The Books That Changed the Minds of Writers

The joy of being a reader lies in discovering new thoughts, ideas, and histories. Over the past year, we have asked some authors about the books that changed their minds about something. Here’s what they told us.

Written by Peace Yetunde Onafuye

Apr 26, 2024

Photo Collage from Original Book Covers by Peace Onafuye / THE REPUBLIC.

The joy of being a reader lies in discovering new thoughts, ideas, and histories. I remember reading Maaza Mengiste’s The Shadow King in 2021 and being fascinated by my discoveries about Ethiopian history. I was particularly intrigued because these discoveries, including the participation of women in the Second Italo-Ethiopian War of 1935, hadn’t come to me during my days of studying history both as an undergrad and as a postgrad student. Somehow, fiction provided me with this knowledge, which changed my perspective on the profound histories and ideas one can gain from reading.

Books have the power to alter one’s perceptions. And that is why it’s always interesting to read the responses to the question, ‘What’s the last thing you read that changed your mind about something?’ in our First Draft interview column, where we feature authors, publishers, editors, academics, and creatives. The responses often include diverse books and essays that make great recommendations. That’s why we have compiled some of our favorite answers from the past year.

For instance, Zimbabwe’s, Farai Mudzingwa, shared how Henry Hobhouse’s Seeds of Change: Six Plants That Transformed Mankind changed his views on sugar, revealing its harmful effects on the human body and its role in driving colonialism and chattel slavery. Ghana’s, DK Nnuro, recalled that Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life made him less suspicious of melodrama. Nigeria’s Abubakar Adam Ibrahim discussed how Zukiswa Wanner’s Vignettes of a People in an Apartheid State deepened his understanding of crisis situations, such as Israel’s bombardment of Gaza. But that’s only a fraction of the responses we’ve received.

Here are seven writers and the books that changed their minds about something.

NANA EKUA BREW-HAMMOND

Miral al-Tahawy’s The Tent expanded my idea of how a story can and should be told. For most of this novel, set in the desert on a gated Bedouin family compound, she challenges readers accustomed to Western storytelling structures to really engage with and understand the text. Then, towards the end of the book, she has the protagonist perform her story for a British character and her friends, showing us the ways writers published in the West wittingly or unwittingly pander to European and North American sensibilities.

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About the Author

Peace Yetunde Onafuye

is the senior producer (digital) at The Republic.

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