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Politics & Society » Race & Racism

Most Recommended Books

The Interesting Narrative by Olaudah Equiano

“This is a famous book. It was quite famous when it was first written, in the late 18th century, but it has had a renaissance from the 1960s onwards. The crucial thing about this book—and this is why I’ve listed it first—is that it gives you the lived experience of enslavement and it neatly pieces together pretty much every chapter in the story of the rise and fall of slavery, and it also covers the geography of the slave trade. “

William A. Pettigrew,

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The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander

“Michelle Alexander shows how you can change a system politically and legally, but without ever destroying its social roots. Racial domination in the United States has always found a way of coming back to life, despite legal changes… It is probably the most important book on prisons since Foucault’s Discipline and Punish in 1975. It proves that you can win the judicial battle, change the legal order and still lose the political one.”

Geoffroy de Lagasnerie,

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Browse book recommendations:

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Editor's note, June 2020: If you're looking for just one book to read on racism in the US, our most recommended book on the topic is The New Jim Crow, a book that exposes the racial discrimination inherent to the American justice system, by the civil rights lawyer Michelle Alexander. It's been recommended to us by the Harvard legal scholar Kenneth W. Mack, by the distinguished economic historian Peter Temin, and by the French philosopher Geoffroy de Lagasnerie, who noted: "Racial domination in the United States has always found a way of coming back to life, despite legal changes."

-

Race, or more specifically racism, remains one of the most pressing and divisive issues of the current era, affecting every country on every continent, in a thousand visible and invisible ways.

Hardly anywhere has the issue of race been as complicated and complicating as in the United States. We have a wide range of interviews that reflect that. Journalist Joe Domanick chose his best books on race and American policing, while Kenneth W Mack, professor of law at Harvard, chose the best books on race and American law. Imani Perry, Professor of African American Studies at Princeton, has recommended books about African American history, while the University of Chicago historian Kathleen Belew has highlighted the best books on white supremacy. Those hoping to expand their knowledge of African American literature will find useful reading recommendations in our interview with Farah Jasmine Griffin.

South Africa is another country whose history and present-day politics are deeply impacted by institutionalised racism. Author John Carlin selected for us the best books on Nelson Mandela and South Africa.

More generally, the British broadcaster Kurt Barling recommended classic books on the subject of racism, and pointed out that the concept of race as originally developed is now recognised to be based upon prejudice and faulty science dating back to the 17th century. "We have to accept, first, that race doesn’t exist in any meaningful scientific sense," he reminded us. "Most people have accepted that. What we’re still left with is cultural racism." For further reading on this point, Five Books alumni Angela Saini wrote about the insidious history of 'racial science' and its continuing impact at length in her excellent 2019 book Superior: The Return of Race Science.

    Best Books by Black Queer Writers, recommended by Robert Jones Jr.

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    Best Books by Black Queer Writers - The Color Purple by Alice Walker

    1

    The Color Purple
    by Alice Walker

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    Best Books by Black Queer Writers - Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin

    2

    Go Tell It on the Mountain
    by James Baldwin

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    Best Books by Black Queer Writers - The Blacker the Berry by Wallace Thurman

    3

    The Blacker the Berry
    by Wallace Thurman

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    Best Books by Black Queer Writers - Black Leopard, Red Wolf (The Dark Star Trilogy: Book 1) by Marlon James

    4

    Black Leopard, Red Wolf (The Dark Star Trilogy: Book 1)
    by Marlon James

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    Best Books by Black Queer Writers - B-Boy Blues by James Earl Hardy

    5

    B-Boy Blues
    by James Earl Hardy

Best Books by Black Queer Writers, recommended by Robert Jones Jr.

The novels of James Baldwin, Alice Walker, Wallace Thurman and James Early Hardy bring the America of the last two centuries vividly to life. Marlon James brings us a fantasy trilogy set in ancient Africa. Robert Jones Jr., author of The Prophets—a love story set on a plantation in the American South—talks us through his choices of the best books by Black queer writers.

