Salman Rushdie is one of the world’s most acclaimed, award-winning contemporary authors. Translated into over forty languages, his sixteen works of fiction include Midnight’s Children – for which he won the Booker Prize in 1981, the Booker of Bookers on the 25th anniversary of the prize and Best of the Booker on the 40th anniversary – Shame, The Satanic Verses, Quichotte and Victory City. His latest book, Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder was a number one Sunday Times bestseller. A former president of PEN American Center, Rushdie was knighted in 2007 for services to literature and was made a Companion of Honour in the Queen's last Birthday Honours list in 2022.

Salman Rushdie

Salman Khan is the founder and CEO of Khan Academy, a nonprofit with the mission of providing a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere. His lessons on YouTube have revolutionized learning, garnering billions of views globally. Recognized as one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the World, Khan is also the founder of schoolhouse.world, Khan Lab School, and Khan World School, and the author of The One World Schoolhouse. He holds three degrees from MIT and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Salman Khan

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Sophia Thakur

Denzell Dankwah

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What do you want to be when you grow up? 
 
Discover the new daring tales of inspiration from over fifty iconic British icons today, who have each harnessed their curiosity and ambition and turned it into their own superhero power. 
With a special introduction by Stormzy 
 
Every inspirational figure has something that makes them special, just like you. Just look at: 
 
· Princess K, who went from tapping her foot under the desk at school, to dancing centre stage at Glastonbury 
· Dina Asher Smith, who started out crawling at lightning speed and became the fastest British woman in history 
· Reggie Yates, who used his power of empathy to connect instantly both in person and through the TV 
· Riz Ahmed, whose ability to code-switch between cultures and creative outlets let him excel as a scholar, actor, activist, and rapper 
· Liam Charles, who followed his childhood passion in the kitchen to become a Bake Off master 
 
This is a book filled with inspiring journeys, to encourage and empower you to harness your power, and become your own superhero.

Superheroes

Inspiring Stories of Secret Strength

Sufiyaan Salam

WINNER OF THE 2023/24 #MERKY BOOKS NEW WRITERS’ PRIZE 
 
AN OBSERVER BEST NEW NOVELIST 2026A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2026 IN BRICKS MAGAZINE, DUA LIPA'S SERVICE95 AND BBC'Riotous. . .raucous, wildly inventive' THE OBSERVER'Inventive and highly enjoyable' BBC BOOKS OF THE YEAR'An energetic-livewire masterpiece' NIKESH SHUKLA 
 
'Compulsive, raw and searingly honest. An utterly original, unfiltered voice. A darkly witty story of Northern rude-bois coming of age: perfectly crafted, uncensored, totally real' NUSSAIBAH YOUNIS 
 
'A novel no one else could have written, Sufiyaan Salam is a writer I hope to see keep pushing the boundaries of what contemporary fiction can show us' DEREK OWUSU 
 
'Freewheeling, risk-taking and ceaselessly fun, this intense, multi-voiced novel is immense in its ambition and singular in its achievement. It really is one hell of a ride' GURNAIK JOHAL 
 
'The energy of Salam's work was beyond . . . dazzling in its daring and reach' JACQUELINE CROOKS 
 
'...Brilliant, ingenious, and utterly dazzling... WIMMY ROAD BOYZ is an intense cacophonous ride easily read and not easily forgotten, a polyphonic narrative of epic proportions.' KASIM ALI 
 
three boyz drive & dream 
of an impossible night 
on an endless street. . . 
 
a white bimmer hurtles down manchester’s curry mile, carrying three brown boys in pursuit of a wild night out, oi oi oi! 
 
there’s IMMY (23) – nursing mad heartbreak but tryna get over it by chirpsing someone new, hoping to distract from the scores of rage bubbling up beneath. . . 
 
there’s KHAN (24) – cambridge-gangster on a mission to avenge, losing himself to old stereotypes, illegal ventures on the sly. . . 
 
and there’s HARIS (24) – the sensitive type, getting married next week but having second thoughts, feeling mad para about his day ones discovering all his secrets. 
 
it’s an evening of chaos and mischief. three boys with nothing to do and something to prove. of course there’s gonna be trouble. 
 
and look, what the boys don’t know: this night might just be their last. . . 
 
WIMMY ROAD BOYZ is a blistering story of masculinity, violence and love set over the course of a single, surreal night from a wholly original new British talent.

Wimmy Road Boyz

Caster Semenya

Banned from the sport she loved because she was labelled 'different', Olympic and World Champion Caster Semenya is finally ready to share the vivid and blisteringly honest story of how the world came to know her name. Thrust into the spotlight after winning the 2009 World Championships Caster Semenya quickly became the centre of a debate which still continues today about gender in sports, and the right to compete as you are. 
 
Told with blistering candour and captivating speed, The Race To Be Myself is a journey through innocence, ambition, defiance, and acceptance. From her rural beginnings running in the dust, to crushing her opponents on the track. To the falsehoods spread about her name, and the many trials she has been forced to endure publicly and privately. This is Caster's time to set the record straight and share her story of how she became a defiant champion. 
 
