Posts like these have been circulating online lately. The attention of the media and the world is on racism.
Today I have a reading list of books that aim to educate their readers on racism.
Obviously I assembled this list because of the recent protests. The death of George Floyd. But racism isn’t just a topical issue, it’s not a fleeting problem, it’s a long-term issue that needs to be dealt with once and for all.
As far as progress goes, we have a long way left before we come close to a full improvement. There are still far too many parallels between our world today and the world of 50 years ago.
Education is the way forward. Just because you’re white, just because I’m white, doesn’t mean you and I can’t work on understanding racism better. Our attitudes and behaviour can be improved. Through reading, we can be equipped to support those around us and educate future generations.
If you are interested in making a tangible difference today, as you begin to educate yourself, you could do these two things:
Sign this petition to get justice for George Floyd:
https://www.change.org/p/mayor-jacob-frey-justice-for-george-floyd
Donate to the George Floyd memorial fund:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd
I’m going to start with recommending to you the best books about racism that I’ve read. Then I’ll tell you about some books which I haven’t read yet, but will be reading.
I realized while I was making this list that most of the books I have read about race are realistic fiction, and therefore, the books I intend to read are mostly non-fiction.
Books I’ve Read
- Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams (purchase here)
Queenie is a Jamaican British woman who lives in London. She struggles with fitting into either culture, and looks for comfort from the world in bad places: like one night stands. As she carries on like this, she feels herself spiralling, and questions who she is. This book chronicles her efforts to answer this question, and discover her identity and place in the world. This is a work of modern fiction.
- Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (purchase here)
This tells the story of Ifemelu and Obinze, who leave Nigeria for the West, and mean to reconnect, but never quite do. Ifemelu goes to America, where she struggles with what it means to be black. Obinze lives undocumented in London. Years later, they reunite in Nigeria, and fall back in love with each other and their country. This is a work of modern fiction.
- The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar (purchase here)
Nishat is a Muslim living in Ireland, and a lesbian. This book chronicles her life after she comes out to her parents, as she battles between her blossoming love for a girl named Flávia, and her relationship with her family. Nishat desperately tries to reconcile her identity and her culture in this YA novel.
- A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum (purchase here)
This tells the story of Deya, an Arab-American woman living in Brooklyn. She wants to attend college, and her grandparents are pushing her to get married. As she struggles to come to a decision: stand up to them, or obey them, secrets from her parent’s past are exposed.
- The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney by Okechukwu Nzelu (purchase here)
Nnenna is a half-Nigerian teenager living in Manchester with her single mother. This is a coming of age novel about a girl trying to learn about her Igbo-Nigerian culture, despite her mother’s reluctance. The relationship between mother and daughter is strained as Nnenna’s questioning intensifies.
Books I Will Read
- White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo (purchase here)
This is a non-fiction book that challenges the white people’s behaviour regarding racism. It exposes the emotions that fuel their behaviour, and how those behaviours set back meaningful progress and cross-racial dialogue.
- Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo (purchase here)
This book tells the story of twelve characters, most of which are women, black and British. It depicts their families, their friends, and their relationships over the years. The structure and prose is unconventional, and it presents all kinds of voices, exploring race and what it’s like to live in a white dominant culture.
- It’s Not About the Burqa by Mariam Khan (purchase here)
This book gives space for the voices which are usually unrepresented in news and media: the voices of Muslim women. This is a collection of essays which consist of Muslim women talking about faith, the hijab, love, feminism, sex, and so much more. It explores what it means to be a Muslim woman in the West today: It’s not all about the burqa.
- Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge (purchase here)
This book explores black history and white dominance, the link between class and race, and so much more. The author suggests a new framework of how to see and counter racism. It explores what it is like to be a person of colour in Britain today.
I hope this list of books has encouraged you to read something different from usual: to learn about racism. You have the chance to be different today, to stand against racism today, to educate yourself today.
Note the amazon purchase links in this post are affiliate links. This means that, should you purchase the books through my link, I earn a very small commission! You don’t pay any extra!