    The best books on Interracial Relationships, recommended by Tineka Smith and Alex Court

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    The best books on Interracial Relationships - The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

    1

    The Vanishing Half
    by Brit Bennett

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    The best books on Interracial Relationships - Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

    2

    Americanah
    by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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    The best books on Interracial Relationships - Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

    3

    Born a Crime
    by Trevor Noah

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    The best books on Interracial Relationships - Caucasia by Danzy Senna

    4

    Caucasia
    by Danzy Senna

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    The best books on Interracial Relationships - The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

    5

    The Hate U Give
    by Angie Thomas

The best books on Interracial Relationships, recommended by Tineka Smith and Alex Court

You might think that books about interracial couples aren’t relevant unless you’re part of one or are close to someone who is, but nothing could be further from the truth. In Mixed Up: Confessions of an Interracial Couple, a fascinating audiobook narrated by Tineka Smith and Alex Court, the husband and wife duo tell the story of their own relationship and, in doing so, give the listener unique insights into racism and racial identity. Here, they recommend their top books on interracial relationships.

    The best books on The Slave Trade, recommended by William A. Pettigrew

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    The best books on The Slave Trade - The Interesting Narrative by Olaudah Equiano

    1

    The Interesting Narrative
    by Olaudah Equiano

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    The best books on The Slave Trade - Capitalism and Slavery by Eric Williams

    2

    Capitalism and Slavery
    by Eric Williams

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    The best books on The Slave Trade - The Rise of African Slavery in the Americas by David Eltis

    3

    The Rise of African Slavery in the Americas
    by David Eltis

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    The best books on The Slave Trade - Ouidah: The Social History of a West African Slaving Port 1727-1892 by Robin Law

    4

    Ouidah: The Social History of a West African Slaving Port 1727-1892
    by Robin Law

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    The best books on The Slave Trade - American Slavery, American Freedom: The Ordeal of Colonial Virginia by Edmund S Morgan

    5

    American Slavery, American Freedom: The Ordeal of Colonial Virginia
    by Edmund S Morgan

The best books on The Slave Trade, recommended by William A. Pettigrew

In the 17th and 18th century millions of Africans were shipped across the Atlantic to the Americas as slaves. This trade took place at the same time as ‘liberal’ ideas about the importance of human freedom took root in Great Britain and North America. Here, historian William A. Pettigrew recommends five books to help understand the slave trade, how it was established, why it flourished and why it was eventually abolished.

    The best books on Race and American Policing, recommended by Joe Domanick

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    The best books on Race and American Policing - The Wire by David Simon

    1

    The Wire
    by David Simon

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    The best books on Race and American Policing - Cruel Justice by Joe Domanick

    2

    Cruel Justice
    by Joe Domanick

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    The best books on Race and American Policing - Mean Justice by Edward Humes

    3

    Mean Justice
    by Edward Humes

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    The best books on Race and American Policing - Serpico by Peter Maas

    4

    Serpico
    by Peter Maas

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    The best books on Race and American Policing - Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

    5

    Between the World and Me
    by Ta-Nehisi Coates

The best books on Race and American Policing, recommended by Joe Domanick

The author and journalist describes how racism, violence, and corruption became entrenched in police departments across America. He picks five books describing a stark reality, and suggests a blueprint for change

    The best books on Racism, recommended by Kurt Barling

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    The best books on Racism - The Open Society and its Enemies by Karl Popper

    1

    The Open Society and its Enemies
    by Karl Popper

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    The best books on Racism - Black Skin, White Masks by Frantz Fanon

    2

    Black Skin, White Masks
    by Frantz Fanon

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    The best books on Racism - The Language of Genes by Steve Jones

    3

    The Language of Genes
    by Steve Jones

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    The best books on Racism - The Ordeal of Integration by Orlando Patterson

    4

    The Ordeal of Integration
    by Orlando Patterson

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    The best books on Racism - The Ethics of Identity by Kwame Anthony Appiah

    5

    The Ethics of Identity
    by Kwame Anthony Appiah

The best books on Racism, recommended by Kurt Barling

The concept of ‘race’ is misleading and inaccurate, argues Kurt Barling, Professor of Journalism at the University of Middlesex and author of The R Word: Racism and Modern Society. He recommends the best books to think about racism.

