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This is the Canon: Decolonize Your Bookshelves in 50 Books
'A vital and timely introduction to some of the best books I've ever read. Perfectly curated and filled with brilliant literature'
Nikesh Shukla
'The ultimate introduction to post-colonial literature for those who want to understand the classics and the pioneers in this exciting area of books'
Symeon Brown
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.
Nikesh Shukla
'The ultimate introduction to post-colonial literature for those who want to understand the classics and the pioneers in this exciting area of books'
Symeon Brown
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.
319 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 28, 2021
42 people are currently reading
1218 people want to read
About the author
Joan Anim-Addo
16 books9 followersJoan Anim-Addo was born in Grenada. She is currently Head of the Caribbean Centre and lecturers within the English Department, Goldsmiths, University of London and Chair of the Caribbean Women Writers Alliance (CWWA) and founder-editor of MANGO SEASON, the journal on Caribbean Women's writing. Joan's published writing includes poetry, fiction, drama and history as well as critical writing. Her libretto, IMOINDA, is available in a bilingual edition, English and Italian.
(from http://www.spdbooks.org/Producte/9781...)
(from http://www.spdbooks.org/Producte/9781...)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
February 15, 2022
I'm so glad I picked this up on a whim. If you can get past the horrid introduction, this is a worthy read that will point you in the direction of many other worthy reads. If you're a fan of lit fic, this is the place for you.
The three authors have spent decades in the field, and they provide overviews of 50 novels by authors of non-European backgrounds spanning the 20th century, from Japan to Nigeria, from the Caribbean to Indigenous Australia, as well as some additional suggestions along the way. As they note in the introduction, the most common charge levelled against people who want to broaden the literary canon to include more non-white writers is that, given historical inequality, many of the new inclusions are likely to be tokenism: that is, it's important to try and be inclusive but not if that means elevating lower quality works to do so. Thankfully, there is no need for that. As a lit snob myself, I can attest that each of the 50 books profiled herein sounds fascinating and engaging on both a narrative and literary level. I was less interested in many of the additional suggestions, but perhaps that's because there isn't enough detail to sell them.
The suggestions include a surprising number of authors that most serious lit readers will be familiar with: Achebe, Morrison, Rhys, Baldwin, Alice Walker, Arundhati Roy, Ngozi Adichie, Evaristo, and Zadie Smith all appear. However these are complemented by an equal number of authors I had heard of but had never bothered to approach, and another clutch of those unknown to me entirely. (Long-standing shame can be a surprisingly good motivating factor: I will certainly be reading Tsitsi Dangarembga at last!) By focusing on novels of the last 80 years, the authors avoid trying to yoke the reader to works that are primarily of historical or scholarly interest, instead directing us to novels which could stand alongside the greatest literary masters of our own era. A brief set of appendices outlines ways that interested readers can further "decolonize" their reading habits, and explaining a few of the logistical difficulties along the way, i.e. the challenge of getting publishers to market translations of works by authors largely unknown in the West, when publishing is increasingly becoming a market defined by "sure things".
Superficial peeve #1: I do wish that the 'additional suggestions' pages had been about twice as long (perhaps a smaller typeface than this generous size would have helped), allowing them to provide a short paragraph summary of each book. Instead we are given a sentence apiece, which often have that vague ideological quality: novels are important or challenging or revisionist. Great, but not a selling point for any except the most zealous.
Substantial peeve #1: This book has limitations which I'm not sure are fully justified by being admitted by the authors. They acknowledge that a huge (one-third) proportion of the novelists profiled were born in the US, and justify it in an odd way by stating that they didn't wish to create "hierarchies", for example implying that someone born into an oppressive regime is "more" colonised than a person of colour in the US. So, okay. But as a result, for example, there are almost no Hispanic authors. The entirety of South and Central America are glossed over, while hugely famous authors like Toni Morrison and Khaled Hosseini get a chapter apiece even though they surely don't need introductions to most white lit fic readers. It seems like an unusual decision. I thought it was perhaps because of the complex history of colonisation in the Americas which would make it hard to decide where Isabel Allende, for example, is a coloniser or the colonised. But then my partner sensibly pointed out that this is a problem given the complex histories of Africa and especially Asia, too, so that couldn't be the reason. A shame.
Superficial peeve #2: The use (or lack thereof) of punctuation and formatting is truly mind-boggling to me at times. Rejection of the Oxford comma and a reluctance to use semi-colons results in sentences that need to be read quite slowly to be fully understood. (And on almost every page, at that!) I acknowledge, however, that this may well have been deliberate. Educated, middle-class, white folk like myself often use the "standard" version of English as a gatekeeping device, and perhaps this is an ideological choice to resist finicky approaches to the language. It doesn't take away from the book's sheer power, so never mind.
Substantial peeve #2: This one actually bugged me. The introduction, if I'm being frank, felt like it hadn't quite nailed the target audience. Is this a book for activist readers of colour? For white people who are already keen to decolonize? Or for the average reader who hasn't thought much about it, and needs their eyes opened? Is it for literary readers (some books sound like they may be the James Joyce of their country) or for anyone who enjoys novels (books like The White Girl and The Kite Runner, which are essentially just well-told stories without literary pretentions, make appearances too)? The presence of exceedingly famous novels like The Colour Purple or Wide Sargasso Sea suggests to me that compromise was key between authors and publisher, and that the desire to engage all audiences slightly wilted the product's ambitions. Indeed, it appears that the authors wanted to write a book about the closed nature of university campuses and major publishing houses, especially when it comes to what is viewed as "classics". Yet so much of the introduction then seems to focus on broader barriers for minority writers, that I suspect that average reader - having checked out the major award nominations for any lit prize in the last five years - would look at the strikingly diverse lists and doubt their argument! By broadening to try and engage all possible purchasers, any force of the introduction is lost amidst a sea of generalities and derivatives. The quite grand pronouncements are not accompanied by examples or explanations that might be required to convince the unconvinced. Especially since many of the novels profiled in the book are revealed to have been long regarded in the West, published by Penguin Classics, or nominated for the Nobel Prize, a casual reader may think the introduction's anger is unwarranted, without the benefit of a broader understanding of the literary landscape! I would have liked to hear, for example, a brief explanation of why certain writers linger in the canon long after their power has dimmed; why some (such as Jane Austen) almost didn't make it or why others (perhaps Leigh Hunt) have now left it; or even just a quick ricochet around some arguments on the topic. For example, despite the authors' claim that many foreign writers are neglected in English, they use the example of the indigenous Sami people of Scandinavia. Their absence from translated literature would surely be a core subject if discussing Scandivanian lit, but as we're discussing English-language lit, I'm not sure why the Sami people are a particularly strong example? Even if translated, they're hardly likely to have comparable experiences to the average person in an English-speaking country, and seem to detract from a strong argument about the Indigenous and minority groups already living in those same countries. The academic jargon, too, felt like intellect-signalling to the converted, while I suspect it would've been purely off-putting to those without a tertiary liberal arts qualification. As someone already compelled by the book's subject matter, none of the above worried me, but - trying to read this from the point-of-view of the average reader - I was praying that such a person would make it past the rather flaccid opening. (The book's title, too, seems like it's designed to be provocative rather than rational; indeed, the authors note in their introduction that a better title would be "this is a canon", so I wish they'd just used that instead!)