Throughout it all Caster has found triumph in her strong will, her community and her family. Caster's story is our story, and testimony to anyone forced to stop doing what they love.

The Race To Be Myself

Derek Owusu

WINNER OF THE DESMOND ELLIOTT PRIZE 2020 
___________________________________ 
'A singular achievement.' 
Michael Donkor, Guardian 
 
'Heartbreaking, important and original.' 
 Christie Watson, author of THE LANGUAGE OF KINDNESS 
 
'Derek Owusu's writing is honest, moving, delicate, but tough. Once you lock on to his words, it is hard to break eye contact. A beautiful meditation on childhood, coming of age, the now, and the media. This work is heartfelt.' 
 Benjamin Zephaniah 
 
 'Honest and beautiful.' 
 Guy Gunaratne, author of IN OUR MAD AND FURIOUS CITY 
 
 'When writing is this honest, it soars. What an incredible use of language and truth.' 
 Yrsa Daley-Ward 
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Anansi, your four gifts raised to nyame granted you no power over the stories I tell... 
 
This is the story of K. 
 
K is sent into care before a year marks his birth. He grows up in fields and woods, and he is happy, he thinks. When K is eleven, the city reclaims him. He returns to an unknown mother and a part-time father, trading the fields for flats and a community that is alien to him. Slowly, he finds friends. Eventually, he finds love. He learns how to navigate the city. But as he grows, he begins to realise that he needs more than the city can provide. He is a man made of pieces. Pieces that are slowly breaking apart 
 
That Reminds Me is the story of one young man, from birth to adulthood, told in fragments of memory. It explores questions of identity, belonging, addiction, sexuality, violence, family and religion. It is a deeply moving and completely original work of literature from one of the brightest British writers of today.

That Reminds Me

Winner of the Desmond Elliott Prize 2020

Taylor-Dior Rumble

'A book that bridges the gap between Bridget Jones and Insecure, this is one fresh summer romcom we can't wait to read' Stylist 
 
'The Siituationship marks a bold new voice. I was hooked from start to finish'. Caleb Azumah Nelson, author of Open Water and Small Worlds 
 
'ESSENTIAL summer reading!' Ore Agbaje-Williams, author of The Three of Us 
 
When the love of her life shows up with a girlfriend, Tia decides it's time to put herself out there. 
 
Expectations of dating apps are low, so it's a surprise when she instantly connects with handsome photographer Nate. He's everything she's looking for; he makes her feel safe, seen, and desired. 
 
Tia assumes they're on the same page - the only catch? They're yet to have The Talk. 
 
In a generation that's normalised competing over who cares the least, can Tia overcome her fears and lay her cards on the table, in the pursuit of something real? 
 
 
'Fun, fresh, and endlessly relatable, this is the most empowering rom-com of 2023. Run don't walk to get a copy!' Laura Jane Williams, author of Our Stop and Lovestruck 
 
'Smart, sexy and vibrant. Absolutely sizzling with feeling. I wish all books were this fun.' Annie Lord, author of Notes on Heartbreak

The Situationship

#Merky Books’ first unputdownable rom-com

Jyoti Patel

AN OBSERVER BEST DEBUT NOVEL OF 2023 
 
WINNER OF THE 2021 #MERKY BOOKS NEW WRITERS' PRIZE 
 
Nik has lots of questions about his late father but knows better than to ask his mother, Avani. It's their unspoken rule. 
 
But when his grandfather dies, Nik has the opportunity to learn about the man he never met. Armed with a key and new knowledge about his parents' past, Nik sets out to unlock the secrets that his mother has been holding onto his whole life. 
 
The Things That We Lost is a beautifully tender exploration of family, loss and how far we will go to protect the ones we love.

The Things That We Lost

Yrsa Daley-Ward

‘Totally original, entirely compelling and astonishingly well crafted, The Catch solidifies Yrsa Daley-Ward as one of Britain's best and boldest voices. A dark and lyrical debut that's well worth the wait.’ Yomi Adegoke, author of Slay in Your Lane and The List 
 
'A fantastic, shimmering work. Ysra Daley-Ward's rich exploration of Black womanhood and familial complexities is a must read.' Irenosen Okojie 
 
‘From one of my favourite living writers, The Catch is a slippery shape-shifting delight. Yrsa’s novel is fluorescently dark and winding; brilliant in its investigation of refractions and meaning.’ 
Eloghosa Osunde, author of VAGABONDS! 
 
‘Yrsa’s work is like holding the truth in your hands. A glorious living thing’ FLORENCE WELCH 
A darkly whimsical debut about women daring to live and create with impunity. 
Twin sisters Clara and Dempsey have always struggled to relate, their familial bond severed after their mother vanished into the Thames. In adulthood, they are content to be all but estranged, until Clara sees a woman who looks exactly like their mother on the streets of London. The catch: this version of Serene, aged not a day, has enjoyed a childless life. 
 