    The Best Antiracist Books for Kids, recommended by Paula Young Shelton

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    The Best Antiracist Books for Kids - In Your Hands by Brian Pinkney (Illustrator) & Carole Boston Weatherford

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    In Your Hands
    by Brian Pinkney (Illustrator) & Carole Boston Weatherford

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    The Best Antiracist Books for Kids - The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson & Rafael López (Illustrator)

    2

    The Day You Begin
    by Jacqueline Woodson & Rafael López (Illustrator)

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    The Best Antiracist Books for Kids - I Am Enough by Grace Byers & Keturah Bobo (Illustrator)

    3

    I Am Enough
    by Grace Byers & Keturah Bobo (Illustrator)

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    The Best Antiracist Books for Kids - Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale by John Steptoe

    4

    Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale
    by John Steptoe

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    The Best Antiracist Books for Kids - Milo's Museum by Purple Wong (Illustrator) & Zetta Elliott

    5

    Milo's Museum
    by Purple Wong (Illustrator) & Zetta Elliott

The Best Antiracist Books for Kids, recommended by Paula Young Shelton

Understanding the African American experience is not just about learning about suffering, it’s also about celebrating a vibrant culture and its roots across the millennia. Paula Young Shelton, author of Child of the Civil Rights Movement, recommends the best antiracist books for kids.

    The Best African American Literature, recommended by Farah Jasmine Griffin

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    The Best African American Literature - Cane by Jean Toomer

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    Cane
    by Jean Toomer

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    The Best African American Literature - Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

    2

    Their Eyes Were Watching God
    by Zora Neale Hurston

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    The Best African American Literature - The Narrows by Ann Petry

    3

    The Narrows
    by Ann Petry

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    The Best African American Literature - Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

    4

    Invisible Man
    by Ralph Ellison

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    The Best African American Literature - Beloved by Toni Morrison

    5

    Beloved
    by Toni Morrison

The Best African American Literature, recommended by Farah Jasmine Griffin

An ever-growing body of authors are writing about the reality of what it means to be black in America, says Farah Jasmine Griffin, director of the Institute for Research in African American Studies at Columbia University. Here she recommends five works of African American literature, from greats like Zora Neale Hurston and Toni Morrison to lesser-known gems by Ann Petry.

    The best books on White Supremacy, recommended by Kathleen Belew

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    The best books on White Supremacy - What Comes Naturally: Miscegenation Law and the Making of Race in America by Peggy Pascoe

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    What Comes Naturally: Miscegenation Law and the Making of Race in America
    by Peggy Pascoe

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    The best books on White Supremacy - Whiteness of a Different Color: European Immigrants and the Alchemy of Race by Matthew Frye Jacobson

    2

    Whiteness of a Different Color: European Immigrants and the Alchemy of Race
    by Matthew Frye Jacobson

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    The best books on White Supremacy - Eugenic Nation: Faults and Frontiers of Better Breeding in Modern America by Alexandra Minna Stern

    3

    Eugenic Nation: Faults and Frontiers of Better Breeding in Modern America
    by Alexandra Minna Stern

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    The best books on White Supremacy - From the War on Poverty to the War on Crime: The Making of Mass Incarceration in America by Elizabeth Hinton

    4

    From the War on Poverty to the War on Crime: The Making of Mass Incarceration in America
    by Elizabeth Hinton

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    The best books on White Supremacy - The Injustice Never Leaves You: Anti-Mexican Violence in Texas by Monica Muñoz Martinez

    5

    The Injustice Never Leaves You: Anti-Mexican Violence in Texas
    by Monica Muñoz Martinez

The best books on White Supremacy, recommended by Kathleen Belew

Defined by University of Chicago historian Kathleen Belew, white supremacy is a “broad system of laws, norms and customs that create a society with unequal opportunities for people based on race”. It persists to this day, and has surprising intersections with issues of labor and women’s reproduction. Here, she recommends books for coming to grips with the history of this complex topic.

