Top 10 most impactful literary works against racial discrimination of all time

The Life Before Us is a uniquely written book by author Romain Gary, who is the only person to have won the prestigious Goncourt Prize twice. The story centers around Momo, a young Arab boy, and Madame Rosa, a lonely elderly Jewish woman. Momo was abandoned by his mother at an early age and was adopted by Madame Rosa. Despite being only 10 years old, Momo falls in love with the elderly woman nearing the end of her life.

What stands out most is the emotional connection between two people from two long-feuding ethnic groups: Jews and Arabs. Both are isolated, living in a slum in the glamorous city of Paris among others from different ethnic backgrounds. In a simple yet profound way, The Life Before Us breaks down the barriers between races, which ultimately earned Romain Gary the Goncourt Prize. Therefore, The Life Before Us deserves to be included in the list of Top 10 Literary Works Against Racial Discrimination of All Time.

Details:

• International Title: The Life Before Us (La vie devant soi)
  
• Author: Romain Gary (Emile Ajar)
  
• Country: France
  
• Year Published: 1975
  

Another work by Romain Gary, the two-time Goncourt Prize winner, is White Dog. This semi-autobiographical, semi-fictional novel was written by Gary during his time at the French embassy in the United States. At the time, various movements for racial equality, including those led by Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, were gaining momentum in the U.S. These, combined with protests against the Vietnam War, created chaos across the country.

Set against this backdrop, White Dog tells the story of a dog trained specifically to attack Black people. Romain Gary adopts the dog, and upon learning of its training, he attempts to tame it, even though it might be too late. While the story revolves around the dog, the entire novel addresses the racial struggles in America. Gary highlights the societal turmoil of the era: racial discrimination between white and Black people, as well as Black people’s fight for equality, which often escalated into violence. While not as highly regarded as The Life Before Us, White Dog remains an important literary representation of the Black experience in the 1970s.

Details:

• International Title: White Dog (Chien Blanc)
  
• Author: Romain Gary
  
• Country: France
  
• Year Published: 1970

Nearly a century after its release, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is set in the time preceding the American Civil War. The story is narrated by young Scout, who lives with her father Atticus and brother Jem in Maycomb County, Alabama. Through the innocent eyes of Scout, the novel explores the deeply painful issues of racial prejudice and slavery.

Atticus Finch, a respected lawyer, is loved by many for his kindness and fairness, but he faces hatred from his community when he defends a black man falsely accused of a crime. Despite the animosity, Atticus steadfastly pursues justice, teaching Scout the moral lesson never to harm a mockingbird. His character remains one of the most enduring symbols of heroism in American literature, even amidst the turmoil surrounding Harper Lee’s later manuscript of 'Go Set a Watchman.'

To Kill a Mockingbird was adapted into a film that won three Academy Awards, including Best Adapted Screenplay. The book is regarded as one of the four pillars of modern American literature, alongside 'The Great Gatsby,' 'Catcher in the Rye,' and 'On the Road.'

Details:

• International Title: To Kill a Mockingbird
• Author: Harper Lee
• Country: United States
• Year Published: 1960

Another prominent World War II novel in the Top 10 greatest works of literature against racism is The Pianist. Like 'Schindler's List' and '12 Years a Slave,' The Pianist was adapted into a film and won prestigious Oscars.

The book is the memoir of Władysław Szpilman, a Jewish Polish pianist. During the war, Szpilman and his family were sent to a concentration camp, where his family and friends were massacred. Szpilman miraculously escaped and spent days hiding in the ruins of Warsaw until the Soviet Red Army liberated him. Initially not a widely recognized book, its fame grew significantly after the film’s success, drawing readers from around the world.

Details:

• International Title: The Pianist (Smierce Miasta)
• Author: Władysław Szpilman
• Country: Poland
• Year Published: 1946

Another famous work of American literature, but this time set after the American Civil War, is The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Written by the great American author Mark Twain, this book is perhaps his most well-known, and serves as the sequel to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

The story follows Huckleberry Finn, a young white boy, as he embarks on an adventurous journey along the Mississippi River. Accompanied by Jim, a runaway enslaved man fleeing from cruel masters, the two face numerous hardships and challenges, battling against the harsh realities of racial discrimination. The relationship between Finn and Jim has become one of the most iconic representations of racial reconciliation in American literature.

Details:

• International Title: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
• Author: Mark Twain
• Country: United States
• Year Published: 1884

Six years ago, the film 12 Years a Slave unexpectedly won the Oscar for Best Picture. Based on the memoir by Solomon Northup, the movie tells the story of a free African American man living in New York who is kidnapped and sold into slavery. Solomon is taken to the southern United States, a stark contrast to New York, where he endures brutal treatment from cruel plantation owners. After twelve years filled with hardship and suffering, Solomon is finally freed and vindicated, but the emotional scars from his ordeal remain unforgettable.