Clara, a celebrity author in desperate need of validation, believes Serene is their mother, while Dempsey, isolated and content to remain so, believes she is a con woman. As they clash over this stranger, the sisters hurtle toward an altercation that threatens their very existence, forcing them to finally confront their pasts--together. In her riveting first foray into fiction, Yrsa Daley-Ward conjures a kaleidoscopic multiverse of daughterhood and mother-want, exploring the sacrifices that Black women must make for self-actualization. The result is a marvel of a debut novel that boldly asks, "How can it ever, ever be a crime to choose yourself?"

The Catch

Jeremiah Emmanuel

I wanted to change the world, but the world I was born into changed me first. 
 
My name is Jeremiah Emmanuel. I'm twenty one years old. I'm an activist, an entrepreneur, a former deputy young mayor of Lambeth and member of the UK Youth Parliament. 
 
Raised in south London, I lived in an area where crime and poverty were everywhere and opportunities to escape were rare. Violence was accepted, prison was expected. That was the world I knew; the only one I thought was possible for people like me. 
 
Then I discovered another world, one with opportunities round every corner. As I grew my network, I realised that the system actively works against certain members of society, silently preventing people from succeeding. I made it my mission to change this, and to teach people like me about the secret rules of society that empower some to get ahead and keep others down. This is my story of how I made it, and how others can too. 
 
Memoir meets manifesto, Dreaming in a Nightmare is a powerful account of the challenges faced by a new generation and how readers can rally to create change.

Dreaming in a Nightmare

Inequality and What We Can Do About It

Sasha Bonét

‘A tale of evolution and hope’ – Hilton Als, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of White Girls 
 
‘A bold new entry in the canon of literature about Black motherhood’ – Kaitlyn Greenidge, author of Libertie 
 
‘The Waterbearers is a wonder of a book — raw in its honesty, tender in its gaze, lyrical and luminous on the page.' – Jendella Benson, author of Hope and Glory 
 
 
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Wherever there is water, there is mystery. And mystery breeds mythology. 
 
When Sasha Bonét’s grandmother, Betty Jean, raised eleven children in a Texas bayou house, she did it alone, creating a home that was the heart of their family. Her daughter, Mama Connie, vowed to live differently but found herself echoing her mother’s struggles. Now, Sasha navigates motherhood, reflecting on the legacies of Black women like Nina Simone, Betty Davis, Michelle Obama, Rosa Parks and Darnella Frazier (the woman who told the world about George Floyd) to build a portrait of Black womanhood through time. 
 
Bonét explores the trials and triumphs of Black matriarchy – escape, promise, burden, assent and rebellion – weaving personal history with cultural narratives. From mundane yet powerful mornings at the kitchen table to moments of courageously taking on the world at large in the fight for dignity, The Waterbearers’ clear-eyed tenderness reveals intimate vignettes mixed with cultural history of Black women who have built legacies and changed the world through the ties of love – and complexity – that bind them. 
 
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‘The Waterbearers is magnificent in its nimble agility. People are elevated to wonders . . . Bonét dances on our hearts in this classic creation of will and wit. Electrifying and incredibly sturdy. Wow.’ – Kiese Laymon, author of Heavy

The Waterbearers

A Memoir of Mothers and Daughters

Alayo Akinkugbe

“Akinkugbe is a brilliant new writer and thinker challenging art history. This book is urgent, essential, accessible and it needs to be on every art history reading list." -- Bernardine Evaristo 
 
Since the inception of mainstream art history, Blackness has been distinctly ignored. 
 
In Reframing Blackness, art historian and founder of @ABlackHistoryOfArt, Alayo Akinkugbe challenges this void. 
 
Exploring the presentation of Black figures in Western art, as well as Blackness in museums, in feminist art movements and in the curriculum, Alayo unveils an overlooked but integral part of our collective art history. 
 
Refreshing and accessible, this promises to start a much-needed conversation in culture and education.

Reframing Blackness

What’s Black about “History of Art”?

Jade LB

The unforgettable, coming-of-age story, a raw and original depiction of British youth culture, perfect for fans of Candice Carty-Williams' Queenie and Raven Leilani's Luster. 
 
WINNER OF THE BRITISH BOOK DISCOVER AWARD 
 
‘A true British classic’ Stormzy 
 
‘The British answer to Gossip Girl’ Dazed 
 
Where were you when Keisha the Sket first broke the internet? 
 
Keisha is a girl from the ends, sharp, feisty and ambitious; she's been labelled 'top sket' but she's making it work. 
 
When childhood crush and long-time admirer, Ricardo, finally wins her over, Keisha has it all: power, a love life and the chance for stability. 
 
But trauma comes knocking and with it a whirlwind of choices that will define what kind of a woman she truly wants to be. 
 
Told with the heart and soul of the inner city, with an unforgettable heroine, Keisha the Sket is a revelation of the true, raw, arousing and tender core of British youth culture. 
 
Complete with essays from esteemed contemporary writers Candice Carty-Williams, Caleb Femi and Aniefiok Ekpoudom. 
 
