far more than just an immortalisation of the toxic - sometimes sexist, racist, homophobic - tribalism of football fandom; it’s about athletic and ambitious characters on a journey to feel accepted, to feel loved, to feel - against the odds - like a winner.
Even though Your Show is a novel whose main character is a football referee, I did work incredibly hard to ensure that it was not just a novel for football fans. As far as I am concerned, it is a book that hopefully lots of readers will get something from. I really do think it’s a book for everyone because not enough people, in my opinion, know the name: Uriah Rennie. Even Wikipedia has his place of birth wrong (he was actually born in Jamaica and grew up in Sheffield). I wanted to make Your Show a fast-paced, immersive, page-turner. I am beyond grateful that the book has been relatively well received and, most importantly, Uriah and I are still in contact and he seems happy with the job I’ve done re-telling his journey to the top in the slightly unconventional and poetic manner I have. I still hope it finds more readers in the future, when you’re a writer of colour writing books about people of colour, you need all the help you can get really.
I'm so glad Ashley could make this and look forward to reading his comments. For race relations, there are two plays I've recently seen in London that fit the bill and are excellent: 1) Elephant at Bush Theatre written, composed and performed by Anoushka Lucas based on her own life as a biracial woman trying to break into the music industry and 2) Dear England at the Prince Edward Theatre (a National Theatre transfer) about Gareth Southgate and the England football team (including Marcus Rashford and Raheem Sterling) which is so, so good and has the sweep of a musical. You definitely don't have to be a football fan to enjoy it.
Hi Julia! Thanks for suggesting me. I am so desperate to see Dear England. Not always easy getting down to London from Norwich in the evenings sadly but I need to make it happen! Has David seen it do you know?
Yes, the three of us went together and all enjoyed it and then I was asked to go back a week later to review! I gave it the full 5*. Hope you get a chance to see it!
Ashley, do you think a bus is particularly good as a setting? Did you think about setting it on the overground which goes along a similar route? Sorry if this is a silly question!
Buses are more undulating, winding, more twisty and turny like a good thriller. They often, especially the little single-deckers like in The 392, go all round the backroads picking up passengers who represent a real cross-section of society because buses are often cheaper than trains
Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson is a beautiful portrait of south London (links nicely with the film ‘Rye Lane’ which came out last year I believe). Open Water was his smash-hit debut. I have yet to read his next book, Small Worlds, which was released earlier this year. Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams. I’ve never actually met her, but she has been ever so supportive of my work since being published. A quote from her features on the hardback of The 392 and the paperback of my second book Your Show. She’s so talented and comes across so well. I really enjoyed In Our Mad and Furious City by Guy Gunaratne. It was righty longlisted for the Booker a few back and won a slew of other prizes. The queen, Bernadine Evaristo, of course!
Unsurprisingly, I wrote most of The 392… on the bus, on my phone, on my way to work as a secondary school English teacher, thankfully my small (and mighty) independent publisher, OWN IT!, saw something in the voice-driven madness of the novel and amazingly it still seems to resonate with a range of readers from all over the world. Four years later it’s still selling pretty well. Here’s a review from Alice Jones from the Hackney Citizen: https://www.hackneycitizen.co.uk/2020/07/01/the-392-ashley-hickson-lovence-book-review/
Like life sometimes, it’s a little rough around the edges but it’s fast-paced and unapologetically no holds barred; a novel about the many faces of society that I hope will have resonance for readers - young and old - for decades to come. I was inspired by 253 by Geoff Ryman as well as the work of Sam Selvon.
It's very cool to do the walking tour because the bus route 392 is completely made up and actually does not exist at all. I think it gets better every time I do it, I hope to do another one soon.
Please feel free everyone to share your recommendations as we go, or indeed to ask Ashley or me a question. I've got a few that I'll be asking as well.
Our October book is To Sir with Love by ER Braithwaite. It’s set in London immediately after the Second World War, and shows it to be a city full of diversity, with accompanying tensions. Our book club also discussed Sam Selvon’s The Lonely Londoners a few years’ ago, which was incredibly atmospheric, with a focus on West London rather than the East End...
Are there any other books by black writers (or indeed films) that you’d recommend about post-war London?