On a final note - although it's justifiably outside the scope of this book - I hope this sells well, perhaps inspiring the publisher to dig into a range of these. Because of course, while books from non-Western countries have faced prejudice over the decades, there are many other groups that have struggled to get their day in the canon: women writers, books on LGBTQ issues, diverse stories about people with disabilities, and - as someone from the colonies myself - a different type of decolonisation in the comparative dismissal of Canadian, Irish, Australian, or eastern European authors on the world stage, so often overshadowed by the Yanks and the Brits.
At the end of the day, this book is a noble contribution to the great work of bringing equality to the literary canon. I feel galvanised to create my 2022 reading list, and This is the Canon will sit very happily by my side.
The three authors have spent decades in the field, and they provide overviews of 50 novels by authors of non-European backgrounds spanning the 20th century, from Japan to Nigeria, from the Caribbean to Indigenous Australia, as well as some additional suggestions along the way. As they note in the introduction, the most common charge levelled against people who want to broaden the literary canon to include more non-white writers is that, given historical inequality, many of the new inclusions are likely to be tokenism: that is, it's important to try and be inclusive but not if that means elevating lower quality works to do so. Thankfully, there is no need for that. As a lit snob myself, I can attest that each of the 50 books profiled herein sounds fascinating and engaging on both a narrative and literary level. I was less interested in many of the additional suggestions, but perhaps that's because there isn't enough detail to sell them.
The suggestions include a surprising number of authors that most serious lit readers will be familiar with: Achebe, Morrison, Rhys, Baldwin, Alice Walker, Arundhati Roy, Ngozi Adichie, Evaristo, and Zadie Smith all appear. However these are complemented by an equal number of authors I had heard of but had never bothered to approach, and another clutch of those unknown to me entirely. (Long-standing shame can be a surprisingly good motivating factor: I will certainly be reading Tsitsi Dangarembga at last!) By focusing on novels of the last 80 years, the authors avoid trying to yoke the reader to works that are primarily of historical or scholarly interest, instead directing us to novels which could stand alongside the greatest literary masters of our own era. A brief set of appendices outlines ways that interested readers can further "decolonize" their reading habits, and explaining a few of the logistical difficulties along the way, i.e. the challenge of getting publishers to market translations of works by authors largely unknown in the West, when publishing is increasingly becoming a market defined by "sure things".
Superficial peeve #1: I do wish that the 'additional suggestions' pages had been about twice as long (perhaps a smaller typeface than this generous size would have helped), allowing them to provide a short paragraph summary of each book. Instead we are given a sentence apiece, which often have that vague ideological quality: novels are important or challenging or revisionist. Great, but not a selling point for any except the most zealous.
Substantial peeve #1: This book has limitations which I'm not sure are fully justified by being admitted by the authors. They acknowledge that a huge (one-third) proportion of the novelists profiled were born in the US, and justify it in an odd way by stating that they didn't wish to create "hierarchies", for example implying that someone born into an oppressive regime is "more" colonised than a person of colour in the US. So, okay. But as a result, for example, there are almost no Hispanic authors. The entirety of South and Central America are glossed over, while hugely famous authors like Toni Morrison and Khaled Hosseini get a chapter apiece even though they surely don't need introductions to most white lit fic readers. It seems like an unusual decision. I thought it was perhaps because of the complex history of colonisation in the Americas which would make it hard to decide where Isabel Allende, for example, is a coloniser or the colonised. But then my partner sensibly pointed out that this is a problem given the complex histories of Africa and especially Asia, too, so that couldn't be the reason. A shame.
Superficial peeve #2: The use (or lack thereof) of punctuation and formatting is truly mind-boggling to me at times. Rejection of the Oxford comma and a reluctance to use semi-colons results in sentences that need to be read quite slowly to be fully understood. (And on almost every page, at that!) I acknowledge, however, that this may well have been deliberate. Educated, middle-class, white folk like myself often use the "standard" version of English as a gatekeeping device, and perhaps this is an ideological choice to resist finicky approaches to the language. It doesn't take away from the book's sheer power, so never mind.
