British Black History Reading Group: The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney

Thursday 2 December 2021

On 2nd December 5-6pm we will be reading and discussing Okechukwu Nzelu’s The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney.

 

Due to popular demand, Kingston University Reading Group and Kingston Libraries will be running regular reading group sessions in 2021, as part of their British Black History celebrations. These reading group sessions are open to all staff and students at the University and all members of our local community.

British Black History should not just be celebrated for one month of the year. The need to recognise and remember events that have happened in the past and acknowledge how history influences our present and future, should happen throughout the year. Reading groups sessions such as ours provide us all with the perfect opportunity to have conversations about race and race equality so that together we can begin to unlearn, relearn, and reflect.

On 2nd December 5-6pm we will be reading and discussing Okechukwu Nzelu’s The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney. Our session will take place online (invite to be circulated nearer the time).

Nnenna Maloney is turning seventeen this year and yet she is still missing half of herself. But, to find out more about her Igbo-Nigerian father, Maurice, she must go through her white mother, Joanie, whose lips are sealed. The novel is witty and hilarious, highlighting life at various stages and challenging the status quo and focuses on themes of race, sexuality, gender, religion, identity and coming of age.