Three voices loudly recall stereotypical ‘rules’ for people of colour and thereby outline injustice, prejudice and racial bias in contemporary society. Marvin Hodges, Em Allison and Saidu Tejan-Thomas’ spoken word poem provide the audience with a shocking paradigm shift, confronting them with everyday racisms. Text and performance can serve as a great example of young […]

In this poetry slam, three teenage voices tackle topics some would not even want to speak of – rape, racism, social stratification, education and equality. The spoken word poem offers perspectives on current affairs in the US from a teenage perspective and critically reflects the US school system. The empowering and passionate lines of Belissa […]

This action movie about tradition and change, African and African American representation, power structures and sovereignty marks the first film of the superhero genre with a predominantly black cast and reminds us, that “[…] in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers.” Set in Wakanda, a technologically advanced nation in East […]

Based on the famous Spider-Man comic, this animated, adventure-action film on adversity, resilience, collectivity and empowerment follows Miles Morales, an everyday, regular, normal boy – until he gets bitten by a radioactive spider and gains superpowers. When Peter Parker aka ‘the real’ Spider-Man dies, it is on Miles to save the world from the devastating […]

A poem about responsibly shaping a future between diversity and unity, this optimistic work by 22-year-old Gorman took the world by storm when she presented it at US-President Biden’s inauguration ceremony. It is both an honest depiction of the challenges her country faces – racial injustice as well as threats to both health and democracy […]

Richard Williams aka ‘Prince Ea’ reflects in his critical spoken-word-poem on the importance of education, the limitations and inequalities of the current school system in the US and the blindness of educational authorities and politicians. The voice, taking the role of a lawyer, who sues the school system, accuses that nothing had changed for the […]

Richard Williams aka ‘Prince Ea’ reflects in his powerful and ecocritical spoken-word-poem on a dystopian future of our world, which was destroyed by environmental pollution, the devastating deforestation of the rainforests and exhausted consumerism. The speaker apologises in front of the ‘future generation’ for not taking responsibility for the planet’s biodiversity – for putting profit […]

This adventurous, young adult Sci-Fi novel about friendship, love, self-perspective and superpowers follows the almost ordinary life of Mikey how struggles to accept that he is ‘just’ an average kid in a small town. Mikey is unsure, whether his life is worth living because he has not done anything extraordinary or achieved something great in […]

A pocket-sized companion full of an artist’s honest contemplation: Art Matters combines four short essays by Gaiman, each accompanied by powerful illustrations by Riddell, making this a work both easily accessible and fascinating for a more in-depth analysis. What does art mean? What can art achieve in today’s turbulent times? Gaiman tells his readers to […]

This popular coming of age movie was published in Germany under the title Kick It Like Beckham and features a young woman’s struggle for equal treatment: Jesminder “Jess” Bhamra is the daughter of British Indian Sikhs living in London and also very much in love with football. Her conservative parents do not want her to play though […]

J. R. R. Tolkien’s children’s fantasy adventure novel on greed, trust, fellowship and heroism follows the magical quest and personal growth of a hobbit: “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends or worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy, […]

Vanessa Diffenbaugh’s debut novel on adoption, mistrust, solitude, lack of parental relationship and dysfunctional families, abuse, forgiveness, and passion for flowers. It follows the perspective of 18-year-old Victoria Jones, who has been handed from foster home to foster home all her childhood. When she turns eighteen, she becomes a flower arranger because flowers are the […]

Both a psychological thriller and an essential critique of contemporary capitalist society on consumerism, perfection, masculinity and rebellion. Fight Club’s narrator lives a regular life, working for an insurance company and collecting Ikea furniture in his free time. Suffering from insomnia, he visits support groups at night so he can experience other people’s suffering. When […]

This highly symbolical one-act play explores nationalism, patriotism, invasion, and sacrifice. The setting is a house in a small coastal town in 1798, Ireland. The Gillane family is preparing for the wedding of their son Peter when a mysterious old woman (Cathleen ni Houlihan) appears and foregrounds things of greater significance than a quiet married […]

In this poem about loss, grief, the fragility of happiness and growing up, the author processes the death of his younger brother who died at the age of four in a road accident. He describes the feelings and impressions when he takes a break from college to visit his family’s home. There he encounters his […]

A collection of poetry and prose originally published in 1970 that critically reflects the past, present and future of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia. The lines of Oodgeroo – also known as Kath Walker – problematise Australia’s colonial history, demand for Aboriginal rights, respect, justice and offer hope and reconciliation. The […]

An insightful essay about equality, self-esteem and treating people with respect: In this epistolary manifesto Adichie addresses a friend of hers who just had a baby – the question posed to the author is: How do you raise a to be a feminist? Her answer touches upon education, oppression, sex and many more aspects of […]

This Romantic novel of manners follows the charming Elizabeth Bennet and her character development. It portrays the complicated love story of Elizabeth and the aloof Mr Darcy. Mr Bennet has five daughters but his estate can only be bequeathed to a male heir, hence at least one of his daughters has to marry well to […]