Race and Ethnicity Resources

Reads about race and diversity

• Chinua Achebe was a Nigerian writer who is considered an important figure in African literature. Read his novel 'Things Fall Apart', one of the most widely studied African novels. on RNIB Bookshare. 
• Amy Tan's novel 'The Joy Luck Club' tells the story of four immigrant Chinese women and their Chinese American daughters.  
• Octavia E. Butler was an American science fiction author whose work often dealt with themes of race and power. We have several of her titles available.
• Toni Morrison was an American author known for writing on themes of race and racism in America. You can read a selection of her work including 'Song of Solomon',''Beloved' and 'The Bluest Eye' on RNIB Bookshare.
• Maya Angelou was an American writer known for her poetry, essays and autobiographical writing. You can read her book 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings' along with several of her other works.
• 'Kindred' is a ground-breaking time travel novel by Octavia E. Butler which tells the story of a young Black woman who keeps shifting between 1970s California and a Pre-Civil War plantation. 
• Khaled Hosseini is an Afghan-American author most well known for his novel 'The Kite runner'. You can read Hosseini's novels on RNIB Bookshare. 
• 'Passing' by Nella Larsen explores themes of race and identity as it tells the story of two Black women and the ways in which they navigate American society while passing for White. The book is also the inspiration for the Netflix film of the same name. You can read Passing on RNIB Bookshare. 
• Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a Nigerian writer known for her novels, short stories and nonfiction writing. You can read some of her work on RNIB Bookshare. 
• 'A raisin in the sun' by Lorraine Hansberry explores themes of racism, housing discrimination, identity and assimilation through the story of a Black family living in Chicago.  
• Andrea Levy was a British author known for her books 'Small Island', 'The Long Song' and 'Every light in the house burnin''. Her work explored the Black British experience and history between Britain and the Caribbean. You can read a selection of her work on RNIB Bookshare. 
• 'Surge' by Jay Bernard is an exploration of the black British archive: an enquiry into the New Cross Fire of 1981, a house fire at a birthday party in south London in which thirteen young black people were killed. Surge shines a light on an unacknowledged chapter in British history that still resonates today. You can read 'Surge' on RNIB Bookshare. 
• Mary jean Chan is a Hong Kong Chinese poet. Her Poetry collection Flèche explores themes of postcolonialism, queerness, multilingualism and history. You can read 'Flèche' at RNIB Bookshare.
• Lemn Sissay is a British writer, he has written numerous books, poetry collections and plays. You can read his work including 'Something Dark' and 'My Name is Why' along with several of his other works on RNIB Bookshare. 
• 'Queenie' by Candice Carty Williams is a clever and funny story of black british womanhood.
• 'Love in Colour: Mythical Tales from Around the World Retold', by Bolu Babalola creates new stories on tales of love from history and mytholodgy. 
• 'Black and British: A Forgotten History' by David Olusoga examines the connection between Britain and the people of Africa and the Caribbean, describeing how the lives of black and white Britons have been entwined for centuries and goes as far back as to Roman Britain. 
• Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire' by BAFTA and MOBO award winning musician Akala examines issues of race and class that are at the heart of the legacy of Britain's racialised empire.