To Sir with Love is a great pick. It’s been years since I’ve read it properly but it’s probably one of the reasons why I wanted to become a secondary school English teacher when I was a teenager. A role I had between 2013 and 2018 (just before I started my PhD).
I also loved the film with Sidney Poitier. Other books include Small Island by Andrea Levy also Zadie Smith’s White Teeth which centres on a cast of characters from a range of different backgrounds in North West London. Oh and speaking of Sam Selvon and The Lonely Londoners (which is probably one of my favourite books), I also recommend The Housing Lark by the same author. Also, many people forget that The Lonely Londoners is part of the ‘Moses Trilogy’ so there are two other books to read after LL.
Great to hear that the other Sam Selvon books are also highly recommended. I was worried they might be a bit of a let down, but now I think I better seek them out.
I particularly liked Moses Ascending, by the time we get to Moses Migrating (book three), as you can probably guess by the title, he's no longer living in London
Here are some thoughts from Maggie, who can't make it to the thread but wanted to share these with the group:
All of us have, at one time or another, tried to 'pass' as something we are not - i.e. of legal drinking age or to get into the cinema or a club; qualified for a job we really want or need; more knowledgable about something, or more skilled at something than we really are - and probably with some degree of success.
But imagine trying to pass for white if you are Black - whether out of necessity, expediency, desire, or even curiosity.
The following excellent, thought-provoking novels explore this concept - which I admit I had not known about - through different eras and in different ways. In chronological order:
-Passing by Nella Larsen (1929)
-The Human Stain
-The Human Stain by Philip Roth (2000) - the only Philip Roth book I actually have liked
he Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett (2020)
I also loved The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris, a funny and pitch-perfect send-up of political correctness in the publishing industry.
also, with reference to passing as white, the story of Belle Greene by Alexandra Lapierre makes interesting reading. I didn't like tho book itself so much but Belle Greene's real life story is fascinating.
I never liked Philip Roth or 'The Human Stain' much - mainly, I admit, through prejudice against him as a person and the way women are generally treated in his novels. But then I read 'The Plot Against America' which I think is superb - even having strong female characters! - and fits well into a list of books with a racism theme. This time the racism is antisemitism and what would have happened to Jews in a New york neighbourhood if Lindbergh (who never actually ran for the presidency) had defeated Roosevelt in the 1940 elections.
Yes I certainly agree that many male authors, including myself in this, have to do better depicting healthier representations of women in their work. I think/hope things are changing for the better though.
Anyone who is joining this thread a little late, please feel free to post your comments whenever - recommendations are always appreciated.
Just wanted to share this for those who are looking ahead to our December book:
https://www.bl.uk/events/the-dark-is-rising-and-other-stories-susan-cooper-and-natalie-haynes-in-conversation
I think it's available on catch up for the next couple of days only, so don't miss it!
I recommend Assembly by Natasha Brown and Love Marriage by Monica Ali.
Two great recommends - thanks so much Leena
Thank you so much for joining me: Sarah, Mari, Claire, Julia, Julie and Ashley (again!).
A feast of recommendations here.
All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle and Sankofa https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56994001-sankofa
Thanks Ashley and Emily
Ashley - thank you so much for sharing your expertise with us. I have certainly come away with a great reading list!
Ok Time's officially up!
A few walking book clubbers have pointed out that this play about Cable Street is coming out soon:
https://southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/productions/cable-street/
Empire of Light with Micheal Ward was great
Some previous Black History Month picks for Emily’s Walking Book Club:
Their Eyes were Watching God by Zora Neale-Hurston
My Name is Why by Lemn Sissay
By the Sea by Abdulrazak Gurnah
I highly recommend the Small Axe series on BBC, for Steve McQueen’s take on London’s West Indian community in the 1960s. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p08vxt33/episodes/player
I loved this series. Lover's Rock, rocked.
Yes it really did - such great music in it.
A recommendation from Christine:
There is an interesting exhibition at the National Portrait gallery- the Windrush generation. Ten portraits of the Windrush generation commissioned by King Charles. It is in one room on 3rd floor so a quick visit if in the area and it is free.
For Ashley, my last question:
Finally, is there any advice you’d share to book clubbers who would like to read more by black writers? Although much is being done to correct the bias, it can still be a challenge to find culturally diverse recommendations in the mainstream media, so where should we look to find good tips and reviews? Are there any podcasts, magazines, critics or influencers we should keep track of? Are there any particular bookshops or venues that could provide inspiration?
