In a world grappling with grief, political turmoil, and environmental crises, prominent figures are turning to literature for solace, understanding, and the resolve to resist. Following a year marked by conflict, climate tipping points, and rising authoritarianism, a collection of books recommended by writers, activists, and thought leaders offers a beacon of hope and a toolkit for resilience.
Literary Prescriptions for a Troubled World
Guardian Australia recently asked a range of influential voices which writings they seek out for comfort, intellectual strength, and to restore their faith in human nature. Their recommendations form a powerful reading list for anyone feeling overwhelmed by contemporary challenges.
Environmental campaigner and former Greens leader Bob Brown advocates for a foundational text: The Lorax by Dr Seuss. He highlights its poignant concluding message—"unless"—as a crucial call to environmental action. "It ends with the word 'unless'. Unless we do something we're leaving our kids a very troublesome mess," Brown states, emphasising that the economy is subservient to a healthy environment.
Brown also suggests Jeff Sparrow and Sam Wallman's comic 12 Rules for Strife, Mark McKenna's The Shortest History of Australia for its uplifting long-term perspective, and Henry Dunant's A Memory of Solferino, which inspired the founding of the Red Cross.
Confronting Darkness to Find Light
Author Anna Funder argues against purely escapist reading, favouring works that engage directly with societal darkness to find genuine hope. "The first step to countering the problems we face... is to see these things fully, from all sides," she explains.
Funder recommends Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale for its exploration of gendered power structures, a theme she sees reflected in modern authoritarianism. For an anti-war perspective, she suggests Erich Maria Remarque's classic All Quiet on the Western Front. She also endorses Jason Stanley's How Fascism Works, which analyses fascism as an extreme form of patriarchy.
Historian and author Kate Fullagar finds unexpected hope in Ian McEwan's novel What We Can Know, set in a post-climate catastrophe 22nd century Britain. The book's depiction of universities surviving global transformation offered her solace regarding the future of both academia and the planet.
Fullagar also frequently re-reads Liane Carlson's essay What is Called Thinking in the Anthropocene? and anything by constitutional law academic Megan Davis, whose "graciousness towards Australia" she finds profoundly moving.
Voices of Resistance and Resilience
For insights into personal and collective defiance, award-winning journalist Behrouz Boochani, who endured seven years in Australia's offshore detention system, recommends Amir Ahmadi Arian's novel Then The Fish Swallowed Him. The book delves into life under an authoritarian regime in Tehran's Evin prison.
Boochani also suggests Whītiki, Mātike, Whakatika about Māori treaty activism, his own essay collection Freedom Only Freedom, and the documentary Gulîstan, Land of Roses on female Kurdish fighters.
Union leader and author Thomas Mayo draws inspiration from historical struggles. He cites Kevin Gilbert's seminal 1973 work Because A White Man'll Never Do It, written largely in prison, as a vital guide for Indigenous activism. He also turns to Saul Alinsky's Rules for Radicals—noting its lesson that "ridicule is man's most potent weapon"—and the autobiographies of Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr.
"Most of the books I read are historical because I think history does repeat itself," Mayo says. "There's never been a more critical time." This curated list from diverse voices provides not just an escape, but a means to comprehend, confront, and find courage amidst the complexities of the modern age.