Substantial peeve #2: This one actually bugged me. The introduction, if I'm being frank, felt like it hadn't quite nailed the target audience. Is this a book for activist readers of colour? For white people who are already keen to decolonize? Or for the average reader who hasn't thought much about it, and needs their eyes opened? Is it for literary readers (some books sound like they may be the James Joyce of their country) or for anyone who enjoys novels (books like The White Girl and The Kite Runner, which are essentially just well-told stories without literary pretentions, make appearances too)? The presence of exceedingly famous novels like The Colour Purple or Wide Sargasso Sea suggests to me that compromise was key between authors and publisher, and that the desire to engage all audiences slightly wilted the product's ambitions. Indeed, it appears that the authors wanted to write a book about the closed nature of university campuses and major publishing houses, especially when it comes to what is viewed as "classics". Yet so much of the introduction then seems to focus on broader barriers for minority writers, that I suspect that average reader - having checked out the major award nominations for any lit prize in the last five years - would look at the strikingly diverse lists and doubt their argument! By broadening to try and engage all possible purchasers, any force of the introduction is lost amidst a sea of generalities and derivatives. The quite grand pronouncements are not accompanied by examples or explanations that might be required to convince the unconvinced. Especially since many of the novels profiled in the book are revealed to have been long regarded in the West, published by Penguin Classics, or nominated for the Nobel Prize, a casual reader may think the introduction's anger is unwarranted, without the benefit of a broader understanding of the literary landscape! I would have liked to hear, for example, a brief explanation of why certain writers linger in the canon long after their power has dimmed; why some (such as Jane Austen) almost didn't make it or why others (perhaps Leigh Hunt) have now left it; or even just a quick ricochet around some arguments on the topic. For example, despite the authors' claim that many foreign writers are neglected in English, they use the example of the indigenous Sami people of Scandinavia. Their absence from translated literature would surely be a core subject if discussing Scandivanian lit, but as we're discussing English-language lit, I'm not sure why the Sami people are a particularly strong example? Even if translated, they're hardly likely to have comparable experiences to the average person in an English-speaking country, and seem to detract from a strong argument about the Indigenous and minority groups already living in those same countries. The academic jargon, too, felt like intellect-signalling to the converted, while I suspect it would've been purely off-putting to those without a tertiary liberal arts qualification. As someone already compelled by the book's subject matter, none of the above worried me, but - trying to read this from the point-of-view of the average reader - I was praying that such a person would make it past the rather flaccid opening. (The book's title, too, seems like it's designed to be provocative rather than rational; indeed, the authors note in their introduction that a better title would be "this is a canon", so I wish they'd just used that instead!)
On a final note - although it's justifiably outside the scope of this book - I hope this sells well, perhaps inspiring the publisher to dig into a range of these. Because of course, while books from non-Western countries have faced prejudice over the decades, there are many other groups that have struggled to get their day in the canon: women writers, books on LGBTQ issues, diverse stories about people with disabilities, and - as someone from the colonies myself - a different type of decolonisation in the comparative dismissal of Canadian, Irish, Australian, or eastern European authors on the world stage, so often overshadowed by the Yanks and the Brits.
At the end of the day, this book is a noble contribution to the great work of bringing equality to the literary canon. I feel galvanised to create my 2022 reading list, and This is the Canon will sit very happily by my side.
April 8, 2022
3.5* - This is a great reference for anyone who wants to add some international flavour to their reading life. I do have two small complaints, the first being that the plot summaries for each book were much longer than I would have liked. I don't want to know that much about a book when I start it. The second was, that quite a few of the suggested titles are older and will be harder to source. However, despite the criticism, I still really enjoyed this book and got a large list of possible titles that I think I will like.
February 27, 2024
Thank you to the three female, BIPoC authors of This is the Canon for introducing these 50 books to decolonize our reading. I’ve read 6 of the 50 with so many more now added to my TBR! A few that sound especially good to me -
The Bridge of Beyond - Simone Schwarz-Bart - Guadeloupe
Between Two Worlds - Miriam Tlali - South Africa
Territory of Light - Yūko Tsushima - Japan
So Long a Letter - Mariama Bâ - Senegal
Annie John - Jamaica Kincaid - Antigua
Nervous Conditions - Tsitsi Dangarembga - Zimbabwe
How to Read the Air - Dinaw Mengestu - Ethiopia
If you’re interested, I’ve made a complete list …
https://mosaicbooks.ca/lists/LEfSDj0j...
Most of the novels are still in print. Published in the UK, by Greenfinch, a caveat to list was that the novels be available in English. There’s one Canadian title on the list, Eden Robinson’s phenomenal Monkey Beach.
There are a few pages dedicated to each book. The book descriptions were perhaps a little too detailed and not spoiler-free. There is author bio for each book with their other books listed plus recommendations of “If You Like This, Try” for each title.
The Bridge of Beyond - Simone Schwarz-Bart - Guadeloupe
Between Two Worlds - Miriam Tlali - South Africa
Territory of Light - Yūko Tsushima - Japan
So Long a Letter - Mariama Bâ - Senegal
Annie John - Jamaica Kincaid - Antigua
Nervous Conditions - Tsitsi Dangarembga - Zimbabwe
How to Read the Air - Dinaw Mengestu - Ethiopia
If you’re interested, I’ve made a complete list …
https://mosaicbooks.ca/lists/LEfSDj0j...
Most of the novels are still in print. Published in the UK, by Greenfinch, a caveat to list was that the novels be available in English. There’s one Canadian title on the list, Eden Robinson’s phenomenal Monkey Beach.
There are a few pages dedicated to each book. The book descriptions were perhaps a little too detailed and not spoiler-free. There is author bio for each book with their other books listed plus recommendations of “If You Like This, Try” for each title.
Read
August 1, 2025Rond de eeuwwisseling gaf ik Engelse les op de Aga Khan Mzizima Secondary School in Dar es Salaam. Ik keek op van de leeslijst waarvan ik de meeste boeken niet kende. Dat was de eerste keer dat ik me realiseerde dat "De canon van de literatuur" zoals ik die in gedachten had, eigenlijk "De Noordwesterse canon" was.
In dit boek worden vijftig canonwaardige boeken geïntroduceerd met plot, beschrijving, receptie, informatie over de auteur en verdere leestips. Ik was in de langdradige inleidingen op zoek naar de selectiecriteria, maar die lijken beperkt tot deze opmerking: "Voor ons gaat het bij de canon om bewoordingen als esthetisch hoogstaand, geraffineerd, exemplarisch, et cetera" (p. 34). Daar had ik wel meer over willen lezen.