New Beacon Books in Finsbury Park (north London) and Afori Books in Brighton are two excellent black-owned bookshops. Black Prose is a podcast I’ve listened to a few times that have had some excellent guests on. Bad Form are a magazine run by good people. Allyship is important, so there are also many shops/organisations that aren’t necessarily black-owned but have been supportive to writers like myself. Foyles in Stratford (East London) have been brilliant towards my work and I will always be very grateful.
So great to have these tips!
Two more questions for Ashley before we go:
1. You’ve got a new book coming in 2024 … Exciting! Could you share a little about it with the group?
Yes, WILD EAST coming out 2nd May 2024 with Penguin. As a former secondary school English teacher, I have years of experience working with teenagers. Even now, as an author, I regularly do school visits: assemblies and workshops etc. and not all of The 392 is appropriate for younger readers, so I wanted to write something that I could share with them cover to cover.
Writing Wild East was challenging at times: many of the scenes are based on lived experience – sometimes traumatic memories, it is written in verse - so there’s lot of rhythm and rhyme in there to get right. Hopefully it finds its way to readers once released (these things aren’t always guaranteed despite best intentions – books can get lost).
I am really looking forward to reading this Ashley - sounds powerful and important.
I didn't quite have time to quiz you about your work for and with children, but I've noticed this is another string to your bow - and so vital.
No problem. I will say here that my main aim in life is to help young people become readers. Everything I do, everything I write, is with the ambition to engage and appeal to so-called ‘reluctant readers’. If the project is right and helps me towards that aim, it’s hard for me to say no. I am, and always will be, immensely passionate about the healthy and honest depiction of Black men in literature. I never really had that in the books I read when I was growing up so we’ve got some catching up to do! Here’s a few of the books I have worked on recently (sorry for the Am*zon links).
The Place for Me: Stories About the Windrush Generation: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Place-Me-Stories-About-Windrush/dp/0702307904
Bedtime Stories: Beautiful Black Tales from the Past: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bedtime-Stories-Beautiful-foreword-Brathwaite/dp/0702307939/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3EXC75NVSAGOL&keywords=black+bedtime+stories&qid=1698407314&s=books&sprefix=black+bedtime+stories%2Cstripbooks%2C88&sr=1-3
I also co-wrote this book with former colleague and brother of Stephen Lawrence, Stuart Lawrence called Growing Up Black in Britain: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Growing-Up-Black-Britain-Stories/dp/0702315850/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2AFRT80173JCC&keywords=stuart+lawrence+book&qid=1698407853&s=books&sprefix=stuart+law%2Cstripbooks%2C81&sr=1-1
Will definitely be getting these for my kids. I'll ask Daunt Hampstead to get them in stock so we can avoid the a*zon if desired!
Unfortunate Truth About Racism was very thorough
Please share HERE in reply to this anything else you've enjoyed this past month:
How The Word is Passed by Clint Smith
Thanks Julie for your great suggestions.
There's a Joanna Hogg season on at the BFI - a phenomenal film maker. I went to see Archipelago, and I also highly recommend Unrelated.
Ditto re Caspar Henderson's A Book of Noises - I'll be interviewing him at Daunt Books Hampstead:
https://dauntbooks.co.uk/shop/events/caspar-henderson-in-conversation-with-emily-rhodes/
A busy week for me!
I loved reading Orbital by Samantha Harvey - look out for my review coming out in the Spectator and also for a chance to see me interview her at Daunt Books Marylebone here:
https://dauntbooks.co.uk/shop/events/samantha-harvey-in-conversation/
I've been on a binge of Alan Garner books as I very excitingly interviewed him at his home... I'll share the link when my piece is published. What an amazing author, and his work sits really nicely alongside Susan Cooper (our December book club pick).
i loved Treacle Walker, weird and wonderful but also really made you think!
I sat in that very chimney where they sit and chat...
that's SO cool!
YES!
Time is ticking on .. 5 mins or so left. I'm going to start a thread for other recommendations that aren't to do with race relations or diversity.
Ashley:
How about even further afield? Could you share your Top 5 books that engage with diversity outside the UK? I know it’s not easy to cut the list down to five … Feel free to sneak in a good film or two as well!