    The Best Movies about Race, recommended by Greg Garrett

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    The Best Movies about Race - Gone with the Wind (Movie) by Victor Fleming (director)

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    Gone with the Wind (Movie)
    by Victor Fleming (director)

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    The Best Movies about Race - In the Heat of the Night (Movie) by Norman Jewison (director)

    2

    In the Heat of the Night (Movie)
    by Norman Jewison (director)

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    The Best Movies about Race - Do the Right Thing (Movie) by Spike Lee (director)

    3

    Do the Right Thing (Movie)
    by Spike Lee (director)

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    The Best Movies about Race - 12 Years a Slave (Movie) by Steve McQueen (director)

    4

    12 Years a Slave (Movie)
    by Steve McQueen (director)

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    The Best Movies about Race - Get Out (Movie) by Jordan Peele (director)

    5

    Get Out (Movie)
    by Jordan Peele (director)

The Best Movies about Race, recommended by Greg Garrett

Movies are a big part of American cultural life and also one of the country’s biggest cultural exports. As a result, movies play an important role in how Americans see themselves, including in attitudes to race. Here Professor Greg Garrett of Baylor University—film historian, cultural theologian and author of A Long, Long Way: Hollywood’s Unfinished Journey from Racism to Reconciliation—talks us through five movies that best illustrate how Hollywood has evolved in terms of race over the past century, from Gone with the Wind to Get Out.

    Books on Black Icons for Children, recommended by Jamia Wilson and Andrea Pippins

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    Books on Black Icons for Children - Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer: The Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement by Carole Boston Weatherford & Euka Holmes

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    Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer: The Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement
    by Carole Boston Weatherford & Euka Holmes

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    Books on Black Icons for Children - Josephine: A Dazzling Life by Christian Robinson & Patricia Hruby Powell

    2

    Josephine: A Dazzling Life
    by Christian Robinson & Patricia Hruby Powell

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    Books on Black Icons for Children - The Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History by Vashti Harrison

    3

    The Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History
    by Vashti Harrison

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    Books on Black Icons for Children - Firebird by Misty Copeland

    4

    Firebird
    by Misty Copeland

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    Books on Black Icons for Children - Life Doesn't Frighten Me by Jean-Michel Basquiat & Maya Angelou

    5

    Life Doesn't Frighten Me
    by Jean-Michel Basquiat & Maya Angelou

Books on Black Icons for Children, recommended by Jamia Wilson and Andrea Pippins

Jamia Wilson and Andrea Pippins discuss books that that tell the stories of some of the greatest black icons in history – and explain why reading books that celebrate these extraordinary lives can be transformational for all children.

    The best books on State, Power and Violence, recommended by Geoffroy de Lagasnerie

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    The best books on State - Violence and the Word by Robert Cover

    1

    Violence and the Word
    by Robert Cover

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    The best books on State - The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander

    2

    The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
    by Michelle Alexander

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    The best books on State - Black against Empire: The History and Politics of the Black Panther Party by Joshua Bloom & Waldo E. Martin Jr.

    3

    Black against Empire: The History and Politics of the Black Panther Party
    by Joshua Bloom & Waldo E. Martin Jr.