Praise for Keisha the Sket: 
 
‘Our literary foremother’ Candice Carty-Williams, bestselling author of Queenie 
 
‘Makes me swoon’ Caleb Femi, award-winning author of Poor 
 
‘A cultural phenomenon’ Rolling Stone 
 
‘The erotic romance thriller’ Vogue 
 
‘A piece of literary genius.’ Complex 
 
‘A crucial part of not just Black Brit literature, but British literature as a whole’ Bolu Babalola, bestselling author of Honey and Spice

Keisha The Sket

‘A true British classic.’ Stormzy

Anthony Anaxagorou

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How to Write It: Tell Your Story 
 
This book is a masterclass in the craft of writing and poetry from one of Britain's most celebrated poets and educators, T.S. Eliot Prize nominee Anthony Anaxagorou. 
 
Taking readers on a personal journey through his early life and school years, through to his relationship with literature, education poetry and writing, this book is filled with tips, anecdotes and publishing advice for anyone interested in getting their work seen. From Anthony's first slam win to the evolving British poetry scene, this book will provoke readers into thinking about their writing more carefully - be it a poem, short story or novel - and help them finally get their book out into the world. 
 
This book is essential reading for taking your work to the next level, and is introduced with an inspirational foreword by Sunday Times bestselling author, Candice Carty-Williams. 
_________________________ 
 
'This brilliant little book [...] a guide to writing practical and theoretical' Radio 4, 'Start The Week' 
_________________________ 
Designed to inspire and encourage readers to unlock their potential and provoke change, the How To series offers a new model in publishing, helping to break down knowledge barriers and uplift the next generation. 
 
Creatively presented and packed with clear, step-by-step, practical advice, this series is essential reading for anyone seeking guidance to thrive in the modern world. Curate your bookshelf with these collectable titles.

How To Write It

Work With Words

Malorie Blackman

The long-awaited autobiography of one of the world's greatest children's writers, and an empowering and inspiring account of a life in books. 
 
Malorie Blackman OBE is one of Britain's best loved and most widely-read writers. For over thirty years, her books have helped to shape British culture, and inspired generations of younger readers and writers. The Noughts and Crosses series, started in 2000, sparked a new and necessary conversation about race and identity in the UK, and are already undisputed classics of twenty-first-century children's literature. 
 
She is also a writer whose own life has been shaped by books, from her childhood in south London, the daughter of parents who moved to Britain from Barbados as part of the Windrush Generation, and who experienced a childhood that was both wonderful and marred by the everyday racism and bigotry of the era. She was told she could not apply to study her first love, literature, at university, in spite of her academic potential, but found a way to books and to a life in writing against a number of obstacles. 
 
This book is an account of that journey, from a childhood surrounded by words, to the 83 rejection letters she received in response to sending out her first project, to the children's laureateship. It explores the books who have made her who she is, and the background to some the most beloved and powerful children's stories of today. It is an illuminating, inspiring and empowering account of the power of words to change lives, and the extraordinary life story of one of the world's greatest writers.

Just Sayin'

My Life In Words

Niran Vinod

Damola Timeyin

Introducing the new &lsquo;How To&hellip;&rsquo; series from #Merky Books: unlock your potential with our short, practical pocket-sized guides. 
_______________________________________________________ 
How to Build It: Grow Your Brand 
 
In a world where everyone is trying to monetise their side hustle and the 5-to-9 is as valuable as the 9-to-5, building your brand is a necessity. But how can you work out what your brand is? How can you make it relevant, and how can you give it real longevity? 
 
This indispensable step by step guide will help you understand all the key considerations as you build solid foundations for your brand to thrive and grow. Complete with creative tasks, and shared personal insight from two creative strategists who have worked with some of the world's most renowned brands, How to Build It will set you on the road from nowhere to everywhere. 
 
Written by Niran Vinod and Damola Timeyin 
Foreword by Nando's 
_______________________________________________________ 
Designed to inspire and encourage readers to unlock their potential and provoke change, the How To series offers a new model in publishing, helping to break down knowledge barriers and uplift the next generation. 
 
Creatively presented and packed with clear, step-by-step, practical advice, this series is essential reading for anyone seeking guidance to thrive in the modern world. Curate your bookshelf with these collectible titles.

How To Build It

Grow Your Brand

Monika Radojevic

'Passionate and powerful, a love story that will grip you until the very end' ABIGAIL BERGSTROM, author of WHAT A SHAME 
 
'A beautiful, vivid, gut-punch of a novel' EMMA STONEX, author of THE LAMPLIGHTERS 
 
'Beautiful . . . a wonderful and remarkable novel that I would happily read all over again' ORE AGBAJE-WILLIAMS, author of THE THREE OF US 
 
‘Rings true on every level . . . above all, in its glorious depiction of love’ CATHERINE MAYER, author of ATTACK OF THE 50FT WOMEN 
 
London, 1990. Zivoin is newly arrived in a strange country. The dependable oldest son, he works all hours of the day and night, sending every penny he can save back to his family. On the news, he watches his homeland, Yugoslavia, slowly fracturing. 
 