I'm not sure I have a Top 5 per se but a classic is Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achibe. Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid is short and memorable. I loved Sasha Knight by Sean Godfrey, published last year by OWN IT! who published my debut, The 392, back in 2019. I also really like the work of Brandon Taylor, I was lucky enough to interview him earlier this year about his new book The Late Americans. A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James was a proper tour de force.
Thanks so much for these.
We had Things Fall Apart a few years' ago and it made for a brilliant discussion.
Also Ashley:
How does Sheffield as a setting compare to London? Are there some great novels that explore diversity in the North of England that you could recommend?
If I recall correctly Philip Hensher's The Friendly Ones is set in Sheffield and explores diversity I enjoyed it.
Ah thanks for this Claire. I so admire Philip Hensher's reviews and feel terrible for not reading his books. I must!
You must. I'd recommend that one and The Northern Clemency. Both fairly big!
I am so feeble with big books but I shall try to summon the strength!
For Your Show, I combined writing about my own experiences as a referee, with years of reading and research – which involved going up to Sheffield in south Yorkshire, to interview Uri a few times - to create a novelistic timeline of his life and career, as well as, attempting to narrate what it means to be a Black referee at this highest level. On top of the recorded material, I watched hours of YouTube videos, bought old matchday programmes on EBay and asked many people – including friends and family – about certain locations that feature in the book to try to make sure I was doing the story justice.
Oxblood by Tom Benn is set in Manchester and won him the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award last year. He currently lives around the corner from me in Norwich and he’s a great writer and teacher. I know Bristol is very much west of England but An Olive Grove in Ends by Moses McKenzie is a brilliant book not set in London. I wrote a review of it last year here: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/may/22/an-olive-grove-in-ends-by-moses-mckenzie-review-trials-of-a-bristol-rover
Sounds like it was masses of work researching - did you enjoy this process, or did you find it got in the way of the writing?
loved every minute, researching and writing about a hero of mine, quite often during the pandemic when there was not much else to do
Sounds like a bit of a life-line. Glad to hear it was such a positive experience.
Great to have these recommendations, thanks. I have also head great things about the Moses McKenzie book
Ashley:
Looking beyond London, there’s a wealth of other settings that have inspired great books exploring diversity, including Sheffield (see my comment to Julia below), which is also the setting for your more recent novel about the life of Uriah Rennie – the Premier League’s first black referee.
Please can you tell us a bit more about Your Show? Who do you think would enjoy reading it?
Your Show, a book that took about two years to write and draws on my own experience as a former semi-professional referee, is born out of a frustration of society’s failure to champion unsung Black heroes like Rennie who since his retirement in 2008 remains the last, and still the only, Black official to actually referee in the Premier League. Your Show is far more than just an immortalisation of the toxic - sometimes sexist, racist, homophobic - tribalism of football fandom; it’s about athletic and ambitious characters on a journey to feel accepted, to feel loved, to feel - against the odds - like a winner.
Even though Your Show is a novel whose main character is a football referee, I did work incredibly hard to ensure that it was not just a novel for football fans. As far as I am concerned, it is a book that hopefully lots of readers will get something from. I really do think it’s a book for everyone because not enough people, in my opinion, know the name: Uriah Rennie. Even Wikipedia has his place of birth wrong (he was actually born in Jamaica and grew up in Sheffield). I wanted to make Your Show a fast-paced, immersive, page-turner. I am beyond grateful that the book has been relatively well received and, most importantly, Uriah and I are still in contact and he seems happy with the job I’ve done re-telling his journey to the top in the slightly unconventional and poetic manner I have. I still hope it finds more readers in the future, when you’re a writer of colour writing books about people of colour, you need all the help you can get really.
Here’s a Guardian review from last year: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/mar/29/your-show-by-ashley-hickson-lovence-review-on-the-side-of-the-ref-who-broke-all-the-rules
And thanks for sharing this great review.
It's so good to hear of you and Uriah having a good relationship about the book.
I'm so glad Ashley could make this and look forward to reading his comments. For race relations, there are two plays I've recently seen in London that fit the bill and are excellent: 1) Elephant at Bush Theatre written, composed and performed by Anoushka Lucas based on her own life as a biracial woman trying to break into the music industry and 2) Dear England at the Prince Edward Theatre (a National Theatre transfer) about Gareth Southgate and the England football team (including Marcus Rashford and Raheem Sterling) which is so, so good and has the sweep of a musical. You definitely don't have to be a football fan to enjoy it.
