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.

Publication year 2021

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Mental Health, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Mothers, Society: Colonialism

Tags Food, Colonialism / Postcolonialism, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Military / War, History: World, Mental Illness, Biography


Publication year 2007

Genre Collection of Letters, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Race, Identity: Femininity, Self Discovery, Society: Education, Values/Ideas: Equality, Society: Community, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Colonialism

Tags Race / Racism, Education, Gender / Feminism, Politics / Government, Leadership/Organization/Management, Education, Philosophy, Philosophy, Social Justice


Publication year 1985

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Society: Colonialism

Tags Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Science / Nature


Publication year 2003

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Nation, Society: Colonialism, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Society: Class, Society: Immigration, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: Politics & Government

Tags History: U.S., Immigration / Refugee, Civil Rights / Jim Crow, Black Lives Matter, Race / Racism, Social Justice, Politics / Government, American Revolution, American Civil War, Colonialism / Postcolonialism, Colonial America, Sociology, Education, Education, Business / Economics, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Arts / Culture

The American Dream: A Short History of an Idea that Shaped a Nation, originally published in 2003 by Oxford University Press, is a popular history book by American cultural historian Jim Cullen. As an overview and critical analysis of the American Dream, this book adds some meat to the bones of a traditionally ambiguous concept. Cullen maintains an optimistic outlook about the usefulness of the various American Dreams and about the promise of America, despite... Read The American Dream Summary


Publication year 2002

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Identity: Disability, Relationships: Family, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Fate

Tags Romance, Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, Relationships, Asian Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World

Originally written in German and published in 2002, Jan-Philipp Sendker’s debut novel, The Art of Hearing Heartbeats, was translated into English by Kevin Wiliarty in 2006. An international bestseller, the novel received the Indies Choice Honor Award for Best Fiction Novel in 2013. In response to such acclaim, Sendker penned a sequel, A Well-Tempered Heart, in 2012. The novel is international in scope—being written by a German journalist who lived in upstate New York, detailing... Read The Art of Hearing Heartbeats Summary


Publication year 2020

Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction

Themes Society: Colonialism, Natural World: Environment, Self Discovery

Tags Fantasy, Action / Adventure, Children's Literature, Animals


Publication year 1969

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Society: Colonialism, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Politics & Government

Tags Heinemann African Writers, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction, Satire, Poverty, Colonialism / Postcolonialism, African American Literature, History: World

The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born, published in 1968, is a debut novel by Ayi Kwei Armah, one of the most noteworthy writers of postcolonial Ghana. Armah was born in Takoradi, Ghana, in 1939. He was educated at schools in Ghana and private institutions in America, including Harvard University. He has also worked as a translator, scriptwriter, and a university lecturer.The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born focuses on life in post-independence Ghana and... Read The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born Summary


Publication year 1851

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Siblings, Society: Community, Society: Colonialism, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Relationships, Education, Education, American Literature, History: World


Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Society: Colonialism, Self Discovery, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Natural World: Place, Emotions/Behavior: Hope

Tags Fantasy, Mythology, Action / Adventure, Leadership/Organization/Management, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Animals, History: European, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Children's Literature

Originally published in 2014, The Blood of Olympus is the fifth and final book in Rick Riordan’s young adult fantasy series The Heroes of Olympus, inspired by Greek and Roman mythologies. The series follows seven demigods—children of one divine and one mortal parent—as they try to stop the earth goddess, Gaea, from rising to power. The novel won several awards, including the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Middle Grade and Children’s Book of 2014. The... Read The Blood of Olympus Summary


Publication year 1984

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Gender, Society: Colonialism

Tags Magical Realism, Colonialism / Postcolonialism, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World, Historical Fiction, Fantasy

The Bone People (1984) by Keri Hulme was the first New Zealand novel to receive the Booker Prize. It also earned a number of other awards, including the 1984 New Zealand Book Award and the Pegasus Award for Maori Literature. A native of Christchurch, Hulme grew up on the South Island. She comes from a large, diverse, multicultural family of English, Scottish, and Maori descent. After finishing high school, the writer began working as a... Read The Bone People Summary


Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Gender, Society: Colonialism, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Identity: Race

Tags Historical Fiction, Race / Racism, Afro-Caribbean Literature, History: World


Publication year 1975

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Society: Colonialism

Tags Fantasy, Magical Realism, Latin American Literature, History: World, Classic Fiction

“The Book of Sand” by Jorge Luis Borges is a short story dealing with humankind’s inability to grasp the infinite, whether in spirituality or in physical reality. Borges is one of the most well-known Latin American authors, as well as one of the most notable postmodernists of the 20th century. Like much of Borges’s work, “The Book of Sand” contains themes and motifs of the infinite, the nature of literature, spirituality, and postcolonial thought. “The... Read The Book of Sand Summary


Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Identity: Indigenous, Society: Community, Society: Colonialism, Self Discovery

Tags Gender / Feminism, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Modern Classic Fiction, Canadian Literature


Publication year 1959

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: War, Society: Colonialism, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed

Tags History: World, Anthropology, Grief / Death, Military / War, Colonialism / Postcolonialism, Latin American Literature, Education, Education, Anthropology


Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Joy, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Indigenous, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Midlife, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Mothers, Self Discovery, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Society: Education, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Literary Fiction, Gothic Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World


Publication year 1982

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Femininity, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Society: Colonialism

Tags Gender / Feminism, American Literature, African American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Race / Racism, History: World, LGBTQ

The Color Purple is an epistolary novel—a novel told in letter form—in which Alice Walker traces the gradual liberation of Celie, a poor, Black woman who must overcome abuse and separation from her beloved sister Nettie. Set in the South and an unnamed African country during the 1930 to 1940s, the novel is a study in the ways in which Black women use their faith, relationships, and creativity to survive racial and sexual oppression. Several... Read The Color Purple Summary


Publication year 1972

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Natural World: Environment, Society: Globalization, Society: Colonialism, Natural World: Flora/plants, Society: Economics, Identity: Indigenous

Tags History: World, Science / Nature, Anthropology, History: U.S., Anthropology, Business / Economics


Publication year 1990

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Economics, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Relationships: Teams, Society: Class, Society: Immigration, Society: Globalization, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Society: Education, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Society: Nation, Life/Time: The Future, Society: War, Life/Time: The Past, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Equality, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose

Tags Business / Economics, Finance / Money / Wealth, Leadership/Organization/Management, Social Science, History: World, Politics / Government

The Competitive Advantage of Nations is a 1990 work of economics by American author Michael E. Porter, a Harvard Business School professor and expert in corporate competitive strategy whose influential works are frequently cited in business and economics. In this book, Porter dismantles traditional economic theories about how well a nation fares in global competition (factor costs and macro-economic policy) and proposes a model that focuses on active and malleable factors of business rather than... Read The Competitive Advantage Of Nations Summary


Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Society: Colonialism, Identity: Gender, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed

Tags History: World, Historical Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, LGBTQ, Gothic Literature, Georgian Era


Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Society: Colonialism, Values/Ideas: Literature

Tags Historical Fiction, Health / Medicine, Asian Literature