Following the film's Oscar victory and widespread attention, the book 12 Years a Slave, originally published in 1853, gained significant popularity. At the time, President Barack Obama, the first African American president in U.S. history, shared that he was deeply moved after reading the book.

Details:

• International Title: 12 Years a Slave
• Author: Solomon Northup
• Country: United States
• Year Published: 1853

Uncle Tom's Cabin is a novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe in the 19th century, during a time when slavery was still legal in the United States. The story follows the life of Tom, an African American slave who is separated from his family, sold into slavery, cruelly beaten, and treated like an animal. Ultimately, he is beaten to death on a cotton plantation in the South. Uncle Tom's Cabin was the first novel to portray the life of a slave in such a brutally honest way.

Upon its release, Uncle Tom's Cabin caused an uproar in America. The book was banned in Southern states but still sold 300,000 copies across the country in its first year, becoming the best-selling book of the 19th century. Its publication played a significant role in escalating tensions that eventually led to the American Civil War. After the war ended, President Abraham Lincoln, known for ending slavery, met with Stowe and referred to her as the woman who wrote the book that ignited the great war.

It can be said that Uncle Tom's Cabin deserves to be ranked among the Top 10 greatest anti-racism literary works of all time.

Details:

• International Title: Uncle Tom's Cabin
  
• Author: Harriet Beecher Stowe
  
• Country: United States
  
• Year of Publication: 1852
  

Another story set during World War II and about Jewish people in Poland is The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. Unlike The Pianist, which takes a more adult perspective, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is told from the viewpoint of a child. The protagonist, Bruno, is the son of a German officer, and his family relocates near a concentration camp.

Unaware of his father's actions or racial discrimination, Bruno befriends Shmuel, a Jewish boy in the camp. Bruno refers to Shmuel as 'the boy in the striped pyjamas' because his prison uniform resembles pyjamas. The two children play innocently together, without prejudice, until tragic events unfold. Through the eyes of a child, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is a heartbreaking story that moves even the hardest of hearts.

Since its release, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas has been widely praised. It topped the New York Times Bestseller list, became the best-selling book of 2007 and 2008 in the UK, Australia, and Spain, and by 2010, it had sold 5 million copies worldwide. The novel was adapted into a film in 2008.

Details:

• International Title: The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
  
• Author: John Boyne
  
• Country: Ireland
  
• Year of Publication: 2006
  

The final title in the Top 10 greatest anti-racism literary works is Two Cocoa Beans, a novel by French author Evelyne Brisou-Pellen. The book follows a young boy, Jullien, the adopted son of a chocolate company owner. Jullien discovers he is not the biological child of his parents, but was adopted from Haiti. He embarks on a solitary journey aboard a ship to Haiti, in search of his true identity. However, he soon realizes that his journey leads him back through the painful history of slavery, a history between Europe and Africa, where the French enslaved Africans, resulting in deep and lasting consequences.

Though published in 2001, the book, which is set in 1814, takes readers back 200 years to the era of slavery.

Details:

• International Title: Deux graines de cacao
  
• Author: Évelyne Brisou-Pellen
  
• Country: France
  
• Year of Publication: 2001
  

Shifting focus from the United States and its African American history, we delve into a World War II-era literary work. Schindler's List is based on real events. At the time, Nazi Germany, under Hitler's regime, was embroiled in World War II and committing genocide against the Jewish people. Oskar Schindler, a businessman who produced military supplies and weapons for the German army, was a prominent member of the Nazi Party.

Exploiting his power, Schindler, a defender of justice, saved countless Jewish lives by employing them in his factory. Most of those he rescued were women and children. To achieve this, Schindler had to use his connections and sacrifice much of his wealth to bribe Nazi officials to get them on his list. Later, those saved by Schindler, when freed and returned to Israel, constructed a memorial in his honor. These individuals became known as Schindlerjuden, or 'Schindler's children.'

First published in 1983, Schindler's List did not receive much attention, despite winning the Booker Prize. However, the book was later adapted into a film directed by Steven Spielberg. The film became a huge success, winning Best Picture at the Golden Globes, BAFTA, and the Academy Awards. At the Oscars, it earned seven awards, including Best Screenplay, Cinematography, Director, and Best Picture of the Year.

Details:

• International Title: Schindler's List (Schindler's Ark)
  
• Author: Thomas Keneally
  
• Country: Australia
  
• Year of Publication: 1982