Hi Julia! Thanks for suggesting me. I am so desperate to see Dear England. Not always easy getting down to London from Norwich in the evenings sadly but I need to make it happen! Has David seen it do you know?
Yes, the three of us went together and all enjoyed it and then I was asked to go back a week later to review! I gave it the full 5*. Hope you get a chance to see it!
Adding to the performance recommendations:
I LOVED the musical Standing at the Sky’s Edge, which was on at the National recently. It shows the changes over time to a Sheffield housing estate – and prejudice is a major theme. https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/productions/standing-at-the-skys-edge/
I'm so sorry I missed that but look forward to the West End transfer in the new year.
Julia - I would love to know what you make of it. Maybe one to review in your new role?
Maybe! We're going to be running a feature about it. It was my boss's favourite show of the year.
Thanks for these recommendations.
Hi Julia! Great to see you here, and thanks again for introducing me to Ashley.
Ashley, do you think a bus is particularly good as a setting? Did you think about setting it on the overground which goes along a similar route? Sorry if this is a silly question!
Buses are more undulating, winding, more twisty and turny like a good thriller. They often, especially the little single-deckers like in The 392, go all round the backroads picking up passengers who represent a real cross-section of society because buses are often cheaper than trains
That’s such a good point about price - you do get more of a mix of people on buses, and a lot of shopping trolleys!
not a silly question at all! x
Nice question Sarah! You should definitely have a look at the book The 253 for something similar but set on the tube.
Ashley - I'm glad you mentioned White Teeth. Are there some other more recent examples of diverse London?
And please will you tell our book club a little more about your excellent novel The 392? What inspired you to write a novel set on a bus route?
Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson is a beautiful portrait of south London (links nicely with the film ‘Rye Lane’ which came out last year I believe). Open Water was his smash-hit debut. I have yet to read his next book, Small Worlds, which was released earlier this year. Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams. I’ve never actually met her, but she has been ever so supportive of my work since being published. A quote from her features on the hardback of The 392 and the paperback of my second book Your Show. She’s so talented and comes across so well. I really enjoyed In Our Mad and Furious City by Guy Gunaratne. It was righty longlisted for the Booker a few back and won a slew of other prizes. The queen, Bernadine Evaristo, of course!
In terms of non-fiction, I was honoured to a part of the Mandem book this year, a collection of essays by Black men that was released earlier this year by independent publisher Jacaranda (sorry for Am*zon link – shop local if you can): https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mandem-Iggy-London/dp/1913090949/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2UKGVZCPC6QBO&keywords=mandem+book&qid=1698407646&s=books&sprefix=mandem%2Cstripbooks%2C98&sr=1-1
Wow - this looks like a really strong list, thank you!
Unsurprisingly, I wrote most of The 392… on the bus, on my phone, on my way to work as a secondary school English teacher, thankfully my small (and mighty) independent publisher, OWN IT!, saw something in the voice-driven madness of the novel and amazingly it still seems to resonate with a range of readers from all over the world. Four years later it’s still selling pretty well. Here’s a review from Alice Jones from the Hackney Citizen: https://www.hackneycitizen.co.uk/2020/07/01/the-392-ashley-hickson-lovence-book-review/
Like life sometimes, it’s a little rough around the edges but it’s fast-paced and unapologetically no holds barred; a novel about the many faces of society that I hope will have resonance for readers - young and old - for decades to come. I was inspired by 253 by Geoff Ryman as well as the work of Sam Selvon.
I have done a few The 392 walking tours in the last few years. You can read about one of them here: https://uclurbanlab.medium.com/urban-lab-walk-hackney-aftermath-of-regeneration-fd041804e64e
It's very cool to do the walking tour because the bus route 392 is completely made up and actually does not exist at all. I think it gets better every time I do it, I hope to do another one soon.
you have to sign up to read about the walking tours - there is a free option. I'll look at it later. Fascinating
And fascinating to hear about your walking tours - I feel many of our walking book clubbers could be interested!!
