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 2020

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Race, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice

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


Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Relationships: Friendship, Society: Community

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Race / Racism, Social Justice, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Society: Immigration, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Identity: Race, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict

Tags Historical Fiction, Politics / Government, Immigration / Refugee, Social Justice, September 11 Attacks, Auto/Biographical Fiction, Race / Racism, History: U.S., Class, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World


Publication year 2020

Genre Book, Nonfiction

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

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


Publication year 2004

Genre Essay Collection, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Community, Society: Globalization, Society: Economics, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Nation, Society: Colonialism, Society: War, Natural World: Environment

Tags Social Justice, Politics / Government, Gender / Feminism, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy


Publication year 1849

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Disability, Identity: Mental Health, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Society: Class

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Classic Fiction, Gothic Literature, Bullying, Mental Illness, Social Justice, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Disability, Education, Education, Mystery / Crime Fiction, History: World, Fantasy

“Hop-Frog” (originally titled “Hop Frog; Or, the Eight Chained Ourang-Outangs”) is among the last short stories by American horror and fiction author Edgar Allan Poe. First published in The Flag of Our Union in 1849, “Hop-Frog” explores themes of revenge, “madness,” and dehumanization. Poe explores similar themes in another short story published several years earlier, “The Cask of Amontillado,” a tale of betrayal and vengeance. Such thematic elements recur often in Poe’s work, given that... Read Hop-Frog Summary


Publication year 1968

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Emotions/Behavior: Apathy, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Natural World: Place, Natural World: Animals, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Emotions/Behavior: Memory

Tags Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction, American Literature, Addiction / Substance Abuse, Social Justice, History: World

The novel House Made of Dawn, by N. Scott Momaday, was first published in 1968. Heralded as a major landmark in the emergence of Indigenous American literature, the novel won the 1969 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. House Made of Dawn blends fictional and nonfictional elements to depict life on an Indigenous American reservation like the one where Momaday grew up.This guide uses an eBook version of the 2018 First Harper Perennial Modern Classics (50th Anniversary)... Read House Made of Dawn Summary


Publication year 2008

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Relationships: Marriage

Tags Sociology, History: Middle Eastern, History: U.S., Race / Racism, Education, Education, History: World, Social Justice, Politics / Government, Religion / Spirituality

How Does It Feel to Be A Problem: Being Young and Arab in America (2008) is a nonfiction text by Brooklyn College English professor and Arab-American Moustafa Bayoumi. The title comes from W.E.B. Du Bois’s 1903 text, The Souls of Black Folk, wherein he directed this question toward the African-American experience. Following the stories of seven young ArabAmericans living in Brooklyn, and including their struggles after the 9/11 attacks, Bayoumi’s book suggests that present-day ArabAmericans absorb the... Read How Does It Feel to Be A Problem Summary


Publication year 1971

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Colonialism, Society: Economics, Society: Politics & Government

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


Publication year 2018

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Community

Tags Politics / Government, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Social Justice

How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us Versus Them is a nonfiction book published in 2018 by the American philosopher and Yale University professor Jason Stanley. In it, the author discusses ten mechanisms by which fascist politicians gain and consolidate power in democratic states, potentially yielding a fascist state with an absolute leader. Drawing on examples that range from Nazi Germany to the contemporary United States, Stanley explains the appeal of fascist ideology during times... Read How Fascism Works Summary


Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Race, Relationships: Teams

Tags Realistic Fiction, Race / Racism, Social Justice, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

How it Went Down is a work of young adult fiction written in 2014 by award-winning author Kekla Magoon. Though a work of fiction, the pressing narrative deals with the “postmortem account of a tragic shooting” (Los Angeles Times), and as such, is a well-needed critique of social reform and racial bias.The narrative begins with the tragic death of a 16-year-old black male, Tariq Johnson. He’s shot and killed by Jack Franklin, a white male... Read How It Went Down Summary


Publication year 1956

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Sexuality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict

Tags The Beat Generation, Lyric Poem, Mental Illness, Addiction / Substance Abuse, Social Justice, American Literature, Education, Education, History: World, LGBTQ, Classic Fiction

American Beat-era poet Allen Ginsberg began writing “Howl” as a private recollection for friends, though he later published the long poem in his 1956 book Howl and Other Poems. Also known as “Howl: For Carl Solomon,” the poem cemented Ginsberg’s status as a prophet-poet in the romantic literature vein of Walt Whitman and William Blake (two major influences). “Footnote for Howl,” written in 1955, is the final portion, though it’s not always included with the... Read Howl Summary


Publication year 2021

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Race, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice

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


Publication year 2019

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Race

Tags Race / Racism, Black Lives Matter, Sociology, History: World, Social Justice, Politics / Government

How to Be an Antiracist is a nonfiction book by Ibram X. Kendi, a writer and historian of African American History and the founder of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center. Published in 2019, this New York Times best seller proposes antiracist strategies individuals can employ to transform racist policies. This study guide refers to the Kindle edition of the book.How to Be an Antiracist sets out to define antiracist work as a set of... Read How to Be an Antiracist Summary


Publication year 2013

Genre Essay Collection, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Race, Identity: Language, Identity: Masculinity

Tags Politics / Government, Biography, Creative Nonfiction, Race / Racism, Relationships, Social Justice, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, African American Literature


Publication year 2022

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Identity: Sexuality, Relationships: Teams, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Education, Society: Globalization, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Politics / Government, History: Asian, Journalism, Social Justice, History: World, Biography


Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Community, Emotions/Behavior: Memory

Tags Historical Fiction, Grief / Death, Social Justice, Korean Literature, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Modern Classic Fiction, Asian Literature, History: World


Publication year 2017

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Race, Identity: Sexuality, Identity: Femininity, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride

Tags Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Race / Racism, Social Justice, Gender / Feminism, LGBTQ, Mental Illness, Biography

Content Warning: Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body describes and references rape and sexual violence, emotional abuse, and verbal abuse.Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body (2017) is a memoir by Roxane Gay that addresses the emotional, physical, and psychological effects of sexual assault—and how they tie into self-image. Though Gay’s memoir centers her body, food, and self-image, she also confronts society’s fatphobia—the world’s unwillingness to accept fat people as they are due to assumptions about... Read Hunger Summary


Publication year 2000

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Realistic Fiction, Race / Racism, Social Justice, Children's Literature, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 2017

Genre Book, Nonfiction

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

Tags Race / Racism, Black Arts Movement, Existentialism, History: World, Social Justice, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government, Biography

I Am Not Your Negro by James Baldwin and Raoul Peck is an accompanying text to the 2016 documentary of the same name, directed by Peck. The documentary was released to critical acclaim. It won Best Documentary award at the BAFTA Film Awards and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. The text is essentially a transcript of the film, incorporating excerpts of interviews, television features, and films.I Am Not Your Negro... Read I Am Not Your Negro Summary