Candice Brathwaite: ‘I was hungry for books that spoke to me’

‘Black British lit was very thin on the ground [when I was growing up], so I was being fed from my family’s travels to America and my American cousins … [These books] kicked the door off the innocence of the world. Because I was raised in South London in Brixton, I didn’t really understand racism – wherever I looked there were black people.’

‘You could not buy this book anywhere. Sold out. Having a copy was akin to having the Moschino jeans with hearts on. At school we all carried these art folders that were see-through, and you’d prop that book up, cover out, so at the bus stop everyone knew you were that girl.’

‘I remember reading it in secret, because the themes are really hard-hitting, and just being absolutely transformed by it … Maybe we won’t be able to meet the women that have genuinely helped us forge a path ahead, but having [Angelou’s] work to engage with is just top tier.’

‘It was one of the first books that really helped me tap into my woo-woo-ness. I’m a deeply spiritual, dream, intuition-led gal … As a woman, especially as a black woman, it’s easy for people to talk us out of that “inner voice”.’

‘What her autobiography taught me is to stop being consumed with my age or ageing out of success … Malorie didn’t get published until her mid 30s. Her books have only just begun to be televised, and she’s in her 60s  … Taking that time doesn’t take away from the impact.’