"A beautiful opportunity to rethink your reading lists and discover books from around the world."
Highlighting reads that encourage you to explore new beliefs, ideas, and opinions, this was an eye-opening read for me. Recommending a collection of 50 novellas and novels from around the world, with voices from all backgrounds and races, the reader is encouraged to rethink the novels that are considered the classics of literature. It is explained as: “an intervention that offers opportunities for readers to explore a broader reach of works than those that are perennially taught and examined, or promoted”. Prior to reading this I believed that I read far and wide, across genres, continents, and authors, and yet and yet, I’ve only read books by four of these authors. It really brought me up short and has made me rethink my reading lists. I know that some of my LoveReading reviewing colleagues have already read many of these books, but for me, the majority will be new. Joan Anim-Addo, Deidre Osborne, and Kadija Sesay are well respected and explain their thoughts, reasoning, and hold their arms wide in welcoming you to This is the Canon. Each of the 50 books is introduced and includes details of publishing, the author, and other recommended books. The Afterword encourages you, as a reader, to make a difference in the literary world, to make your voice heard. Sitting as a LoveReading Star Book and Liz Pick of the Month, This is the Canon offers a huge opportunity to the reader, and one that I will be taking up.
| Primary Genre | Lifestyle, Hobbies and Leisure |
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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.
This is the Canon features in the following genres: Lifestyle, Hobbies and Leisure, Liz Robinson's Picks of the Month, Recommendations, Star Books, Gift Books, Mind, body, spirit, Literary companions, book reviews and guides, Fiction companions, Ethnic groups and multicultural studies, Stationery and miscellaneous items, Health & Fitness, Literary reference works, Literature: history and criticism, Biography, Literature and Literary studies, Fiction, Ethnic studies, Social groups, communities and identities, Society and culture: general, Society and Social Sciences, Sharing Diverse Voices
This is the Canon is available in Paperback, Hardback
This is the Canon was written by Joan Anim-Addo, Deirdre Osborne and published by Greenfinch an imprint of Quercus Publishing
This is the Canon has 352 pages
£15.29