Thousands of miles away, in the tropical heat of Uberlândia, Brazil, Alegria prepares to leave behind the country – and the family – she loves dearly. Bright and ambitious, she strives to give her parents the life they deserve, even if it takes her far from them. 
 
A chance meeting throws Alegria and Zivoin together – and for a brief moment, they feel at home. But their journey is just beginning, and what follows will draw them irresistibly across countries and continents, leaving them both forever changed. 
 
The powerful, exhilarating debut novel from an award-winning new voice in fiction, Strangerland is a heartfelt testament to the endurance that has come to define a generation of immigrants. Above all, it is a soaring, emotionally rich story about the power of love to transcend languages, borders and time.

Strangerland

Rivers Solomon

'Intense, original, and wonderfully unpredictable . . . Model Home is a story of a haunted house and haunted people; profound family secrets lie at the heart of this book as well as, surprisingly, blessedly, meaningful touches of love and hope. Rivers Solomon is an astonishingly talented writer.' Victor LaValle, author of Lone Women 
 
 
‘A startling reimagination of the haunted-house genre. The twists and turns are carefully drawn, with the tension mounting toward a shocking end . . . With this exhilarating and unforgettable work, Solomon proves to be a formidable writer.’ Kirkus 
 
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Two bodies lie in the garden of a sprawling property in Oak Creek Estate, a wealthy gated community in Dallas, Texas. 
 
The bodies belong to the parents of Ezri, Eve and Emmanuel, who have long since abandoned the childhood home in which their parents remained all these years. A home that has haunted and hollowed them throughout their lives, in a neighbourhood where they grew up as the only Black family, hoping to survive a place that wanted to claim them, expel them and ruin them all at once. 
 
In the wake of their parents’ death, Ezri and their siblings are forced to confront the reasons they left, the nightmares that have held them captive and the possibility that realities exist beyond those that have forged them. 
 
Bold and tender, Model Home is powerful meditation on the power of memory, loss and identity. 
 
Praise for Sorrowland: 
 
“A wonderland of fantastical and frightening, magical and real.” Marlon James 
“A fantastical, fierce reckoning... Sorrowland is gorgeous.” Roxanne Gay 
“Dark, magical and incredibly satisfying.” Independent 
“An exhilarating journey to the outer limits of science fiction.” Guardian 
"Intense, original and wonderfully unpredicatable." Victor LaVelle

Model Home

Chelsea Kwakye

Ore Ogunbiyi

'Brilliant' CANDICE CARTY-WILLIAMS, author of QUEENIE 
'Essential' BERNARDINE EVARISTO, author of GIRL, WOMAN, OTHER 
'Hugely important' PAULA AKPAN 
____________________________ 
As a minority in a predominantly white institution, taking up space is an act of resistance. Recent Cambridge grads Chelsea and Ore experienced this first-hand, and wrote Taking Up Space as a guide and a manifesto for change. 
 
FOR BLACK GIRLS: 
 
Understand that your journey is unique. Use this book as a guide. Our wish for you is that you read this and feel empowered, comforted and validated in every emotion you experience, or decision that you make. 
 
FOR EVERYONE ELSE: 
 
We can only hope that reading this helps you to be a better friend, parent, sibling or teacher to black girls living through what we did. It's time we stepped away from seeing this as a problem that black people are charged with solving on their own. 
 
It's a collective effort. 
And everyone has a role to play. 
 
Featuring honest conversations with students past and present, Taking Up Space goes beyond the buzzwords of diversity and inclusion and explores what those words truly mean for young black girls today. 
____________________________ 
#Merky Books was set up by publishers Penguin Random House and Stormzy in June 2018 to find and publish the best writers of a new generation and to publish the stories that are not being heard. #Merky Books aims to open up the world of publishing, and this year has launched a New Writer's Prize and will soon be launching a #Merky Books traineeship. 
 
'I know too many talented writers that don't always have an outlet or a means to get their work seen, and hopefully #Merky Books can now be a reference point for them to say "I can be an author", and for that to be a realistic and achievable goal... Reading and writing as a kid were integral to where I am today and I, from the bottom of my heart, cannot wait to hear your stories and get them out into the big wide world.' 
STORMZY

Taking Up Space

The Black Girl’s Manifesto for Change

Ebony Reid

With a novelist’s compassion and a scientist’s rigour, Reid takes us beyond the stereotypes to depict her characters’ lives in all their pathos and tragedy' - Marcel Theroux 
 
‘The roads don’t forget, and old reputations cling on, drawing trouble even when someone’s trying to start fresh.’ 
 
Take a step into the heart of the British inner city with Trapped Life, a searingly candid narrative that shatters sensationalist headlines to reveal the authentic lives of the mandem on the infamous Northville Estate in London. Dr Ebony Reid, through personal and professional insights, offers a raw and intimate look at a vibrant and complex community, often misunderstood by wider society. In a year spent on her childhood estate, Reid's powerful storytelling blends reality with creative narrative, taking you through The Cotch, The Block, and even to the Bookies – some of the prominent landmarks of Northville. This urgent and dignified account exposes the devastating socio-economic disparity in urban Britain, making Trapped Life not just a book, but a call to understand and change the lives of those trapped by their circumstances.

