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 2017
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Natural World: Place, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Publication year 1998
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: Community, Society: Class, Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Crime / Legal
The Street Lawyer, by John Grisham, was originally published by Bantam Books in January 1998. Grisham’s ninth novel, The Street Lawyer occupied a spot in Grisham’s streak of top-ten bestselling novels, which began with the record-breaking success of his second novel, The Firm, and lasted over two decades. Prior to penning his first novel, A Time to Kill, Grisham earned a JD from University of Mississippi School of Law and practiced civil and criminal trial... Read The Street Lawyer Summary
Publication year 1956
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Life/Time: The Past, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Historical Fiction, Medieval Literature / Middle Ages
Publication year 2003
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Mothers, Self Discovery, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Fantasy, Action / Adventure, Children's Literature, Mythology
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Identity: Disability, Identity: Mental Health, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Flora/plants, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Teams, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Fantasy
Publication year -1800
Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction
Themes Society: Community, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Historical Fiction, Ancient Egypt
Publication year 2015
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Relationships: Teams, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Relationships: Family, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Animals, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Society: Education
Tags Action / Adventure, Humor, Realistic Fiction, Children's Literature, Education, Education
Publication year 1759
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger
Tags Philosophy, Business / Economics, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government
Adam Smith’s The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759) secured its author’s place as one of history’s most celebrated philosophers. Like all great works of moral philosophy, Smith’s book belongs to a tradition that dates to antiquity. The Theory of Moral Sentiments, however, is probably best understood in the context of the 18th-century Scottish Enlightenment, for its argument helps reconcile two otherwise conflicting ideas advanced by two of that era’s intellectual titans. Furthermore, The Theory of... Read The Theory of Moral Sentiments Summary
Publication year 2018
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Identity: Indigenous, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Relationships: Family, Society: Colonialism, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Magical Realism, Fantasy, Religion / Spirituality
Publication year 1949
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Classic Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Religion / Spirituality, Social Justice, Politics / Government, Relationships, British Literature
English writer Graham Greene penned his novella The Third Man to work out the finer details of the plot and setting for the screenplay of Carol Reed’s 1949 film of the same name. (In writing screenplays, Greene preferred to work from source material in story format.) Although publication of the novella wasn’t originally planned, the film was such a huge commercial and critical success that the novella was published in 1950. The film The Third... Read The Third Man Summary
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Race, Society: Community, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Jewish Literature, Military / War, History: World, Historical Fiction
Publication year 2021
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Themes Relationships: Mothers, Identity: Gender, Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags History: U.S., Gender / Feminism, Race / Racism, Social Justice, African American Literature, History: World, Biography
Publication year 1928
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Play: Comedy / Satire, Classic Fiction, Poverty, Trauma / Abuse / Violence
Publication year 1995
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: Immigration, Society: Class, Natural World: Environment, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Satire, Drama / Tragedy, Race / Racism, Immigration / Refugee, American Literature
Published in 1995, The Tortilla Curtain by T. C. Boyle tells the story of two couples living parallel lives in Southern California: Delaney and Kyra Mossbacher, affluent white Americans with a home in the upper-middle-class subdivision of Arroyo Blanco; and Cándido and América Rincón, undocumented immigrants from Mexico living in a makeshift camp at the bottom of the canyon. Rotating among the perspectives of the four protagonists, the novel explores the inequality inherent in the United States... Read The Tortilla Curtain Summary
Publication year 2015
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Identity: Race, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Lyric Poem, History: U.S., Race / Racism, African American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, LGBTQ, Social Justice
“The Tradition” by Jericho Brown is written from the perspective of a collective “we.” This group planted colorful perennial flowers, including aster, nasturtium, and delphinium (Line 1); filmed the flowers they planted blooming; then watched this video on fast forward (“Sped the video to see blossoms / brought in seconds,” Lines 11-12). At the end of the poem, the reader discovers that the collective “we” narrating the poem are Black men, and the sped-up video... Read The Tradition Summary
Publication year 1952
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Relationships: Marriage, Society: Class, Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict
Tags Race / Racism, African Literature, Relationships
“The Train from Rhodesia” is a short story by Nadine Gordimer, who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1991. The story originally appeared in The Soft Voice of the Serpent, her first collection of stories, published in 1953 and used as the basis for this study guide.The story takes place in a train station in an unnamed African village. The station is surrounded by beggars and by vendors selling carved wooden animals. A stationmaster... Read The Train From Rhodesia Summary
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Society: Community
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Southern Literature, Race / Racism, Black Lives Matter
Publication year 1925
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: Politics & Government, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt
Tags Classic Fiction, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Absurdism, Philosophy, Jewish Literature, German Literature, History: World, Philosophy
Book DetailsThe Trial, an unfinished novel by Franz Kafka, was written in the 1910s and published posthumously in 1925. One of Kafka’s most famous works, it is a nightmarish story where the rules of reality are bent and twisted as the protagonist, Josef K., is prosecuted for a crime whose nature is never revealed to him. Literary Movement & Major ThemesWritten at a pivotal moment in European history, The Trial has become one of the... Read The Trial Summary
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Mental Health, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Psychological Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction
Publication year 1980
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Relationships: Teams, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Humor, Fantasy, Children's Literature, Classic Fiction
The Twits (1980) by Roald Dahl is a fantastical and absurd children’s story about a mean couple and how they are eventually outsmarted by the animals they mistreat. The Big Read listed The Twits as one of the 200 greatest books of all time according to the British public in 2003, and in 2012, the Twits appeared on a commemorative postage stamp. The book was adapted for the stage in 2007, and an animated feature... Read The Twits Summary