This Is the Canon: Decolonize Your Bookshelves in 50 Books - Paperback

by Joan Anim-Addo (Author), Deirdre Osborne (With), Kadija Sesay (With)

These are the books you should read. This is the canon.

Joan Anim-Addo, Deirdre Osborne and Kadija Sesay have curated a decolonized reading list that celebrates the wide and diverse experiences of people from around the world, of all backgrounds and all races. It disrupts the all-too-often white-dominated 'required reading' collections that have become the accepted norm and highlights powerful voices and cultural perspectives that demand a place on our shelves.

From literary giants such as Toni Morrison and Chinua Achebe to less well known (but equally vital) writers such as Caribbean novelist Earl Lovelace or Indigenous Australian author Tony Birch, the novels recommended here are in turn haunting and lyrical; innovative and inspiring; edgy and poignant.

The power of great fiction is that readers have the opportunity to discover new worlds and encounter other beliefs and opinions. This is the Canon offers a rich and multifaceted perspective on our past, present and future which deserves to be read by all bibliophiles - whether they are book club members or solitary readers, self-educators or teachers.

Author Biography

Professor Joan Anim-Addo is Professor Emerita of Caribbean Literature and Culture at Goldsmiths University and the co-founder of the world-first MA in Black British Literature.

Dr Deirdre Osborne is Reader in English Literature and Drama at Goldsmiths University, London and the co-founder of the world-first Black British Literature MA. She is also associate editor of Women's Writing.

Kadija Sesay Hon FRSL is a writer and editor of several anthologies. She is the founder of SABLE LitMag, and AfriPoetree SIV and co-founder of The Mboka Festival in The Gambia.