This prequel to the successful “The Hunger Games” trilogy or the movie adaptation by the same name tells the story of Coriolanus Snow’s rise to power – a story of friendship, betrayal, manipulation and oppression. For those who have read “The Hunger Games”, you might recognize the name Snow as a villain rather than a protagonist. But like all […]
This dystopian novel explores a world of surveillance and control. But is a system that thrives on total control compatible with love? What if you eliminate this factor of uncertainty by matching everyone with their “ideal” partner? The Society is in charge of everyone’s life, down to their job, partner and how many kids they […]
This dystopian comedy movie explores the power of media, commercialism and simulated reality. Truman has the all-American life: A loving wife, kids, a house complete with a picket fence… Then he starts noticing the occasional oddity. Whether it be his wife sounding like an infomercial or the people around him doing everything in their power […]
This Gothic novel explores the duality of human nature, crime and prosecution and the importance of the Victorian standard of reputation. When a new villain terrorises London’s citizens and causes a great stir, lawyer Utterson faces a great riddle which keeps him awake at night. He discovers a connection between the violent misdeeds of the […]
Beloved is a Postmodern historical fiction novel about slavery, motherhood and community. 1873, it is the time just after the Civil War and the former slave Sethe lives with her 18-year old daughter Denver in 124, a haunted house on the edge of Cincinnati. The novel explores the lives of the two after they escaped from […]
This classic gothic crime story about murder and vindication, guilt, and insanity starts in medias res: The unnamed, unreliable narrator describes in retrospect that he was haunted by the idea of murdering his old landlord. After committing the murder, he cleverly hid the body underneath the floorboards, praising himself for committing the almost perfect crime […]
This film drama based on the Jodi Picoult novel of the same name approaches medical ethics, sisterhood, isolation and hope. The story follows the unusual life of Anna Fitzgerald. Anna’s older sister Kate has acute promyelocytic leukaemia and, before Anna was born, struggled to find a genetic match for various donations. Anna was conceived via […]
This collection of poetry on depression, family, love, heartbreak, suffering and healing provides the reader with an authentic insight into the speaker’s struggle with a mental health issue. Sabrina Benaim’s poetry makes the reader aware of existing stigmata, stereotypes and discrimination of people with depression – also providing us with the notion that life and […]
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 […]
Set in Germany during World War II, this historical novel follows the coming of age story of Liesel Meminger. Surrounded by hatred and destruction, Liesel struggles to maintain the innocence of childhood. Her foster parents take in a Jewish man, Hans, and hide him from the authorities. Hans teaches Liesel to read, and she goes […]
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 […]
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 […]
Based on a true story, this novel explores paranoia, ideological obsession, the damaged American psyche and the Sovereign citizen movement – a militant group of people who regard US laws and law enforcement as illegitimate. Set in contemporary Northern California, the narration follows Adam, the son of Vietnam veteran Sten Stenson and his much older […]
This dystopian novel is one of the earliest works of science fiction and discovers time travel, the progress of technology and the decline of civilisation between equality and inequality. A Victorian scientist develops a device which enables him to travel to the far future. After arriving in a post-apocalyptic time, he is horrified, when he […]
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, […]
“A tale for young people of all ages” about self-reflection, the quality of mercy and social injustice. Tom is the youngest child of a poor family, living in London. One day, by coincidence, he meets Edward, the Prince of Wales. The two immediately notice their remarkable resemblance and are each fascinated by the life led […]