Revolutionary Acts

A TLS AND GQ BOOK OF THE YEAR
WINNER OF A SOMERSET MAUGHAM AWARD
FINALIST FOR THE ORWELL PRIZES

Announcing the arrival of a major new talent, an astonishing work of social history which captures Black gay Britain as never before.

'A fascinating, lively and illuminating social history . . . remarkable.'
BERNARDINE EVARISTO, TLS (Books of the Year)

'Extraordinary.' SHON FAYE
'Groundbreaking.' GUARDIAN
'Beautifully woven.' i NEWS
'Gorgeous, gossipy.' EVENING STANDARD
'A rich, vital story.' FRIEZE
'A triumph.' GAY TIMES

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In this landmark work, Jason Okundaye meets an elder generation of Black gay men and finds a spirited community full of courage, charisma and good humour, hungry to tell its past – of nightlife, resistance, political fights, loss, gossip, sex, romance and vulgarity. Through their conversations he seeks to reconcile the Black and gay narratives of Britain, narratives frequently cleaved as distinct and unrelated.

Tracing these men’s journeys and arrivals to South London through the seventies, eighties and nineties from the present day, Okundaye relays their stories with rare compassion, listening as they share intimate memories and reflect upon their lives. They endured and fought against the peak of the AIDS epidemic, built social groups and threw underground parties; they went to war with institutions (and with each other) and created meaning within a society which was often indifferent to their existence.

Revolutionary Acts renders a singular portrait of Britain from the perspective of those buffeted by the winds of marginalisation and discrimination. It is a portrait marked by resilience and self-determination, inspired by the love and beauty Black men have found in each other.

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‘A sparkling book that is all the more remarkable for being the author's first. Okundaye is an outstanding guide to what it means to be black and gay in Britain, providing a perspective to the last four decades that is as revelatory as it is important.’
PETER FRANKOPAN

'In this seminal book Okundaye gives us juicy dialogue, tears and laughter, and vivid landscapes of memory.’
MENDEZ, author of Rainbow Milk

‘This groundbreaking debut tells the stories of seven radicals who were among the first out Black gay men in Britain . . . Okundaye’s research and interviews completely recast key moments in Black British history . . . We should be grateful that he has managed to capture a vital moment that – at so many points – could have been lost for ever.’
LANRE BAKARE, GUARDIAN