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    The best books on State - Critique of Violence by Walter Benjamin

    4

    Critique of Violence
    by Walter Benjamin

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    The best books on State - The Birth of Biopolitics: Lectures at the Collège de France, 1978–1979 by Michel Foucault

    5

    The Birth of Biopolitics: Lectures at the Collège de France, 1978–1979
    by Michel Foucault

The best books on State, Power and Violence, recommended by Geoffroy de Lagasnerie

French philosopher and sociologist Geoffroy de Lagasnerie argues for a more realist political theory, one that fully acknowledges that state violence is the one thing in your life that you can never escape. His selection includes works by Michel Foucault and Walter Benjamin, as well as a history of the Black Panther Party.

    The best books on Race and the Law, recommended by Kenneth W. Mack

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    The best books on Race and the Law - Civic Ideals: Conflicting Visions of Citizenship in U.S. History by Rogers M. Smith

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    Civic Ideals: Conflicting Visions of Citizenship in U.S. History
    by Rogers M. Smith

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    The best books on Race and the Law - At America's Gates: Chinese Immigration during the Exclusion Era, 1882-1943 by Erika Lee

    2

    At America's Gates: Chinese Immigration during the Exclusion Era, 1882-1943
    by Erika Lee

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    The best books on Race and the Law - Impossible Subjects: Illegal Aliens and the Making of Modern America by Mae M. Ngai

    3

    Impossible Subjects: Illegal Aliens and the Making of Modern America
    by Mae M. Ngai

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    The best books on Race and the Law - Lift Every Voice: The NAACP and the Making of the Civil Rights Movement by Patricia Sullivan

    4

    Lift Every Voice: The NAACP and the Making of the Civil Rights Movement
    by Patricia Sullivan

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    The best books on Race and the Law - The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander

    5

    The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
    by Michelle Alexander

The best books on Race and the Law, recommended by Kenneth W. Mack

Kenneth W. Mack, the  Lawrence D. Biele Professor of Law at Harvard University, discusses the warring ideals of egalitarianism and exclusion at the heart of US politics and law, from the founding of the nation up to the present day.

    The best books on Race and Slavery, recommended by David Olusoga

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    The best books on Race and Slavery - Bury the Chains: The British Struggle to Abolish Slavery by Adam Hochschild

    1

    Bury the Chains: The British Struggle to Abolish Slavery
    by Adam Hochschild

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    The best books on Race and Slavery - Islam’s Black Slaves by Ronald Segal

    2

    Islam’s Black Slaves
    by Ronald Segal

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    The best books on Race and Slavery - Freedom: A Photographic History of the African American Struggle by Leith Mullings, Manning Marable & Sophie Spencer-Wood

    3

    Freedom: A Photographic History of the African American Struggle
    by Leith Mullings, Manning Marable & Sophie Spencer-Wood

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    The best books on Race and Slavery - The Interesting Narrative by Olaudah Equiano

    4

    The Interesting Narrative
    by Olaudah Equiano

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    The best books on Race and Slavery - Kolyma Tales by Varlam Shalamov

    5

    Kolyma Tales
    by Varlam Shalamov

The best books on Race and Slavery, recommended by David Olusoga

Race is a real and powerful force and one he has spent his adult life trying to understand, says Anglo-Nigerian historian, writer and producer, David Olusoga. He talks us through five books on the tragedy of slavery—from the horrors of the gulag, to the plantations of Virginia, to the Islamic slave trade.

    The best books on Racism and How to Write History, recommended by Francisco Bethencourt

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    The best books on Racism and How to Write History - The Interesting Narrative by Olaudah Equiano

    1

    The Interesting Narrative
    by Olaudah Equiano

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    The best books on Racism and How to Write History - Civilization and Capitalism by Fernand Braudel

    2

    Civilization and Capitalism
    by Fernand Braudel

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    The best books on Racism and How to Write History - The East in the West by Jack Goody

    3

    The East in the West
    by Jack Goody

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    The best books on Racism and How to Write History - The Dark Side of Democracy: Explaining Ethnic Cleansing by Michael Mann

    4

    The Dark Side of Democracy: Explaining Ethnic Cleansing
    by Michael Mann

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    The best books on Racism and How to Write History - The Price of Inequality by Joseph Stiglitz

    5

    The Price of Inequality
    by Joseph Stiglitz

The best books on Racism and How to Write History, recommended by Francisco Bethencourt

Racism is not innate but emerges under special conditions, says the King’s College professor and author of the sweeping history Racisms: From the Crusades to the Twentieth Century. He chooses five books that inspired him.

