The Black Girl Bible has been feted as a good read that will resonate with all women of colour whatever your family origins.
The book is an insight into the everyday challenges that black women face in every area of their lives. From work, health, education, money and dating to the well-known frustrations which many women of colour have had to face – everything from the fetishisation of black women who are regarded as hypersexual, through to unflattering stereotypical media representations.
An example of this is the perennial accusation of being an “angry black woman.” This stereotype is routinely used as a slur on black women including everyone from Michelle Obama to Mel B, aka Scary Spice, the latter of which the book points out is frequently shown in leopard skin to highlight her supposed wild aggression. Added to this is the micro-aggressions experienced on a day-to-day basis, such as having to cope with people who can’t be bothered to pronounce what they deem to be difficult surnames.
The book also looks at the socio-economics of succeeding at school in a system that is structurally tilted against British black communities.
Written by two young Nigerian women, Yomi Adegoke and Elizabeth Uviebinene. Both are now 26 and had decided to write the book three years ago. They had originally met as 18-year-old freshers at the University of Warwick.
Uviebinené’s father came to Britain when she was two and Adegoke was born and raised in Croydon, south London. They have become as close as sister after Uviebinene moved into Adegoke’s family home in 2016 and has lived there since.
The book is peppered with home truths that are bound to strike a chord with many black British women seeking to assimilate the heritage of their parents with their sense of place in British society.
Slay in Your Lane: The Black Girl Bible is available to buy on Amazon or in good book shops.