Includes bibliographical references.

Introduction -- Decolonizing your bookshelf: Introducing this is the canon -- Decolonizing the canon: Welcoming diversity -- The canon -- Love in a fallen city and other stories, Eileen Chang (1943) -- All about H. Hatterr: A Gesture, G V Desani (1948) -- Thousand cranes, Yasunari Kawabata (1952) -- The lost steps, Alejo Carpentier (1953) -- The lonely Londoners, Sam Selvon (1956) -- Things fall apart, Chinua Achebe (1958) -- Children of the new world: A novel of the Algerian war, Assia Djebar (1962) -- Wide Sargasso Sea, Jean Rhys (1966) -- A grain of wheat, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o (1967) -- The beautiful ones are not yet born, Ayi Kwei Armah (1968) -- The bridge of beyond, Simone Schwarz-Bart (1972) -- A question of power, Bessie Head (1974) -- If Beale street could talk, James Baldwin (1974) -- Between two worlds, Miriam Tlali (1975) -- Woman at point zero, Nawal El Saadawi (1975) -- Our sister killjoy: Or reflections from a black-eyed squint, Ama Ata Aidoo (1977) -- Territory of light, Yuko Tsushima (1979) - Kindred, Octavia E. Butler (1979) -- The joys of motherhood, Buchi Emecheta (1979) -- So long a letter, Mariama Ba (1980) -- The color purple, Alice Walker (1982) - Segu, Maryse Condé (1984) -- Annie John, Jamaica Kincaid (1985) - Beloved, Toni Morrison (1987) -- Nervous conditions, Tsitsi Dangarembga (1988) -- Woman Hollering Creek and other stories, Sandra Cisneros (1991) - Texaco, Patrick Chamoiseau (1992) -- Breath, eyes, memory, Edwidge Danticat (1994) -- Discerner of hearts and other stories, Olive Senior (1995) - Salt, Earl Lovelace (1996) -- The God of small things, Arundhati Roy (1997) - Trumpet, Jackie Kay (1998) -- The years with Laura Diaz, Carlos Fuentes (1999) -- The best of Albert Wendt's short stories, Albert Wendy (1999) -- Monkey beach, Eden Robinson (2000) -- The emperor's babe: A novel, Bernardine Evaristo (2001) -- Dogside story, Patricia Grace (2001) -- Shell Shaker, LeAnne Howe (2001) -- The kite runner, Khaled Hosseini (2003) -- Small island, Andrea Levy (2004) -- Dancing in the dark, Caryl Phillips (2005) -- Half of a yellow sun, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (2006) -- The white tiger, Aravind Adiga (2008) -- In other rooms, other wonders, Daniyal Mueenuddin (2009) -- How to read the air, Dinaw Mengestu (2010) - NW, Zadie Smith (2012) -- The swan book, Alexis Wright (2013) -- A brief history of seven killings, Marlon James (2014) -- The sellout, Paul Beatty (2015) -- The white girl, Tony Birch (2019).

"These are the books you should read. This is the canon. Joan Anim-Addo, Deirdre Osborne and Kadija Sesay have curated a decolonised reading list that celebrates the wide and diverse experiences of people from around the world, of all backgrounds and all races. It disrupts the all-too-often white-dominated 'required reading' collections that have become the accepted norm and highlights powerful voices and cultural perspectives that demand a place on our shelves. From literary giants such as Toni Morrison and Chinua Achebe to less well known (but equally vital) writers such as Caribbean novelist Earl Lovelace or Indigenous Australian author Tony Birch, the novels recommended here are in turn haunting and lyrical; innovative and inspiring; edgy and poignant. The power of great fiction is that readers have the opportunity to discover new worlds and encounter other beliefs and opinions. This is the Canon offers a rich and multifaceted perspective on our past, present and future which deserves to be read by all bibliophiles - whether they are book club members or solitary readers, self-educators or teachers. These are the books you should read. This is the canon"--Publisher's description.