Best Books about Prejudice

[dropcap]D[/dropcap]oes My Head Look Big In This? – Randa Abdel-Fattah

This is the author’s first novel set in Australia but her sixteen year old protagonist Amal is relatable to all. There’s a wide cast of characters and when Amal independently decides to wear the hijab, she’s not the only one to encounter prejudice. From her friends Eileen and Simone who don’t think of her any differently to the friends at her old Islamic school Leila and Yasmeen, we are shown how the lives of these young Muslim women and women from other cultures aren’t homogenous. The novel explores a wide range of teenage issues, all through Amal’s feisty and clever perspective and depicts the difficulties they all face like parental expectations, guys and weight-loss while challenging many stereotypes in this hilarious read.

The horrifying and dehumanising attitudes towards the maids emphasises the harmfulness of prejudice and how crucial supporting one another is to overcoming discrimination

The Help – Kathryn Stockett

Known for its film adaptation, the book provides a look into the lives of African-American maids working in white households in Jackson, Mississippi, during the early 1960s. The horrifying and dehumanising attitudes towards the maids in contrast with their own kindness towards the people they work for emphasises the harmfulness of prejudice and how crucial supporting one another is to overcoming discrimination. The friendship between one of the maids Minny and Celia, a white woman rejected for her backwards upbringing, is particularly clever at showing this support as well as the pettiness of some prejudices and how they can come back to bite you.

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas – John Boyne

Set during World War Two, this sad but lovely read centres on a kind nine year old boy Bruno, whose family is moved to a house in an initially mysterious ‘Out-With’ when his distant father receives a promotion. The events are recounted solely through Bruno’s juvenile perspective to effectively show how the innocence of childhood is unsullied by the prejudice of adults and how friendship overcomes these barriers created by the adult world. Boyne effectively criticises how people will mindlessly accept society’s prejudices and the heart-breaking consequences this can have.

Boyne effectively criticises how people will mindlessly accept society’s prejudices and the heart-breaking consequences this can have

The Noughts & Crosses Series – Malorie Blackman

One of my childhood favourites that brought me to tears, this amazing series is a tragic love story between childhood friends Sephy, a dark skinned Cross, and Callum, a fair skinned Nought. However, in a neat twist, racial stereotypes are reversed so that Callum is considered to be inferior and so highlights the ridiculousness and harmfulness of these received ideas concerning race. However, like my other choices, the series shows there is hope if we work together to challenge the status quo and bring about positive change.

Image Credits: Kasey Specian / Flickr (Header)