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.

The Wonder

by Emma Donoghue

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Family, Colonialism

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Psychological Fiction, Religion & Spirituality, World History, Irish Literature

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The Wordy Shipmates

by Sarah Vowell

Publication year 2008

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes The Past, Colonialism

Tags US History, Religion & Spirituality, Politics & Government, American Literature, World History, Humor

Essayist and commentator Sarah Vowell published her historical and social commentary The Wordy Shipmates in 2008. A humorous but seriously critical examination of the Puritan emigrants that traveled with the flagship Arbella from England to Massachusetts in 1630, the book revisits leading Puritan figures and the colonial events and ideologies they created while trying to establish the “city upon a hill” that defined their Christian mission in, what was to them, a New World.Though colonial... Read The Wordy Shipmates Summary

The Wretched of the Earth

by Frantz Fanon

Publication year 1961

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Race, Justice, Colonialism

Tags Race & Racism, Existentialism, Afro-Caribbean Literature, Colonialism & Postcolonialism, European History, Sociology, World History, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Social Justice, Classic Fiction, Politics & Government

The Wretched of the Earth (1961) is a nonfiction book by Frantz Fanon, a French West Indian psychiatrist and philosopher. Together with such texts as Edward Said’s Orientalism (1978), Gayatri Spivak’s “Can the Subaltern Speak?” (1988), and Homi Bhabha’s The Location of Culture (1994), The Wretched of the Earth is a founding text of modern postcolonial studies. It is also Frantz Fanon’s most internationally acclaimed book, translated into more than 25 languages, though he is... Read The Wretched of the Earth Summary

Things Fall Apart

by Chinua Achebe

Publication year 1958

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Daughters & Sons, Colonialism

Tags Colonialism & Postcolonialism, African Literature, History: African , Heinemann African Writers, Education, Education, World History, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

Things Fall Apart, published in 1958, is Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe’s first novel. Simultaneously portraying the traditions and beliefs of Nigerian Ibo culture and engaging with the narrative of European colonialism in Africa, Things Fall Apart uses one man’s story to speak for many. It is considered the first modern African novel, and it is the first African novel published by a Western press. It has become a classic of African postcolonial literature and explores... Read Things Fall Apart Summary

Thirst

by Varsha Bajaj

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Justice, Perseverance, Femininity, Family, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Economics, Education

Tags Social Class, Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Social Justice, Modern Classic Fiction, Indian Literature

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This Earth of Mankind

by Pramoedya Ananta Toer

Publication year 1980

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Indigenous Identity, Family, Race, Social Class, Colonialism, Education, Politics & Government, Good & Evil, Justice, Self Discovery

Tags Historical Fiction, Colonialism & Postcolonialism, Asian Literature, Social Class, Education, Asian History, Race & Racism

Pramoedya Ananta Toer—a famous Indonesian editor, essayist, and social activist—wrote This Earth of Mankind (1980)—the first book of his series The Buru Quartet—while imprisoned in the Buru Concentration Camp following a military coup that overthrew Sukarno, the first democratically elected president of Indonesia. Incarcerated for 14 years and prevented from having writing material, Toer memorized the books of his series and recited them to his fellow inmates each day until his release in 1979. The... Read This Earth of Mankind Summary

This Is Your Mind on Plants

by Michael Pollan

Publication year 2021

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Environment, Indigenous Identity, Colonialism, Politics & Government

Tags Science & Nature, Psychology, Health, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Agriculture, Anthropology, Business & Economics, European History, US History, Politics & Government, World History, Journalism, Religion & Spirituality, Psychology, Food

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This Strange Eventful History

by Claire Messud

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Loneliness, Memory, Nostalgia, Indigenous Identity, Race, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Midlife, Death, Future, The Past, Place, Daughters & Sons, Family, Fathers, Friendship, Marriage, Mothers, Siblings, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Community, Globalization, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Equality, Justice, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Military & War, World History, French Literature, Historical Fiction

