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.

The Autumn of the Patriarch

by Gabriel García Márquez, Transl. Gregory Rabassa

Publication year 1975

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Death, Politics & Government, Justice

Tags Magical Realism, Latin American Literature, World History, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

The Autumn of the Patriarch by Gabriel García Márquez debuted in Spain in 1975. The English translation published in 1976. Márquez’s most notable work, One Hundred Years of Solitude, earned him a Nobel Prize in Literature in 1982 and reflects his distinct magical realist style, an artistic genre first recognized in literature in predominantly Latin American writing during the 1940s. The Autumn of the Patriarch, published seven years later, also features Márquez’s magical style and... Read The Autumn of the Patriarch Summary

The Bad Beginning

by Lemony Snicket

Publication year 1999

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Siblings, Justice, Teamwork, Good & Evil

Tags Humor, Fantasy, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature

Published in 1999, The Bad Beginning, a darkly humorous adventure novel for middle-grade readers, chronicles the misadventures of three orphaned children whose distant cousin adopts them as part of a plan to steal their huge inheritance. As the first of 13 books in the bestselling A Series of Unfortunate Events, the novel is written by Daniel Handler under the pen name Lemony Snicket, who’s also a character in the story. The books have sold 60... Read The Bad Beginning Summary

The Ballad Of Reading Gaol

by Oscar Wilde

Publication year 1896

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Justice, Teamwork, Death, Shame & Pride, Regret, Forgiveness

Tags Narrative Poem, Incarceration, Grief & Death, European History, LGBTQ+, Religion & Spirituality, British Literature, Victorian Period, Horror & Suspense, Victorian Era, World History, Irish Literature, Classic Fiction

... Read The Ballad Of Reading Gaol Summary

The Ballot or the Bullet

by Malcolm X

Publication year 1964

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Race, Nation, Justice, Community

Tags Race & Racism, World History, Politics & Government

“The Ballot or the Bullet” is a speech that Malcolm X first delivered at Cory Methodist Church in Cleveland, Ohio, on April 3, 1964. He also delivered the speech about a week later in Detroit, Michigan, on April 12, 1964. This guide is based on the latter version of this speech.Malcolm speaks from a personal perspective. He starts by declaring himself a Muslim and by crediting Elijah Muhammad with making him into the man he... Read The Ballot or the Bullet Summary

The Bar Code Tattoo

by Suzanne Weyn

Publication year 2004

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Environment, Social Class, Politics & Government, Art, Equality, Justice, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology

Tags Science Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Futurism

white... Read The Bar Code Tattoo Summary

The Bear

by William Faulkner

Publication year 1942

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Environment, Justice

Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, Animals, Science & Nature, Civil Rights & Jim Crow South, Southern Gothic, Reconstruction Era, US History, Southern Literature, American Literature, World History, Classic Fiction

“The Bear” is a work of short fiction by William Faulkner, first published in The Saturday Evening Post in May 1942. Faulkner subsequently expanded the story and included it in Go Down, Moses, a collection of related short stories sometimes considered a novel, published later that year. An abbreviated version also appears in his 1955 anthology, Big Woods. As historical fiction set in an imagined Mississippi county, “The Bear” traces a young man’s development in... Read The Bear Summary

The Best at It

by Maulik Pancholy

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mental Health, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Shame & Pride, Masculinity, Race, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Family, Self Discovery, Community, Justice, Safety & Danger

Tags Realistic Fiction, LGBTQ+

... Read The Best at It Summary

The Best of Friends

by Lucinda Berry

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Love, Regret, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Masculinity, Mental Health, Death, Friendship, Mothers, Self Discovery, Community, Justice, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Contemporary Literature

... Read The Best of Friends Summary

The Bet

by Anton Chekhov

Publication year 1889

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Justice, Death

Tags Classic Fiction, Russian Literature, Philosophy

“The Bet” is one of over 500 short stories by Russian literary giant Anton Chekov. Published in 1889, the story addresses related and intertwined themes of life and death, theoretical versus empirical knowledge, and confinement versus freedom.Considered a master of short fiction and, along with Henrik Ibsen and August Strindberg, a founder of Modernist theater, Chekov is one of the late-19th-century writers who have reached 21st-century readers and audiences most powerfully and widely. “The Bet”... Read The Bet Summary

The Betrothed

by Alessandro Manzoni

Publication year 1827

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Forgiveness, Grief, Hope, Love, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Coming of Age, Death, Marriage, Social Class, Community, Politics & Government, War, Justice

Tags Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction, Romance, Italian Literature, World History

The Betrothed (I Promessi Sposi), published in 1827 and revised in 1842, is a historical novel by Italian author Alessandro Manzoni. The novel follows two young lovers, Renzo and Lucia, in 1600s Lombardy; their courtship is derailed by a jealous plot to prevent their marriage, ultimately leading them to the plague-stricken city of Milan, where they face many struggles. The Betrothed is heralded as one of the most important and widely read Italian novels. This... Read The Betrothed Summary

The Black Echo

by Michael Connelly

Publication year 1992

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Truth & Lies, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, War, Teamwork, Mental Health

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Grief & Death, Trauma & Abuse, US History, Asian History, Military & War

The Black Echo (1992) is Michael Connelly’s first novel and the first book in the long-running series featuring Los Angeles police detective Harry Bosch. It won the 1993 Edgar Award for Best First Novel and is now a classic in the modern crime genre. Connelly, who worked as a crime reporter for the Los Angeles Times while starting his career as a novelist, has written over 37 novels, including 24 featuring Detective Bosch. His works... Read The Black Echo Summary