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 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Race, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: Community, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship
Tags Magical Realism, Fantasy, Social Justice, Historical Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Identity: Mental Health, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Marriage, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Trauma / Abuse / Violence
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction
Publication year 2018
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Self Discovery, Society: Nation, Society: Colonialism, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Equality
Tags History: U.S., Politics / Government, American Literature, History: World
Publication year -1
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge
Tags Mythology, Ancient Greece
The oral tradition of myths makes collecting a complete version of “Theseus and the Minotaur,” an ancient Greek myth from the sixth century BC, a difficult task. No version contains every recorded detail about Theseus’s adventures in the Labyrinth of Crete. Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Stephen Fry’s Heroes, and many other sources contain varying levels of detail about Theseus’s heroics. This challenge increases when different translations of the text are considered, since part of the text is... Read Theseus Summary
Publication year 1986
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Identity: Race, Life/Time: The Future, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Tags Education, Education, Christian literature, History: World, Historical Fiction, Religion / Spirituality
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Relationships: Family
Tags Race / Racism, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Depression / Suicide, Realistic Fiction, Christian literature, Grief / Death, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Children's Literature, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 1889
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
“The Sheriff’s Children” is a short story written by Charles W. Chesnutt in 1889 against the backdrop of the post-bellum South. “The Sheriff’s Children” was originally published in the New York Independent and then later in Chesnutt’s collection The Wife of His Youth and Other Stories of the Color Line. Writing in the Literary Realist style, he eschewed the Romanticism of the previous age, using close description of his characters’ internal and external conflicts to... Read The Sheriff's Children Summary
Publication year 1999
Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil
Tags Philosophy, Social Justice, Poverty, Business / Economics, Philosophy
Philosopher Peter Singer, known for his uncompromising commitment to utilitarian principles, published his opinion editorial “The Singer Solution to World Poverty” in The New York Times Magazine on 5 September 1999. In the essay, Singer argues that the inhabitants of affluent countries have a moral obligation to donate a significant portion of their wealth to charities that can save lives around the world.Singer begins by describing a situation from the 1998 Brazilian film Central Station... Read The Singer Solution to World Poverty Summary
Publication year 1979
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Race, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags History: U.S., Race / Racism, Social Justice, African American Literature, Education, Education, American Literature, Sociology, History: World
Publication year 2007
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Race, Life/Time: The Past, Society: Colonialism, Society: Globalization, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Race / Racism, History: U.S., Politics / Government, History: African , Age of Enlightenment
The Slave Ship: A Human History is a 2007 book by Marcus Rediker that describes what happened aboard the ships carrying enslaved people from Africa to the Americas across the Atlantic Ocean. Rediker focuses his history on the slave ship itself as well as those onboard. The book won numerous awards, including the 2008 George Washington Book Prize and the 2008 Merle Curti Award. Critics praise it for shedding light on a little-explored facet of... Read The Slave Ship Summary
Publication year 2024
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Gender, Identity: Race, Life/Time: The Past, Society: Education, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags History: World, Politics / Government
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Southern Gothic, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Black Lives Matter, Relationships, Race / Racism, Class, Psychological Fiction, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Religion / Spirituality
Publication year 1587
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags British Literature, Classic Fiction, Play: Tragedy, Elizabethan Era
The Spanish Tragedy, written and performed between 1587 and 1590, is an Elizabethan revenge tragedy by Thomas Kyd. The play explores the dilemmas of Hieronimo, who plots for revenge after his son Horatio is murdered. Surrounded by the intrigue and deception of the Spanish court, Hieronimo’s quest raises questions about the nature of justice and the profound impacts of grief and loss. The Spanish Tragedy was a huge hit for Kyd’s audiences, performed at least 29... Read The Spanish Tragedy Summary
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Femininity, Relationships: Fathers, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, History: World
Publication year 1748
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: Politics & Government, Natural World: Nurture v. Nature
Tags Politics / Government, Business / Economics, Philosophy, Science / Nature, Age of Enlightenment, French Literature, History: World, Philosophy, Classic Fiction
Publication year 2018
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Teams, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Society: Nation
Tags History: European, Politics / Government, Military / War, History: World, Russian Literature, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Biography
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Natural World: Climate, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Mothers, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Fantasy, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, American Literature
Publication year 1927
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Colonialism, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Society: Class, Society: Education, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Indian Literature, Philosophy, Religion / Spirituality, Politics / Government, History: Asian, History: World, Health / Medicine, Poverty, Military / War, Race / Racism, Relationships, Social Justice
The Story of My Experiments with Truth is the autobiography of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, more widely known as Mahatma Gandhi. A key political and spiritual leader of India and the Indian independence movement, Gandhi penned this work to narrate his quest for truth and the principles that underpinned his life’s journey. Originally published in 1927, this memoir provides a meticulous account of Gandhi’s spiritual, moral, and political evolution. The literary era in which this was... Read The Story of My Experiments with Truth Summary
Publication year 2013
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Historical Fiction, WWII / World War II, Holocaust, Military / War, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World
The Storyteller is a best-selling novel by prolific author Jodi Picoult. Published in 2013, it is Picoult’s 20th novel. Picoult is a prolific author known for tackling complex social themes and is the recipient of many awards, including the 2019 Hale Award and a lifetime achievement award from the Romance Writers of America. In The Storyteller, she weaves together several different narratives, delving into complex power dynamics and exploring themes of forgiveness, morality, and freedom... Read The Storyteller Summary