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 2019

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Community, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Society: Class, Society: Economics, Society: Education, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed

Tags Education, Education, History: World, Politics / Government, Race / Racism, Sociology, Social Justice, Health / Medicine


Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: Politics & Government

Tags Realistic Fiction, Immigration / Refugee, Children's Literature, Social Justice, Modern Classic Fiction, Arts / Culture


Publication year 1891

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Society: Colonialism, Society: Class

Tags Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government, Social Justice, Race / Racism, Class, Education, Education, Asian Literature, History: World


Publication year 2003

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags Civil Rights / Jim Crow, Race / Racism, History: U.S., Gender / Feminism, History: World, Social Justice, Politics / Government, Biography

Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement was written by Barbara Ransby and published by the University of North Carolina Press in 2003. The book is a biography of Ella Baker, the mother of the civil rights movement, whose work ushered in a new pro-democracy era that saw the importance of fighting for one’s civil rights as important to the survival of the democratic project. Ransby follows the winding tale of Baker’s life, chronicling her... Read Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement Summary


Publication year 2018

Genre Book, Nonfiction

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


Publication year 2017

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Natural World: Environment, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Equality

Tags Politics / Government, Self Help, Gender / Feminism, Philosophy, Leadership/Organization/Management, Social Justice, Philosophy, Religion / Spirituality


Publication year 2018

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Economics, Society: Class, Society: Education, Society: Globalization, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Society: Community

Tags Philosophy, Science / Nature, Psychology, Sociology, Politics / Government, Health / Medicine, Agriculture, Business / Economics, Class, Climate Change, Social Justice, History: World, Psychology, Philosophy


Publication year 2005

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Mothers, Society: Immigration

Tags Politics / Government, Social Justice, History: U.S., Immigration / Refugee, Education, Education, History: World, Biography

Enrique’s Journey: The Story of a Boy’s Dangerous Odyssey to Reunite with His Mother is a best-selling nonfiction book by Sonia Nazario, an American journalist best known for her work on social justice. Originally published in 2006, the book is based on Nazario’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “Enrique’s Journey” series, which was written in six parts and published in The Los Angeles Times.The book, which has been published in eight languages and adapted for young adults in... Read Enrique's Journey Summary


Publication year 2016

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Society: Community

Tags Sociology, Social Justice, Poverty, Race / Racism, Business / Economics, History: World, Politics / Government

Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, written by Matthew Desmond, a tenured sociology professor at Princeton University, was published in 2016 and won the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction in 2017. In this influential work, Desmond highlights the interconnected issues of extreme poverty and affordable housing in the United States, themes he continues to explore in his more recent book, Poverty, by America. Through an ethnographic study, he follows the experiences of eight... Read Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City Summary


Publication year 1999

Genre Essay Collection, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Gender, Natural World: Environment

Tags Gender / Feminism, LGBTQ, Philosophy, Philosophy, Social Justice, Disability


Publication year 1992

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Equality, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government

Tags Race / Racism, History: U.S., Sociology, Social Justice, Politics / Government, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy


Publication year 1972

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: Globalization, Society: Community

Tags Philosophy, Politics / Government, Social Justice, Finance / Money / Wealth, Business / Economics, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Religion / Spirituality


Publication year 2001

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Natural World: Food, Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology

Tags Food, Sociology, Education, Education, Science / Nature, Arts / Culture, History: World, Health / Medicine, Agriculture, Business / Economics, Journalism, Politics / Government, Social Justice

IntroductionFast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal is a 2001 nonfiction book by Eric Schlosser that investigates the business practices of the American fast food industry and the associated agricultural industries that supply it. Following the precedent of Upton Sinclair’s famous 1906 work The Jungle, Schlosser provides readers with a glimpse into the questionable ethics of these large food corporations. Schlosser likewise provides brief historical accounts of fast food’s origins and traces... Read Fast Food Nation Summary


Publication year 2011

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Race, Society: Colonialism, Society: Nation

Tags Science / Nature, Race / Racism, Politics / Government, Social Justice, Sociology, History: World, Health / Medicine


Publication year 2002

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Natural World: Environment

Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Satire, Technology, Grief / Death, Social Justice, Class, Education, Education, Fantasy, Romance

Feed by M.T. Anderson, published in 2002, is a young adult dystopian cyberpunk novel set in a future in which excessive consumerism is at the center of human identity and technology-driven artificiality serves as a distraction for a world that is in the final stages of complete ecological destruction. The feed is a brain-implanted device that integrates computer and network capabilities into the user’s consciousness and biological functions.For most, the feed is implanted at birth... Read Feed Summary


Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Friendship, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: Aging, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Flora/plants, Natural World: Place, Values/Ideas: Literature, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance

Tags Historical Fiction, Depression / Suicide, Health / Medicine, Love / Sexuality, Mental Illness, Parenting, Social Justice, Science / Nature, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 2000

Genre Essay Collection, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Gender

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

Feminism Is for Everybody: Passionate Politics by critic, academic, and writer bell hooks is described by the author as a primer, a handbook, even “a dream come true” (ix). In the Introduction to the book, hooks describes her labor of love in writing this brief guide to feminism, and she employs a concise style that does not waver from her goal of educating readers about the fundamentals of feminism. This book is the product of... Read Feminism Is For Everybody Summary


Publication year 1984

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Gender, Identity: Race, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Education, Relationships: Family

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


Publication year 1989

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Identity: Race, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Past

Tags Race / Racism, Social Justice, Health / Medicine, American Literature


Publication year 2015

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Tags Education, Social Justice, Poverty, Biography

Find Me Unafraid: Love, Loss and Hope in an African Slum is a 2015 nonfiction memoir by husband and wife Kennedy Odede and Jessica Posner. The book took the 2016 nonfiction runners-up designation for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, and it was also featured and reviewed on Oprah.com as part of the “Soulful Read” series. The memoir tells the story of their meeting, romance, and eventual collaboration to build schools for under-privileged youth and bring... Read Find Me Unafraid Summary