Must-read classics by Black female authors

It's fair to say books by Black female authors are underrepresented in the  literary canon, but that’s not because there haven’t been plenty of brilliant, vital and insightful books, poetry and polemics written by Black women over the centuries.

Stories of love and joy, struggle and perseverance abound in these innovative texts selected by members of the Penguin Press team, from heartbreaking memoir to giddy poetry to galvanising cries for revolution.