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.

Hyperion

by Dan Simmons

Publication year 1989

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Space, Colonialism, The Past, Future

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Horror & Suspense, Classic Fiction

Hyperion (1989) is Dan Simmons’s first novel in his four-part science fiction series, Hyperion Cantos. Set several hundred years in the future, Hyperion follows seven people, who have been selected to make the final pilgrimage to the terrifying Shrike creature on the mysterious Outback world of Hyperion before the Ouster invasion. On the voyage to the planet, the pilgrims tell their stories about their connection to Hyperion. This frame-story structure is based on Geoffrey Chaucer’s... Read Hyperion Summary

Identity: Youth and Crisis

by Erik Erikson

Publication year 1968

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Education, Femininity, Gender Identity, Indigenous Identity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Race, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Community, Science & Technology

Tags Philosophy, Psychology, Self-Improvement, Parenting, Sociology

... Read Identity: Youth and Crisis Summary

I Lost My Talk

by Rita Joe

Publication year 2007

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Race, Indigenous Identity, Forgiveness, Grief, Memory, Language, Childhood & Youth, Colonialism, Wins & Losses, Literature

Tags Lyric Poem, Education, Arts & Culture, Diversity, History of the Americas, Race & Racism, Trauma & Abuse, Colonialism & Postcolonialism

... Read I Lost My Talk Summary

In an Antique Land

by Amitav Ghosh

Publication year 1992

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Race, The Past, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Community, Globalization, Immigration, Nation

Tags Anthropology, Indian Literature, Travel Literature, Middle Eastern History, Colonialism & Postcolonialism

In an Antique Land (1992) is a book written by Amitav Ghosh which interweaves descriptions of his experiences in rural Egypt in the 1980s with an attempt to reconstruct the life of a 12th-century Jewish merchant and Bomma, an Indian man he enslaved. Ghosh is a renowned Indian author, known for his ability to combine genres and employ complex narrative strategies to examine national and personal identity. He employs these strategies in In an Antique... Read In an Antique Land Summary

Indian Camp

by Ernest Hemingway

Publication year 1924

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Fathers, Daughters & Sons, Colonialism, Masculinity, Death

Tags Classic Fiction, American Literature, Education, Education, World History

One of his several short stories set in Northern Michigan, “Indian Camp” by Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) was first published in a 1924 issue of the Parisian literary magazine Transatlantic Review. The next year, “Indian Camp” was included in Hemingway’s first story collection, In Our Time. “Indian Camp” has since become one of Hemingway’s most heavily anthologized works. Based partly on Hemingway’s visits to Petoskey, Michigan, during childhood and young adulthood, “Indian Camp” follows young Nick... Read Indian Camp Summary

Indian Captive

by Lois Lenski

Publication year 1941

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Colonialism, Community, War

Tags Historical Fiction, Action & Adventure, Life-Inspired Fiction, US History, Colonial America, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, World History, Classic Fiction

... Read Indian Captive Summary

Invisible Cities

by Italo Calvino

Publication year 1972

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Colonialism, Conflict, Literature

Tags Fantasy, Magical Realism, Italian Literature, Asian History, European History, Arts & Culture, Classic Fiction

Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino (1923-1985) was originally published in 1972 in Italian and translated into English in 1974. Calvino’s ninth novel, it received a Nebula Novel Award nomination in 1975.According to New York Times reviewer Joseph McElroy, Calvino already had the reputation of being Italy’s “most original storyteller” for his use of fantastical and fabulist motifs to explore philosophical and scientific themes such as evolution (McElroy). Invisible Cities continues this trend by using the... Read Invisible Cities Summary

Invitation To The Game

by Monica Hughes

Publication year 1991

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Future, Environment, Colonialism

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Politics & Government, Relationships, Technology, Children`s Literature

Invitation to the Game is a young adult science fiction novel by Canadian writer Monica Hughes. It received the Hal Clement Award in 1992. Originally published in 1990, it was rereleased under the title The Game in 2010. This study guide refers to the Simon & Schuster 2010 print edition.Plot SummaryThe novel tells the story of Lisse, a teenager in 2154. She lives in a dystopian world where robots have taken a majority of the... Read Invitation To The Game Summary

Iron Lake

by William Kent Krueger

Publication year 1998

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Grief, Memory, Indigenous Identity, Death, Climate, Environment, Place, Family, Colonialism, Justice, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction

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Islam

by Karen Armstrong

Publication year 2000

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes The Past, Colonialism, Community, Globalization, Nation, Politics & Government, Justice, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Religion & Spirituality, World History, Philosophy, Theology, Politics & Government, Historical Fiction

... Read Islam Summary

Island

by Aldous Huxley

Publication year 1962

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Death, Colonialism, Community, Education, Politics & Government

Tags Science Fiction, Philosophy, Modern Classic Fiction, British Literature, Fantasy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

... Read Island Summary

I Write What I Like

by Steve Biko

Publication year 1978

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Race, Justice, Politics & Government, Community, Colonialism

Tags Race & Racism, History: African , Politics & Government, Social Justice, Philosophy, Philosophy, World History, Biography

... Read I Write What I Like Summary

Japanese Gothic

by Kylie Lee Baker

Publication year 2026

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Grief, Guilt, Shame & Pride, Masculinity, Death, The Past, Nature Versus Nurture, Daughters & Sons, Colonialism, War, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Magical Realism, Contemporary Literature

Kylie Lee Baker’s Japanese Gothic (2026) is a psychological horror novel that blends Western Gothic traditions with Japanese folklore. The story follows Lee Turner, a university student who flees to an old family home in Japan, believing he has murdered his roommate. Haunted by suppressed trauma, Lee discovers the house is a portal connecting his present to the year 1877. There, he meets Sen, a young female samurai whose family is hiding after a failed... Read Japanese Gothic Summary

Jesus and John Wayne

by Kristin Kobes Du Mez

Publication year 2020

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Fear, Nostalgia, Masculinity, Race, Sexual Identity, Family, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

... Read Jesus and John Wayne Summary

Journey to the End of the Night

by Louis-Ferdinand Celine, Transl. Ralph Manheim

Publication year 1932

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Apathy, Hate & Anger, Love, Mental Health, Race, Death, Social Class, Colonialism, War

Tags French Literature, Philosophy, Life-Inspired Fiction, World War I, Modernism, The Lost Generation

Journey to the End of the Night is a modernist novel by Louis-Ferdinand Céline, first published in the French language in 1932 by Parisian publishing house Éditions Denoël et Steele. It is a semi-autobiographical work centered on the life and travels of cynical antihero Ferdinand Bardamu, set over several decades of Bardamu’s life, beginning at the outbreak of World War I. The novel became influential in the development of post–WWI literary modernism, but like many... Read Journey to the End of the Night Summary