12 Books By British Women Of Colour To Look Out For In 2022

Ronke, Simi, and Boo are three mixed-race friends living in London. They have the gift of two cultures, Nigerian and English. Not all of them choose to see it that way. Everyday racism has never held them back, but now in their thirties, they question their futures. Ronke wants a husband, Boo endures stay-at-home motherhood, while Simi, with her fashion career dreams, rolls her eyes as her boss refers to her urban vibe yet again. When Isobel, a friend from their past returns, she’s determined to fix their futures for them. Cracks in their friendship begin to appear, and it is soon obvious Isobel is not sorting, but wrecking.

Read an extract from Wahala here.

Released Jan. 6.

Nina Mistry is facing her 30th birthday in a prison cell when she comes across a self-help book. A sensible and strong Taurus like her, Nina doesn’t think she needs it but her inner journalist is curious. Within a few pages, she finds herself hooked and knows exactly what she needs to do. With her mother always disappointed, her brother too depressed to care, and the love of her life gone, Nina embarks on a journey to find out if she’s enough for herself.

Released Jan. 20.

Yasmin Ghorami has a lot to be grateful for: a loving family, a fledgling career in medicine, and a charming, handsome fiancee, fellow doctor Joe Sangster. But as the wedding day draws ever closer and Yasmin's parents get to know Joe's firebrand feminist mother, both families must confront the unravelling of long-held secrets, lies and, betrayals. As Yasmin dismantles her own assumptions, she's also forced to ask herself what she really wants in a relationship and what a 'love marriage' actually means.

Released Feb. 3.

Brown Girl Like Me is both memoir and manifesto that aims to inspire and equip women with the confidence and tools they need to navigate the complexities that come with an intersectional identity. Kaur unpacks key issues such as the media, the workplace, the home, mental health, culture, and the body, to help South Asian women understand and tackle the issues that affect them and help them be in the driving seat of their own lives.

Released Feb. 17.

Islamophobia is everywhere. It’s a narrative and history woven so deeply into everyday life that it’s sometimes not even noticeable – in our education, how we travel, our healthcare, legal system and at work. Manzoor-Khan delves into how Islamophobia not only lives under the skin of those who it marks, but is an international political project designed to divide people in the name of security, and can only be truly uprooted when we focus not on what it is but what it does.

Released Mar. 20.

Glory arrives back in Peckham, from her seemingly-glamorous life in L.A, to mourn the sudden death of her father, and finds her previously-close family has fallen apart in her absence. Her brother, Victor, has been jailed. Her sister, Faith, appears to have lost her independence and ambition. And their mother, Celeste, is headed towards a breakdown. Glory is thrown by their disarray, and rather than returning to L.A she decides to stay and try to bring them all together again. However, when she uncovers a huge family secret, Glory risks losing everyone she cares about in her pursuit of the truth.

Released Apr. 7.

Dimple Pennington doesn’t have much in common with her half-siblings except for faint childhood memories of being driven through Brixton and some pretty complex abandonment issues. She has bigger things to think about, like her terrible boyfriend and the fact she’s never felt more alone. But a dramatic event brings Nikisha, Danny, Lizzie, and Prynce crashing back into her life, as well as the absent father they never really knew, Cyril, and things get even more complicated.

Released Apr. 28.

Sadia Azmat is a comedian who loves sex. She is also a hijab-wearing Muslim woman. The two are in a lifelong relationship, but it's complicated. Everyone likes to put her in a box but she has many different sides so why make her choose? In this bold and honest memoir, Azmat describes in perfect humour the many ups and downs she’s gone through in her life, from embracing her sexuality, rejecting an arranged marriage, to her relationship with her headscarf. It’s a memoir that is sure to bring you some warmth and joy!

Released May. 26.

Lauren Rae thought she had it all sussed out. Leaving her awkward teenage years in the past, the future was hers for the taking. Why shouldn’t she have it all? Dream job, beautiful home, perfect man, great friends. But growing up a young Black woman in the early noughties wasn’t quite the dream Lauren had envisioned. Set to the soundtrack of the noughties, with Sex and the City on TV and Amy Winehouse on the radio, Lauren Rae’s frank, funny and sometimes heartbreaking, memoir will tug on the heartstrings and ring a few bells for anyone who’s questioned whether they’ll ever find success and happiness.

Released Jun. 1.

These Impossible Things charts the dreams and disappointments of a group of British Muslim women; Jenna, Kees and Malak. They have been friends for years: the three of them together against the world. Yet one night changes everything between them and they are left adrift, marooned from each other as their lives take different paths. Without the support of each other, nothing seems to go quite right and in the wake of heartbreaks, marriages, new careers, and new beginnings. Will they be able to forgive each other in time?

Released on Jun. 9.

It’s A Continent sets out to counter the misconception that Africa is a country by breaking down this vast, beautiful, and complex continent into regions and countries. Each of the 54 African countries has a unique history and culture, and this book highlights the key historical moments that have shaped each nation with each chapter focusing on a different country. It’s a book that brings to light stories and African figures that have been marginalised in mainstream education, in a humorous and accessible way, breaking down facts and events that you wouldn't believe happened.

Released Jul. 7.

Bolu Babalola is finally bringing us the romantic comedy we’ve been patiently waiting for.

Kiki Banjo is an expert in relationship-evasion, and likes to keep her feelings close to her chest. As the host of the popular student radio show, Brown Sugar, it’s her mission to make sure the women who make up the Afro-Caribbean Society at Whitewell University also do not fall into the mess of 'situationships', players, and heartbreak. But when Kiki meets Malakai Korede - who she has publicly denounced as 'The Wasteman of Whitewell' - her defences are weakened and her heart is compromised. She soon she finds herself in danger of falling for the very man she warned her girls about.

Released on Jul. 21.