Musical Truth Written by Jeffrey Boakye. Reviewed by Ruby, Age 17

Engaging and inspiring, Jeffrey Boakye’s Musical Truth: A Musical History of Modern Black Britain in 28 Songs is an enjoyable and highly topical read. The book uses black British music to chart the course of black British history from 1948, and in so doing provides an insightful account of both.

Each chapter takes a step forward in time with a new song by a different artist, including Stormzy, Neneh Cherry and Ed Sheeran. This is accompanied by illustrations at the beginning of each chapter, drawn by the talented Ngadi Smart.

The book covers a range of issues associated with race and immigration in Britain across the decades, including racism in society, conflict between black people and the police, and the poverty faced by many black immigrants. As such, Musical Truth is thought-provoking and insightful, focussing on the issues that have been highlighted increasingly since the death of George Floyd. It also covers positive changes and reasons for optimism with regards to racism, which helps to give the full picture of what it is like to be black and British. The use of songs to mark the chronology adds to the power of the narrative, with the story of each artist told alongside the over-arching themes.

I found some of the language and explanations in Musical Truth a little simplistic at times, and therefore I would say the book is perfect for 12-16 year olds.

That said, overall Musical Truth is highly accessible and creatively written, with great illustrations and a profound, thought-provoking message. I would thoroughly recommend for lovers of music and/or history, particularly political and cultural history.