The Library Non-Fiction Collection aims to encourage independent ideas and critical thought by highlighting books on social issues, political themes and contemporary thinking.
Digesting materials from this collection may help you to expand your horizons, experience the world from different perspectives and form your own opinions on contemporary society.
Topics represented within the collection include – LGBTQIA+, Neurodiversity, Race and Racism in the UK, Feminism and Inequality.
Our non-fiction collection is spread across all four campuses, our digital items can be accessed anywhere. To request an item that is held at a different campus, please ask a member of staff at the library service desk or email library@edinburghcollege.ac.uk
Collections: Race and Racism in the UK
THE GOOD IMMIGRANT
Inspired by discussion around why society appears to deem people of colour as bad immigrants – job stealers, benefit scroungers, undeserving refugees – until, by winning Olympic races or being conscientious doctors, they cross over and become ‘good.’
Bringing together 21 exciting black, Asian and minority ethnic voices emerging in Britain today, editor Nikesh Shukla has compiled a collection of essays that are poignant, challenging, angry, humorous, heartbreaking, polemic, weary and – most importantly – real.
SYSTEMIC: HOW RACISM IS MAKING US ILL
What can you do when science and medicine are as biased as the society they treat? Black and Asian patients in the UK wait nearly a week longer for a cancer diagnosis and globally, people of colour are not only more likely to die while giving birth – but soon afterwards.
In Systemic, science journalist Layal Liverpool unearths the shocking facts behind the health threat of racism – and how it leads to worse treatment for everyone.
NATIVES
From the first time he was stopped and searched as a child, to the day he realised his mum was white, to his first encounters with racist teachers – race and class have shaped Akala’s life and outlook. In this unique book he takes his own experiences and widens them out to look at the social, historical and political factors that have left us where we are today.
You can also find more information on Clickview, Edinburgh College’s video platform, search using keywords or start with the ‘Anti Racism’ folder.
To sign in to Clickview use your Edinburgh College email address and password e.g. EC1234567@edinburghcollege.ac.uk.
To find more library materials search eCore using the keywords for the topic e.g. – ‘race’, racism’ and ‘racial discrimination’.
YOUR SILENCE WILL NOT PROTECT YOU
With a Preface by Reni Eddo-Lodge and an Introduction by Sara Ahmed
Audre Lorde (1934-92) described herself as ‘Black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet’. Her extraordinary belief in the power of language of speaking to articulate selfhood, confront injustice and bring about change in the world remains as transformative today as it was then, and no less urgent.
Your Silence Will Not Protect You brings Lorde’s poetry and prose together for the first time.
BLACK AND BRITISH: A FORGOTTEN HISTORY
Drawing on new genealogical research, original records, and expert testimony, Black and British reaches back to Roman Britain, the medieval imagination, Elizabethan ‘blackamoors’ and the global slave-trading empire. It shows that the great industrial boom of the nineteenth century was built on American slavery, and that black Britons fought at Trafalgar and in the trenches of both World Wars. Black British history is woven into the cultural and economic histories of the nation. It is not a singular history, but one that belongs to us all.
DEBATING CULTURAL HYBRIDITY
Why is it still so difficult to negotiate differences across cultures? In what ways does racism continue to strike at the foundations of multiculturalism?
Bringing together some of the world’s most influential postcolonial theorists, this classic collection examines the place and meaning of cultural hybridity in the context of growing global crisis, xenophobia and racism.
Starting from the reality that personal identities are multicultural identities, Debating Cultural Hybridity illuminates the complexity and the flexibility of culture and identity, defining their potential openness as well as their closures, to show why anti-racism and multiculturalism are today still such hard roads to travel.
THE MIXED RACE EXPERIENCE
In this powerful book, Natalie and Naomi Evans, founders of anti-racist advocacy and platform Everyday Racism, explore the complexities of mixed-race identities – from the discrimination endured by the 1.2 million mixed people in Britain and millions more elsewhere, to the privileges it can afford. Sharing their own personal experiences of growing up in Britain to illuminate the nuances of racial identity, the book also weaves in:
– Interviews with people from mixed backgrounds and in mixed relationships
– Research to dispel common myths and stereotypes
– Practical advice for mixed-race families and friendships
Collections: Feminism
MEN EXPLAIN THINGS TO ME
Rebecca Solnit’s essay ‘Men Explain Things to Me’ has become a touchstone of the feminist movement, inspired the term ‘mansplaining’, and established Solnit as one of the leading feminist thinkers of our time – one who has inspired everyone from radical activists to Beyonce Knowles. Collected here in print for the first time is the essay itself, along with the best of Solnit’s feminist writings.