    The best books on Equality, recommended by Trevor Phillips

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    The best books on Equality - Bleak House by Charles Dickens

    1

    Bleak House
    by Charles Dickens

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    The best books on Equality - The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

    2

    The Wind in the Willows
    by Kenneth Grahame

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    The best books on Equality - The Black Jacobins by C L R James

    3

    The Black Jacobins
    by C L R James

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    The best books on Equality - Bowling Alone by Robert D Putnam

    4

    Bowling Alone
    by Robert D Putnam

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    The best books on Equality - Identity Economics by George A Akerlof and Rachel E Kranton

    5

    Identity Economics
    by George A Akerlof and Rachel E Kranton

The best books on Equality, recommended by Trevor Phillips

The chairman of the Equalities & Human Rights Commission says discrimination and social injustice won’t be changed by what happens in courtrooms or parliament but by how we all behave

    African American History Books, recommended by Imani Perry

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    African American History Books - Black Reconstruction in America by WEB Du Bois

    1

    Black Reconstruction in America
    by WEB Du Bois

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    African American History Books - Exodus: Religion, Race and Nation in Early Nineteenth-Century Black America by Eddie S Glaude Jr

    2

    Exodus: Religion, Race and Nation in Early Nineteenth-Century Black America
    by Eddie S Glaude Jr

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    African American History Books - Hammer and Hoe: Alabama Communists During the Great Depression by Robin D G Kelley

    3

    Hammer and Hoe: Alabama Communists During the Great Depression
    by Robin D G Kelley

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    African American History Books - Hands on the Freedom of the Plow: Personal Accounts by Women in SNCC Faith S. Holsaert, Martha Prescod, and others (eds.)

    4

    Hands on the Freedom of the Plow: Personal Accounts by Women in SNCC
    Faith S. Holsaert, Martha Prescod, and others (eds.)

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    African American History Books - Creating Black Americans: African-American History and Its Meanings, 1619 to the Present by Nell Irvin Painter

    5

    Creating Black Americans: African-American History and Its Meanings, 1619 to the Present
    by Nell Irvin Painter

African American History Books, recommended by Imani Perry

Princeton Professor Imani Perry—a prolific scholar of African American Studies whose biography of Lorraine Hansberry, Looking For Lorraine,  won the 2019 PEN Biography Prize—recommends five books she considers essential to an understanding of the history of black life in America.

    The best books on Native Americans and Colonisers, recommended by Colin Calloway

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    The best books on Native Americans and Colonisers - 1491 by Charles C Mann

    1

    1491
    by Charles C Mann

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    The best books on Native Americans and Colonisers - The Columbian Exchange by Alfred W Crosby Jr

    2

    The Columbian Exchange
    by Alfred W Crosby Jr

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    The best books on Native Americans and Colonisers - Custer Died for Your Sins by Vine Deloria Jr

    3

    Custer Died for Your Sins
    by Vine Deloria Jr

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    The best books on Native Americans and Colonisers - The Invasion of America by Francis Jennings

    4

    The Invasion of America
    by Francis Jennings

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    The best books on Native Americans and Colonisers - The Middle Ground by Richard White

    5

    The Middle Ground
    by Richard White

The best books on Native Americans and Colonisers, recommended by Colin Calloway

There’s a lot more to the story of colonists and Native Americans than the tale of the first Thanksgiving taught in school, says history professor Colin Calloway.