Het ontbreken van uitgewerkte selectiecriteria wil niet zeggen dat de selectie niet goed is. Er is gelet op diversiteit qua auteur, stijl, taal en setting. De vijftig boekbesprekingen lezen als vijftig korte verhaaltjes, waarvan sommige mij zodanig aanspreken dat ik de boeken wil lezen, waardoor mijn persoonlijke canon in ieder geval gevarieerder zal worden.
De Nederlandse vertaling van "This is the canon" heeft toegevoegde waarde door de additionele inleiding waarin interessante Nederlandstalige leestips worden gegeven.
In dit boek worden vijftig canonwaardige boeken geïntroduceerd met plot, beschrijving, receptie, informatie over de auteur en verdere leestips. Ik was in de langdradige inleidingen op zoek naar de selectiecriteria, maar die lijken beperkt tot deze opmerking: "Voor ons gaat het bij de canon om bewoordingen als esthetisch hoogstaand, geraffineerd, exemplarisch, et cetera" (p. 34). Daar had ik wel meer over willen lezen.
Het ontbreken van uitgewerkte selectiecriteria wil niet zeggen dat de selectie niet goed is. Er is gelet op diversiteit qua auteur, stijl, taal en setting. De vijftig boekbesprekingen lezen als vijftig korte verhaaltjes, waarvan sommige mij zodanig aanspreken dat ik de boeken wil lezen, waardoor mijn persoonlijke canon in ieder geval gevarieerder zal worden.
De Nederlandse vertaling van "This is the canon" heeft toegevoegde waarde door de additionele inleiding waarin interessante Nederlandstalige leestips worden gegeven.
February 7, 2022
This book is a must own for all readers! It offers up invaluable information and recommendations for decolonizing your bookshelf. I am so thankful that I received a copy from NetGalley and I will 100% be buying a physical copy of the book as soon as I can! I have already added several books to my TBR and am beyond excited for all of the glorious reading and book discussions in my future!
September 9, 2023
A guide to 50 books that can help steer your reading away from the traditional white, usually male version of the 'canon'. With an inspiring introduction and useful resources to help you keep up to date in diverse books.
July 27, 2022
This book is a useful resource for librarians, teachers or indeed any reader who wishes to broaden their literary horizons.
The authors are academics who have been actively working to challenge the primacy of White European voices within the English literary canon. They have chosen this collection of 50 books to challenge this status quo and to bring some diversity into what we consider "good" or "significant".
All of the chosen titles have been recognised as significant by different awards and other literary bodies. Most can be described as "challenging" reads, as they write about confronting issues including racism, sexism, violence, and the continuing fallout from colonialism and slavery. The titles come from, and describe the #OwnVoices experiences in many different countries around the world, with African, African-American and Caribbean authors particularly well-represented. (Asia, especially Southeast and East Asia, and Oceania are less represented and I would be curious to know why).
Each entry includes a synopsis of the story, as well as contextual information about its author, editions available etc. Each entry includes a very helpful and informative read-alike suggestions list (impressive to have for every single title, as this is surely a huge amount of work on its own).
The authors are academics who have been actively working to challenge the primacy of White European voices within the English literary canon. They have chosen this collection of 50 books to challenge this status quo and to bring some diversity into what we consider "good" or "significant".
All of the chosen titles have been recognised as significant by different awards and other literary bodies. Most can be described as "challenging" reads, as they write about confronting issues including racism, sexism, violence, and the continuing fallout from colonialism and slavery. The titles come from, and describe the #OwnVoices experiences in many different countries around the world, with African, African-American and Caribbean authors particularly well-represented. (Asia, especially Southeast and East Asia, and Oceania are less represented and I would be curious to know why).
Each entry includes a synopsis of the story, as well as contextual information about its author, editions available etc. Each entry includes a very helpful and informative read-alike suggestions list (impressive to have for every single title, as this is surely a huge amount of work on its own).
January 10, 2023
A commendable project packed with interesting suggestions. It works best if you dip in and out, I think, reading one or two entries at a time and giving yourself time to digest them. Also the hardback edition is a rather lovely physical book.
December 10, 2023
Have you been wondering; but what on earth should I read, if not the canonized classics of (mostly) dead white men? Well this is the book for you! Presenting 50 great books from around the world though with a focus on the stories not so often told from a straight white western male perspective. And stories taking place in a world where colonialism has left it's mark on the land, the people and the cultures.
I really enjoyed this: In some ways it's a scholarly book - a very well balanced intro followed by the 50 book introductions - all of them with pointed out themes to possibly discuss in the politically correct bookclub / or at school (but the analysis of themes are only occasionally preachy)
On the other hand is it also just a great introduction to 50 great books from around the world, dealing with more topics than 'sad white upperclass buy's ennui' (Looking at you Booker Prize - at least until recently) And the authors are engaged and loving the books. Only sometimes are the book descriptions a little too in-depth (Watch out for SPOILERS!) Each book is followed by 'if you like this' recommendations often both to themes (eg. more about the class divide in India or interracial relationships in Britain) and places (eg. more books from Oceania or indigenous writers of the north).
Though be warned: This book will only make your TBR-list longer (and not just by 50 books).
I'd read 7 og the books beforehand, and other titles by perhaps 7 more authors, so even though I've been reading Africa (and to some extent the world) as a hobby for the last few years, there is still plenty good book out there! And of course it's always a joy to read a book telling you to read the books and authors you are already reading :)
And naturally someone made a Listopia list of the 50 books - right here: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
I really enjoyed this: In some ways it's a scholarly book - a very well balanced intro followed by the 50 book introductions - all of them with pointed out themes to possibly discuss in the politically correct bookclub / or at school (but the analysis of themes are only occasionally preachy)
On the other hand is it also just a great introduction to 50 great books from around the world, dealing with more topics than 'sad white upperclass buy's ennui' (Looking at you Booker Prize - at least until recently) And the authors are engaged and loving the books. Only sometimes are the book descriptions a little too in-depth (Watch out for SPOILERS!) Each book is followed by 'if you like this' recommendations often both to themes (eg. more about the class divide in India or interracial relationships in Britain) and places (eg. more books from Oceania or indigenous writers of the north).
