Colonialism & Postcolonialism

With best-selling novels like Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible and influential academic texts such as Edward Said's Orientalism, this collection gathers books from across genres to explore the complex dynamics and lasting legacies of colonialism.

Planet of Slums

by Mike Davis

Publication year 2005

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Politics & Government, Economics, Colonialism, Social Class, Globalization, Nation, Justice, Power & Greed

Tags Politics & Government, Business & Economics, Urban Development, Poverty, Finance, Asian History, History: African , European History, US History, Social Justice, Social Class, Science & Nature, Sociology, World History

Planet of Slums is a non-fiction book published in 2006 by American author and urban theorist Mike Davis. It chronicles the spread of poverty in cities around the world at a time when more than a billion people live in what the United Nations (UN) classifies as "slums."SummaryIn 1950, only 86 cities around the world had populations of one million people or more. When Davis wrote this book in 2005, he predicted that by 2015... Read Planet of Slums Summary

Pony

by R. J. Palacio

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Death, The Past, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Family, Colonialism, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Children`s Literature, World History, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Animals, Action & Adventure

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Prayer to the Masks

by Léopold Sédar Senghor

Publication year 1945

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Race, Colonialism, Politics & Government

Tags Lyric Poem, Race & Racism, Arts & Culture, African Literature, Politics & Government

“Prayer to the Masks” is a poem by influential Senegalese poet and politician Léopold Sédar Senghor, published in 1945 in his collection Chants d’ombre (Songs of Shadow). Senghor often used his work to illuminate African history and contemplate the consequences of colonialism. Educated in Paris, Senghor was a founding member of the artistic and political movement Négritude, which emphasized pride in African and Black identity and history, which he practiced through his poetry. With “Prayer... Read Prayer to the Masks Summary

Promises to Keep

by Sharon Robinson

Publication year 2004

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Hope, Race, Future, The Past, Family, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Community, Nation, Politics & Government, Equality, Fame, Justice, Order & Chaos, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

Tags Biography, African American Literature, Sports, US History

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Pushing the Bear

by Diane Glancy

Publication year 1996

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Grief, Indigenous Identity, Death, Place, Family, Colonialism, Community, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Historical Fiction, US History, Social Justice, Education, Education, World History

Written by Diane Glancy in 1996, Pushing the Bear: A Novel of the Trail of Tears follows a group of Cherokee people as they are forced to relocate to “Indian Territory” in Oklahoma in 1838 and 1839. The novel is told from varying perspectives of members of the Cherokee Nation as well as soldiers, reverends, and disembodied voices. These shifting perspectives create a fragmented yet nuanced narrative as Glancy weaves together multiple viewpoints and utilizes... Read Pushing the Bear Summary

Queen of Shadows

by Sarah J. Maas

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Guilt, Love, Femininity, Race, Coming of Age, Nature Versus Nurture, Place, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Colonialism, War, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Action & Adventure, Fairy Tale & Folklore

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Quit India

by Mahatma Gandhi

Publication year 1942

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes War, Colonialism, Perseverance, Hope, Community, Power & Greed, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Justice

Tags Philosophy, Politics & Government, Asian History, World War II

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Red Mars

by Kim Stanley Robinson

Publication year 1992

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Space, Conflict, Perseverance, Loneliness, Nostalgia, Future, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Food, Place, Family, Friendship, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Community, Economics, Immigration, Politics & Government, War, Beauty, Equality, Fate, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Truth & Lies

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy

Red Mars, a 1992 science fiction novel by Kim Stanley Robinson, is the first book in the Mars trilogy about settling and terraforming the planet Mars. Red Mars follows the first 100 people who land on Mars and begin the complex process of terraforming the planet. In 1993, Red Mars won the Nebula Award and the British Science Fiction Association Award. This guide uses the 2009 HarperVoyager edition.Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions... Read Red Mars Summary

Rendezvous with Rama

by Arthur C. Clarke

Publication year 1973

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Space, Conflict, Fear, Hope, Memory, Masculinity, Future, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Objects & Materials, Place, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Politics & Government, Beauty, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy

Published in 1973, Rendezvous With Rama is a science fiction adventure novel by British author Arthur C. Clarke. In his time, Clarke was known as one of the “Big Three” writers of science fiction alongside American authors Isaac Asimov and Robert A. Heinlein. Clarke’s expertise in space flight prompted him to develop the novel and screenplay for his best-known work, 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). Rendezvous With Rama won major speculative fiction awards, including the... Read Rendezvous with Rama Summary

Requiem for the American Dream

by Noam Chomsky

Publication year 2017

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Economics, Social Class, Politics & Government, Justice, Equality, Power & Greed, Education, Colonialism, Nation

Tags Business & Economics, Politics & Government, Philosophy, Social Justice, Civil Rights & Jim Crow South, Finance, US History, American Literature, Sociology, World History, Philosophy

Requiem for the American Dream: The 10 Principles of Concentration of Wealth & Power by linguist and political activist Noam Chomsky evaluates the rise of income inequality in the US over the last 40 years. It argues that the main consequence of neoliberalism, which has increased since the 1970s, is a dramatic concentration of wealth and power to the elite—at the expense of the lower and middle classes. Chomsky observes how rapid financialization since the... Read Requiem for the American Dream Summary

Resist

by Alan Gratz

Publication year 2019

Genre Novella, Fiction

Themes War, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Hope, Childhood & Youth, Death, Animals, Place, Daughters & Sons, Mothers, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Nation, Politics & Government, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Wins & Losses

Tags Historical Fiction, World War II, Children`s Literature

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Rise To Rebellion

by Jeff Shaara

Publication year 2001

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Hate & Anger, Hope, Revenge, Mental Health, Death, The Past, Place, Family, Fathers, Marriage, Teamwork, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Economics, Globalization, Politics & Government, War, Equality, Power & Greed

Tags World History, American Revolution, Historical Fiction, Military & War, US History

... Read Rise To Rebellion Summary

Rooftops of Tehran

by Mahbod Seraji

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Colonialism, Politics & Government

Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, Coming of Age, Middle Eastern Literature, World History, Arts & Culture

Rooftops of Tehran (2009) is a historical fiction novel written by Iranian-American writer Mahbod Seraji. It follows a 17-year-old boy, Pasha, and his friends as they come of age during an era of political oppression and turmoil in Iran. The novel was selected as one of the books in the Outstanding Debut Category by the American Booksellers Association, and it was one of the San Francisco Chronicle’s 50 Notable Books of the Bay Area. Rooftops... Read Rooftops of Tehran Summary