My top 10 fiction books on human rights

Human rights are taught as law and rarely as social sciences, which is why there is a tendency to read only legal reviews. The first is equally important because every field must be mastered thoroughly. Further, it is important to pay attention to the value of a solid narrative and pertinent literature so as to be able to understand your own work from different perspectives and to be able to relate and share this information.

You could spend 15 minutes to try to get the attention of a teenager to explain the importance of human rights. Yet, putting the right book at the right place and time can help your child understand the message of human rights law and maybe one day, they'll say what my daughter said: 'I want to be like you mom' and get the epic answer: 'Yes baby, you can and in fact you can even be more and better'.

If there is one specialized field of law that addresses human needs and wants it's human rights law and it's a niche which, should you manage to master through lots of hard work, is a very lucrative field. Human rights law is raw and us lawyers as well because we deal with very challenging situations and our personality evolves accordingly. Albeit, we are more personal than corporate lawyers and care deeply for our clients. I am happy to be bringing forward some audio narratives form trusted clients whose rights have been massively violated by countries who are members to important international conventions.

It is my intimate conviction that it is useful to relate our niche through fiction as much as reality. I attach a list of books I love, available at most local libraries.

1. To Kill a Mockingbird

Writer: Harper Lee

Published: 1960

This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel centres on the trial of an African-American man wrongly accused of raping a white woman. He is defended by the narrator’s father, Atticus Finch – a character that is celebrated for his moral integrity. The first of two books written by Harper Lee, it is used across the world to teach about civil rights and the history of race relations in America.

2. 1984

Writer: George Orwell

Published: 1949

 George Orwell’s dystopian fantasy is a stark warning against totalitarian society and restrictions on freedom of thought. This classic work paints a dark picture of how state surveillance and propaganda can threaten truth, justice and our fundamental human rights.

3. The Help

Writer: Kathryn Stockett

Published: 2009

This novel’s heart wrenching tale of life as a maid in the 1960’s brings to life the unjustifiable experiences of African-American women in the segregated South at the cusp of the civil rights revolution.

4. Mosquito

Writer: Roma Tearne

Published: 2007

Theo Samarajeeva is a UK based internationally acclaimed novelist who returns to his native country Sri Lanka longing to escape the loss of his wife and to become inspired by the islands natural beauty. Nulani Mendis is a young and withdrawn budding artist, neglected by her mother following her father’s brutal murder and closely monitored by her venomous uncle. Roma Tearne’s first book, Mosquito, tells a powerful story of love, loss and exile in an island rife with brutal conflict.

5. The Moonlit Cage

Writer: Linda Holeman

Published: 2006

The Moonlit Cage is the fascinating story of Darya, a young Afghan girl, deemed worthless, cursed and despised by her family, who embarks on an arduous journey that takes her from the unforgiving valleys and mountains of Afghanistan to 19th Century London, the heart of the British Empire. Holeman’s historical fiction books explore the experiences of women in the 18th and 19th centuries, she is author of the international bestseller ‘The Linnet Bird’.

Non fiction

6. I Am Troy Davis

Writers: Jen Marlowe, Martina Davis-Correia and Troy Anthony Davis

Published: 2013

The story about an iconic man who became the face of the campaign to end the death penalty in America; I Am Troy Davis takes us inside a broken legal system where life and death hang in the balance.

It's also an inspiring testament to the unbreakable bond of family, to the resilience of love, and that even when you reach the end of justice, voices from across the world will rise together in chorus and proclaim, “I am Troy Davis," I stand with you.

7. Fearless Fighter

Writer: Vera Chirwa

Published: 2007

In Fearless Fighter Chirwa talks about her past with immense courage and humour. This powerful and moving book celebrates her achievements and calls for greater awareness of the risks faced by human rights campaigners worldwide.

8. I Am Malala

Writer: Malala Yousafzai

Published: 2013

When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education. On Tuesday 9 October 2012, she almost paid the ultimate price. Shot in the head at point blank range while riding the bus home from school, few expected her to survive.

9. Taking a Stand: The Evolution of Human Rights

Writer: Juan E Mendez

Published: 2011

Mendez is a leading human rights lawyer and activist, currently serving as the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture. He was himself a prisoner of conscience and a victim of torture during Argentina’s military dictatorship and this book provides an eye-opening first-hand account of his fight against violations of human rights and impunity.

10. Unbowed

Writer: Wangari Maathai

Published: 2006

Nobel Peace Prize winner and founder of the Greenbelt Movement, Wangari Maathai’s memoir is a powerful account of one woman’s battle to overcome the legacy of colonialism, and to establish environmental and land rights in a grassroots attempt to tackle poverty and inequality in Kenya.

Again, thank you for reaching out and thank you for your trust

Yours,

Lydia Verniory

Mother, International Human Rights Lawyer

? You may reach me at the following email address via the world's most secure encrypted email service*  [email protected] or give me a call on my most secure and encrypted international cell phone 011 3069 0789 55 50 or 00 3069 0789 55 50.

Lydia Verniory is a mother and an international human rights lawyer with 100% success in the most challenging international human rights, criminal and public law cases. Law found her on life's path and ever since they are inseparable.

She has won over 1,500 international cases while working for the United Nations and private clients. She has a passion for naughty cats, Bounty chocolate bars and overpriced shoes. It is no secret she belongs to the circle of the most knowledgeable and spunky human rights lawyers in the world.