THE BEAUTY MYTH
Every day, women around the world are confronted with a dilemma – how to look. In a society embroiled in a cult of female beauty and youthfulness, pressure on women to conform physically is constant and all-pervading. In this shortened edition you will find the essence of Wolf’s groundbreaking book. It is a radical, gripping and frank exposé of the tyranny of the beauty myth, its oppressive function and the destructive obsession it engenders.
WOMEN & POWER
Britain’s best-known classicist Mary Beard, is also a committed and vocal feminist. With wry wit, she revisits the gender agenda and shows how history has treated powerful women. Her examples range from the classical world to the modern day, from Medusa and Athena to Theresa May and Hillary Clinton. Beard explores the cultural underpinnings of misogyny, considering the public voice of women, our cultural assumptions about women’s relationship with power, and how powerful women resist being packaged into a male template.
You can also find more information on Clickview, Edinburgh College’s video platform, search using keywords or start with the ‘Feminism’ folder.
To sign in to Clickview use your Edinburgh College email address and password e.g. EC1234567@edinburghcollege.ac.uk.
To find more library materials search eCore using the keywords for the topic e.g. – ‘feminism’, ‘misogyny’ and ‘gender discrimination’.
Collections: Inequality in the UK
POVERTY SAFARI
Darren McGarvey has experienced poverty and its devastating effects first-hand. He knows why people from deprived communities all around Britain feel angry and unheard. And he wants to explain . . .
So he invites you to come on a safari of sorts. But not the kind where the wildlife is surveyed from a safe distance. This book takes you inside the experience of poverty to show how the pressures really feel and how hard their legacy is to overcome.
Arguing that both the political left and right misunderstand poverty as it is actually lived, McGarvey sets out what everybody – including himself – could do to change things. Razor-sharp, fearless and brutally honest, Poverty Safari is an unforgettable insight into modern Britain.
A NEW SCOTLAND
Inequality and unfairness still stalk Scotland after more than twenty years of devolution. Having done little to shield against austerity, Brexit and an increasingly right-wing Westminster agenda, calls for further constitutional reform to solve pressing political, economic and social problems grow ever louder. The debate over further devolution or independence continues to split the population. In A New Scotland, leading activists and academics lay out the blueprints for radical reform.
THE INNER LEVEL
The Inner Level explores how inequality affects us individually, how it alters how we think, feel and behave. It sets out the overwhelming evidence that material inequalities have powerful psychological effects: when the gap between rich and poor increases, so does our rates of anxiety, depression and stress.
This book sheds new light on many of the most urgent problems facing societies today, but it is not just an index of our ills. It demonstrates that societies based on fundamental equalities, sharing and reciprocity generate much higher levels of well-being, and lays out the path towards them.
You can also find more information on Clickview, Edinburgh College’s video platform, search using keywords or start with the ‘Social Issues’ folder.
To sign in to Clickview use your Edinburgh College email address and password e.g. EC1234567@edinburghcollege.ac.uk.
To find more library materials search eCore using the keywords for the topic e.g. – ‘inequality’, class system’, ‘social issues’ and ‘poverty’.
Collections: Neurodiversity and Autism
NEURODIVERSITY
What is autism: a devastating developmental condition, a lifelong disability, or a naturally occurring form of cognitive difference akin to certain forms of genius? In truth, it is all of these things and more – and the future of our society depends on our understanding it.
Going back to the earliest autism research and chronicling the brave and lonely journey of autistic people and their families through the decades, Silberman provides long-sought solutions to the autism puzzle while casting light on the growing movement of ‘neurodiversity’ and mapping out a path towards a more humane world for people with learning differences.
UNTYPICAL
The modern world is built for neurotypicals: needless noise, bright flashing lights, small talk, phone calls, unspoken assumptions and unwritten rules. In Untypical Pete explains how te two worlds can meet, and what we can do for the many autistic people in our schools, workplaces and lives. The result: a practical handbook for all of us to make the world a simpler and better place.
CAMOUFLAGE
Autism in women and girls is still not widely understood, and is often misrepresented or even overlooked. This graphic novel offers an engaging and accessible insight into the lives and minds of women with autism, using real-life case studies. The charming illustrations lead readers on a visual journey of how women on the spectrum experience everyday life, from metaphors and masking behaviours to communication online, dealing with social pressures and managing relationships. Fun, sensitive and informative, this is a fantastic resource for anyone who wishes to understand how gender affects autism, and how to create safer, more accommodating environments for women on the spectrum.
You can also find more information on Clickview, Edinburgh College’s video platform, search using keywords or start with the ‘Neurodiversity’ folder.
To sign in to Clickview use your Edinburgh College email address and password e.g. EC1234567@edinburghcollege.ac.uk.
To find more library materials search eCore using the keywords for the topic e.g. – ‘neurodiversity’, ‘autism’, and ‘disability’.
