In this Collection, we've gathered together a selection of fictional and real-life narratives that share the theme of Challenging Authority. These selections feature protagonists and real-world figures who stand up to both powerful individuals and oppressive systems in an array of cultural and historical settings.
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction
Publication year 2018
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Language, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Indigenous
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Depression / Suicide, History: The Americas, Leadership/Organization/Management, Race / Racism, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Colonialism / Postcolonialism
Publication year 2010
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: The Past, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Society: Community, Society: Class, Society: Economics, Society: Immigration, Society: Education, Society: War, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Nation, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt
Tags Historical Fiction, Children's Literature, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Realistic Fiction, History: World
Moon Over Manifest is a 2010 novel by author Claire Vanderpool. It relates the story of 12-year-old Abilene Tucker, a drifting girl in search of her father, a home, and a sense of belonging. When the novel starts, her father, Gideon Tucker, has just sent Abilene to the Kansas town of Manifest, claiming that he can’t take her to Iowa, where he is allegedly taking a railroad job. It is 1936, and the Great Depression... Read Moon Over Manifest Summary
Publication year 2016
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Natural World: Space & The Universe, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy
Publication year 2001
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy, Action / Adventure, Technology, Class
Publication year 1939
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Family, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Tags Education, Education, African American Literature, Historical Fiction, Fairy Tale / Folklore, Classic Fiction, Religion / Spirituality
Moses, Man of the Mountain is an allegorical novel by African-American author and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston. The novel reimagines the life of Moses and the biblical narrative of the Exodus from Egypt with several important changes, including the use of African American dialect, slang, and folklore. Throughout the novel, Hurston draws allegorical parallels between the enslavement of the Hebrew people in Egypt and the enslavement of people of African descent in the United States... Read Moses, Man of the Mountain Summary
Publication year 1988
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Community
Tags Fantasy, Action / Adventure, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Animals, Children's Literature, Classic Fiction
Publication year 1939
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Society: War, Relationships: Mothers, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Play: Drama, German Literature, Education, Education, History: World, Drama / Tragedy, Classic Fiction
Mother Courage and Her Children (1939) is a play by German author Bertolt Brecht (1898-1980). It tells the story of Anna Fierling, nicknamed Mother Courage, a peddler who travels across Europe during the Thirty Years’ War. It is a drama that questions the justification of warfare, revealing the hypocrisy of a war fought on religious grounds. As the war unfolds, Mother Courage struggles to keep her business afloat and her three children safe. The play... Read Mother Courage and Her Children Summary
Publication year 2000
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Class, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Asian Literature, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Asian Literature
Mohsin Hamid’s first novel, Moth Smoke, examines class and privilege, drugs, and sex in 1990s Pakistan. The novel plots the unraveling of Darashikoh Shezad’s life. When the book opens, Daru is on trial for the death of a boy, and the text examines the events leading up to this false accusation. Multiple narrators chart Daru’s moral decline, and the examination of Daru’s choices from different angles asks the reader to be the judge of Daru’s... Read Moth Smoke Summary
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Literature
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Love / Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness, Trauma / Abuse / Violence
Publication year 2016
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Self Discovery, Society: Community, Society: Nation, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Fantasy, Romance, History: World, Historical Fiction, Humor
Publication year 2002
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Education, Relationships: Teams, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Business / Economics, Education, Education, Science / Nature, Social Science, Psychology, Psychology, Finance / Money / Wealth, Politics / Government
Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science is a nonfiction book by Charles Wheelan published in 2002. The author holds a PhD from the University of Chicago and is a senior lecturer and policy fellow at Dartmouth College. Previously, he was a correspondent for the magazine The Economist. He has written a number of other books, including Naked Statistics and Naked Money. This study guide refers to the 2019 third edition of Naked Economics.SummaryNaked Economics is... Read Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science Summary
Publication year 1880
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Gender, Society: Class, Society: Nation, Values/Ideas: Fame, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Masculinity
Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Love / Sexuality, Realism, Realistic Fiction, Naturalism, Class, History: European, French Literature
Publication year 1845
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags American Literature, Race / Racism, History: U.S., Education, Education, History: World, Classic Fiction, Biography
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is an autobiography by Frederick Douglass that was first published in 1845. Douglass escaped from slavery in 1838 and became a prominent abolitionist, orator, and writer. His autobiography describes his experiences under slavery and his eventual freedom. The book was widely read and influenced public opinion in favor of the abolition of slavery. It remains one of the most read memoirs from the antebellum period. The autobiography includes... Read Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Summary
Publication year 1779
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Play: Historical, Religion / Spirituality, Relationships, Elizabethan Era, Drama / Tragedy, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction
Publication year 1940
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Race, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Existentialism, American Literature, African American Literature, Education, Education, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction, Race / Racism
Richard’s Wright’s debut novel Native Son was an immediate success upon its publication in 1940, selling 250,000 copies in three weeks. Today, it is widely recognized as not only Wright’s greatest work, but as one of the most significant American novels of the twentieth century. In his essay “How ‘Bigger’ Was Born” (1940), Wright explains that he based the protagonist of the novel on five young Black men he had known as a child. These... Read Native Son Summary
Publication year 2013
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Identity: Gender, Relationships: Siblings, Society: Class
Tags Historical Fiction, Poverty, Social Justice, Health / Medicine, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World, Drama / Tragedy
Publication year 1966
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Identity: Femininity, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Fame, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Literature, Identity: Gender
Tags Lyric Poem, Arts / Culture, Gender / Feminism, American Literature, Confessional
Publication year 2016
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Indigenous, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Place, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Globalization, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Philosophy, Social Science, Politics / Government, Sociology
Publication year 1991
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Addiction / Substance Abuse