Celebrate Black History Month 2025 with Must-Listen Audiobooks & Kit de Waal Q&A
October is here, and with it comes Black History Month – a time to champion Black history, artistry, culture, and identity through an excellent array of literature, along with an exciting upcoming author Q&A.
This year’s theme is “Standing Firm in Power and Pride”, a tribute to the resilience, strength and excellence of the Black community. This month is all about spotlighting and celebrating those who have enacted change and broken barriers in education, community and the arts.
To celebrate, we’ve a selected our top audiobook picks across genres, including memoirs, fiction and children's and YA, with several authors who have created powerful and impactful stories.
Plus we also feature a spotlight on our upcoming event with award-winning author and Listening Books ambassador, Kit de Waal.
Top Audiobook Picks
Memoir & Non-Fiction
Without Warning and Only Sometimes by Kit de Waal
Narrated by author Kit de Waal, this big-hearted memoir spotlights her childhood growing up in 1960s Moseley, Birmingham to an Irish mother and Caribbean father. Kit and her brothers and sisters knew all the words to the best songs, caught sticklebacks in jam jars and braved hunger and hellfire until they could all escape.
Without Warning and Only Sometimes is a story of an extraordinary childhood and how a girl who grew up in a house where the Bible was the only book on offer, went on to discover a love of reading that inspires her to this day.
Track Record by George the Poet
Narrated by the spoken-word artist, poet, rapper and podcaster, this part-memoir, part-treatise is an enlightening and powerful listen. Delving into the music scene and iconic films from his childhood, as well as crucial political and economic moments in history, this book provides the backstory of where we are today.
In Track Record, George unveils the power dynamics that shape our world, shedding light on the forces that restrict Black creativity and put limits on Black excellence.
Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly
Narrated by Robin Miles, this is an eye-opening and inspiring listen spotlighting the untold story of talented African American women who were crucial in bringing NASA’s projects to life.
Moving from World War II through NASA's golden age, touching on the civil rights era, the Space Race, the Cold War, and the women's rights movement, 'Hidden Figures' interweaves a rich history of mankind's greatest adventure with the intimate stories of five courageous women whose work forever changed the world.
Fiction
The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Narrated by Joe Morton, the powerful debut novel from acclaimed journalist blends historical fiction with magical realism. Hiram Walker is born into bondage on a Virginia plantation. But he is also born gifted with a mysterious power that he won't discover until he is almost a man, when he risks everything for a chance to escape.
The Water Dancer is a story of oppression and resistance, separation and homecoming. Ta-Nehisi Coates imagines the covert war of an enslaved people in response to a generations-long human atrocity - a war for the right to life, to kin, to freedom.
The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho by Paterson Joseph
Narrated by actor and author Paterson Joseph, this fascinating listen re-imagines the deed and life of the real historical figure, who was famed to be the first black person to vote in the general election of Britain.
It's time for him to tell his story, one that begins on a tempestuous Atlantic Ocean, and ends at the very centre of London life. And through it all, he must ask: born amongst death, how much can you achieve in one short life?
Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson
Narrated by the author himself, this award-winning debut tells the moving tale of two young Black artists – one a dancer, one a photographer - falling in love. But two people who seem destined to be together can still be torn apart by fear and violence.
Open Water asks what it means to be a person in a world that sees you only as a Black body, to be vulnerable when you are only respected for strength, to find safety in love, only to lose it.
Young Adult & Children’s
Brown Girl Dreaming – Jackqueline Woodson
Poetic and powerful - a memoir told in verse as author Jacqueline Woodson reflects the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, even though she struggled with reading and writing as a child.
Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child's soul as she searches for her place in the world.
Becoming Dinah – Kit de Waal
Kit de Waal’s first YA novel is an intriguing coming-of-age twist on Moby Dick, complete with a VW campervan and grouchy companion named Ahab! Seventeen-year-old Dinah needs to leave her home, the weird commune where she grew up. She needs a whole new identity, starting with how she looks, starting with shaving off her hair.
But while she's driving, Dinah will be forced to confront everything that led her here, everything that will finally show her which direction to turn...
Noughts and Crosses – Malorie Blackman
Malorie Blackman’s Noughts & Crosses remains a cornerstone of YA literature, tackling issues of race, power, and social inequality with imagination and emotional depth. Its legacy spans a bestselling book series, a BBC adaptation, and multiple stage productions.
Set in an alternate reality divided by racial hierarchy, the story follows Sephy, a Cross and member of the ruling class, and Callum, a nought from the oppressed underclass. Their unique childhood friendship is forever altered when Callum is admitted to Sephy’s elite school, igniting tensions that challenge the status quo.
Spotlight: Virtual Village Hall – Author Q&A with Kit de Waal
We’re incredibly excited to be hosting a Virtual Village Hall Q&A with the award-winning author and Listening Books ambassador, Kit de Waal!
- Date: Friday, 24th October at 11am.
- Where: The Virtual Village Hall Facebook or YouTube channel.
- What to expect: Kit will be discussing her latest novel “The Best of Everything”, along with her other incredible books, her inspirations, and the power of storytelling and audiobooks.
Join the Virtual Village Hall or explore Kit de Waal’s audiobooks here.
This Black History Month, immerse yourself in stories that celebrate Black voices, histories, and experiences. Whether you want to learn, reflect, or enjoy a story, there’s something for everyone.
At Listening Books, we offer over 9,500 audiobooks for all ages and interests. Membership costs just £25 a year or is free if cost is a barrier.
Explore our audiobook collection, or join today – and experience the power of stories like never before.