    The best books on The Asian American Experience, recommended by Sung J. Woo

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    The best books on The Asian American Experience - The Fortune Cookie Chronicles by Jennifer Lee

    1

    The Fortune Cookie Chronicles
    by Jennifer Lee

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    The best books on The Asian American Experience - Pyongyang by Guy Delisle

    2

    Pyongyang
    by Guy Delisle

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    The best books on The Asian American Experience - After the Morning Calm

    3

    After the Morning Calm

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    The best books on The Asian American Experience - The Wind-up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

    4

    The Wind-up Bird Chronicle
    by Haruki Murakami

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    The best books on The Asian American Experience - Yellow by D Lee

    5

    Yellow
    by D Lee

The best books on The Asian American Experience, recommended by Sung J. Woo

The novelist reveals amongst her book selection that Minnesota has the highest number of Korean adoptees in the US (14,000), and that one in every 250 Korean births is adopted by an American family

    The best books on Immigration and Multiculturalism in Britain, recommended by David Goodhart

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    The best books on Immigration and Multiculturalism in Britain - Citizenship and Immigration in Post-war Britain by Randall Hansen

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    Citizenship and Immigration in Post-war Britain
    by Randall Hansen

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    The best books on Immigration and Multiculturalism in Britain - Young, British and Muslim by Philip Lewis

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    Young, British and Muslim
    by Philip Lewis

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    The best books on Immigration and Multiculturalism in Britain - Immigrant Nations by Paul Scheffer

    3

    Immigrant Nations
    by Paul Scheffer

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    The best books on Immigration and Multiculturalism in Britain - The New East End by Kate Gavron, Geoff Dench and Michael Young

    4

    The New East End
    by Kate Gavron, Geoff Dench and Michael Young

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    The best books on Immigration and Multiculturalism in Britain - Brick Lane by Monica Ali

    5

    Brick Lane
    by Monica Ali

The best books on Immigration and Multiculturalism in Britain, recommended by David Goodhart

Managing immigration has become a key political question of our times. The author of The British Dream tells us about the British experience, and what helps multiculturalism succeed or fail.

    The best books on Multiculturalism, recommended by Tariq Modood

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    The best books on Multiculturalism - Multicultural Citizenship by Will Kymlicka

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    Multicultural Citizenship
    by Will Kymlicka

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    The best books on Multiculturalism - Rethinking Multiculturalism by Bhikhu Parekh

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    Rethinking Multiculturalism
    by Bhikhu Parekh

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    The best books on Multiculturalism - The Home We Build Together by Jonathan Sacks

    3

    The Home We Build Together
    by Jonathan Sacks

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    The best books on Multiculturalism - Multiculturalism Without Culture by Anne Phillips

    4

    Multiculturalism Without Culture
    by Anne Phillips

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    The best books on Multiculturalism - Still Not Easy Being British by Tariq Modood

    5

    Still Not Easy Being British
    by Tariq Modood

The best books on Multiculturalism, recommended by Tariq Modood

Critics claim that Muslims don’t fit in with our secular policies but, although Britain may be a secular country, the ways in which we are secular are ways inclusive of religious people, says sociology professor Tariq Modood. He recommends the best books on multiculturalism.

    The best books on Nelson Mandela and South Africa, recommended by John Carlin

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    The best books on Nelson Mandela and South Africa - The Washing of the Spears by Donald R Morris

    1

    The Washing of the Spears
    by Donald R Morris

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    The best books on Nelson Mandela and South Africa - Move Your Shadow by Joseph Lelyveld

    2

    Move Your Shadow
    by Joseph Lelyveld

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    The best books on Nelson Mandela and South Africa - Age of Iron by JM Coetzee

    3

    Age of Iron
    by JM Coetzee

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    The best books on Nelson Mandela and South Africa - Mandela by Anthony Sampson

    4

    Mandela
    by Anthony Sampson

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    The best books on Nelson Mandela and South Africa - After Mandela by Alec Russell

    5

    After Mandela
    by Alec Russell

The best books on Nelson Mandela and South Africa, recommended by John Carlin

Nelson Mandela was a most unusual and unusually astute leader, says journalist and author of Playing the Enemy, John Carlin. He chooses the best books to understand Nelson Mandela, who used forgiveness as a political tool, and South Africa, the country he brought peacefully out of apartheid.

