Books published by Jacaranda Books Art Music Ltd

A Quick Ting On : Afrobeats, the first book of its kind chronicles the social and cultural development of the music genre. Tracing its rich history from the African continent all the way to the musical centre of the Western world.

In this powerful, harrowing true-to-life story about male coming-of-age, Stanley J. Browne offers living proof that our circumstances don't define us. Stanley J Browne is an actor, and Stanley J Browne has been an actor all his life. Born into a Jamaican family in a London suburb, he began rehearsing for the role of survivor from an early age. From birth he knew nothing but a home filled with love and the vibrancy of a Caribbean culture, but this changes when his mother is diagnosed with schizophrenia. In this honest and gripping memoir, Stanley reflects on a childhood and adolescence torn apart by mental disorder. Because of it, he has to adopt the mantle of 'man of the house'. Forced to scavenge for food, and miss school to care for his three siblings, his life is further fragmented as they yo-yo in and out of the care system. An intelligent and sensitive child, Stanley begins a descent into crime, heroin addiction and gang life. It is only when he is sent to a young offender's institution that he slowly begins to turn his life around. Set against a backdrop of 1970s poverty and racism, Little Big Man is a powerful story of generational trauma, and one man's determination to heal the wounds of the past. Most of all, it is a book about belonging, and the search to find an authentic voice through the redemptive power of creativity and recovery.

Up in the glaciers of Northern Pakistan, a tragedy at a mountain lake entwines the fates of two lovers with the people they encounter there: Miryam, a nomad, travelling with her family into the mountains to escape persecution, and Irfan, haunted by ghosts and hoping that the mountains may offer him a reprieve from his troubles.

A Quick Ting On: The Black Girl Afro is a powerful celebration of the versatility and diversity of Black women's natural hair. This informative book explores the rich cultural history of Black Women's Afros, it's influence on popular culture and the many ways in which Black women's natural hair is often politicised and judged.

Kwame Alexander and James Patterson join forces in New York Times bestseller, Becoming Muhammad Ali. A mixture of prose and verse, it follows the life of the young Ali up until age 17. Written with the cooperation and support of Muhammad Ali's estate, this is one of the best books of the year for younger readers.

Kay, a Black drag queen, must evade and resist the government's concentration camps for queer and diverse communities. This revolutionary and triumphant dystopian expertly draws out the societal injustices of the west, and lays a path for communities and their allies to overthrow the system.

A retelling of Steinbeck's classic Of Mice and Men set in West London, Ugly Dogs Don't Cry follows two boys entering their first year of college and their complicated journeys towards achieving their dreams.

A collection of guided tours throughout London Black History Walks invites the reader to see their surroundings with new eyes. An exploration of the Black British history all around, Black History Walks guides the reader from the City of London to Southwark and Camden to Westminster.

Containing reimaginings of Shakespeares's soliloquys and monologues that incorporate Jamaican Patois, Jamakespeare is an inventive and engrossing take on the Bard's classic works. Ideal for young readers, Jamakespeare makes Shakespeare fresh and new and is a compelling take on canonical texts.

A sparkling satire on international aid and celebrity, Looking for Bono charts Baba's accidental quest to bring water to his Nigerian community by trying to secure the help of international humanitarian and rockstar, Bono, launching him into a world of high stakes foreign aid dealings and competing interests.

When Temilola wakes up abandoned in a marketplace with no recollection of who he is, a young street hawker begrudgingly takes him under his wing and teaches him how to survive on the streets. Bound by fate and a dark secret, he and his mentor, Vipaar, must evade brutal street leaders and government gangs to survive in this Dickensian tale.

Locating Strongwoman is a portrait of unperformed femininity. Eschewing the stereotypical portrayal of the "Strong Woman" and the even more loaded "Strong Black Woman", these poems invite the reader to interrogate the protagonists and find in their stories a quiet strength.

TwentyIn2020 romance saga, Love Again, is a classic fake relationship turned real love. Honey Fontaine is a young woman trying to evade her mother's husband hunting by enlisting pretend boyfriend, handsome business man Ashley Elliott. Neither are prepared for the intensity of feelings that develop.

A #TwentyIn2020 romance that beautifully centres vulnerability while exploring the limits of love at first sight. Ren is an Afro-Brazilian filmmaker recovering from a heartbreaking betrayal, while Kayla is a Black British artist and journalist. Thrown together during an interview for Ren's latest film, they are struck by an irrevocable force.

A Jamaican-British thirty-something with her biological clock ticking loudly, Symona Brown is looking for Mr Right. After being consciously single for a number of years, Symona is ready to jump back into the dating arena and this time, she knows who she is and what she wants. But will the hard lessons she learned guide her to the love she desires?

One of Jacaranda's #TwentyIn2020, Are We Home Yet? is a moving memoir of a mixed-race woman from a working class community in Leeds and her outspoken French-Canadian mother. Exploring issues of shame, immigration and class, the pair share their stories but struggle to understand each other's choices in a fast-changing world.

#TwentyIn2020 romance Bad Love is the story of London born Ghanaian Ekuah Danquah and her tumultuous experience with first love. Marked by this experience, she finds herself at a crossroads - can she fall in love again, or does the siren song of her first love still call?

Addressing socio political and economic issues of city spaces, On Reflection offers poignant glimpses into everyday scenes and biting vignettes of the trauma of immigration and gentrification. Written from the consciousness of a British Ghanaian, the collection is a love letter to those struggling with the various intersections of their identity.