Things Fall Apart

By Chinua Achebe, 1958

The founding father of African fiction portrays, in his first novel, the collision of African and European cultures in an Igbo village. A passionate condemnation of racism and imperial arrogance, never bettered.

As Nelson Mandela stated: “There was a writer named Chinua Achebe, in whose company the prison walls fell down.”

Racism and Social Change in the Republic of Ireland

By Bryan Fanning, 2nd edition 2012

A challenging account of racism and Irish society. It delivers both an accessible history of racism and a useful critique of contemporary Irish policies. This book’s real strength is the inclusion of original case studies that examine how modern Ireland marginalised black and ethnic minorities. The case for taking racism very seriously in 21st century Ireland is well made.

Beloved

By Toni Morrison, 1987

A Pulitzer Prize-winner, this story of racism and slavery is a dense, challenging but great read that has the power to shape the reader’s opinion and understanding.

Conversations with Myself

By Nelson Mandela, 2010

Books about and by Mandela have become an industry. This is the “must read” title. Intensely moving, raw, self-critical, unmediated and told in real time, it is brimming with substantive political and personal insights.

A collection of 80 years of private papers which reveals Mandela’s thoughts on everything from apartheid, to marriage and to freedom.

Mornings in Jenin

By Susan Abulhawa, 2010

Palestine, 1948. A mother clutches her six-month old son as Israeli soldiers march through the village of Ein Hod. In a split second, her son is snatched from her arms and the fate of the Abulheja family is changed forever.

Forced into a refugee camp in Jenin and exiled from the ancient village that is their lifeblood, the family struggles to rebuild their world.

A Fine Balance

By Rohinton Mistry, 1995

Award-winning compassionate novel, which captures all the cruelty and corruption, dignity and heroism, of India.

Set in 1970s Mumbai during a period marked by huge political unrest and human rights violations, this book tells of four characters from varied backgrounds who come together and develop a bond.

The central message?  Freedom, equality and opportunity for all are crucially important for both individuals and society.

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

By Maya Angelou, 1969

The first in an autobiographical series about the early years of African-American writer Maya Angelou.

A coming-of-age story that illustrates how strength of character and a love of literature can help overcome trauma, it offers a searing critique of racism and explores the human quest for independence and personal dignity.

The Cellist of Sarajevo

By Steven Galloway, 2008

Poignant, lyrical and powerful, this novel is based on actual events that took place during the siege of Sarajevo.

It is about war, genocide and the endurance of the human spirit in the face of ethnic hatred and violence.

King Leopold’s Ghost

By Adam Hochschild, 1998

This astonishing, award-winning book tells the story of the brutal subjugation of the Congo which resulted in the deaths of between 5 and 8 million people. Hochschild profiles several people who helped make the world aware of this awful reality. He highlights the key role played by Sir Roger Casement who put the force of the British government behind the international protest against Leopold.

Small Island

Andrea Levy, 2004

An award-winning novel which is a masterful depiction of class, race, and prejudice in London in 1948.

Through four narrators, the author brings to life the dreams and fears of a generation, including a Jamaican newlywed and his young wife, Hortense.