    The best books on Anti-Semitism, recommended by Abraham Foxman

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    The best books on Anti-Semitism - Constantine by James Carroll

    1

    Constantine
    by James Carroll

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    The best books on Anti-Semitism - The War Against the Jews by Lucy S Dawidowicz

    2

    The War Against the Jews
    by Lucy S Dawidowicz

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    The best books on Anti-Semitism - The Siege by Conor Cruise O’Brien

    3

    The Siege
    by Conor Cruise O’Brien

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    The best books on Anti-Semitism - Trials of the Diaspora by Anthony Julius

    4

    Trials of the Diaspora
    by Anthony Julius

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    The best books on Anti-Semitism - A Lethal Obsession by Robert S Wistrich

    5

    A Lethal Obsession
    by Robert S Wistrich

The best books on Anti-Semitism, recommended by Abraham Foxman

Why has anti-Semitism been such a problem down the ages, and why does it persist today? The emeritus director of the Anti-Defamation League, Abraham Foxman, recommends the best books to better understand anti-Semitism.

    The best books on Romani History and Culture, recommended by Yaron Matras

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    The best books on Romani History and Culture - New Soviet Gypsies by Brigid O'Keeffe

    1

    New Soviet Gypsies
    by Brigid O'Keeffe

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    The best books on Romani History and Culture - The Gypsy Menace by Michael Stewart (editor)

    2

    The Gypsy Menace
    by Michael Stewart (editor)

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    The best books on Romani History and Culture - The Gypsies of Early Modern Spain by Richard Pym

    3

    The Gypsies of Early Modern Spain
    by Richard Pym

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    The best books on Romani History and Culture - Romani Routes by Carol Silverman

    4

    Romani Routes
    by Carol Silverman

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    The best books on Romani History and Culture - Exploring Gypsiness by Ada Engebrigsten

    5

    Exploring Gypsiness
    by Ada Engebrigsten

The best books on Romani History and Culture, recommended by Yaron Matras

Their language indicates they originated in India, but the music they play is world music. Some will tell your fortune but they don't believe in supernatural powers. Yaron Matras recommends the best books and dispels some common myths about Gypsies.

    The best books on Minority Survival in China, recommended by James Palmer

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    The best books on Minority Survival in China - The Art of Not Being Governed: An Anarchist History of Upland Southeast Asia by James C Scott

    1

    The Art of Not Being Governed: An Anarchist History of Upland Southeast Asia
    by James C Scott

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    The best books on Minority Survival in China - The Manchu Way: The Eight Banners and Ethnic Identity in Late Imperial China by Mark C Elliott

    2

    The Manchu Way: The Eight Banners and Ethnic Identity in Late Imperial China
    by Mark C Elliott

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    The best books on Minority Survival in China - Wolf Totem by Jiang Rong

    3

    Wolf Totem
    by Jiang Rong

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    The best books on Minority Survival in China - The Sacred Routes of Uyghur History by Rian Thum

    4

    The Sacred Routes of Uyghur History
    by Rian Thum

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    The best books on Minority Survival in China - Forgotten Kingdom: Lijiang and the Naxi People by Peter Goullart

    5

    Forgotten Kingdom: Lijiang and the Naxi People
    by Peter Goullart

The best books on Minority Survival in China, recommended by James Palmer

China’s minority peoples have shaped the country’s history and its identity. They led its most successful dynasty, the Qing. But nowadays, their role has been reduced to that of tourist spectacle. Beijing-based writer James Palmer picks the best books on China’s ethnic minorities.

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