Trapped Life

A Year with the Mandem on a London Estate

William Rayfet Hunter

***SHORTLISTED FOR THE WATERSTONES DEBUT FICTION PRIZE 2025*** 
 
AN OBSERVER BEST NEW NOVELIST 2025 
 
WINNER OF THE #MERKY BOOKS 2022 NEW WRITERS' PRIZE 
 
 
'This summer's hottest read' 
SUNDAY TIMES 
 
'Beguiling . . . elegant and surprising' 
OBSERVER 
 
'You won't want to put it down' 
BRITISH VOGUE 
 
'Sticky, twisting and dangerous' 
REBECCA K REILLY 
 
It’s summer and a young man walks through the gates of a luxurious mansion in the South of France. At the dinner table, the Blake siblings await him: Lily, his carefree friend from university; Dot, the rebellious younger sister; and Felix – handsome, charismatic and guarded. 
 
Between sun-drenched days spent lounging by the pool and nights blurring into endless, opulent parties, the man is captivated by Felix’s restless allure. As his desire grows, the chance to become part of the family and their world of money and power starts to feel within reach. 
 
But the idyllic haze of summer fades as they return to London and the cracks in the Blakes' careful façade begin to show. With the two men tormented by demons of their own, their bond is increasingly tested and pulled apart at the seams. Their secrets and the choices they make will change not only their lives, but the future of those around them. 
 
Sunstruck is a dazzling and poignant exploration of race, status and the parts of ourselves we risk losing when we fall in love. 
 
'Beautifully written and well-paced . . . builds tension as it approaches an exciting revelation' 
JACQUELINE CROOKS 
 
'There’s plenty of plot; the novel’s brisk pacing, together with its shrewd blend of emotional sincerity, brooding intrigue and political overtones, make for a lively beach read' 
GUARDIAN 
 
'Very hard to put down . . . A truly gripping story about privilege and perspective from a writer with a sharp pen and a wicked sense of humour whose incredible career is only just beginning' 
ORE AGBAJE-WILLIAMS 
 
'Smart, bracing, sexy . . . I was completely gripped' 
JACK PARLETT 
 
‘A stunning and tender debut. Sultry and compulsive. Full of heart’ 
SOULA EMMANUEL 
 
'Poignant, tender, and wonderfully honest' 
CHLOE MICHELLE HOWARTH

Sunstruck

Joshua Virasami

Introducing the new ‘How To…’ series from #Merky Books: unlock your potential with our short, practical pocket-sized guides. 
_______________________________________________________ 
How to Change It: your indispensable guide to activism 
 
Is it possible to create real change? How can we as individuals help to solve some of the biggest issues of today? How can we overcome injustice and inequality wherever we are? Where does power sit, and how can we get it? 
 
How to Change It provides the answers to these questions, and many more. In three simple steps - educate, organise and agitate - artist and organiser Joshua Virasami sets out several lessons for successful campaigning, drawing on the experience and actions of a number of activist and political movements, including Extinction Rebellion, Occupy and Black Lives Matter. 
 
Written by Joshua Virasami 
Introduced by Patrisse Cullors: artist, organiser and freedom fighter from Los Angeles and co-founder of Black Lives Matter. She is the author of critically acclaimed When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir. 
_______________________________________________________ 
Designed to inspire and encourage readers to unlock their potential and provoke change, the How To series offers a new model in publishing, helping to break down knowledge barriers and uplift the next generation. 
 
Creatively presented and packed with clear, step-by-step, practical advice, this series is essential reading for anyone seeking guidance to thrive in the modern world. Curate your bookshelf with these collectible titles.

How To Change It

Make a Difference

'Tender, humorous and moving’ COSMOPOLITAN 
 
'Visceral, wild, and so beautifully necessary.' SALMA EL-WARDANY, author of THESE IMPOSSIBLE THINGS 
 
'Radojevic’s stories and fragments are so sharp-edged they could draw blood. Fierce, funny and angry.' CATHERINE MAYER, author TIME/LIFE 
 
*** 
 
Across thirty striking tales, Monika Radojevic weaves together the surreal with the everyday, confronting the experiences of contemporary womanhood with a tender ferocity shot through with humour.A woman walks into a bar, and nobody notices. A newly married couple are punished for their childlessness with an unsettling nocturnal invasion. A girl trades her vocal cords for a chance at freedom. A door-to-door salesperson offers the antidote to women’s fear – but it comes at a high price. 
 
Bubbling with an urgent rage that occasionally tips over into vengeance, Radojevic deftly charts the moments that make a life: from the warmth of first love to the recognition of anger, and the possibilities that take shape as we find or lose our ability to speak. A Beautiful Lack of Consequence explores the ways in which the world bends and breaks women with the pressure it puts on them – and what happens when those women snap back. 
 
Moving and irreverent, dark and otherworldly, A Beautiful Lack of Consequence is a blazing debut collection from the winner of the #Merky Books New Writers’ Prize. 
 
