*A 2018 BOOK OF THE YEAR* ‘An inspirational must-read.’ Evening Standard ‘A very important book.’ Will Gompertz, BBC ‘A motivational, inspirational oral history.’ Nikesh Shukla, iNews ‘Don’t sleep on it... the future is looking #Merky.’ Metro ______________________ ‘It’s been a long time coming, I swear...’ In four 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, lyrics and contributions from Team #Merky, 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

Rise Up: The #Merky Story So Far

Stormzy

Biographies & Memoirs

Merky Books

Humor & Entertainment

As a minority in a predominantly white institution, taking up space is an act of resistance. And in higher education, feeling like you constantly have to justify your existence within institutions that weren't made for you is an ongoing struggle for many people. Two recent Cambridge graduates wrote Taking Up Space as a guide and a manifesto for change: tackling issues of access, unrepresentative curricula, discrimination in the classroom, the problems of activism and life before and after university. 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.

Taking Up Space: The Black Girl’s Manifesto for Change

Kwakye, Chelsea

Ogunbiyi, Ore

Leaders & Notable People

Taking Up Space: The Black Girl's Manifesto for Change

Community & Culture

A moving and powerful account of the problems faced and overcome by a new generation, from an extraordinarily accomplished young activist and entrepreneur. A moving and powerful account of the problems faced by a new generation, from crime to poverty to an increasingly divided society, from an extraordinarily accomplished young activist and entrepreneur. My name is Jeremiah Emmanuel. I'm twenty years old. I'm an activist, an entrepreneur, a former deputy young mayor of Lambeth and member of the UK Youth Parliament. I wanted to change the world, but the world I was born into changed me first. 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. Your best friend might vanish overnight, never to be seen again. That was the world I knew; the only one I thought was possible for people like me. But somehow, as I got older, I found my way to a different world- a place where people listened to you, where opinions were heard, where doors were opened, where there were opportunities around every corner. Everything had stayed the same and everything had changed. This is the story of how I did it, the people who helped me get there, and the huge hurdles I - and my entire generation - have to learn to face and overcome. It's the story of how to move forward in a world that's holding you back.

Dreaming in a Nightmare: Finding a Way Forward in a World That’s Holding You Back

Emmanuel, Jeremiah

<div>A moving and powerful account of the problems faced by a new generation, from crime to poverty to an increasingly divided society, from an extraordinarily accomplished young activist and entrepreneur. My name is Jeremiah Emmanuel. I'm 20 years old. I'm an activist, an entrepreneur, a former deputy young mayor of Lambeth, and a member of the UK Youth Parliament. I wanted to change the world, but the world I was born into changed me first. 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. Your best friend might vanish overnight, never to be seen again. That was the world I knew; the only one I thought was possible for people like me. But somehow, as I got older, I found my way to a different world: a place where people listened to you, where opinions were heard, where doors were opened, where there were opportunities around every corner. Everything had stayed the same and everything had changed. This is the story of how I did it, the people who helped me get there, and the huge hurdles I-and my entire generation-have to learn to face and overcome. It's the story of how to move forward in a world that's holding you back.</div>

Dreaming in a Nightmare: Finding a Way Forwards in a World That’s Holding You Back

Chosen as one of Bustle's Best Debut Books of 2021 An arresting debut collection about identity, ancestry, and history, from a young poet selected as an inaugural winner of the #Merky Books New Writers' Prize Written with profound depth and insight, the poems in Teeth in the Back of My Neck explore the joys, the confusions, and the moments of sadness behind having one's history scattered around the globe--and the way in which your identity is always worn on your skin, whether you like it or not. Bristling with tension and beautifully realized, Monika Radojevic's impressive debut collection is an introduction to one of the most exciting and impressive poets of her generation.

Teeth in the Back of my Neck

Literature & Fiction

Radojevic, Monika

Poetry

WINNER of the Merky Books New Writers' Prize 
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'A remarkably accomplished, polished debut.' MALORIE BLACKMAN 
'Rightfully tipped for greatness' SUNDAY TIMES 
'This moving tale of love and loss ... is well worth the wait' INDEPENDENT 
'[W]hat's distinctive is the modern, multi-ethnic vision of masculinity she presents and the solidarity that emerges from it ... undeniably powerful too.' GUARDIAN 
'[A] sprawling and epic dual narrative ... woven together with gentle urgency; sensitive and with a rare perspective on how our mixed race backgrounds can help form feelings of both internal power and conflict.' I-D MAGAZINE\n'You can't stop birds from flying, can you, Sameer? They go where they will...'\n1960s UGANDA. Hasan struggles to keep his family business afloat following the sudden death of his wife. As he begins to put his shattered life back together piece by piece, a new regime seizes power, and a wave of rising prejudice threatens to sweep away everything he has built.\nPresent-day LONDON. Sameer, a young high-flying lawyer, senses an emptiness in what he thought was the life of his dreams. Called back to his family home by an unexpected tragedy, Sameer begins to find the missing pieces of himself not in his future plans, but in a heritage he never knew. 
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Moving between two continents over a troubled century, We Are All Birds of Uganda is an immensely resonant novel that explores racial tensions, generational divides and what it means to belong.\nIt is the first work of fiction by Hafsa Zayyan, co-winner of the inaugural #Merky Books New Writers' Prize, and one of the most exciting young novelists of today. 
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Stylist's Best Fiction 2021 
The Independent's January Book of the Month 
Marie Claire's January Book of the Month 
Refinery29 Reads: The Books We're Picking Up This January 
The British Blacklist: January To Be Read List 
As featured in the Daily Mail, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Observer, TLS, Monocle 
Chosen as 'Book Club Choice' on Steve Wright's BBC Radio 2 Book Club 
___________________ 
Readers have been entranced by We Are All Birds of Uganda:\n'I can't find the words to describe how much I adored every, single, beautiful word of this totally amazing story. If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would.'\n'A truly remarkable debut ... I have found a new favourite author'\n'This is one of the best books I have read in a long time and the writing is exceptional. A truly remarkable debut novel that I will shout about from the rooftops.'\n'An absolute gem'\n'Meticulously crafted, beautifully and thoughtfully written ... an absolute pleasure to read.'\n'Beautifully written ... extremely accomplished and readable'

We Are All Birds of Uganda: Hafsa Zayyan

Zayyan, Hafsa

Contemporary

Just Sayin': My Life In Words

Malorie, Blackman

Arts & Literature

BLACKMAN, Malorie

Teen & Young Adult

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