Human Rights
Last updated: April 30, 2025
Human rights have been enshrined in international treaties for decades now, but since the UN’s adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, systematic infringements of it continue to be widespread. Meanwhile technology, conflict and social change continue to throw up fresh challenges about how human rights are defined and how they are defended. Our experts recommend some of the best books on the evolution, practice, breach and defence of human rights.
Professor John Tasioulas of King's College London, Steve Crawshaw of Amnesty International, and Shami Chakrabarti of the National Council for Civil Liberties all choose their best books on the subject of human rights in general terms. We also have a number of interviews focused on countries where there have been major human rights breaches: Vanora Bennett, who covered the country for Reuters, looks at Chechnya, Philip Gourevitch of the New Yorker, who has himself written a book about the tragedy, looks at the Rwandan Genocide, and Professor Jeffrey Wasserstrom looks at June 4th 1989 in Tiananmen Square, China.
Professor David Chandler talks about Cambodia, and Andrei Lankov, of Kookim University in Seoul discusses North Korea. Professor Norman Naimark, who focuses on Eastern Europe, looks at genocide.
On particular themes related to human rights, Juan Mendez, the UN’s special rapporteur on torture, looks at torture; Claire Fox looks at freedom of speech, and Andrew Cayley, who has worked as a lawyer in genocide trials, talks about war crimes. Max Mosley talks about privacy and Trevor Phillips chooses his best books on equality.
Lastly, barrister Alex McBride looks at his best books on trial by jury and Clive Stafford-Smith chooses his best books on capital punishment.
The best books on Human Rights, recommended by John Tasioulas
What are human rights? Are they reducible to the rights enshrined in law or do they somehow objectively exist? Philosopher John Tasioulas picks the best five books on human rights.
The best books on Human Rights and Literature, recommended by Lyndsey Stonebridge
The connections between human rights and literature are profound and we ignore the humanities and reading at our peril, says Lyndsey Stonebridge, Interdisciplinary Professor of Humanities at the University of Birmingham. She recommends books that best show the complex relationship between literature and human rights, from Auschwitz to Manus Island.
The best books on Human Rights, recommended by Shami Chakrabarti
Director of Liberty Shami Chakrabarti says Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is a thinly veiled metaphor for the War on Terror
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1
The Soul of the First Amendment
by Floyd Abrams -
2
The Free Speech Century
by Geoffrey R. Stone (Editor) & Lee C. Bollinger (Editor) -
3
Words That Wound: Critical Race Theory, Assaultive Speech, And The First Amendment
by Charles R. Lawrence III, Kimberlè Williams Crenshaw, Mari J. Matsuda & Richard Delgado -
4
Speech Police: The Global Struggle to Govern the Internet
by David Kaye -
5
Dare to Speak: Defending Free Speech for All
by Suzanne Nossel
The best books on The First Amendment, recommended by Suzanne Nossel
The best books on The First Amendment, recommended by Suzanne Nossel
Frequently appealed to, less frequently understood, and by no means a free pass to say or write whatever you feel like: Suzanne Nossel, chief executive of PEN America, the nonprofit dedicated to free expression, talks us through the best books to better understand America's venerated First Amendment.
The best books on Human Rights, recommended by Gary Bass
Political scientist Gary Bass picks the five best books on human rights (this article was published on June 24th, 2009)
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1
Transitional Justice
by Ruti G Teitel -
2
A Human Being Died That Night
by Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela -
3
Atrocity, Punishment, and International Law
by Mark A Drumbl -
4
Imperfect Justice: An East-West Diary
by Inga Markovits -
5
Brothers of the Gun: A Memoir of the Syrian Civil War
by Marwan Hisham and Molly Crabapple
The best books on Transitional Justice, recommended by Colleen Murphy
The best books on Transitional Justice, recommended by Colleen Murphy
When a period of war or oppression draws to a close, how should a country face up to past wrongdoing while creating a future free of conflict? Colleen Murphy—professor of law, philosophy and political science at the University of Illinois—discusses five books that examine the issues at the heart of ‘transitional justice.’
The best books on Human Rights, recommended by Steve Crawshaw
Amnesty International’s director of international advocacy chooses books that illuminate historical and contemporary human rights issues, from the Belgian Congo to Iran
The best books on Free Speech, recommended by Timothy Garton Ash
Free speech is the bedrock of a healthy society, but how do we deal with the torrents of horrible comments—and worse—we see on the internet every day? Timothy Garton Ash, author of Free Speech: Ten Principles for A Connected World, outlines a plan for navigating the complexities and recommends the best books to help us think about free speech.
The best books on Alternative Futures, recommended by Catherine Mayer
Catherine Mayer—author, journalist and president of the Women’s Equality Party—talks to Five Books about her optimism for a more equal future for society by way of her favourite science fiction visionaries and their work.
The best books on North Korea, recommended by Hyeonseo Lee
Kim Jong-un’s posturing over nuclear weapons is a distraction from more pressing concerns: the extreme poverty and disenfranchisement of his people, says North Korean defector Hyeonseo Lee. She chooses five books for understanding the hermit kingdom.
