10 Books Published by Jacaranda on AALBC — Book Cover Collage

Click for more detail about Queen Charlotte Sophia by Tina Andrews Queen Charlotte Sophia

by Tina Andrews
Jacaranda (Sep 23, 2023)
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In an atmosphere of abolition and revolution, Queen Charlotte Sophia, Britain’s most famous (possibly) mixed-race Princess comes alive in this reimagined story of her life where romance, adventure and politics collide.

From a German backwater to the capital city of the most prolific Empire in the world, we journey with Queen Charlotte as she tries to discover the truth of her family’s secret heritage, guided by an amulet and wooden chest left to her upon her father’s death. Armed with a birthmark and bearing a complexion that reveals her silenced lineage, Queen Charlotte charges through the royal court of London, seeking answers, making allies and guarding secrets.

With the weight of the amulet around her neck, Queen Charlotte learns what happens when love and legacy are at odds. On one side, is her secret true love Johann Christian Bach and the passionate life he offers, and on the other, her husband King George III and the impactful life her relationship with him provides.

A daughter. A lover. A fighter. A Queen. Tina Andrews’s Queen Charlotte Sophia: A Royal Affair, offers a fantastic portrait of a woman, whose life continues to fascinate the world.


Click for more detail about Finding Home: A Windrush Story by Howard Gardner and Alford Dalrymple Gardner Finding Home: A Windrush Story

by Howard Gardner and Alford Dalrymple Gardner
Jacaranda (Jun 22, 2023)
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Alford Dalrymple Gardner is one of the few living passengers to have travelled on the Empire Windrush. Now published for the first time, this is his stirring life story.

On 24 May 1948, the Empire Windrush sailed from Kingston, Jamaica, to harbour at Tilbury Docks. It carried 1,027 passengers and two stowaways, and more than two thirds of them were West Indies nationals. On 22nd June 1948 they disembarked onto the docks, Alford Dalrymple Gardner was among them.

Alford’s story traverses both the uplifting highs and intolerant lows that West Indian migrants of his generation encountered upon travelling to Britain to forge out a life. From joining the British military during World War II to being forcibly deported back to Jamaica once it was won—only to come back to the UK when the government decided it needed him again—Alford witnessed milestone events of the 20th century that shaped the country he still lives in today.

In the context of a supposedly ’post-Imperial’ Britain where the lives of West Indian migrants hang precariously on the whims of the Home Office, Alford’s heartening testimony is a celebration of those who endured hardships so that generations to come could call this place home.


Click for more detail about Butterfly Fish (Anniversary) by Irenosen Okojie Butterfly Fish (Anniversary)

by Irenosen Okojie
Jacaranda (Mar 02, 2023)
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Winner of the Betty Trask Award 2016.

A fragile outsider living in London, Joy struggles to pull the threads of her life back together after her mother’s sudden death. Emptiness consumes her and, needing to fill the gaps of her loss, she finds she is drawn to a unique artefact inherited from her mother - a warrior’s head cast in brass that belonged to a king in eighteenth century Benin, Nigeria.

Joy is haunted by a beautiful young woman who appears in her photographs, familiar yet beguilingly distinct, the woman trails her wherever she goes. Joy begins to dream of a different time, a different place. She feels an inexplicable pull towards this mysterious female, and a past revealing itself through clues is scattered in her path. As family secrets come to light, she unearths the ties between her mother, grandfather, the wife of the king, a fearsome warrior, and the brass head’s pivotal connection to them all.

Haunting and compelling, Butterfly Fish is a richly told story of love and hope; of family secrets, power, political upheaval, loss and coming undone.

"A novel of epic proportions… I fully expect to see Butterfly Fish on many an award nomination list." — Yvvette Edwards, author of A Cupboard Full of Coats.
"A stunningly well-written book, juggling different timescales with great skill. Benin itself is vividly imagined in a historical narrative that runs in parallel with the contemporary London one. It is a wonderful novel." — Simon Brett OBE.
"A wonderful, richly drawn novel, cleverly juxtaposing scenes from everyday London with African folklore and mysticism." — Joanne Harris, author of Chocolat.


Click for more detail about Swimming with Fishes by Rasheda Ashanti Malcolm Swimming with Fishes

by Rasheda Ashanti Malcolm
Jacaranda (Aug 08, 2017)
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“I dream you last night.’ Mother Cynthy’s smile, like her eyes, courted mischief. ‘Dream you were swimming with fishes. This can mean only one thing…”

The Meadows, Jamaica. Beautiful young Kat Lewis, artist and daughter of the community, has always wanted a child. When Mother Cynthy, the town herbalist, sees Kat swimming with fishes in a dream, the vision can only mean one thing: Kat will soon be a mother.

Tall, handsome Thornton "Ben" Benjamin, a successful Londoner in the real estate business, is on a business trip to The Meadows when he spots Kat on the beach. Despite the warning signs in his head, he is unable to resist. He pursues her and their initial friendship soon develops into a passionate romance.

But secrets remain untold between them: Kat is suffering from a chronic illness and Ben has a secret life back home. Will their love survive those revelations, and will Ben be the man to make Kat’s dream come true? Or will their relationship amount to no more than a romantic encounter under the bright Jamaican sun?