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To Da-Duh, In Memoriam

by Paule Marshall

Publication year 1967

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Race, Conflict, Family, Memory, Grandparents, Colonialism

Tags Life-Inspired Fiction

“To Da-duh, in Memoriam” is a short story by Paule Marshall (1929-2019), a Black American feminist writer who wrote stories based on her experiences growing up as a second-generation Barbadian immigrant in Brooklyn, New York. First published in 1967 in New World Magazine, “To Da-duh, in Memoriam” is a semi-autobiographical story about a nine-year-old girl’s visit to meet her formidable grandmother, Da-duh, in Barbados in 1937. What begins as a playful competition between New York’s... Read To Da-Duh, In Memoriam Summary

Translation State

by Ann Leckie

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Space, Love, Gender Identity, Conflict, Loneliness, Shame & Pride, Disability, Language, Mental Health, Race, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Future, Family, Self Discovery, Social Class, Colonialism, Education, Politics & Government, War, Equality, Science & Technology

Tags Science Fiction, LGBTQ+, Fantasy

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Twist

by Colum McCann

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Loneliness, Regret, Climate, Environment, Daughters & Sons, Colonialism, Politics & Government

Tags Literary Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Historical Fiction

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Typee

by Herman Melville

Publication year 1846

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Place, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Community, Politics & Government, Justice, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Travel Literature, Action & Adventure, Life-Inspired Fiction, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction, American Literature, World History

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Undaunted Courage

by Stephen E. Ambrose

Publication year 1996

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Indigenous Identity, Mental Health, Race, Environment, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Nation, Politics & Government, Justice, Safety & Danger

Tags US History, American Literature, Travel Literature, Action & Adventure

Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West is a landmark work of historical nonfiction by historian and author Stephen E. Ambrose, first published in 1996. A leading scholar of American military and political history, Ambrose was the author of numerous acclaimed books, including Band of Brothers and D-Day: June 6, 1944. In Undaunted Courage, Ambrose turns his attention to the Lewis and Clark Expedition, presenting it as both a... Read Undaunted Courage Summary

Undefeated

by Steve Sheinkin

Publication year 2017

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Perseverance, Indigenous Identity, Colonialism

Tags US History, Sports, Diversity, Race & Racism, Children`s Literature, World History, Biography

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V.

by Thomas Pynchon

Publication year 1963

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Order & Chaos, Apathy, Loneliness, Memory, Nostalgia, Disability, The Past, Future, Appearance & Reality, Objects & Materials, Fathers, Colonialism, War, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags American Literature, Historical Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Satirical Literature, Addiction & Substance Abuse, European History, US History, Military & War, Crime & Law, Postmodernism, Post-War Era

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Venus

by Suzan-Lori Parks

Publication year 1996

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Femininity, Race, The Past, Colonialism

Tags Drama, Historical Fiction, African American Literature, Race & Racism, Education, Education, World History, Dramatic Literature

Venus is a play by Suzan-Lori Parks, published in 1996 and first performed the same year. Suzan-Lori Parks is a notable American playwright, known for works such as Topdog/Underdog, as well as screenplays, such as Girl 6 and Their Eyes Were Watching God. Venus reimagines the life of Saartjie Baartman, also known as Sarah Baartman, who was shown in exhibits across Europe as the Hottentot Venus in the early 19th century. The play addresses themes... Read Venus Summary

Victory City

by Salman Rushdie

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Future, The Past, Colonialism, Nation, Power & Greed, Justice

Tags Magical Realism, Historical Fiction, World History, Indian Literature, Fantasy

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Wandering Stars

by Tommy Orange

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Literature, Family, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Hope, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Nostalgia, Regret, Shame & Pride, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Race, Coming of Age, Death, The Past, Grandparents, Mothers, Siblings, Colonialism, Community, Globalization, Politics & Government, Religion & Spirituality, Indigenous Identity

Tags Historical Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

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