Though be warned: This book will only make your TBR-list longer (and not just by 50 books).
I'd read 7 og the books beforehand, and other titles by perhaps 7 more authors, so even though I've been reading Africa (and to some extent the world) as a hobby for the last few years, there is still plenty good book out there! And of course it's always a joy to read a book telling you to read the books and authors you are already reading :)
And naturally someone made a Listopia list of the 50 books - right here: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
December 12, 2024
4/5
A list of 50 books with similar recommendations after each.
This book is exactly what it says it is. It explains the purpose and how the authors try to find a solution. They also briefly explain the struggles they came across.
I felt like this book focused heavily on Black authors. There's some Asian, South Asian, and Middle Eastern with very little South American authors. Regardless, there's authors of all levels of fame included (Toni Morrison, Octavia E Butler, Khaled Hosseini). I'm happy to know a few names, but there's plenty that are completely new and have very little ratings/reviews on GR.
I found some of the recommendations to be repeated, which was slightly disappointing. Overall, I thought it was an important book. I've painstakingly added all of the books to my shelves and I'll happily start going through them, albeit very slowly.
Super glad my library has this book, albeit only a single copy. Check out your local library for this and the titles within!
A list of 50 books with similar recommendations after each.
This book is exactly what it says it is. It explains the purpose and how the authors try to find a solution. They also briefly explain the struggles they came across.
I felt like this book focused heavily on Black authors. There's some Asian, South Asian, and Middle Eastern with very little South American authors. Regardless, there's authors of all levels of fame included (Toni Morrison, Octavia E Butler, Khaled Hosseini). I'm happy to know a few names, but there's plenty that are completely new and have very little ratings/reviews on GR.
I found some of the recommendations to be repeated, which was slightly disappointing. Overall, I thought it was an important book. I've painstakingly added all of the books to my shelves and I'll happily start going through them, albeit very slowly.
Super glad my library has this book, albeit only a single copy. Check out your local library for this and the titles within!
January 26, 2023
The introduction is trying to hard, and the conclusion could disappear without losing anything...so concentrate on the meat in the middle. This is a fantastic sampler of novels to read that wander outside the norms of white/cis/Euro/American cultural/imperial hegemony. The only agenda here to expand horizons and viewpoints with a solid list of suggestions to read...and I'm definitely going to sample some of these books in the future.
November 27, 2021
Great book! Absolutely must be read...
July 12, 2023
Joan Anim-Addo, Deirdre Osborne en Kadija Sesay hebben een gedekoloniseerde leeslijst samengesteld die de brede en diverse ervaringen viert van mensen van over de hele wereld, van alle achtergronden en alle rassen. Het verstoort de al te vaak door witte gedomineerde 'verplichte lectuur'-collecties die de geaccepteerde norm zijn geworden en benadrukt krachtige stemmen en culturele perspectieven die een plaats op onze boekenplanken opeisen. De auteurs zijn academici die actief hebben gewerkt aan het uitdagen van het primaat van witte Europese stemmen binnen de Engelse literaire canon. Ze hebben deze collectie van 50 boeken uitgekozen om deze status-quo uit te dagen en wat diversiteit te brengen in wat wij als "goed" of "significant" beschouwen.
Van literaire reuzen zoals Toni Morrison, James Baldwin, Khaled Hosseini, Nawal El Saadawi, Alice Walker en Chinua Achebe tot minder bekende (maar even vitale) schrijvers zoals de Caribische romanschrijver Earl Lovelace of de inheemse Australische auteur Tony Birch, bevelen ze romans aan die op hun beurt beklijvend en lyrisch; vernieuwend en inspirerend; scherp en aangrijpend zijn.
De kracht van fictie is dat lezers de kans krijgen om nieuwe werelden te ontdekken en andere overtuigingen en meningen tegen te komen. This is the Canon biedt een rijk en veelzijdig perspectief op ons verleden, heden en toekomst dat verdient gelezen te worden door alle bibliofielen - of ze nu lid zijn van een boekenclub of eenzame lezers, autodidacten of leraren.
Alle gekozen titels zijn door verschillende onderscheidingen en andere literaire instanties als belangrijk erkend. De meeste kunnen worden omschreven als "uitdagende" lectuur, aangezien ze schrijven over confronterende kwesties zoals racisme, seksisme, geweld en de voortdurende gevolgen van kolonialisme en slavernij.
Elk item bevat een synopsis van het verhaal, evenals contextuele informatie over de auteur, beschikbare edities enz. Elk item bevat een zeer nuttige en informatieve lijst met suggesties om te lezen (indrukwekkend om voor elke afzonderlijke titel te hebben, aangezien dit zeker een enorme hoeveelheid werk op zich heeft gevraagd).
Dit boek is een fantastische bron voor diegenen die hun leeshorizon willen verbreden. De drie vrouwen die dit boek hebben samengesteld, stellen vijftig boeken voor die de moeite waard zijn om te lezen. Ik wil hier alle vijftig uitstekende keuzes noemen, maar zal er slechts een paar noemen. Zo zijn er Things Fall Apart van Chinua, Achebe; Wijde Saragassozee door Jean Rhys; Als Beale Street kon praten door James Baldwin; De kleur paars door Alice Walker; en Annie John van Jamaica Kincaid. Van al de vijftig boeken bestaat een Engelse vertaling maar voor de Nederlandstalige editie werd ook aangegeven of er al dan niet een Nederlandse vertaling bestaat.
Deze titels zullen lezers leiden naar urenlange ontdekkingstochten en vele nieuwe schatten om op te pikken. Het zal een bijzonder uitstekende bron zijn voor diegenen die op zoek zijn naar boeken van auteurs die veel standpunten vertegenwoordigen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8LHe...
Van literaire reuzen zoals Toni Morrison, James Baldwin, Khaled Hosseini, Nawal El Saadawi, Alice Walker en Chinua Achebe tot minder bekende (maar even vitale) schrijvers zoals de Caribische romanschrijver Earl Lovelace of de inheemse Australische auteur Tony Birch, bevelen ze romans aan die op hun beurt beklijvend en lyrisch; vernieuwend en inspirerend; scherp en aangrijpend zijn.