Click for more detail about Murder in Montego Bay by Paula Lennon Murder in Montego Bay

by Paula Lennon
Jacaranda (Jun 27, 2017)
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Introducing crime-fighting duo Jamaican Detective Raythan Preddy and Scottish lawman Detective Sean Harris set in the picturesque city of Montego Bay, Jamaica


In Montego Bay, Jamaica, privileged Chinese-Jamaican brothers Lester and Carter Chin Ellis have enjoyed a sheltered life as the heirs to the iced desserts empire Chinchillerz. One fateful night, following a fiery encounter with local law enforcement the brothers are taken to Pelican Walk Police Station, where Lester is detained for drunk driving, while Carter is released without charge. When Carter is shot dead within minutes of leaving the station his murder throws the police force into crisis mode.

Discredited Detective Raythan Preddy is put in charge of the murder case and is forced to accept the assistance of Detective Sean Harris, a Scottish lawman seconded to Jamaica. With his superiors watching his every move and the Chin Ellis family interfering with the investigation, Preddy is determined to catch the killer and save his career.

“A veritable blockbuster of a crime novel!” — Peter Kalu, author of Yard Dogs


Click for more detail about Speak Gigantular by Irenosen Okojie Speak Gigantular

by Irenosen Okojie
Jacaranda (Nov 16, 2016)
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Speak Gigantular is a startlingly short story collection from one of Britain’s rising literary stars. These stories are captivating, erotic, enigmatic and disturbing. Irenosen Okojie’s gift is in her understated humour, her light touch, her razor-sharp assessment of the best and worst of humankind, and her unflinching gaze into the darkest corners of the human experience.

In these stories Okojie creates worlds where lovelorn aliens abduct innocent coffee shop waitresses, where the London Underground is inhabited by the ghosts of errant Londoners caught between here and the hereafter, where insensitive men cheat on their mistresses and can only muster enough interest to fall for one-dimensional poster girls and where brave young women attempt to be erotically empowered at their own peril. Sexy, serious and at times downright disturbing, this brilliant debut collection sizzles with originality.


Click for more detail about From Pasta to Pigfoot: Second Helpings by Frances Mensah Williams From Pasta to Pigfoot: Second Helpings

by Frances Mensah Williams
Jacaranda (Nov 15, 2016)
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Hoping to escape from her suddenly complicated life and revive her wilting romance, Faye returns to sunny Ghana for what she hopes will be the time of her life. But life doesn’t always offer second chances and when disaster strikes, she is forced to confront the biggest question of her life so far.


Click for more detail about Fashion Africa by Jacqueline Shaw Fashion Africa

by Jacqueline Shaw
Jacaranda (Apr 05, 2016)
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Fashion Africa is a visual overview of contemporary African fashion compiled with an ethical perspective. This guide is the first of its kind to bring together designers, design companies, ethical manufacturers and more, that are linked through a connection and commitment to Africa. Covering the entire continent, the book highlights designers who have specifically sourced Africa for their designs, whether that be materials (sustainable cottons and silks) or techniques (traditional weaving or batik), or simply for the vast opportunities for designers to grow and utilize the great natural resources of the region.

In the book, the author works tirelessly to promote Africa as a place not just for sourcing materials, but with the potential to be a vital epicenter of trade within the global marketplace. Fashion Africa is a comprehensive guide to the designers, materials, and sustainable practices available on continental Africa and provides an excellent resource in conjunction for the very vibrant growing industry already in existence. This is Jacqueline Shaw’s first publication.


Click for more detail about Butterfly Fish by Irenosen Okojie Butterfly Fish

by Irenosen Okojie
Jacaranda (Mar 29, 2016)
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After the sudden death of her mother, London photographer Joy struggles to pull the threads of her life back together, with the support of her kind but mysterious neighbour Mrs Harris. Joy’s fortune begins to change when she receives an unexpected inheritance from her mother: a huge sum of money, her grandfather’s diary and a unique brass warrior’s head from the nineteenth century kingdom of Benin.

Joy’s search for the origins of the head take us on a journey through time as dark family secrets come to light. Joy unearths the ties between her mother, grandfather, the wife of the king, and the brass head’s pivotal connection to them all.

A spiritual successor to the tales of Marquez, Butterfly Fish masterfully combines elements of traditional Nigerian storytelling and magical realism in a multigenerational take of the legacy of inheritance.

Haunting and compelling, Butterfly Fish is a richly told story of love and hope, of family secrets, power, political upheaval, loss and coming undone.


Click for more detail about From Pasta to Pigfoot by Frances Mensah Williams From Pasta to Pigfoot

by Frances Mensah Williams
Jacaranda (Mar 29, 2016)
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From Pasta to Pigfoot is a contemporary, multi-cultural novel that tells the story of Faye Bonsu, a pasta-loving, underachieving PA whose upbringing in leafy Hampstead, London has given her little opportunity to understand her African heritage.

Her less than successful attempts to be seen as more than a cultural lightweight take Faye on a journey back to her native Ghana, where she finds love, culture galore and the confidence to fulfill her potential.

From Pasta to Pigfoot explores in a light-hearted way the clash of cultures that has become characteristic of our increasingly multicultural society, and is familiar to those who have first-hand experience of straddling two worlds. Faye’s visit to Ghana is a refreshing exploration of another side of Africa, depicting successful, urban middle class professionals navigating the challenges between traditional and contemporary Africa.