This Is the Canon

This Is the Canon Decolonize Your Bookshelves in 50 Books

Paperback (28 Oct 2021)

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Publisher's Synopsis

'Vital and timely ... Perfectly curated and filled with brilliant literature' Nikesh Shukla

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.

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

'Bold, clear, informative, universal. Read the authors' dazzling selection of novels from outside the old canon.'

Professor Maggie Gee

Book information

ISBN: 9781529418842
Publisher: Quercus Publishing
Imprint: Greenfinch
Pub date:
Language: English
Number of pages: 352
Weight: 41g
Height: 216mm
Width: 135mm