Words by Cheyanne Bryan
For all the new bookworms and veteran readers out there World Book Day celebrates the wonderful tellings of fictitious worlds and non-fiction texts.
But what about the books that have really made an impact on society? Whether it’s through their cultural impact or creative flair, these nine reads have proven that they’re far more than just words on paper.
Penned by Malorie Blackman, Noughts & Crosses highlights racial inequality, prejudice and politics in 21st-century Britain in a compelling way. It covers deep-running issues such as social and political power, along with conversations surrounding empathy and understanding.
Margaret Atwood’s well-known dystopian novel tells an important story of how women can be reduced to nothing more than child bearers. While it was written in 1985, it still proves to be relevant today, where women are still battling for autonomy over their bodies around the globe.
Originally written as a sequel to J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings has blossomed into the six-book saga and film franchise we have grown to love. The work is described as a powerhouse in fantasy worldbuilding, and features a quest set in the fictional world of Middle-earth.
A harrowing and poignant tale, The Diary of a Young Girl paints the picture of Anne Frank’s experience as a Jewish girl hiding in Nazi-occupied Netherlands. It’s the most famous diary in the world and a deeply humbling read.
Caroline Criado Perez’s research-driven read exposes the number of ways that a society which is historically built by and for men neglects half of the population in a number of ways, ranging from government policy to urban planning.
From the south side of Chicago to the White House, Becoming is the famous memoir that charts Michelle Obama’s life story as the first Black first lady, and has the sort of insights and uplifting stories that everyone can grow from.
George Orwell’s expertly crafted dystopian imagines a world where surveillance and government monitoring reach the extreme. It’s a real thinker and will have you questioning the amount of surveillance yourself, especially with the conversations we have towards the advancement of technology today.
Scientists have been saying for years that we aren’t fighting climate change to the level we should be, and Mikaela Loach outlines a not-so-radical radical approach to correcting the course of climate change and start taking proper action.
As important as it is creative, Heartstopper by Alice Oseman puts an LGBTQ+ shine on your traditional coming-of-age romance story, putting two male lovers at the forefront and telling the story in an easily-digestible visual format.
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
BookTrust. This is the UK's largest children's reading charity that helps support families and local services to get millions of children reading. Learn more here.
The Living Paintings Trust. This charity delivers tactile and audio books to blind or partially-sighted adults and children for free. Find out more here.
The Reading Agency. This charity empowers people of all ages to read. They work in community settings such as prisons, hospitals and libraries to help people manage their health and wellbeing through reading. Support them here.
