Books on Justice & Injustice

James Baldwin said, "It is certain, in any case, that ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have." In this collection, we've compiled texts that explore the idea of what justice is — and how it can thrive.

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Family, Society: Immigration, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger

Tags Historical Fiction, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Modern Classic Fiction, History: World

Elif Shafak’s 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World was published in 2019. Shafak is an award-winning British Turkish novelist who advocates for women’s and LGBTQIA+ rights through her fiction. Shafak’s 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World examines the life of a sex worker who was murdered in Istanbul, Turkey, exploring key moments in her life while her friends desperately try to arrange her funeral. The novel investigates topics like violence against... Read 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World Summary


Publication year 2010

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Economics, Society: Globalization, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: Community

Tags Politics / Government, Business / Economics, Education, Class, Finance / Money / Wealth, Food, History: World, Immigration / Refugee, Leadership/Organization/Management, Military / War, Poverty, Social Justice, Sociology, Technology, Philosophy, Philosophy


Publication year 2005

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Family, Society: Class, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt

Tags Realistic Fiction, Historical Fiction

A Bottle in the Gaza Sea (2005) is a young adult novel by French author and translator Valérie Zenatti. It was first published in French as Une bouteille dans la mer de Gaza. The novel begins when 17-year-old Israeli Tal Levine learns about a bombing at a neighborhood café. She is moved to send a letter in a bottle, which reaches 20-year-old Palestinian Naïm Al-Farjouk. Tal included her email address, and they begin corresponding. Initially... Read A Bottle in the Gaza Sea Summary


Publication year 1936

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Race, Society: Nation, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Southern Gothic, American Civil War, Southern Literature, American Literature, History: World

William Faulkner’s Absalom, Absalom! (1936) is one of the many texts in Faulkner’s oeuvre that is set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi. Faulkner is considered one of the greatest writers of the 20th century, a designation earned due to his innovative and stylistic modernist techniques, which he uses to investigate the history and identity of the American South. Faulkner, who grew up in Mississippi and spent the majority of his life there, was deeply... Read Absalom, Absalom Summary


Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

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

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, History: World, Historical Fiction


Publication year 1891

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Classic Fiction

“A Case of Identity,” published in September 1891, is the fifth episode in the series of four novels and 56 short stories in the Sherlock Holmes canon, written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It follows the first two novel-length Holmes tales, A Study in Scarlet (1887) and The Sign of Four (1890), as well as the shorter stories “A Scandal in Bohemia” and “The Red-Headed League,” both of which appeared earlier that same year in... Read A Case Of Identity Summary


Publication year 1970

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Play: Drama, Play: Comedy / Satire, Italian Literature, Drama / Tragedy, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government

Accidental Death of an Anarchist was first written and produced by playwright and actor Dario Fo in Italy, 1970. The script was directly inspired by the events surrounding the 1969 Piazza Fontana Bombing, and much of Fo’s work revolves around political satire directed at Italy post-World War II and later. Exemplifying Fo’s work as a writer, Accidental Death of an Anarchist combines the humor, irony, and satire of the old Italian tradition of commedia dell’arte... Read Accidental Death Of An Anarchist Summary


Publication year 1881

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Race, Natural World: Place, Society: Colonialism, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Nation, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Identity: Indigenous

Tags History: U.S., Race / Racism, Colonial America, Grief / Death, Military / War, Politics / Government, Social Justice, History: World


Publication year 2012

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Relationships: Family

Tags Race / Racism, Parenting, Inspirational, Biography

A Chance in the World: An Orphan Boy, a Mysterious Past, and How He Found a Place Called Home is a 2012 memoir by author Steve Pemberton. In three parts, it tells the story of his quest to learn the truth about his past. The book examines themes of identity, abuse, family, racism, and how peoples’ pasts can influence their futures. Part 1 begins with Steve’s recurring memory of the day that his mother abandoned... Read A Chance in the World Summary


Publication year 1962

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice

Tags Satire, British Literature, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Classic Fiction

Published in 1962, during the height of Cold War tensions between the Soviet Union and the West, Anthony Burgess’s A Clockwork Orange reflects the anxieties and paranoia of the era. It is a dystopian novel about a roving gang of teenagers who instill fear in and inflict violence on the populace. The novel is known for its invented language, called Nadsat, which is an amalgam of Russian-influenced slang and Cockney dialect. The protagonist, the gleefully... Read A Clockwork Orange Summary


Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Identity: Indigenous

Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Race / Racism


Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Relationships: Family, Society: Class, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice

Tags Romance, Fantasy, New Adult


Publication year 1942

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Life/Time: Coming of Age

Tags Historical Fiction, Children's Literature, Action / Adventure, Medieval Literature / Middle Ages, Education, Education, History: World, Classic Fiction

Adam of the Road, published in 1942, was written by American author and librarian Elizabeth Janet Gray Vining and illustrated by Robert Lawson. Vining wrote many children’s books and holds the rare distinction of winning both the Newberry Medal and the Caldecott Medal, for her books Rabbit Hill and They Were Strong and Good, respectively. Adam of the Road is a historical fiction novel set in the 13th century that focuses on a child’s coming of... Read Adam of the Road Summary


Publication year 1901

Genre Short Story, Fiction

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

Tags Education, Education, American Literature, Classic Fiction


Publication year 2023

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Marriage, Society: Class, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice

Tags Military / War, Journalism, History: World, Religion / Spirituality, Biography, Politics / Government, History: Middle Eastern


Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Gender, Relationships: Friendship, Society: Class, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction


Publication year 1993

Genre Book, Nonfiction

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

Tags Japanese Literature, Asian Literature, Race / Racism, Education, Education, History: U.S., Sociology, History: World, Social Justice, Politics / Government

A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America by Ronald Takaki is a revisionist account of American history that provides an in-depth view of America as a country populated and built by diverse peoples of the world. Originally published in 1993 by Little, Brown and Company, this study guide uses the updated 2008 edition. In 1994 A Different Mirror received an Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for its contributions to advancing understandings of racism and human diversity.Takaki’s... Read A Different Mirror Summary


Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Identity: Disability, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Friendship, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Identity: Gender, Self Discovery

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Animals, Grief / Death, Children's Literature


Publication year 2005

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Gratitude, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Life/Time: Aging, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Food, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt

Tags Animals, Children's Literature, Realistic Fiction


Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Friendship, Society: Class, Society: Economics, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice

Tags Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Music, Children's Literature