Decolonize Your Bookshelf: All-Time Favourites Edition

From Dark Academia to Heartfelt Memoirs: 8 Diverse Books That Will Stay With You

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Fiction

Babel by Rebecca F. Kuang (2022) was the first book I read by Kuang and I fell in love at once. It’s a historical fantasy novel with dark academia vibes (before I knew what dark academia was), following a group of translation students who utilise the power of silver bars on behalf of Oxford University. This novel brilliantly reframes history to give voice to those traditionally silenced by it.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (2006) is a multi-layered book you really must read several times in your life. Each time, you will delve a little deeper and gain even more from it. It forces you to examine your life through the lens of those who have limited time. This story reminds me to live more meaningfully, to be more cognizant of how short life really is, and to not take that time for granted. I recommend going into it with as little foreknowledge as possible. The writing is subtle; Ishiguro does not spell anything out for the reader, but the book leaves me with a gut-punch by the end every single time.

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong (2021). bakhtawar introduced me to this book, and I fell so deeply in love with the exquisite writing that I’ve read it a few times since. Ocean Vuong pens this autofiction novel as a letter to his illiterate mother. It’s an emotional journey—visceral, honest—almost embarrassingly so. For this book, all the hype is true. It’s one you must read if you haven’t already. If you have, it’s time to read it again.

The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese (2023) is one of those epic family sagas told with such skill that I was completely immersed in the story. I learned so much about Kerala, India and some of the history there. Verghese wove a sweeping tale with multiple interconnected threads that all came together beautifully at the end. I read this while feverish and bedridden and finished it in five days. That’s how engrossing it was. I have to thank Matthew Long for recommending and gifting this book to me. Truly wonderful.

Nonfiction

Troubled by Rob Henderson (2024) is the unbelievable memoir of a Korean-American kid who grew up in foster care defeating all the odds to graduate from Yale and Cambridge. He writes about his experience in the system, getting adopted, and how he clawed his way to now speak for the most vulnerable on the importance of family stability, and what privilege truly means. He’s one of the lucky ones, sharing of friends in similar situations who ended up dead or in prison. Rob challenges our notions of how society functions.

Turning to Wallpaper by Heidi Wong (2021). A memoir written through poetry and illustrated with the most lavish original art she created herself. Nowadays, Heidi has turned her talents elsewhere, but there is no doubt she has a way with words. Heidi’s poems are full of ethereal imagery and metaphors, yet still accessible, as any great poem should be. It would take a few readings to unveil all their meanings and layers. Each poem is infused with courage and strength in the face of tremendous pain. As I read, I felt emotions drawn from deep within me more than once. She writes authentically; no reader can be unmoved by her words. I especially liked the nods to Greek mythology and Vincent Van Gogh.

The Night Parade by Jami Nakamura Lin (2023) is Jami’s memoir about living with bipolar disorder and the death of her father through the lens of Japanese folklore. It’s the way she processes deep trauma by looking to stories that really gets me. I’m sure all of us readers can relate to that. Her writing is mesmerising and lyrical. I can’t recommend this book enough.

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi (2016). This book quickly made it to the list of my top favourite books. It’s not an easy read and deepened my emotions of grief, but not in a way that was despairing. Paul was a neurosurgeon diagnosed with terminal lung cancer just before he was about to graduate from residency. He wrote this book in the year before he died, and his family published it on his behalf. In it, he reflects on what makes a life meaningful, how to face death with dignity. We all die; we just don’t know when.