The titles in this Collection examine the concept of social equality through a broad array of literary genres and forms. These curated selections represent a diversity of voices and perspectives that examine social disparities through the lenses of gender, race, socioeconomics, and other factors.
Publication year 2022
Genre Reference/Text Book, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Race, Society: Colonialism, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Education, Education, History: U.S., History: World
Publication year 1965
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: Class, Identity: Mental Health, Values/Ideas: Equality
Tags Satire, Humor, Post Modernism, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World, Classic Fiction
God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, or Pearls Before Swine is a 1965 novel by American author Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (1922-2007). The novel is a postmodern satire on wealth, capitalism, and the dark side of the American Dream. Vonnegut’s fifth novel is considered a precursor to Slaughterhouse Five (1969) since it introduces many of the themes that appear in that much-lauded novel. God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater contains elements of science fiction, which emerge in a... Read God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater Summary
Publication year 2023
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Joy, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Gender, Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Teams, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Emotions/Behavior: Courage
Tags Biography, Sports, Gender / Feminism, Health / Medicine, Women's Studies (Nonfiction)
Publication year 1898
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Education, Society: Nation
Tags Classic Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Class, Finance / Money / Wealth, Education, History: World, Social Justice, Russian Literature, Education, Philosophy, Philosophy
“Gooseberries,” by Russian author Anton Chekhov, is a short story that uses symbolism, subtlety, irony, and keen observation of human behavior to explore themes of the quest for happiness, the meaning of life, social expectations, privilege, and social equality. Written in mid-1898, the story is the second in what was later referred to as The Little Trilogy, together with “The Man in the Case” and “About Love.” All three stories explore the definitions of happiness... Read Gooseberries Summary
Publication year 1953
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Identity: Race, Identity: Sexuality, Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Relationships: Fathers, Values/Ideas: Equality
Tags Auto/Biographical Fiction, Love / Sexuality, Religion / Spirituality, Race / Racism, American Literature, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction
Go Tell it on the Mountain is a semi-autobiographical novel by James Baldwin. Published in 1953, the novel tells the story of a teenager in 1930s Harlem named John Grimes as well as his wider family, dealing with themes of religion, sexuality, and race. This guide uses an eBook version of the Modern Penguin Classics edition of the novel. Plot SummaryGo Tell it on the Mountain is set on the 14th birthday of the protagonist... Read Go Tell It on the Mountain Summary
Publication year 2004
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Joy, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Nurture v. Nature, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Siblings, Relationships: Teams, Self Discovery, Society: Community, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt
Tags Fantasy, Action / Adventure, Children's Literature, Animals, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction
Publication year 2009
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: Community
Tags Gender / Feminism, Social Justice, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Diversity, Education, Education, Sociology, Politics / Government
In their 2009 nonfiction book Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, husband-and-wife journalist team Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn document what they consider the paramount moral challenge of the 21st century: the oppression of women and girls. The book was an international bestseller, inspired a four-part PBS documentary of the same name, and launched the Half the Sky movement.Like many journalists, when Kristof and WuDunn first began their careers, they... Read Half the Sky Summary
Publication year 1982
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Equality, Emotions/Behavior: Apathy
Tags Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Auto/Biographical Fiction, Great Depression, History: U.S., American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World, Classic Fiction
Publication year 1951
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: The Future, Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Equality, Society: Nation
Tags Lyric Poem, Harlem Renaissance, African American Literature, Civil Rights / Jim Crow, Race / Racism, History: U.S., Urban Development
Publication year 2025
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Gender, Identity: Race, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Fame, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Literature
Tags African American History, African American Literature, Historical Fiction
Publication year 1960
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Equality
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Satire, Education, Education, American Literature, History: World, Classic Fiction
Kurt Vonnegut’s dystopian science fiction story “Harrison Bergeron” was first published in 1961 in The Magazine of Science Fiction and Fantasy. It has since been adapted for film and television in PBS’s Between Timid and Timbuktu series, Showtime’s Harrison Bergeron, a 2008 short film also titled Harrison Bergeron, and a 2009 short film titled 2081. The story was republished in Vonnegut’s collection Welcome to the Monkey House in 1968. This guide references the e-book version... Read Harrison Bergeron Summary
Publication year 1995
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Identity: Race, Natural World: Place, Society: Class, Society: Nation, Values/Ideas: Equality
Tags Race / Racism
Publication year 2023
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Gender, Identity: Race, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Self Discovery, Society: Community, Society: Immigration, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, LGBTQ, Gender / Feminism
Publication year 2008
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Tags Grief / Death, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Religion / Spirituality
Publication year 1858
Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Class, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Equality
Tags Politics / Government, History: U.S., History: World
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 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Teams, Society: Colonialism, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Tags Fantasy, Romance, Action / Adventure, Fairy Tale / Folklore
Publication year 2012
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Natural World: Nurture v. Nature, Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Society: Class, Society: Education, Values/Ideas: Equality
Tags Education, Psychology, Parenting, Children's Literature, Education, Science / Nature, Sociology, Psychology, Self Help
Publication year 2024
Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Future, Natural World: Climate, Natural World: Environment, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Music, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt
Tags Fantasy, Action / Adventure, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction