Why am I passionate about this?
Visceral, transformative books have the capacity to improve lives. I am impassioned about books of oppression because of their ability to lend a voice to unspeakable, excruciating accounts of subjugation. Voices that might’ve otherwise went unheard or not as deeply understood as within the integral pages of a book to readers. Therefore, I believe it's important to recommend life-changing books to the youth to inform them of world oppression. As they, themselves, enter into responsibility and power. Whether it’s through brilliant, allegorical fiction or pivotal nonfiction, we can educate the future of humanity itself. Together, we can all foster a better world.
Akana's book list on oppression for young adults
Why did Akana love this book?
This is a non-fiction history read that covers the violent genocide, extreme labor, horrific exploitation, and racism faced by the Congolese people under Belgium's reign of terror in colonization. The book is eye-opening and heartwrenching, particularly for both those of Congolese heritage like myself, and those unaware of Belgium's mass slaughter and torture of an estimated 20 million Congolese victims.
The crimes against humanity of King Leopold II of Belgium should not go untold or unknown. This is an incredibly important book to illustrate, on a smaller scale, the larger crisis faced today in Africa due to colonization, overexploitation, and genocide. It is a vital read for all ages and especially young adults in higher education.
8 authors picked King Leopold's Ghost as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
Winner of the Duff Cooper Prize, King Leopold's Ghost is the true and haunting account of Leopold's brutal regime and its lasting effect on a ruined nation. With an introduction by award-winning novelist Barbara Kingsolver.
In the late nineteenth century, when the great powers in Europe were tearing Africa apart and seizing ownership of land for themselves, King Leopold of Belgium took hold of the vast and mostly unexplored territory surrounding the Congo River. In his devastatingly barbarous colonization of this area, Leopold stole its rubber and ivory, pummelled its people and set up a ruthless regime that would reduce…