Contemporary Books on Social Justice

Social justice is the pursuit of fairness in society based on the belief that all people deserve equal opportunities and rights. We curated the following study guide collection (including books for middle-grade and young adult readers) to help readers get the most out of books that cover contemporary issues and topics in social justice.

Publication year 2014

Genre Essay Collection, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Race, Identity: Femininity, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Equality

Tags Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Race / Racism, Social Justice, Politics / Government

Bad Feminist is a collection of essays from writer, scholar, and social critic Roxane Gay. Published in 2014 by Harper Perennial, the New York Times best seller draws together an array of topics, from pop culture to literary discourse to political legislation to personal recollections, in an analysis of society, culture, and politics. Gay tackles modern patriarchy and racism in ways that emphasize the humanity of marginalized people and how those systems of oppression deny... Read Bad Feminist Summary


Publication year 2012

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Identity: Indigenous, Society: Colonialism, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Self Discovery, Society: Nation, Society: Community

Tags History: U.S., Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Addiction / Substance Abuse, Depression / Suicide, Education, History: The Americas, Race / Racism, Social Justice, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, History: World, Biography


Publication year 1965

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Identity: Race, Emotions/Behavior: Grief

Tags Narrative / Epic Poem, Race / Racism, Grief / Death, Social Justice, Civil Rights / Jim Crow, African American Literature


Publication year 1990

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Gender, Identity: Masculinity, Relationships: Family, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Education, Society: Globalization, Society: Immigration, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Emotions/Behavior: Courage

Tags Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, Gender / Feminism, Sociology, History: World, Social Justice, Politics / Government


Publication year 2015

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Self Discovery, Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Society: Class, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Literature

Tags Sports, Travel Literature, Action / Adventure, Bullying, Arts / Culture, Class, Race / Racism, Relationships, Poverty, Politics / Government, Science / Nature, Social Justice, History: World, Biography

Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life is a 2015 memoir by William Finnegan, a writer for The New Yorker and the author of several social journalism books such as A Complicated War: The Harrowing of Mozambique and Dateline Soweto: Travels with Black South African Reporters. In Barbarian Days, Finnegan reflects on his upbringing in California and Hawaii, as well as his coming of age in the late 1960s. He relays his experience of the surfing counterculture... Read Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life Summary


Publication year 2017

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Good & Evil

Tags Sociology, Social Justice, Religion / Spirituality

Friar Gregory Boyle is the founder of Homeboy Industries, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization known for being the largest gang intervention and re-entry program in the world. Boyle is also a Jesuit priest and the author of the bestselling Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion, a memoir and religious text presenting his work with Homeboy Industries as a set of parables. Boyle received much acclaim for this first work and followed it... Read Barking to the Choir Summary


Publication year 2018

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Language, Identity: Race, Society: Community

Tags Historical Fiction, Harlem Renaissance, History: U.S., Race / Racism, African American Literature, Anthropology, Black Lives Matter, Civil Rights / Jim Crow, Grief / Death, History: African , Social Justice, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, History: World, Biography

Originally written in the late 1920s and early 1930s, Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” (2018) is the transcribed posthumous autobiography of the life of Oluale “Cudjo Lewis” Kossola (1841-1935), written by Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960). Known for her involvement in the Harlem Renaissance, Hurston was a writer, anthropologist, folklorist, and filmmaker. In all her work, she held a special appreciation for Black life and Black culture of the US South. Her works... Read Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo" Summary


Publication year 2017

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose

Tags Sports, Race / Racism, Social Justice, Children's Literature, Biography


Publication year 2020

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Race / Racism, Arts / Culture, History: U.S., Philosophy, Post-War Era, History: World, Biography, Social Justice, Politics / Government

Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own is a non-fiction book by Eddie S. Glaude Jr., a Princeton University professor specializing in race and religion in the US. The title gestures to a passage in James Baldwin’s last novel, Just Above My Head (1979), which stresses the importance of new beginnings in the quest to rebuild the US as a truly multiracial democracy. A New York Times bestseller, Begin Again... Read Begin Again Summary


Publication year 1988

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Femininity, Relationships: Fathers, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger

Tags Historical Fiction, Auto/Biographical Fiction, Military / War, History: U.S., Gender / Feminism, Social Justice, American Civil War, Children's Literature, Education, Education, History: World

Behind Rebel Lines: The Incredible Story of Emma Edmonds, Civil War Spy by Seymour Reit is a work of historical fiction and children’s literature based on the true story of a young woman who pretends to be a man so that she can join the Union army during the US Civil War. The book’s target audience is ages 10-14, and it uses a simple style to appeal to a young audience. It is categorized as... Read Behind Rebel Lines Summary


Publication year 2020

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Equality, Society: Community, Society: Education, Society: Politics & Government, Identity: Disability

Tags Disability, Social Justice, History: U.S., Politics / Government, History: World, Biography


Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Mothers, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice

Tags Historical Fiction, Social Justice, Race / Racism, African American Literature, Children's Literature, History: World


Publication year 2015

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice

Tags Race / Racism, African American Literature, Black Lives Matter, History: World, Social Justice, Politics / Government, Biography

Ta-Nehisi Coates’s nonfiction book Between the World and Me was published 2015. The book takes the form of a long letter to Coates’s son Samori at age 15, and the title borrows from a poem by famed Black author Richard Wright. The text focuses on the psychological and physical trauma of racial violence that haunts generations of Black people, considering themes like The Precarity of the Black Body in the United States, The Danger of... Read Between the World and Me Summary


Publication year 2019

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Equality, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Society: Community

Tags Psychology, Race / Racism, Sociology, Social Justice, Science / Nature, Psychology, Politics / Government


Publication year 2023

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Race, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government

Tags History: U.S., Race / Racism, Social Justice, Politics / Government, African American Literature, History: World, Humor


Publication year 1877

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Society: Class, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Natural World: Animals

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Action / Adventure, Animals, Addiction / Substance Abuse, Class, History: European, Poverty, Religion / Spirituality, Social Justice, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Urban Development, Victorian Period, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Children's Literature, History: World

Black Beauty was written by English novelist Anna Sewell, and published in 1877. It quickly became extremely popular, and led to increased activism and public concern for the humane treatment of horses and other animals. It went on to become one of best-selling novels of all time, and has been adapted numerous times into films and theatre productions. Sewell used her novel to explore themes such as kindness and responsibility, and to critique social problems... Read Black Beauty Summary


Publication year 2021

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Identity: Race, Society: Nation, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice

Tags History: U.S., Race / Racism, Social Justice, Politics / Government, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Children's Literature, History: World


Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Identity: Race

Tags Realistic Fiction, Sports, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Race / Racism, Children's Literature, Social Justice, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 1990

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Gender, Identity: Race, Relationships: Mothers, Society: Community

Tags Gender / Feminism, Race / Racism, Politics / Government, Social Justice, Sociology, Philosophy, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), African American Literature, Philosophy


Publication year 2013

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Community, Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Equality, Identity: Gender

Tags Psychology, Race / Racism, Science / Nature, Social Justice, Sociology, Education, Education, Business / Economics, Psychology, Self Help