*** 
 
'Thoughtful, introspective and darkly funny' READER REVIEW 
 
'So beautiful and raw' READER REVIEW 
 
'Biting . . . a must read!' READER REVIEW

A Beautiful Lack of Consequence

Jermaine Scott a.k.a. Wretch 32

'Groundbreaking... a must-have.' Independent 
 
'A worthwhile tutorial in how to write lyrics.' Evening Standard 
 
What makes a song work? 
 
What element causes us to stop, to listen, to listen again? Is it a melody? Is it a beat? Is it the words that are sung, or spoken? Is it what they speak to in us? Is it a combination of all of the above? 
 
Jermaine Scott – aka Wretch 32 – is one of the most important and influential musicians of today, both an important cultural commentator, and a hugely successful artist. 
 
He is also a lyricist of unparalleled ability, and an advocate of music as a tool to educate as well as to entertain. In an age of unprecedented social and political change, Wretch’s music stands as a medium of protest and of progress, helping to explain and shape a new era. 
 
Now in his new book, Wretch sets out the principles of lyric-writing in an accessible and entertaining way, helping to inspire a new generation of musicians and writers. 
 
Taking us through the songs which have shaped his career over the last two decades, from gospel music to dancehall anthems to the most innovative emerging young voices, Wretch explains what each song means to him, and his own creative process - from the first flashes of inspiration to final edits and improvisation. 
 
Part autobiography, part guide to creativity, and part cultural history, Rapthology is a blueprint to the music that matters and an insight into the artistic process of one of the most inspiring artists of a generation.

Rapthology

Lessons in Life and Lyrics

Ramla Ali

Ramla Ali's life inside and outside the ring represents her ruthless refusal to quit and passion to fight for what she believes in. 
 
In her first book, Ramla details ten key fights - a combination of life's constant challenges and real bouts she's endured both in and outside of the ring - that have shaped her remarkable rise to date. 
 
From her arrival in England as a refugee to being drawn to the energy and spirit of her first boxercise class; from the adrenaline of her first amateur fights to how she often powered on alone, searching for a community of women like her, and her biggest win of all: letting love into her life. 
 
Each relatable lesson is packed full of honesty and urgency, powering the reader on to become their own champion.

Not Without a Fight: Ten Steps to Becoming Your Own Champion

Calum Jacobs

A New Formation is an inventive and highly original analysis of the contributions that Black British footballers have made to Black British culture. 
 
Calum Jacobs and his co-contributors - including authors Musa Okwonga and Aniefiok Ekpoudom and sports broadcaster Jeanette Kwakye - eschew the standard frameworks of trauma and oppression that are foisted upon Black narratives. Instead, they draw upon broader social and cultural history to examine Black footballers in contexts larger than themselves. By engaging with the subtle connections between football and Black cultural expression, A New Formation reveals the vibrancy and nuance of contemporary Black life in Britain. 
 
Featuring interviews with Andy Cole, Ian Wright and Anita Asante.

A New Formation

How Black Footballers Shaped the Modern Game

Tochi Eze

'THIS KIND OF TROUBLE is a spellbinding tale of family secrets and how the influence of past generations impacts on the present. Eze expertly weaves together the elements that show how, over the course of a century, a family can break apart and heal. An excellent debut' Louise Hare, author of This Lovely City 
 
‘Tochi Eze is a storyteller that the ancestors would be proud of. With masterful strokes, she knits together a beguiling story of history, tragedy, family and destiny. Her characters live on beneath my skin – truly unforgettable’ – Jendella Benson, author of Hope & Glory 
 
 
A riveting, emotionally-charged tale of forbidden love, centred on an estranged couple who are brought together to reckon with the events that tore their family apart decades ago. 
 
In 1960s Lagos, a city enlivened with its newfound Independence, headstrong Margaret meets British-born Benjamin, a man seeking his ancestral roots after the death of his half-Nigerian father. Their connection is immediate, but as the two begin to fall in love, they discover that their pasts are more interwoven than they imagined due to a series of devastating events that transpired in their ancestral community. The shadow of these events, combined with Margaret’s deteriorating mental health eventually tear them apart. 
 
By 2005, the couple have been estranged for forty years. Margaret has retired to an upscale gated community in Lagos, and seemingly happy Benjamin lives alone in Atlanta, managing his heart problems but feeling unmoored when faced with the question of who to name as his next of kin. But their attempt at a settled life is shattered when their grandson begins to show ominous signs that echo the struggles Margaret once faced. Now, Margaret and Benjamin must finally reunite to confront the buried secrets that they had dismissed in the passion of their youth–secrets that continue to ripple through their family. Their reunion becomes a journey into the past—one that forces them to grapple with both the personal and ancestral burdens that have followed them through generations. 
 
A startling and propulsive tale of forbidden love, THIS KIND OF TROUBLE traces the intertwined legacies of one family’s history, exploring the complex relationship between tradition, modernity and the ways we seek healing in a changing world. Spanning a tumultuous century, the story moves us to consider the ways we are beholden to the past and what we owe the future. With this debut novel, Tochi Eze announces herself as a dazzling new literary voice in world literature.