De kracht van fictie is dat lezers de kans krijgen om nieuwe werelden te ontdekken en andere overtuigingen en meningen tegen te komen. This is the Canon biedt een rijk en veelzijdig perspectief op ons verleden, heden en toekomst dat verdient gelezen te worden door alle bibliofielen - of ze nu lid zijn van een boekenclub of eenzame lezers, autodidacten of leraren.
Alle gekozen titels zijn door verschillende onderscheidingen en andere literaire instanties als belangrijk erkend. De meeste kunnen worden omschreven als "uitdagende" lectuur, aangezien ze schrijven over confronterende kwesties zoals racisme, seksisme, geweld en de voortdurende gevolgen van kolonialisme en slavernij.
Elk item bevat een synopsis van het verhaal, evenals contextuele informatie over de auteur, beschikbare edities enz. Elk item bevat een zeer nuttige en informatieve lijst met suggesties om te lezen (indrukwekkend om voor elke afzonderlijke titel te hebben, aangezien dit zeker een enorme hoeveelheid werk op zich heeft gevraagd).
Dit boek is een fantastische bron voor diegenen die hun leeshorizon willen verbreden. De drie vrouwen die dit boek hebben samengesteld, stellen vijftig boeken voor die de moeite waard zijn om te lezen. Ik wil hier alle vijftig uitstekende keuzes noemen, maar zal er slechts een paar noemen. Zo zijn er Things Fall Apart van Chinua, Achebe; Wijde Saragassozee door Jean Rhys; Als Beale Street kon praten door James Baldwin; De kleur paars door Alice Walker; en Annie John van Jamaica Kincaid. Van al de vijftig boeken bestaat een Engelse vertaling maar voor de Nederlandstalige editie werd ook aangegeven of er al dan niet een Nederlandse vertaling bestaat.
Deze titels zullen lezers leiden naar urenlange ontdekkingstochten en vele nieuwe schatten om op te pikken. Het zal een bijzonder uitstekende bron zijn voor diegenen die op zoek zijn naar boeken van auteurs die veel standpunten vertegenwoordigen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8LHe...
January 28, 2022
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Mobius Books for an advanced copy of this new literary guide to books.
The problem with being a reader in the world today is that no matter how quickly you read there are always more titles, and no matter how you try to keep up there are always more titles. Added to this is the fact that publishers are biased, they would rather chase the short win of a one week bestseller by publishing every political hack complete with a million dollar advance, rather than any new book by a writer of color or marginalized people. This is why a book like This is the Canon: Decolonize Your Bookshelf in 50 Books by the authors Joan Anim-Addo, Deirdre Osborne, Kadija Sesay is so useful and important.
This is a guide to the authors who are not covered in the glossy magazines or on the Sunday morning shows, or even taught in schools, though the way school boards are going the dictionary will soon be banned because the definition of racism makes people uncomfortable. The book states 50 titles, which it does, but many more authors and titles are mentioned in a section entitled "If You Life This, Try" which lists shorter descriptions and author takes, but feature up to three of four more books that are similar. There is a lot to be gleaned here.
The books are listed by publishing date starting in 1943 and ending in 2019. The descriptions are very good, giving a good idea about the plot, the topics covered, reception, history and and author biographies. In addition there are quite a few essays discussing world literature, how books are published and what is ignored, and how to share these books with other readers, either of like mind, or for readers knew to literature outside their culture.
A very informative guide for people who are familiar with or wish to know more about books that are outside comfort zones and about cultures and people they are unfamiliar with. This is not like a Fodor's of world travel, you won't suddenly be discussing marginalized writers and publishers ignoring and even bookstores omitting books like these from their shelves, like an expert. However this is a good start. A nice gift for students that seem interested in the world, for people who seem stuck in their world, and maybe for libraries as a reference.
The problem with being a reader in the world today is that no matter how quickly you read there are always more titles, and no matter how you try to keep up there are always more titles. Added to this is the fact that publishers are biased, they would rather chase the short win of a one week bestseller by publishing every political hack complete with a million dollar advance, rather than any new book by a writer of color or marginalized people. This is why a book like This is the Canon: Decolonize Your Bookshelf in 50 Books by the authors Joan Anim-Addo, Deirdre Osborne, Kadija Sesay is so useful and important.
This is a guide to the authors who are not covered in the glossy magazines or on the Sunday morning shows, or even taught in schools, though the way school boards are going the dictionary will soon be banned because the definition of racism makes people uncomfortable. The book states 50 titles, which it does, but many more authors and titles are mentioned in a section entitled "If You Life This, Try" which lists shorter descriptions and author takes, but feature up to three of four more books that are similar. There is a lot to be gleaned here.
The books are listed by publishing date starting in 1943 and ending in 2019. The descriptions are very good, giving a good idea about the plot, the topics covered, reception, history and and author biographies. In addition there are quite a few essays discussing world literature, how books are published and what is ignored, and how to share these books with other readers, either of like mind, or for readers knew to literature outside their culture.
A very informative guide for people who are familiar with or wish to know more about books that are outside comfort zones and about cultures and people they are unfamiliar with. This is not like a Fodor's of world travel, you won't suddenly be discussing marginalized writers and publishers ignoring and even bookstores omitting books like these from their shelves, like an expert. However this is a good start. A nice gift for students that seem interested in the world, for people who seem stuck in their world, and maybe for libraries as a reference.
February 15, 2022
This is the Canon: Decolonize Your Bookshelves in 50 Books, by Joan Anim-Addo, Deirdre Osborne, Kadija George Sesay, is an excellent collection of books for those either wanting to venture into postcolonial literature or expand their reading.
The introduction is really quite good, no matter what self-proclaimed snobs say. The writers explain their goals, what was included and why, as well as offering some broad background on postcolonialism and the literature. Rather than limit themselves to those already reading a diverse selection of literature, or ignore this group, they made a comprehensive list that includes works by well-known as well as, in the US and Europe, lesser-known writers. I have many of these books already in my library and the suggested further reading offered me some new ideas. For those who haven't read most of these, they are a great place to begin.
