Slan

A.E. Van Vogt's Slan was first published in 1940, and it is an account of Jommy Cross, a member of a race of telepaths called Slans, and his attempt to overcome intolerance and restore the race of Slans to their rightful place in the universe.  There a lot of racial themes about the relationships between humans, slans, and tendril-less slans, so can it be a relatively progressive template for race relations in general?  I dunno, but it does have one of the most unforgettable characters in all fiction: the vile granny.  It's amazing a movie hasn't been made of this book.  Good stuff.