Social Justice Summer Reads: 30 books to inspire, challenge & reflect

Earth, Ecology & Economics

English Pastoral: An Inheritance - James Rebanks
A memoir of a Lake District farmer exploring his, and our, changing relationship with the land and sustainable farming. A powerful reflection on inheritance, nature, and responsibility.

Braiding Sweetgrass - Robin Wall Kimmerer
Combining Indigenous wisdom and scientific knowledge, this poetic reflection reveals what plants can teach us about reciprocity, belonging and care for creation.

Is a River Alive? - Robert Macfarlane
A lyrical look at how language shapes our relationship with nature. A powerful read for those reflecting on ecological rights and the spiritual value of the natural world.

Why Women Will Save the Planet - Friends of the Earth
A collection of essays by women leading climate action globally. Each chapter is essentially a paper by a pioneering female leader in one of many fields, with the theme of climate action at the centre.

Doughnut Economics - Kate Raworth
A new economic model that helps us meet human needs within planetary limits. Smart, hopeful and transformative.

Racial Justice

Homegoing - Yaa Gyasi
A panoramic and intimate novel following the bloodlines of two sisters - one sold into slavery and the other married to a slave trader - through seven generations and across three continents. Homegoing is the Carribean word for a funeral.

Tarry Awhile: Wisdom from Black Spirituality for People of Faith - Selina Stone
This is a series of reflections on Bible passages with a focus on solidarity, community healing and perseverance whilst waiting.

Black Cake - Charmaine Wilkerson
A multi-generational story about secrets and identity explored through the impact of love, migration, death, grief and connectedness.

What White People Can Do Next - Emma Dabiri
Practical next steps for anyone wanting to move beyond guilt and into action in the journey toward racial justice.

God Is Not a White Man - Chine McDonald
A theological and personal exploration of race and representation in Christian culture and imagery.

Migration & Displacement

The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
Set in Afghanistan and the US, this novel explores friendship, betrayal, and redemption through the lens of displacement.

The Other Side of Hope (magazine anthology) - Various contributors
A powerful anthology of journeys in refugee and immigrant writing, telling stories of courage, trauma, and truth.

Poverty, Inequality & Economic Justice

Don’t Forget We’re Here Forever - Lamorna Ash
A personal and reflective journey into the prison system and the people trapped within it.

The Empathy Fix: Why Poverty Persists and How to Change It - Keetie Roelen
This is an insightful book, whilst critiquing different approaches, highlights the importance of taking a caring approach through shared humanity to break the cycle of poverty.

The Social Distance Between Us - Darren McGarvey
Explores issues around the current political landscape in the context of increasing inequality and poverty levels.

The Club on the Edge of Town - Alan Lane
A moving memoir of how a group of artists fed their local community during the Covid pandemic with a food bank and a one-stop shop, Slung Low would go on to deliver over 15,000 food parcels. An amazing story of remarkable people doing their very best in an unprecedented time for the world.

Jailbirds - Mim Skinner
Explores the lives of women in prison with humour, honesty, and a sharp critique of the criminal justice system. Mim Skinner was speaker at LDCSA’s 2019 Liverpool Prisons Week Lecture. A social activist, writer, social enterprise founder, she wrote this book about her experiences and those she taught in a women’s prison.

Gender, LGBTQ+ & Feminist Perspectives

A Short History of Trans Misogyny - Jules Gill-Peterson
A vital introduction to the roots of transmisogyny and how it shapes trans people’s lives. This book discusses the origins of transmisogyny, hatred or violence toward trans women and other people. An important read to understand the current misplaced moral panic around trans people, better understand the experience of trans people, and how to be a better ally.

A Room Above a Shop - Anthony Shapland
An exquisitely written book. It is almost poetry in its format of a love story set in a village in Wales between two men. The story shares the experience of finding love and having to hide it and the joys and griefs of loving.

The Exuberant Church - Revd Dr Barbara Glasson
Barbara was a Methodist minister in Liverpool when she wrote this book. The book examines the spirituality of the “coming out” journey and what it can teach all people. It is not a book of answers but of searching, exploring and listening and seeing the presence of God in marginalised communities. Open Table covered this for their Lent Course in 2025.

The Argonauts - Maggie Nelson
The Argonauts is a unique book that blends memoir philosophical reflection in a poetic style, moving through a love story that explores the light and dark of queer family-making and identity.

Americanah - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
A captivating novel which weaves a love story across two continents, Africa and North America. It follows its protagonist Ifemelu as she confronts new challenges to her identity as a Black woman in a strange country where she is minoritised.

Salka Valka - Halldór Laxness
This novel deals with many issues at the heart of social justice. Laxness’ witty and abrupt narrative style brings to life the story of Salka Valka, a young Icelandic girl who comes of age in a society where Iceland’s working class are subjugated and deprived. Despite this bleak backdrop, Salka Valka grows into a bold and fearless feminist.

Activism, Politics & Community Organising

How to Be a Craftivist: The Art of Gentle Protest - Sarah Corbett
For the creative introverts amongst us who want to engage in activism, this book can provide a great introduction … “changing the world one stitch at a time”

Emergent Strategy - Adrienne Maree Brown
A simple but powerful book about using lessons from nature to build movements for social justice and create meaningful change together.

Joyful Militancy: Building Thriving Resistance in Toxic Times - Carla Bergman & Nick Montgomery
Challenges toxic cultures, ego and competition in activist spaces ego It also emphasises the joy to be found in collective power and resistance, bringing a lot of much-needed hope.

But What Can I Do?: Why Politics Has Gone So Wrong, and How You Can Help Fix It - Alastair Campbell
Breaks down political disengagement and offers clear, hopeful ways to get involved and make change happen.

12 Rules for Christian Activists - Rev Canon Dr Ellen Loudon
A practical and spiritual guide to faithful activism, with tools for church-based changemakers, from the Diocese of Liverpool's Director of Social Justice.

Poetry & Reflection

Let the Light Pour In - Lemn Sissay
A joyful collection offering a short, poetic thought for each day of the year. Hopeful, melodic, humorous, beautifully written.

Wonder: The Natural History Museum Poetry Book - edited by Ana Sampson
From solar systems to fossils and fungi, this anthology weaves together poems inspired by science and nature — with footnotes on fascinating species.

Please note:

Inclusion of books in our Social Justice Summer Reading List does not imply endorsement by Together Liverpool, or the associated diocesan charities. The list reflects the diverse perspectives and personal recommendations of our contributors.