While each book has both an overview and some contextualization to explain their significance, everything doesn't have a subheading, so to learn why each work is important you have to read each entry. Those skimming will miss that and may feel that there isn't that feature. It's in there.
I would recommend this to any reader who is looking for more good books to read. Whether you already read a wide variety of books or not this will offer you many excellent suggestions. Some of the entries will also shed some new insights into works you may have already read.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
The introduction is really quite good, no matter what self-proclaimed snobs say. The writers explain their goals, what was included and why, as well as offering some broad background on postcolonialism and the literature. Rather than limit themselves to those already reading a diverse selection of literature, or ignore this group, they made a comprehensive list that includes works by well-known as well as, in the US and Europe, lesser-known writers. I have many of these books already in my library and the suggested further reading offered me some new ideas. For those who haven't read most of these, they are a great place to begin.
While each book has both an overview and some contextualization to explain their significance, everything doesn't have a subheading, so to learn why each work is important you have to read each entry. Those skimming will miss that and may feel that there isn't that feature. It's in there.
I would recommend this to any reader who is looking for more good books to read. Whether you already read a wide variety of books or not this will offer you many excellent suggestions. Some of the entries will also shed some new insights into works you may have already read.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
October 4, 2025
citEști „This is the Canon Decolonize your Bookshelf in 50 Books”: Canon și adevăruri
„Ficțiunea, în schimb, deține puterea unică de a ne transporta- în cele mai bune și universale moduri- în lumi redate imaginativ, care pot să rezoneze sau nu cu viața noastră de zi cu zi.”p.3 „This is the Canon Decolonize your Bookshelf in 50 Books” Joan Anim-Addo, Deirdre Osborne și Kadija Sesay, Greenfinch, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6L3mV...
Știi cum e cu canonul literar mai ales când vezi aceleași liste din programele examenelor de bac. Oricât vorbești despre deschidere și egalitate, îți dai seama că niște repere continuă să lipsească. O carte din care poți să te alegi cu o perspectivă nouă este „This is the Canon Decolonize your Bookshelf in 50 Books”. Volumul semnat de Joan Anim-Addo, Deirdre Osborne și Kadija Sesay ți-l deschid de Ziua Internațională a Dreptului la Adevăr privind Încălcările Flagrante ale Drepturilor Omului și pentru Demnitatea Victimelor sau Ziua Adevărului, care e marcată pe 24 martie, ziua în care, în 1980, arhiepiscopul Oscar Romero din El Salvador, care tocmai slujea în biserică, a fost victima unei crime rămase nerezolvate și astăzi. Iar poveștile continuă să îți arate că lumea se întinde mult dincolo de grile.
„Sperăm că veți continua să vă extindeți călătoria literară în jurul lumii și să descoperiți noi autori.” „This is the Canon Decolonize your Bookshelf in 50 Books” Joan Anim-Addo, Deirdre Osborne și Kadija Sesay, Greenfinch, 2022
„Ficțiunea, în schimb, deține puterea unică de a ne transporta- în cele mai bune și universale moduri- în lumi redate imaginativ, care pot să rezoneze sau nu cu viața noastră de zi cu zi.”p.3 „This is the Canon Decolonize your Bookshelf in 50 Books” Joan Anim-Addo, Deirdre Osborne și Kadija Sesay, Greenfinch, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6L3mV...
Știi cum e cu canonul literar mai ales când vezi aceleași liste din programele examenelor de bac. Oricât vorbești despre deschidere și egalitate, îți dai seama că niște repere continuă să lipsească. O carte din care poți să te alegi cu o perspectivă nouă este „This is the Canon Decolonize your Bookshelf in 50 Books”. Volumul semnat de Joan Anim-Addo, Deirdre Osborne și Kadija Sesay ți-l deschid de Ziua Internațională a Dreptului la Adevăr privind Încălcările Flagrante ale Drepturilor Omului și pentru Demnitatea Victimelor sau Ziua Adevărului, care e marcată pe 24 martie, ziua în care, în 1980, arhiepiscopul Oscar Romero din El Salvador, care tocmai slujea în biserică, a fost victima unei crime rămase nerezolvate și astăzi. Iar poveștile continuă să îți arate că lumea se întinde mult dincolo de grile.
„Sperăm că veți continua să vă extindeți călătoria literară în jurul lumii și să descoperiți noi autori.” „This is the Canon Decolonize your Bookshelf in 50 Books” Joan Anim-Addo, Deirdre Osborne și Kadija Sesay, Greenfinch, 2022
January 30, 2022
This title is a fantastic resource for those who want to expand their reading horizons. The three women who put this book together write on fifty books that are well worth reading. I want to list all fifty excellent choices here but will just list a few. Then readers can experience their own joy of discovery with this resource. So, there are Things Fall Apart by Chinua, Achebe; Wide Saragasso Sea by Jean Rhys; If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin; The Color Purple by Alice Walker; and Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid. All of these books were known to me but others, including The Emperor’s Baby by Bernandine Evaristo, an How to Read the Air by Dina Wengestu were not.
Each entry describes a book in depth. There is then a section, The Novel, that gives some context. Next is autobiographical information on the author and finally, my favorite section entitled If You Like This Try…
I definitely recommend this one! I agree with the introduction that notes that fiction can help us to enter worlds that are not a part of one’s own experience of daily life. This title will lead readers to hours of exploration and many new treasures to pick up. It will be an especially excellent resource for those who are seeking books by authors who are not white and who represent many points of view.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.
Each entry describes a book in depth. There is then a section, The Novel, that gives some context. Next is autobiographical information on the author and finally, my favorite section entitled If You Like This Try…
I definitely recommend this one! I agree with the introduction that notes that fiction can help us to enter worlds that are not a part of one’s own experience of daily life. This title will lead readers to hours of exploration and many new treasures to pick up. It will be an especially excellent resource for those who are seeking books by authors who are not white and who represent many points of view.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.
