Reni Eddo-Lodge becomes first black British author to top UK book charts

Reni Eddo-Lodge has made history this week, becoming the first black British writer to top the UK's best-seller list since the official book chart was launched in 1998.

Last week, the London-born author's book Why I'm No Longer Talking To White People About Race topped the paperback non-fiction chart, following protests about racism.

Now, the book has become the best-selling title in the UK overall, according to Nielsen BookScan.

The rising popularity of the book, which was first published in 2017, has coincided with Black Lives Matter protests around the world, which were sparked by the death of George Floyd in the US.

Reni Eddo-Lodge has topped the UK best-seller list.

Eddo-Lodge's book explores themes around the conversation about race in the UK.

In a post on Twitter, Eddo-Lodge said: "Feels absolutely wild to have broken this record.

"My work stands on the shoulders of so many black British literary giants – Bernardine Evaristo, Benjamin Zephaniah, Zadie Smith, Andrea Levy, Stella Dadzie, Stuart Hall, Linton K Johnson, Jackie Kay, Gary Younge – to name a few."

Former US first lady Michelle Obama has previously topped the chart.

Her memoir Becoming was a Christmas bestseller in the UK in 2018.

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