Collection: LGBTQIA+
WE CAN DO BETTER THAN THIS
In We Can Do Better Than This, 35 voices – actors, musicians, writers, artists and activists – answer this vital question, at a time when the queer community continues to suffer discrimination and extreme violence. Through deeply moving stories and provocative new arguments on safety and visibility, dating and gender, care and community, they present a powerful manifesto for how – together – we can change lives everywhere.
ART AND QUEER CULTURE
Art and Queer Culture is a comprehensive and definitive survey of artworks that have constructed, contested or otherwise responded to alternative forms of sexuality. Not a book exclusively about artists who identify themselves as gay or lesbian, Art and Queer Culture instead traces the shifting possibilities and constraints of sexual identity that have provided visual artists with a rich creative resource over the last 125 years.
HIJAB BUTCH BLUES
Hijab Butch Blues follows Lamya as she travels to the United States, as she comes out, and as she navigates the complexities of self acceptance – and the queer dating scene. At each step, she turns to her islamic faith, weaving stories from her religion together with her own experiences.
Hijab Butch Blues heralds the arrival of a truly original voice, asking powerful questions about gender and sexuality, relationships, identity and faith, and what it means to build a life of one”s own.
You can also find more information on Clickview, Edinburgh College’s video platform, search using keywords or start with the ‘LGBTQIA+’ folder.
To sign in to Clickview use your Edinburgh College email address and password e.g. EC1234567@edinburghcollege.ac.uk.
To find more library materials search eCore using the keywords for the topic e.g. – ‘gay community’, ‘homophobia’, and ‘queer culture’.
Collections: Mental Health
ARE YOU REALLY OK?
Every week, 1 in 10 young people in the UK experiences symptoms of a common mental health problem, such as anxiety or depression, and 1 in 5 have considered taking their own life at some point. In this book, Stacey Dooley opens up the conversation about mental health in young people, to challenge the stigma and stereotypes around it.
As well as hearing about their experiences directly, Stacey speaks to medical experts, counsellors, campaigners and health practitioners who can give insights into the conditions and explore the factors that play a part – including poverty, addiction, identity, social media and the impact of Covid-19.
THIS BOOK WILL CHANGE YOUR MIND ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH
In This Book Will Change Your Mind About Mental Health, Nathan Filer, a former mental health nurse with the UK’s National Health Service, explores the myths and misconceptions surrounding mental health. It explores what it means to be mentally ill in today’s world and ultimately what it means to be human.
WHY HAS NOBODY TOLD ME THIS BEFORE?
Filled with secrets from a therapist’s toolkit, this is a must-have handbook for optimising your mental health. Dr Julie’s simple but expert advice and powerful coping techniques will help you stay resilient no matter what life throws your way.
Written in short, bite-sized entries, you can turn straight to the section you need depending on the challenge you’re facing – and immediately find the appropriate tools to help.
You can also find more information on Clickview, Edinburgh College’s video platform, search using keywords or start with the ‘Politics’ folder.
To sign in to Clickview use your Edinburgh College email address and password e.g. EC1234567@edinburghcollege.ac.uk.
To find more library materials search eCore using the keywords for the topic e.g. – ‘politics’, ‘society’, and ‘economy’. Using the advanced search limit your results by adding the keyword ‘UK’.
Collections: Social Media and Technology
TEN ARGUMENTS FOR DELETING YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS RIGHT NOW
The evidence suggests that social media is making us sadder, angrier, less empathetic, more fearful, more isolated and more tribal.
Jaron Lanier is the world-famous Silicon Valley scientist-pioneer who first alerted us to the dangers of social media. In this witty and urgent manifesto he explains why its toxic effects are at the heart of its design, and, in ten simple arguments, why liberating yourself from its hold will transform your life and the world for the better.
THE AGE OF SURVEILLANCE CAPITALISM
In this masterwork of original thinking and research, Zuboff provides the first detailed examination of the unprecedented form of power called “surveillance capitalism”, and the quest by powerful corporations to predict and control our behaviour.
Zuboff’s comprehensive analysis lays bare the threats: a controlled “hive” of total connection that seduces with promises of total certainty for maximum profit—at the expense of democracy, freedom, and our human future. With little resistance from law or society, surveillance capitalism is on the verge of dominating the social order and shaping the digital future.
CODE DEPENDANT: HOW AI IS CHANGING OUR LIVES
Through the voices of ordinary people in places far removed from Silicon Valley, Code Dependent explores the impact of a set of powerful, flawed, and often exploitative technologies on individuals, communities, and our wider society. Madhumita Murgia, AI Editor at the FT, exposes how AI can strip away our collective and individual sense of agency – and shatter our illusion of free will.