How to Start Decolonizing Your Bookshelf (and Book Recommendations for Getting Started)

It is an undeniable fact that the world of literature is more often than not, very white (and very male). BIPOC authors, and especially female BIPOC authors, very rarely have access to the same shelf space and publication channels, that white authors do. 

Decolonizing your bookshelf doesn’t mean that we should stop reading white authors. That would be a shallow and redundant response. It’s not about reading NO white authors at all, but about taking a step back and asking ourselves how we can read and open ourselves up to more BIPOC authors. It’s about actively seeking out non-white voices and viewpoints and adding them to your reading repertoire. It’s about reading thought provoking books, even if they make you slightly uncomfortable, especially when they deal with race, privilege and power. It’s also important to remember that just because an author of color writes a story, it doesn’t ‘have’ to be about race and discrimination. It could just be a really good story, in and of itself. Just as we read white authors who don’t write about the white experience, we should also attempt to read authors of color who write about things besides race. 

We here at JUGS have realized that this needs to be an ongoing conversation. Even if not by intention, our bookshelves and reading choices are often overwhelmingly white, and this is something we’re actively working to address in order to truly be allies in the fight against discrimination, and to stand by our friends and families of color. Since we live in the western hemisphere, understandably, we’re most familiar with the western canon, because historically, that’s what has been most available to us. But given the plethora of information available to us today, there really is no excuse to not go beyond our comfort zone and immerse ourselves in worlds unfamiliar to us.

Several studies have shown that reading literature increases empathy. If we were to only read books about characters that resemble us and the world we inhabit, how will we truly learn to empathize with those whose lives are so very different from ours? If reading a book written by an author who is a from a background different to ours can help increase our empathy and understanding even a little bit, really, what do we have to lose? 

The list below will hopefully be the first of many. We are voracious readers here at JUGS and can’t wait to share some of our old favorites with you! Come along with us as we revisit those, as well as introduce you (and ourselves) to new, upcoming voices from female and non-binary authors of color! 

‘The Namesake’ by Jhumpa Lahiri

The novel, The Namesake, was so good , they made it into a movie! Pulitzer prize winning author Jhumpa Lahiri weaves a tale about an immigrant family from Calcutta in Cambridge, MA, and the many twists and turns their lives take. It centers on the importance of a name and how it shapes a person, as it does for the protagonist in the novel. The story includes themes on assimilation, identity, displacement and belonging. It’s heartwarming and so relatable on multiple levels. A must read!

‘Patsy’ by Nicole Dennis-Benn

It’s rare to come across a book that centers the LGBTQIA+ experience as a BIPOC woman, and Patsy does just that. Patsy is an immigrant from Jamaica, and her story is one of hardships, tough decisions, sacrifice and denial. But alongside it, she also finds strength and honesty in discovering her own self. It is also the story of her daughter, who grows up and has to find her own way in Jamaica and has to come to terms with her own budding sexuality. It’s a book that is gut wrenchingly raw in all the right ways, and offers us a glimpse into the complex, multi-faceted lives of the immigrants amongst our midst whom we rarely see. She does a brilliant job drawing a picture of Jamaica, as well as the Brooklyn most of us readers aren’t aware exists right under our noses. 

‘Americanah’ by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

A modern-day epic, Americanah is lyrical, eloquent and bitingly powerful. On one level, this is a sharp critique of the duplicity of the liberal ideals common amongst the intelligentsia (and society at large). On another level, it is very much a story of the immigrant experience in traditionally overwhelmingly white spaces in America, such as academia. It is about alienation, and coming home, about lost loves, and lost senses of self. A beautiful masterpiece, this book is such a treasure. 

‘Afterlife’ by Julia Alvarez

As an immigrant, what does one do and how does one act when faced with impossible choices? And are there really ever any impossible choices? Afterlife is a jarring yet thought provoking story about the protagonist who is a Latinx female academic. Her husband dies an untimely death, and she is left to process her grief on her own. During this period of mourning, her sisters invite drama and crash into her life, as do members of the invisible immigrant worker community in her small town. She is like them, yet she is not; where does she fall and where do her loyalties lie? A searing look into the vagaries of health care in this country, along with the strength of sisterhood, as well as the multilayered, conflicting realities that make up an immigrant identity. 

‘a Woman is No Man’ by Etaf Rum

A complex story about gender and ethnic identity, as well the clashing of old and new norms, A Woman is No Man delves into the lives of Arab-American women, and the precarious tightropes some of them walk when faced with traditional expectations, and their own wishes. The story mimics much of the authors own life, which lends it a wonderful sense of authenticity. It speaks to the dangers of long held silences and secrets within families, and how damaging they can be. The characters are human with their own failings, but it helps us relate to them even more, for what is more real than a flawed human being? It’s a tender book that deftly handles daunting topics. It mesmerizes and draws you in from the get-go. 

‘Freshwater’ by Akwaeke Emezi

Freshwater fuses together Igbo spirituality and mental health into a lush, fiery story. Its poetic in its prose, yet also highly disturbing, as we wade into the inner recesses of Ada’s mind. Nonetheless, it leaves us wanting more, in spite of the skin prickling discomfort; we want to know more about how Ada lives with her demons. Simultaneously harrowing and hypnotic, this is a powerful novel. 

‘My Sister, the Serial Killer’ by Oyinkan Braithewaite

The humor in My Sister, the Serial Killer is wry and cutting, yet it makes for such a pleasurable read. It takes place in Nigeria and is about the dysfunctional relationship between two sisters. The beautiful, murderous Ayoola, and her responsible  sister Korede, who always seems to be cleaning up after her “exploits”. The book treats the murders as par the course of Ayoola’s life, and that is an unexpected delight. It delves into the intricacies of sisterhood, and how even the most heinous crimes can be the secret that ties sisters together. 

‘Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line’ by Deepa Annapara

Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line transports us to the streets of an Indian city, this book is short but stirring. Told from the eyes of the innocent children who live in the sprawling slums, it doesn’t descend into being ingenuous. It somehow retains a sense of nimbleness, whilst also conveying the gravity of the things the children see. It’s in turns charming and horrifying, and does a great job touching on the current sociopolitical urgencies in India without being preachy. A brilliant debut, this book gives us such a unique view into India as it is today, from the often-forgotten section of the populace. 

‘The Wangs vs the World’ by Jade Chang

The Wangs vs. the World is a hilarious tale of a Chinese-American family and their cross-country road trip in the wake of losing everything during the 2008/2009 financial crisis. Possibly one of the most lighthearted novels about an immigrant family, that still manages to reach beyond the laughs and tap into the compassion inherent in the relationships between the characters. The Changs are highly eccentric but also loveable, and are so very flawed, you can’t help but like them. The novels races along as they do on their road trip, with impromptu stops, and dawning realizations for each of the family members during the journey. 

‘Reading Lolita in Tehran’ by Azar Nafisi

A book about the power of books, this is a must read for any bibliophile. Reading Lolita in Tehran gives us such a detailed, thorough glimpse of life in Tehran, that we can picture it in our minds. She paints a vivid picture of the oppression people face, and yet, she also speaks of the indominable beauty of the human spirit and our thirst for knowledge. You can’t help but root for her students, who fight against all odds to keep learning. 

What are you reading next?

Tanya Roy-White is a career changer and decided her mid 30’s was a great time to go back to university to get her Masters in Mental Health. She’s very excited to be a contributor for JUGS and write about the many musings knocking about in her head. She spends an inordinate amount of time thinking about food and books and would be happiest in a hobbit home with tea galore and a never-ending library (and a kitchen with an AGA stove, because, food, but make it fashion).