Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

This novel is set in pre-colonial Nigeria and follows the life of Okonkwo, a proud and ambitious Igbo warrior. The story provides a glimpse into the traditional Igbo society and its customs, rituals, and social structure.

Themes: African history, colonialism, Igbo society and customs

Bitterthorn by Kat Dunn

This novel tells the story of Mina, a duke’s daughter, who lives in the cursed town of Blumwald. Every generation, the Witch claims a companion, who is taken to a sinister castle and never seen again. Mina offers herself up as a companion, and is drawn into the mystery of what happened to previous companions.

Themes: historical fantasy, young adult, gothic, LGBTQ+

Home Going by Yaa Gyasi

This novel spans multiple generations and follows the parallel paths of two half-sisters and their descendants, offering a sweeping and powerful exploration of the impact of slavery on the African diaspora.

Themes: African history, Ghanaian history, slavery, American Civil War, family

This novel spans multiple generations and follows the parallel paths of two half-sisters and their descendants, offering a sweeping and powerful exploration of the impact of slavery on the African diaspora.

Themes: African history, Ghanaian history, slavery, American Civil War, family

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

This novel is mainly set in the late 1950s and early 1960s and is about the Price family, who are missionaries from the United States sent to the village of Kilanga in the Belgian Congo (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo).

Themes: African history, colonialism, Congolese history, Christianity

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

This novel centres around the trial of Tom Robinson, a Black man falsely accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell. The narrative highlights the deeply ingrained racial prejudices and injustice present in the Southern United States during the 1930s.

Themes: 1930s America, American history, racism, prejudice, loss of innocence

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

This novel is a retelling of the Iliad, an ancient Greek epic by Homer. It follows the lives of Achilles and Patroclus, starting from their childhood and continuing through the Trojan War. It proposes that their friendship was also a romantic relationship.

Themes: Greek mythology, Trojan War, love story, LGBTQ+, loss

I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys

This novel is set in late-1980s Romania, during Ceaușescu’s dictatorship. It tells the story of Cristian, an aspiring writer who is blackmailed by the secret police into becoming an informer on his family and friends. He risks everything to be part of the revolution and expose the regime to the rest of the world.

Themes: Romanian history, dictatorship, censorship, oppression

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

This novel is set during World War II and revolves around the tragic sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff, a German military transport ship, in January 1945. It follows the lives of four young refugees as they begin a dangerous journey to the ship.

Themes: World War 2 history, Soviet army, Nazi Germany, war, disaster

This novel is set during World War II and revolves around the tragic sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff, a German military transport ship, in January 1945. It follows the lives of four young refugees as they begin a dangerous journey to the ship.

Themes: World War 2 history, Soviet army, Nazi Germany, war, disaster

Maus by Art Spiegelman

This graphic novel was published in two parts: "Maus I: My Father Bleeds History" (1986), and "Maus II: And Here My Troubles Began" (1991). It tells the story of the Holocaust using animal characters, with Jews portrayed as mice, Germans as cats, and Poles as pigs.

Themes: World War 2 history, the Holocaust, Nazi Germany, concentration camps, Auschwitz, father-son relationship

Jollof Rice and Other Revolutions by Omolola Ijeoma Ogunyemi

This novel is made up of interlocking stories spanning from 1897 to 2050, detailing the lives of a group of Nigerian women and the ripple effects of one night of unrest at their boarding school. The stories take place across Nigeria, the U.S., and Poland.

Themes: African history, Nigerian history, family, migration, revolution