Check out our top titles for summer reading...

Celebrate a rich tapestry of personal histories, community, and identity with the Migration Museum’s Summer Reading List, thoughtfully handpicked by our staff.

This vibrant collection brings together powerful fiction, insightful journalism, and cultural explorations—from personal reflections on mixed-race experiences in Britain to culinary journeys redefining the modern British menu.

These recommendations offer perfect summer reads that illuminate what it means to find, make, and redefine home.

Tonight the Music Seems So Loud: the Meaning of George Michael by Sathnam Sanghera

We Are All Birds of Uganda by Hafsa Zayyan

I was lucky enough to see Hafsa Zayyan talk about her debut book at a summer book festival and I immediately bought a copy and dived right in. It's a confidently told story about a young man working out how to be himself whether he’s at work in London, back in Leicester with family, or visiting Kampala to get closer to his family’s past. If a novel can be a deep page-turner then that’s what this one is!

Chosen by Lucy, Collections Researcher

The Half of It by Emma Slade Edmondson and Nicole Ocran

The Half of It is a beautifully honest and open discussion of what it means to be mixed race. Emma and Nicole invite the reader into their lives, and experiences, while critically examining everything from beauty standards, adoption, to racism and why we should avoid the term 'white passing'. They use powerful personal experiences to raise consciousness about a range of topics, creating a deep appreciation for the mixed experience. 

Chosen by Liberty, Head of Learning

Everyone Everywhere: 21 Stories of Mixed Race Britain by Lucas Fothergill

A new collection of interviews and essays that tell an alternative history of Britain through the lives and experiences of people of mixed heritage – the fastest growing ethnic group in the UK according to the most recent census. As someone of mixed heritage myself (Mixed: White and Asian if I'm forced to tick a box), I found it a fascinating – and often highly resonant – read. Full disclosure: I spoke to Lucas while he was researching the book and am mentioned in the acknowledgments. I'm so glad that it's finally been published.

Chosen by Matt, Communications and Engagement Director

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo

I read this book over the summer a number of years ago and I think it has been one of my most enjoyed summer read. A great balance of compelling stories, humour and insightful perspectives on communities that felt new, at least to me. A reminder that families and relationships can be so very different and yet, there are certain features of them that cross cultural and generational boundaries. 

Chosen by Anna

Trumpet: 39 (Picador Classic) by Jackie Kay

Oh how I love Jackie Kay! This book left a strong impression. I read it intently in a hammock on a yoga retreat; the setting also left an impression! As with all of Jackie's writing, it is a deep dive into the beautiful nuances of human existence and complex relationships. Written in the late 90's I remember this gave a sensitive insight into a transgender person's life and loves - a few years before the clamour and toxicity we're seeing today. That's the power of novels for me. 

Chosen by Emily, Partnerships Director

All You Can Eat: The Search for a New British Menu by Ben Benton

Chef and food writer Ben Benton travels across the UK to explore what 'British food' means today – moving beyond outdated stereotypes of bland, under-seasoned dishes and the familiar fare of fish and chips or Sunday roasts. Amid an explosion of culinary creativity across the country, much of it shaped by migration, Benton speaks with chefs, shopkeepers, farmers, and producers who are redefining British tastes. From the Balti houses of Birmingham to the more recent Korean hotspots of New Malden – a new palette is emerging. Celebrating the rich quality ingredients grown, caught, and cooked across the UK, Benton pieces together a vision of a modern national menu: one that reflects the diversity, history, and evolution of contemporary Britain.

Chosen by Mona, Head of Civic Engagement

Another Kind of Concrete by Koushik Banerjea

Chosen by Harriet, Public Engagement Manager

How to Kill a Language: Power, Resistance and the Race to Save Our Words

Top of my summer reading list is Sophia Smith-Galer's new book How to kill a language which explores the unprecedented level of languge loss we're seeing in the world.  Part of the inspiration for the book came from when the author lost her grandmother, realising that she was also losing a connection to the Italian dialect she spoke and, with it, part of her own history, heritage and identity. This got me thinking about my connection to Tamil, my own mother tongue- how it has shaped me and how I'll carry it forward when those who passed it on to me are no longer here.

Chosen by Dhakshi, Development Manager