Ten legal books by Black authors to entertain, educate and inspire you

Reading time: seven minutes

As autumn draws in and the weather gets colder, there’s nothing quite like a good book. From courtroom dramas to crime thrillers, legal literature has always been a popular genre. In this LCN Says, we want to draw attention to the wealth of legal and political writing, both fiction and non-fiction, produced by Black authors. By highlighting these voices, we’re not just seeking to help you expand your legal knowledge, but also hoping that you’ll be entertained, educated and inspired.

For more information on what firms, chambers and legal education providers are doing to improve diversity and inclusion within the profession, head to LCN’s Diversity hub.

The Witness by Alexandra Wilson, 2024

In 2020, Alexandra Wilson received acclaim for her non-fiction book In Black and White, which explored her experiences as a junior criminal and family law barrister. In June 2024, Wilson delved into the world of fiction with the release of her debut novel, The Witness. The protagonist, Rosa, is a talented and determined barrister and, when a young Black man is arrested for murder, she finds herself defending him against a seemingly strong case. However, Rosa's intuition tells her that there’s more to the story than meets the eye. The Witness has been described as a “gripping insight into the intricacies of the British legal system and the assumptions that are made” and “an important corrective to the cliché that all barristers are posh, white and loaded”. Wilson has also been praised for her portrayal of what it’s really like to be a criminal barrister.

Surge by Jay Bernard, 2019

Jay Bernard’s award-winning poetry collection Surge explores significant moments of Black British history in London from the 1980s through to the present day. During a 2016 residency, the poet used archival materials from the George Padmore Institute to research the 1981 New Cross Fire. When the Grenfell fire occurred in 2017, Bernard noticed the similarities between the two events, with the grave sense of history repeating itself becoming a prominent theme throughout the collection. Bernard questions how governments and systems of power responded to both tragedies, as well as the lack of social progress between the two events, both in terms of legislation and attitudes. The text shines a much-needed light on an unacknowledged chapter in British history, using an archival basis to inform and discuss political issues. In 2019, celebrated author Bernardine Evaristo chose Surge as one of her books of the year in the New Statesman, describing the book as “haunting, historical, archival and imaginative”.

Killing the Black Body by Dorothy Roberts, 1997

Dorothy Roberts’ groundbreaking 1997 book Killing the Black Body explores concerns about reproductive rights for Black women in America. Significantly, following the publication of the book, President Bill Clinton made major changes to the welfare system by signing the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. This allowed states to restructure policies that previously regulated the reproductive decisions of women receiving benefits. Writer Michelle Alexander commented that the book is a “must-read for all those who claim to care about racial and gender justice in America”.

The Emperor of Ocean Park by Stephen L Carter, 2002

Stephen L Carter’s debut fiction novel The Emperor of Ocean Park was an immediate international bestseller when it was published in 2002. The story revolves around the suspicious death of Judge Oliver Garland, a controversial figure once nominated for the Supreme Court. Years after the humiliating withdrawal of his nomination, Garland's death raises questions and hints at a potential scandal. He leaves behind a cryptic message for his son, Talcott, a professor at an elite law school, entrusting him with a mysterious puzzle that holds the key to unravelling his father's troubled past. As more deaths occur, Talcott must risk everything to follow the clues left by his father. The Emperor of Ocean Park is a must-read for fans of courtroom drama, with novelist John Grisham describing the book as “a rich, complex family saga, one deftly woven through a fine legal thriller”.

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African by Olaudah Equiano, 1789

The oldest book on our list, Olaudah Equiano’s autobiography stands as a key record of the abolition process within Britain. The text details his time spent as an enslaved person, his cross-cultural and geopolitical journey from Africa to America and eventually to England, and his pivotal position within the abolition movement. Described by Henry Louis Gates as a “founding figure in the making of an authentic black literary tradition”, Equiano is remembered both for his instrumental role in creating legislative change and the Black intellectual tradition his writing helped establish. The narrative helped change public sentiments towards slavery within Britain and is an essential read for anyone looking to understand how the intersections of Blackness, legality and literature were established and have evolved.

