Ready to start your literary journey into social change and politics? Look no further.
By: Sharon Arulnesan
CanCulture brings you a list of 7 books to read if you want to radicalize yourself and learn a bit more about other people’s experiences (Caelan Monkman/CanCulture).
Books have always been a way for people to kick back and slip into a relaxing fantasy world, but literature can be used for much more than just chilling after a long day. It can also be an informative tool for developing our knowledge about our world.
The phrase “radicalize” has become popular with the emergence of people speaking out about social injustices and questioning the current politics that perpetuate the status quo.
These books are great starting points for anyone who wants to delve into the political genre without the fear of dense language and content.
Feminism Is for Everybody: Passionate Politics by bell hooks
Social critic and educator bell hooks writes engagingly, yet intelligently, for readers who are interested in developing their understanding of popular feminism — a branch of feminism focused on achieving gender equality through political reform.
In her book, hooks stresses the importance of community and solidarity in achieving gender equality and applies these ideas to issues women all around the world face, such as education, reproductive rights and gender-based violence. hooks’ casual tone makes readers feel as if they are having a sincere discussion with hooks herself. Buy it here.
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
In this book, Michelle Alexander presents the fact that young Black men are overrepresented in the U.S. prison system and are being subject to disproportionate levels of discrimination, facing heightened socioeconomic disadvantages.
Making connections to modern-day politics like the Barack Obama presidency, Alexander makes it digestible for readers to understand that although the United States has abolished Jim Crow laws, the racial caste system has clearly just been remodelled. Buy it here.
Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell
In Cultish, Amanda Montell poses the starkly frightening question to readers: What makes cults so fascinating and alluring, yet so terrifying at the same time?
Cultish explains the phenomenon of cults and why people join, stay, and are even willing to die for their extremist groups. The powerful usage of language, Montell argues, is intrinsic to the survival of cults and this efficacious language is something that has been transferred into politics without us even noticing. Buy it here.
Life in the City of Dirty Water: A Memoir of Healing by Clayton Thomas-Müller
In Clayton Thomas-Müller’s uplifting memoir, he recounts his personal experiences growing up in Winnipeg in an Indigenous family who continues to suffer from the intergenerational trauma caused by Canada’s residential school system.
A former drug and alcohol user, Thomas-Müller escaped his former life path by getting back in touch with his Cree background and embracing the ways of living associated with his heritage. Now a strong Indigenous activist who campaigns for Indigenous land rights all across Canada, Thomas-Müller has shown anyone can heal from a traumatic and abhorrent past. Having an understanding of the horrors Indigenous peoples faced — and continue to face — at the hands of the Canadian government is crucial in ensuring the government is held accountable and can work towards reconciliation. Buy it here.
America Is in the Heart by Carlos Bulosan
Shifting to fiction books, America Is in the Heart describes a fictionalized version of Filipino writer Bulosan’s childhood in the Philippines, his journey to the United States and the racial discrimination he faced while working in California.
Although the book is fictional, readers learn about the physical and verbal abuse migrant workers face at the hands of their employers and the false notion of the American Dream that many hope for when they leave their home country. Buy it here.
They Said This Would Be Fun by Eternity Martis
Written by Canadian author and journalist Eternity Martis, she describes in her poignant memoir her experiences of being a Black student in a sea of predominantly white students during her undergraduate years at Western University.
Over the course of the memoir, Martis reveals time and time again the prejudice she faced from her fellow students due to her race. Confronted with blackface at a Halloween party and being fetishized in her intimate relationships are just a few of the incidents that occurred during her time at Western. Now a professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, Martis’ story can help TMU students become aware of the diverse campus students are situated upon and the need to promote racial equity. Buy it here.
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
A radical book list would not be complete without the trailblazing James Baldwin. A prolific writer around the time of the civil rights movement in the United States, Baldwin gave a voice to the powerless and spoke out about racial injustices.
The Fire Next Time confronts the consequences of racism and emphasizes that moving forward as a society must be accomplished in solidarity. Baldwin implores for the United States to adopt radical changes to disintegrate racial division. Buy it here.
Although bringing about social change is often a lengthy and tough process, it is crucial to build a more equitable society. Understanding the politics present in our lives is just the first step in this process.
Check out these reads at your local library or bookstore, such as Glad Day Bookshop. With these books, you will be well on your way to becoming a more radicalized and politically informed member of society.