Social Justice Books

Critically reviewed selection of multicultural and social justice books for children, young adults, and educators.

When Morning Comes

Reviewed by Meena Khorana Book Source: African Access Book Author: Set against the background of the 1976 Soweto student march against the Bantu Education Act, When Morning Comes is a multi-faceted novel that covers many important themes: the segregation of Black, White, and Indian racial groups in apartheid South Africa; the intelligence and determination of Black youth to […]

Mirage

Reviewed by Suzanne Moyer Baazet Review Source: Africa Access Book Author: Mirage is a fictional novel that not only draws the reader into its story and prose, but challenges the reader to observe futurism and science fiction in a unique cultural context where it is not commonly used.  Readers familiar with Moroccan culture find themselves constantly encountering […]

Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orisha #1)

Reviewed by Jaye Winmilawe Review Source: Africa Access Book Author: Adeyemi’s ashe or power as a writer is expressed in the success of her debut novel Children of Blood and Bone. She was awarded a groundbreaking seven figure YA book contract and a movie deal, at 23 years old. The book has been well received, […]

We Kiss Them with Rain

Reviewed by: Africa Access Review Source: Africa Access Book Author: Life wasn’t always hard for fourteen-year-old Mvelo. There were good times living with her mother and her mother’s lawyer boyfriend. Now her mother is dying of AIDS and the terrible thing that stole Mvelo’s song remains unspoken, despite its growing presence in their shack. But […]

One Shadow on the Wall

Reviewed by Marame Gueye, Ph.D. Review Source:  Africa Access Book Author: Set in present day Senegal, One Shadow on the Wall is about an interrupted childhood, one’s resolve to keep promises in spite of temptations, as well as a community’s daily struggle to make life meaningful. Told in the third person point of view, Leah Henderson’s debut novel take […]

The Banana-Leaf Ball

Reviewed by Breeanna Elliott Review Source: Africa Access Book Author: Although the value of collaborative play to overcome conflict is highlighted throughout the book, The Banana-Leaf Ball may reinforce the stereotype of Africa as overwhelmed by unexplained warfare and riddled with refugee camps. The story begins when the protagonist, Deo Rukundo, suddenly has to flee his family home […]