Class

The titles in the Social Class Collection explore the historical and contemporary implications of social class and class division in cultures around the world. Representing a diverse range of perspectives, cultures, and societies, the selections in this Collection span a broad range of genres and forms, including essays, biographies, and fiction.

Dubliners

by James Joyce

Publication year 1914

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Loneliness, Love, Memory, Regret, Shame & Pride, Masculinity, Mental Health, Coming of Age, Death, Fathers, Social Class, Colonialism, Nation, Politics & Government, Power & Greed

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Irish Literature, Education, Education, World History

Dubliners is a collection of 15 short stories by Irish writer James Joyce. Originally published in 1914, the collection met resistance from publishers and critics due to its controversial themes and unusual portrayal of the everyday. Dubliners follows a range of people living in the titular city, often seeking some form of social or emotional transcendence without ever truly achieving it.This study guide is for the 1965 paperback edition from Penguin Modern Classics.Content Warning: This... Read Dubliners Summary

Ducks

by Kate Beaton

Publication year 2022

Genre Graphic Memoir , Nonfiction

Themes Coming of Age, Social Class, Gender Identity, Loneliness, Economics, Environment, Femininity, Masculinity, Friendship, Community, Safety & Danger

Tags Biography

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Duma Key

by Stephen King

Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Memory, Revenge, Disability, Language, Race, Death, Environment, Place, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Teamwork, Social Class, Art, Beauty, Good & Evil, Power & Greed

Tags Horror & Suspense, Fantasy, Psychological Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

Duma Key by Stephen King is a novel in the literary-horror genre, praised for its eerie, spooky atmosphere and suspenseful build-up. Published in 2008, Duma Key is the first novel by King to be set in Florida. The book follows Edgar Freemantle as he moves from Minnesota to the island of Duma (one of the Florida Keys, or small islands) after a life-changing accident. Tormented by phantom-limb pain from his amputation and unable to remember... Read Duma Key Summary

Eggs

by Jerry Spinelli

Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Death, Fear, Grief, Memory, The Past, Friendship, Grandparents, Mothers, Social Class

Tags Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Coming of Age

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El Filibusterismo

by José Rizal

Publication year 1891

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Revenge, Colonialism, Social Class

Tags Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction, Politics & Government, Social Justice, Race & Racism, Social Class, Education, Education, Asian Literature, World History

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Emako Blue

by Brenda Woods

Publication year 2005

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Coming of Age, Grief, Safety & Danger, Race, Justice, Community, Death

Tags Realistic Fiction, Poverty, Trauma & Abuse, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Grief & Death, Urban Development, Arts & Culture

Emako Blue is a novel for young adults written by Brenda Woods. Set in Los Angeles, California, Emako's friends and schoolmates relay the events leading up to Emako Blue’s gang-related murder in alternating first-person narration, primarily through flashbacks. The text explores the effects of poverty, gang violence, guns, and how these issues have far-reaching impacts on each member of a community. As the events of the story unfold, each narrator must consider what they want... Read Emako Blue Summary

Emily Of New Moon

by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Publication year 1923

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Grief, Loneliness, Love, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Environment, Place, Daughters & Sons, Family, Fathers, Friendship, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Beauty, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Classic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Historical Fiction, Coming of Age

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Emma

by Jane Austen

Publication year 1815

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Marriage, Social Class

Tags Classic Fiction, Victorian Period, Romanticism, British Literature, Historical Fiction, Romance, Humor, Social Class, Gender & Feminism, European History, Relationships, World History

Emma is a fiction novel published in 1815 by the English author Jane Austen. The book centers on the character development of its eponymous protagonist, a genteel young woman on a country estate who meddles in the love lives of friends and neighbors. Jane Austen was conscious that Emma’s snobbery, vanity, and meddling might make her a “heroine whom no one but myself will much like” (Austen-Leigh, James Edward. A Memoir of Jane Austen. London:... Read Emma Summary

Empire Falls

by Richard Russo

Publication year 2001

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mothers, Fathers, Power & Greed, Social Class

Tags American Literature, Humor, Relationships, Modern Classic Fiction

In Empire Falls, published in 2001, award-winning author Richard Russo focuses his sharp observations on family, faith, and hope for the future in small-town America, where the factories have left, the populations are dwindling, and the prospects are shrinking. Miles Roby almost got out of Empire Falls, but his mother’s illness brought him back a semester shy of graduating college. Now he runs the Empire Grill, a landmark that still anchors the dying town, and... Read Empire Falls Summary

Empire of AI

by Karen Hao

Publication year 2025

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Gender Identity, Mental Health, Race, Future, Social Class, Colonialism, Globalization, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Science & Technology

Tags Journalism, Environmental Science, Technology

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Empire of Pain

by Patrick Radden Keefe

Publication year 2021

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Loyalty & Betrayal, Social Class, Siblings, Art, Trust & Doubt, Economics, Justice, Power & Greed

Tags Health, Politics & Government, US History, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Business & Economics, Crime & Law, Finance, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Science & Nature, World History, Biography

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Empire of the Damned

by Jay Kristoff

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Hope, Love, Regret, Revenge, Death, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Family, Social Class, Community, War, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Fantasy, Horror & Suspense

Empire of the Damned (2024) is a fantasy novel by Jay Kristoff, an internationally bestselling Australian author known for popular fantasy and science fiction series such as the Nevernight Chronicle trilogy and The Illuminae Files. The novel is the second installment in the Empire of the Vampire series, the first installment of which was published in 2021. Empire of the Damned, the second novel in the series, continues the saga of Gabriel de León, a... Read Empire of the Damned Summary

Endgame

by Omid Scobie

Publication year 2023

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Power & Greed, Conflict, Nostalgia, Future, The Past, Family, Social Class, Loyalty & Betrayal, Truth & Lies

Tags European History, Politics & Government, Sociology, British Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Biography

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