March 21, 2022
An easy 5/5 from an undergrad English major who wants something from outside the standard European literary canon. I’m always on the lookout for stories from different cultural perspectives focusing on and written by POC, and boy did the editors of this collection deliver! There were several books focused on that I have read, many that I haven’t, and many MANY more that I had never even heard of. (This is far from a negative thing, as I’m eagerly looking forward to reading the majority of these new-to-me titles.)
The one minor thing that kept irking me was the punctuation used throughout this book - have I forgotten some rules of how commas are placed? Is it intentionally written in non-standard British English? Is it just because I’m American? Who knows, but this is certainly minor as it didn’t affect my enjoyment of the content itself.
The one minor thing that kept irking me was the punctuation used throughout this book - have I forgotten some rules of how commas are placed? Is it intentionally written in non-standard British English? Is it just because I’m American? Who knows, but this is certainly minor as it didn’t affect my enjoyment of the content itself.
December 7, 2025
I love this book for several reasons that can be summed up as the intention of the project and its execution. The authors are from all over the world and one (Anim-Addo) is the first Black professor of literature in the UK! The intros and afterward are concise and the entire book is well written. I really like how the title accurately reflects the content of the book, and how the 50 books selected for this list are briefly summarised and then given a very short contextualisation, with an about the book and about the author; I also enjoy the ending of each chapter which has “if you like this, try..” with specific reasons why they recommend other books (for instance, “more on relationships between sisters,” etc.). Also, the cover is beautiful & the lightweight paperback has a nice feel.
March 4, 2023
Every time I had read a suggested book or one of the books in the further reading sections I felt like I had gotten a gold star in reading.
Outside of this childish delight this is great book if you want to expand your reading beyond the dominate western straight white male perspective. The books are described in excellent terms that give you a sense of their content and the themes they tackle without giving away too much. Definitely enticing you into adding them to your to-be-read pile.
The book also emphasis why these stories are important, both for representation, a wider understanding of the world and a better grasp of history and culture.
Outside of this childish delight this is great book if you want to expand your reading beyond the dominate western straight white male perspective. The books are described in excellent terms that give you a sense of their content and the themes they tackle without giving away too much. Definitely enticing you into adding them to your to-be-read pile.
The book also emphasis why these stories are important, both for representation, a wider understanding of the world and a better grasp of history and culture.
February 20, 2022
If you want to decolonize your bookshelf and your don't know where to start, this is the book for you. This book presents extensive summaries and additional information for 50 books, and there is a section after each book that suggests even more books in the same vein. This is a great starting point!
I didn't love the format. The summaries are so complete that the books seem "spoiled", and there are no excerpts from the book. It's very worthwhile, just not what I had hoped it would be.
I didn't love the format. The summaries are so complete that the books seem "spoiled", and there are no excerpts from the book. It's very worthwhile, just not what I had hoped it would be.
April 13, 2022
This was a wonderfully curated collection of stories. It’s often difficult to find works that do not center a westernized experience, and this collection gave the chance to read 50 of them! I really enjoyed the different literary voices that were given a spotlight, an definately want to get a physical copy once the book officially comes out.
Thank you so much to Joan Anim-Addo, Deirdre Osborne, Kadija George Sesay, et al. and NetGalley for the ARC! I enjoyed it immensely.
Thank you so much to Joan Anim-Addo, Deirdre Osborne, Kadija George Sesay, et al. and NetGalley for the ARC! I enjoyed it immensely.
April 23, 2022
I love the idea of the book and think it is wonderfully executed.
The only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is that by presenting the books, the authors heavily spoil the plot of said book. I happend to have read a couple of the books listed and read their entry out of curiosity, some major plot points were revealed each time. Special mention to Chapter 39: The Kite Runner for being the worst offender.
The only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is that by presenting the books, the authors heavily spoil the plot of said book. I happend to have read a couple of the books listed and read their entry out of curiosity, some major plot points were revealed each time. Special mention to Chapter 39: The Kite Runner for being the worst offender.
March 14, 2023
I'm not very good at reading literary fiction. This isn't a criticism of any books; it's just a quirk of how my brain is wired. But what I do really like is hearing other people talk enthusiastically about the literary fiction that they love - and this book certainly does that. You can feel the joy and excitement the authors feel for each and every novel that they recommend. It provides a fantastic jumping off point for readers to discover and explore this canon.
February 3, 2024
Despite my seemingly random taste in books, I have a tendency to mentally limit the kind of books I can read. Besides introducing me to exciting new books and authors, one of This is the Canon’s greatest assets is encouraging me to give books perhaps I wouldn’t usually be interested in reading a chance. This is the Canon has made me look forward to my reading experience this year :)
December 6, 2021
Excellent introduction to a diverse list of books from authors across the globe telling stories not often heard in the traditional white male canon. I have added to my 'to-read' list extensively from this!
I really appreciate the 'if you like this you might like' section.
I really appreciate the 'if you like this you might like' section.
February 18, 2022
This was great - a true labor of love by the creators. It is appreciated.
Recommend to everyone. I got an advance copy of this from Netgalley and have purchased it as well after finishing to have on hand.
Recommend to everyone. I got an advance copy of this from Netgalley and have purchased it as well after finishing to have on hand.
March 21, 2023
Excellent examples of literature from across the world to diversify your bookshelves and reading material - added everything to my "to read" shelf on Goodreads. The editors' plot summaries, author bios, and other reading material suggestions are fabulous.
March 25, 2023
As a list of suggestions for reading outside the authors with whom you may be familiar this is really good (I have listed a fair number to read).
The preachy tone is really quite off-putting and done summaries doubt really leave anything left of the book to be surprising or unexpected.
The preachy tone is really quite off-putting and done summaries doubt really leave anything left of the book to be surprising or unexpected.
March 1, 2025
Verplichte kost op elke middelbare school wat mij betreft! Dat er ook nog literatuur naast de Nederlandse bestaat met mensen van allerlei kleur, echte wereldliteratuur. Zelfs voor mij (ik lees voor mijn vak en mijn blog stukgelezen.nl) nog inspiratie om meer te lezen.
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