The previous first minister of Scotland picks 5 favourites. Nicola Sturgeon’s memoir, “Frankly”, is out this week. She will probably be speaking about her life in politics on the Southbank Centre on 29 August.
Sunset Song
Half of a Yellow Sun
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, 2006
Set during the Biafran War, this is both a beautiful love story and an affecting account of the human impact of civil war. It educates, entertains and moves the reader – all the things a good novel should do.
Join The Week’s Free Newsletters
From our morning information briefing to a weekly Good Information E-newsletter, get the most effective of The Week delivered on to your inbox.
From our morning information briefing to a weekly Good Information E-newsletter, get the most effective of The Week delivered on to your inbox.
James
Percival Everett, 2024
A masterful retelling of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”, from the attitude of Jim the slave. It can make you cry and snort, scream with rage – however, finally, dare to really feel only a bit hopeful about the way forward for humanity.
The Skeleton Road
Val McDermid, 2014
Part of the Inspector Karen Pirie series, this is a coldcase mystery and historical drama rolled into one. It takes the reader from Edinburgh to the Balkans, with a detour to the spires of Oxford, and is gripping from the very first web page. And simply once you suppose it is protected to breathe once more, it delivers a last twist that may depart you reeling.
Beloved
Toni Morrison, 1987
I love everything Morrison wrote, but “Beloved” stands above the rest. It is a searing indictment of the physical and psychological trauma of slavery, and the dehumanisation of those who enforce it and those subject to it. More optimistically, it’s a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the enduring bonds between mothers and daughters.
Explore More