“I credit it for strengthening my deep appreciation of resilience, creativity and African literature. You’d be forgiven for thinking you are watching a thriller movie. The author is to the Sesotho language what William Shakespeare is to English.” – Lehlohonolo Mofokeng (South Africa & WITS, 2015)
“It’s set against the crisis of Modi’s rising fundamentalism and dangerous nationalism of India. It’s a brilliant book with the novel centering on the life a transgender woman who’s finding her place in the world.” – Suntosh Pillay (South Africa & UKZN, 2008)
“A classic, set during the American Civil War (1861-1865). It is just such a feminist piece. It highlights the importance of values and the life lessons you learn as a teen that you may need reminding of.” – Lili Marie Flax (South Africa & RU, 2018)
“I recently read and fell in love with this trilogy. It’s a groundbreaking high-fantasy series that shows you how many new ways there are to view and encounter humanity even as the world is literally ending.” – Pamela Eapen (South Africa & RU, 2019)
“This book was written in response to the Algerian War (1954-1962). Fanon’s work is insightful not only because of his critique of the dehumanising effects of colonialism, but also because he anticipated that post-independence governments could easily become oppressors, continuing the colonial legacies of poverty and state violence. Decolonisation is an ongoing process, not an event.” – Chris Holdridge (South Africa & UCT, 2009)
“A young man becomes a soldier during the Biafran war in Nigeria (1967-1970). Narrating in pidgin, he starts off filled with pride at becoming a Soza, but rapidly comes to see the absurd brutality of the war. Many terrible things happen, but he lives to tell the tale. Sozaboy is a powerful anti-war novel and a testament to resilience.” – Abigail McDougall (South Africa & SU, 2013)