This Kind of Trouble

Stormzy

The incredible, must-read true story of the meteoric rise of the music star and the #Merky brand – and a guide to achieving success in your own life, on your own terms. 
 
‘Extraordinary’ NME Books of the Year 
 
‘An inspirational must-read’ Evening Standard 
 
THE #MERKY STORY SO FAR 
 
‘It’s been a long time coming, I swear...’ 
 
In recent years Stormzy has risen from one of the most promising musicians of his generation to a spokesperson for a generation. Rise Up is the story of how he got there. 
 
It’s a story about faith and the ideas worth fighting for. It’s about knowing where you’re from, and where you’re going. It’s about following your dreams without compromising who you are. 
 
Featuring never-before-seen photographs, annotated lyrics and contributions from those closest to him, Rise Up is the #Merky story, and the record of a journey unlike any other. 
 
Edited and co-written by Jude Yawson 
Contributions by Team #Merky 
Images by Kaylum Dennis 
 
 
Praise for Rise Up: 
 
‘Inspirational’ Guardian Books of the Year 
 
'A very important book. ... It is truly inspiring to read about the accomplishments of Team Stormzy, realised largely without money or expertise, but with bucketloads of intelligence and hard work.' BBC 
 
‘Motivational, inspirational. If Rise Up is just the beginning, I cannot wait for the next stage.’ iNews 
 
‘Provides a real insight into what it takes to become... the country's biggest grime star… Don’t sleep on it’ Metro 
 
‘More than an oral history, Rise Up is a model for those seeking to replicate Stormzy and his team’s accomplishments.’ The Times 
 
‘A book written not to the greater glory of Stormzy, but as a way of inspiring the next generation.’ Q Magazine, 'Best Music Books of the Month'

Rise Up

The #Merky Story So Far

Toya Wolfe

State Street Chicago, 1999. One summer that changes everything. 
 
An unlikely trio: Felicia 'Fe Fe' Stevens, daughter of fiercely protective mother; Precious Brown, daughter of a prominent church Elder; and Stacia Buchanan, daughter of a Gangster Disciple Queen-Pin. 
 
They have a simple friendship, whiling away sunny days with games of Double Dutch. But when Fe Fe invites mysterious Tonya into their fold, life as they know it will never be the same again. 
 
Last Summer on State Street is a profound coming-of-age story about the restorative power of community, the claiming of one's own past, and the defining friendships which form the heartbeat of our lives.

Last Summer on State Street

Joy Harden Bradford

Friendships are some of the longest-standing and most important relationships in our lives – they help us feel seen, nourished, and cared for. As a clinical psychologist with over twenty years of experience, Dr. Joy Harden Bradford knows the power of community and the positive impact it has on our health and wellbeing. 
 
Drawing on Dr. Joy's expertise in facilitating group therapy, Sisterhood Heals puts our unique connection with other women at the centre, to help us build and sustain mutually supportive friendships. From how we can better hold space for our friends, to dealing with common arguments, setting firmer boundaries, and navigating the pain of a friend breakup, this book will teach you to create a more fulfilling and connected life for yourself and those around you.

Sisterhood Heals

The Transformative Power of Healing in Community

Rukky Brume

Grief, that ungovernable pet – it comes and goes as it pleases, never straying far. 
 
Death sneaks up on Onome Odafe. She has little experience of what it means to lose someone she truly loves. So when her sister calls to tell her that their father didn’t survive a stroke, she isn’t sure how to act, what grieving is meant to look or feel like. She passes the days until she returns to Nigeria for the funeral in a haze of performance and distraction, holding together what little of herself is left. 
 
Reunited with her siblings and mother, Onome is thrown into the depths of various funeral events, uncomfortable customs, meddling religious figures and both unfamiliar and familiar faces. One of which, is Aunty Eguono, her father's sister; a woman who has never shied away from making a scene, and whose careless words one afternoon upend the only image of her father Onome has ever known. As she struggles to accept the reality of her father’s death, she finds herself on a path of discovery leading towards an unsettling truth: a man can be more than one thing, and the man in question may be her father. 
 
An unforgettable debut, IT COMES IN WAVES is both an honest exploration of grief and a captivating story of the lives we lead and leave behind.

It Comes in Waves

"A fantastical, fierce reckoning... Sorrowland is gorgeous." Roxanne Gay 
 
"Dark, magical and incredibly satisfying." Independent 
 
"An exhilarating journey to the outer limits of science fiction." Guardian. 
 
"Epic!" Observer 
 
Vern, a hunted woman alone in the woods, who gives birth to twins and raises them away from the influence of the outside world. But something is wrong - not with them, but with her own body. It's changing, it's itching, it's stronger, it's... not normal. 
 
Sorrowland is a memorable work of Gothic fiction that wrestles with the tangled history of racism in America, by the end Vern learns that monsters aren't just individuals, but entire histories, systems, and nations.

Sorrowland

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