Best books… Peter Hain

The former anti-apartheid activist and Labour cabinet minister picks his favourite books. His memoir, A Pretoria Boy (Icon £20), is out now, alongside his recent thriller The Rhino Conspiracy (Muswell Press £8.99)

The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony, 2009 (Pan £9.99). An enchanting tale of how a conservationist accepts a small herd of wild elephants turned “rogue” by poacher attacks into his new game reserve. After turmoil, they eventually form a unique bond as he provides a safe haven for a new elephant dynasty.

Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela, 1994 (Abacus £14.99). His exhilarating memoir of courage, suffering and tenacity, and the eventual triumph of humanity over apartheid, the worst racist tyranny in history, contains fascinating insights into strong leadership, generosity of spirit and wisdom.

To Kill a Man by Sam Bourne, 2020 (Quercus £8.99). I relax by reading thrillers, and Sam Bourne is at his peak in this pacy, twisty story about adversity, revenge and justice – of a sort – in a male world of political power. It features a prominent woman who seeks the help of investigator Maggie Costello.

Lucy: Ultimate Survivor by Elizabeth Haywood, 2021 (Austin Macauley £12.99). This historical novel set in the Georgian period is about an English girl who runawaymarries for love a Barbadian planter – who has married for her fortune. It is based on the life of the author’s great-greatgreat-grandmother.

Why the Germans Do It Better by John Kampfner, 2020 (Atlantic £9.99). Authoritative and thoughtprovoking, moving the argument beyond British admiration for German efficiency to demonstrate their long-term attitude to life, investment, policy and culture. The sub-title says it all: “Notes from a Grown-Up Country”.

Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell, 1938 (Penguin £8.99). This book, about the barbarous Spanish Civil War, had a formative influence on my politics: it shows how Orwell’s democratic socialist instincts came to be “libertarian” rather than “statist”.