I remember the 253! Set on a tube right?! Wasn't one character a pigeon?
that's right! a very inspirational text for me... that and Raymond Queneau's Exercises in Style
Please feel free everyone to share your recommendations as we go, or indeed to ask Ashley or me a question. I've got a few that I'll be asking as well.
Hello everyone, sarah here! So excited to have you on here too, Ashley.
thanks Sarah, it's an honour. I hope you're having a lovely day! A
Hi Sarah!
Hi Emily and everyone
Hi Claire, great to see you here.
So, first question for Ashley:
Our October book is To Sir with Love by ER Braithwaite. It’s set in London immediately after the Second World War, and shows it to be a city full of diversity, with accompanying tensions. Our book club also discussed Sam Selvon’s The Lonely Londoners a few years’ ago, which was incredibly atmospheric, with a focus on West London rather than the East End...
Are there any other books by black writers (or indeed films) that you’d recommend about post-war London?
To Sir with Love is a great pick. It’s been years since I’ve read it properly but it’s probably one of the reasons why I wanted to become a secondary school English teacher when I was a teenager. A role I had between 2013 and 2018 (just before I started my PhD).
I also loved the film with Sidney Poitier. Other books include Small Island by Andrea Levy also Zadie Smith’s White Teeth which centres on a cast of characters from a range of different backgrounds in North West London. Oh and speaking of Sam Selvon and The Lonely Londoners (which is probably one of my favourite books), I also recommend The Housing Lark by the same author. Also, many people forget that The Lonely Londoners is part of the ‘Moses Trilogy’ so there are two other books to read after LL.
Great to hear that the other Sam Selvon books are also highly recommended. I was worried they might be a bit of a let down, but now I think I better seek them out.
I loved Lonely Londoners, too and will look up the other two books.
I particularly liked Moses Ascending, by the time we get to Moses Migrating (book three), as you can probably guess by the title, he's no longer living in London
Thanks for this Ashley - fascinating that you found TSWL so inspiring. I think some of the other teachers in the group also really appreciated it.
big salute to all the teachers out there, it's not always easy but you do an amazing job in the circumstances!
Hi Emily!
Hello - welcome and thanks for joining!
thanks for having me, hello to everyone!
Here are some thoughts from Maggie, who can't make it to the thread but wanted to share these with the group:
All of us have, at one time or another, tried to 'pass' as something we are not - i.e. of legal drinking age or to get into the cinema or a club; qualified for a job we really want or need; more knowledgable about something, or more skilled at something than we really are - and probably with some degree of success.
But imagine trying to pass for white if you are Black - whether out of necessity, expediency, desire, or even curiosity.
The following excellent, thought-provoking novels explore this concept - which I admit I had not known about - through different eras and in different ways. In chronological order:
-Passing by Nella Larsen (1929)
-The Human Stain
-The Human Stain by Philip Roth (2000) - the only Philip Roth book I actually have liked
he Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett (2020)
I also loved The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris, a funny and pitch-perfect send-up of political correctness in the publishing industry.
also, with reference to passing as white, the story of Belle Greene by Alexandra Lapierre makes interesting reading. I didn't like tho book itself so much but Belle Greene's real life story is fascinating.
Sounds fascinating.
I never liked Philip Roth or 'The Human Stain' much - mainly, I admit, through prejudice against him as a person and the way women are generally treated in his novels. But then I read 'The Plot Against America' which I think is superb - even having strong female characters! - and fits well into a list of books with a racism theme. This time the racism is antisemitism and what would have happened to Jews in a New york neighbourhood if Lindbergh (who never actually ran for the presidency) had defeated Roosevelt in the 1940 elections.
Yes I certainly agree that many male authors, including myself in this, have to do better depicting healthier representations of women in their work. I think/hope things are changing for the better though.
Hello Mari - lovely to see you on here.
I have never managed to get on with Philip Roth, but haven't tried especially hard. Maybe I'll give The Plot a go...
I'm so excited to have Ashley Hickson-Lovence joining us today. He's going to be telling us a bit about his books and also the books that inspire him.
Here are links to: The 392 https://ownit.london/shop/the-392-by-ashley-hickson-lovence/
and to Your Show https://www.faber.co.uk/product/9780571366804-your-show/
Hello everyone, I'm a little early - please say hi when you get here, so I know who's with us!