Madame Askew and The Grand Arbiter

Originally posted to our Patreon

Last year, filled with hope for the future and bookish joy, I put together a very short list of book recommendations in honour of Juneteenth. This is a holiday I hold close to my heart and consider every year with introspection and reverence for the history. This year, my feelings are, frankly, more impassioned but I never wish to make such a celebration about my experience of honouring the history. My first hope is that I may instead introduce my darling friends to authors, artists, historians, and educations for whom this history is ancestral.

The list below is very short when measured against the incredible treasury of African American literature. I hope that these few recommendations start you on a journey of reading even more voraciously, delving into history and stories that are too often neglected, and perhaps finding one or two new favourite authors.

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In honour of Juneteenth, I curated a rather long list of recommended reads that I started gathering together last year (2023). I did my utmost to include a variety of books to fit many moods and tastes, from poetry to short stories to young adult, from steampunk to steampunk adjacent. I do want to share a few particular favourites which I think are not only excellent books but also particularly good choices for celebrating today.

The Black God’s Drum by P. Djèlí Clark will be a forever favourite of mine. It’s a stunning novella with such a gripping plot and brilliant characters. This was a book club pick a few years ago, and I will always long for more installments in the world Clark imagines.  (Steampunk)

Indigo by Beverly Jenkins sets an extremely high bar for what Romance as a genre can be. Poignant characters, incredible attention to history and the intersections that define people, and a beautiful love story make this a classic of the Romance genre. For those not familiar, Miss Bev, as she is known to her fans, is a grand dame of Romance and an incredible writer. (Historical Romance)

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland is another book club pick and a permanent addition to my personal favourite steampunk reads! This plot is so engrossing and the details for how history shifted so brilliantly realized that I could not put this book down. All of that said, the characters of this story are the real treasure. Ireland is a master at crafting characters that jump off the page! The sequel is also a stunning read. (Steampunk)

Everfair by Nisi Shawl is one of the most incredible steampunk books I have read. Far from an easy read due to the subject matter, it is nonetheless beautifully written and a brilliant literary work. The prose always captures me first, but having read it many times, the cunning ways in which Shawl uses characters and absolutely unblinking approach to the harrowing nature of the story is what makes this such a stand out. (Steampunk)

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia is the sort of magical adventure that made me fall in love with reading as a young person. I am so delighted that more books like this exist for young readers now, but equally pleased that I may also discover and enjoy them! I read this in one sitting despite needing to sleep. I simply had to find out what happened next because the story was that engaging and the characters were so beautifully realized. This is a wonderful blending of history, legacy, the fantastical mythology, and tradition (Steampunk adjacent, Young Adult)

The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes have traveled across many decades and many thousands of miles with me. We don’t discuss poetry very often, but this is one of my favourite collections. Hughes captures the vibrance and synchronicity of the Harlem Renaissance in his poetry, and I consider him to be a poetic treasure. I was first introduced to Hughes’ work as an impressionable young blue stocking but at the time, no one spoke of his Queerness, which was as important to his work as his existence as a Black man in Harlem. This is an excellent collection with which to celebrate both Pride and Juneteenth. (Poetry)

I am delighted that Juneteenth is now a recognized federal holiday so that more people may not only have time but also encouragement to celebrate in solidarity. I would never represent myself as an expert on this history, but I hope you will join me in learning more and expanding our understanding of the 19th century.

Cheers!
~Madame

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