From tales of belonging and coming-off-age stories, to guides on growing up as a Black woman and how to navigate life and work under capitalism, below are our Amaliah Bookclub picks for this month!

1. The Roles We Play by Sabba Khan

“Sabba Khan’s debut graphic memoir explores what identity, belonging and memory mean for her and her family against the backdrop of this history. She paints a vivid snapshot of contemporary British Asian life and investigates the complex shifts experienced by different generations within migrant communities.”

2. The Mismatch by Sara Jafari

“With unforgettable characters at its heart, THE MISMATCH is a pitch-perfect coming-of-age story and a fresh take on how what you think you want isn’t always what brings you happiness.”

3. The Mother Wound by Amani Haydar

“After her mother’s death, Amani began reassessing everything she knew of her parents’ relationship. They had been unhappy for so long – should she have known that it would end like this? A lawyer by profession, she also saw the holes in the justice system for addressing and combating emotional abuse and coercive control.

Writing with grace and beauty, Amani has drawn from this a story of female resilience and the role of motherhood in the home and in the world. In The Mother Wound, she uses her own strength to help other survivors find their voices.”

4. My Hair is Pink Under This Veil by Rabina Khan

“Clear-sighted and often deeply affecting about the struggles facing Muslim women, My Hair Is Pink Under This Veil is at its heart an inspiring story about the power of self-belief and determination to create a fairer world.”

5. Lost in Work: Escaping Capitalism by Amelia Horgan

“‘Work hard, get paid.’ It’s simple. Self-evident. But it’s also a lie – at least for most of us. For people today, the old assumptions are crumbling; hard work in school no longer guarantees a secure, well-paying job in the future. Far from a gateway to riches and fulfillment, ‘work’ means precarity, anxiety and alienation.

Amelia Horgan poses three big questions: what is work? How does it harm us? And what can we do about it? While abolishing work altogether is not the answer, Lost in Work shows that when we are able to take control of our workplaces, we become less miserable, and can work towards the transformative goal of experimenting with ‘work’ as we know it.”

6. Grown: The Black Girls’ Guide to Glowing Up by Melissa Cummings-Quarry and Natalie A. Carter

“Being a teenager and trying to understand who you are and what you stand for is hard. Period. But if you’re a Black girl and don’t always see yourself represented in the books you read, the films you watch, the adverts you see or the history you’re taught, it can be even tougher. Grown: The Black Girls’ Guide to Glowing Up was written with one thing in mind sis. You.

From understanding identity to the politics of hair to maintaining squad goals to dealing with microaggressions to consent to figuring out what career you might want, Grown has got your back. Natalie A. Carter and Melissa Cummings-Quarry share stories – the wins and the Ls – and offer honest, practical advice that will show you how to own your choices. To live your truth without fear. To be grown on your own terms without limits or apologies. With a foreword from the inimitable Spice Girl Melanie Brown and contributions from inspirational Black women such as Diane Abbott MP, Dorothy Koomson and Candice Carty-Williams and gorgeous illustrations from Dorcas Magbadelo, Grown is a celebration of Black British girlhood that will empower you to live your very best life.”