Written by Natasha McDonnell-Tanoh
I am deeply grateful to be part of the Rekindling Nello James project through hosting Radical Readers, a book club dedicated to exploring Black literature. I knew the group would be good, there’s little room for disappointment when you bring together good books, good snacks, curious minds, and open hearts. What I could not have anticipated, however, was the depth of insight, connection, and collective reflection that would unfold within these meetings.
For some time, I had been holding the idea of a book club close. It was in the spring of 2025 that the vision finally took root. I was having too much fun wandering the vast landscape of literature alone, yet I found myself longing for shared dialogue – for frequent, open conversations about books, and for the chance to hear how others made meaning from the same pages, particularly when those stories centred Black life and experience. When Bianca (Project Manager) told me about her project, Rekindling Nello James, and I shared my desire to create a Black literature book club, the two ideas slid seamlessly into place. Together, we imagined a space that would explore Black storytelling while actively nurturing community.
The Questions That Guide Our Reading
My growing interest in Black history and Black cultures has been driven by questions: what has changed, and what has endured? What have we left behind, and what have we carried forward? How do these continuities and ruptures shift across regions on the continent and throughout the diaspora? I engage with these questions across many mediums – fiction, non-fiction, and other forms of art. But it is through Black historical and contemporary fiction that I feel them most vividly. These interests have shaped our reading list, giving it a scope that is far-reaching, layered, and richly textured.
When Stories Open Doors
We started strong with Augustown by Kei Miller – a lyrical, dramatic, and deeply educational novel. The book ushered us into conversations about community, oral traditions, class structures in Jamaica, family dynamics, colonialism, and spirituality. Its richness offered endless points of entry for discussion, and with many members of the group being Jamaican, the conversations naturally expanded into comparisons between life in Jamaica and life in the UK. The novel did not sit quietly on the page; it spoke, and we listened closely.
For our second read, we deliberately slowed the pace with Mine Boy by Peter Abrahams. Set in 1940s Johannesburg, the novel opened a door into discussions on settler colonialism, the tightening grip of apartheid, internalised racism, and self-love under oppressive conditions. The wide cast of characters gave us much to unpack, and I was particularly drawn to the conversations we had around shebeen queens -figures of resistance, survival, and quiet power. The book also invited further comparative reflections, linking 1940s South Africa with 1940s Jamaica and building upon themes first explored in Augustown.
Our final book of 2025 (and certainly not the least) was How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair. This modern memoir carried us through a poetic, piercing journey that spoke directly to the heart. We were deeply invested in Safiya’s story, and it sparked vital conversations about religion, family, resistance and liberation movements, misogyny, class disparity in Jamaica, and the necessity of creative expression. Safiya reminded us, again and again, of the power of words and of stories told truthfully.
Finding Ourselves in the Circle
The early sessions of Radical Readers have felt seamless. Epiphanies uncovered in one meeting spill naturally into the next, each discussion building upon the last. We stretch our thinking, work our minds in unfamiliar ways, and begin to connect dots across time, geography, and lived experience.
Together, we have crossed seas to Africa and the Caribbean, calling in the past and immersing ourselves in the depth of each story. In every book, we find one another and a part of ourselves. We become investigators, fine-combing through words to uncover hidden meanings, fusing the past with the present, and asking: How can we use this, in our everyday lives, to bring about good?
These gatherings have reaffirmed for me the vital importance of Black storytelling. Whether or not a book aligns with our personal tastes, there is always reverence for what it teaches us. It has been an honour to help keep these stories alive, to summon them from the page into our circle, where we choose which fragments will stay with us long after the discussion ends.
What I find particularly beautiful is how the stories themselves generate a warm, soft space, one where we feel safe enough to offer pieces of our own journeys. As we weave our lived experiences into the centrepiece story, we arrive at moments of revelation and recognition, which brings deep comfort.
Turning the Page Into 2026
To me, this is the heart of the Rekindling Nello James project: learning from the past while honouring the present, and collectively birthing new knowledge. We draw strength from one another’s stories, recharging through shared wisdom so that we can return to the world, its weight and its wonder ready to continue the work.
Hosting the book club at Rekindle School has deepened my appreciation for working within spaces whose intentions align with my values. Holding our sessions within the school has given me a sense of freedom when curating discussion points – a freedom to be brash, bold, emotional. There is no need for assimilation here; we are able to show up as ourselves. We are welcomed, our voices are valued, and as a result, our bi-weekly meetings have become something we anticipate with joy rather than obligation.
We have begun 2026 strong with Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, a novel that spans over 300 years, beginning in 18th-century Ghana. This book holds particular significance for me as a Ghanaian, and I am already giddy at the thought of exploring it with the group.
Our reading list for the year ahead continues to grow, including modern classics and classics such as Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon, and Crossing the Mangrove by Maryse Condé, alongside more recent works like Kintu by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi and Small Worlds by Caleb Azuma Nelson – to name just a few. And should we find ourselves drawn toward non-fiction, what better place to begin than in the revolutionary spirit of C. L. R. James himself, with The Black Jacobins.
As part of the Rekindling Nello James project, Radical Readers extends the legacy of C. L. R. James — honouring his commitment to history, political thought and Black intellectual tradition. Through shared reading and discussion, we continue the practice of learning collectively, questioning deeply and carrying forward the stories that shape us.