One of Them by Musa Okwonga, 2021

The next book we’ve chosen explores race and class in modern Britain and addresses the gaps in the British education system. Musa Okwonga was born in Britain to parents who’d fled war-torn Uganda in the mid-1970s. He grew up in a working-class town on the outskirts of London and always dreamt of attending Eton. Aged 13, Okwonga won a half-scholarship to the school and found himself plunged into one of the top single-sex educational establishments in Britain.

Okwonga’s story is one of covert prejudice, as he struggles to understand the “great silence” that existed in his education. From a lack of acknowledgment of the role of empire in building the school to the absence of slavery’s mention in history lessons, Okwonga questions the insidious presence of racism in his schooling. He writes that, as it was “unlikely… many of my contemporaries [had] a close Black friend”, he resolved to avoid any stereotypes they might have about Black people with “a military level of self-restraint”. In adulthood, he went on to study jurisprudence, sometimes known as legal theory, at Oxford before later becoming a writer.

Black and British: A Forgotten History by David Olusoga, 2021

As Okwonga’s text addresses the gaps in the British education system, this book provides a foundation of the history of Black Britain, including the legal elements. In the written version of his popular BBC TV series, Black and British takes the reader through the rich history of Black Britain. Drawing on new genetic and genealogical material, original records, oral testimony, and contemporary interviews, Olusoga explores the Black British story from Roman Britain through to the contemporary era.

History and law become intertwined throughout Olusoga’s analysis of Black Britain. From the court cases of writer and abolitionist Olaudah Equiano – another writer featured on our list – to the impact of post-war immigration laws on the Windrush generation, the law is integral to every part of British history. The most recently revised version also features a new chapter focusing on the Black Lives Matter protests.

Lefty Lawyer: Speaking Truth to Power by Pauline Campbell, 2025

Pauline Campbell was born in East London to Jamaican parents and qualified as a lawyer at 41. Her story is an incredible one, taking the reader through her childhood, teenage and adult years. The book is part memoir, part commentary, as she explores her life and journey into a career as a senior lawyer, after being told at 15 she “wasn’t A-level material”. It tells not just a personal story, but one entwined with the political setting and status of her parents’ Windrush generation.

Campbell weaves together humorous experiences of childhood with the reality that racism not only exists, but that it permeates your everyday lived experience. In conversation with The Waltham Forest Echo, Campbell said the book “uncovers modern Britain’s structural racist past” while also narrating her journey to “discovering her own identity [and] sense of belonging”. The book reflects on race, racism, identity and belonging against the backdrop of modern-day Britain.

Pauline Campbell has previously been interviewed by LawCareers.Net for Black History Month.

Tribes by David Lammy, 2020

Former barrister and MP for Tottenham David Lammy shares his experiences of qualifying and practising law. After becoming the first Black Briton to attend Harvard Law School, he was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1994. Tribes asks questions about identity politics and is part memoir, part cultural and political analysis with a distinct historical focus. From his own experience of being ‘jumped’ by police officers at 12 years old, to his time practising as a barrister in the 1990s, Lammy offers a genuine insight into the impact a legal career may have on your life, even if you later enter the volatile world of politics.

Black Klansman: Race, Hate, and the Undercover Investigation of a Lifetime by Ron Stallworth, 2014

Ron Stallworth was the first Black detective working in the Police Department at Colorado Springs. His book tells the true story of how he infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan in a month-long undercover investigation. The book echoes a crime thriller, telling the story of the divisions in 1970s America, and was adapted into an Academy Award-winning film in 2018 by Spike Lee.

For more books to add to your reading list, check out Penguin’s The ultimate Black History Month reading list.

Anna O’Boyle (she/her) is acting senior content and engagement coordinator at LawCareersNet.