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.

Goodbye Columbus

by Philip Roth

Publication year 1959

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Nostalgia, Race, Coming of Age, Family, Social Class, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Relationships, Social Class, Jewish Literature, US History, American Literature, World History, Classic Fiction

Goodbye, Columbus is Philip Roth’s first work of literary fiction, consisting of six short stories, published on May 7, 1959. The book won the National Book Award in 1960 and is the first of many popular and successful works of fiction by Roth. Like his other novels and short stories, many of the stories occur in and around Roth’s birthplace of Newark, New Jersey, exploring the Jewish experience in the US. Roth is known for... Read Goodbye Columbus Summary

Gooseberries

by Anton Chekhov

Publication year 1898

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Fate, Equality, Justice, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Education, Nation

Tags Classic Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Social Class, Finance, Education, World History, Social Justice, Russian Literature, Education, Philosophy, Philosophy

“Gooseberries,” by Russian author Anton Chekhov, is a short story that uses symbolism, subtlety, irony, and keen observation of human behavior to explore themes of the quest for happiness, the meaning of life, social expectations, privilege, and social equality. Written in mid-1898, the story is the second in what was later referred to as The Little Trilogy, together with “The Man in the Case” and “About Love.” All three stories explore the definitions of happiness... Read Gooseberries Summary

Gray Mountain

by John Grisham

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Grief, Hate & Anger, Hope, Revenge, Death, Environment, Self Discovery, Social Class, Economics, Justice

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Crime & Law

The legal thriller Gray Mountain (2014) is a #1 New York Times bestseller from John Grisham, an author known for his critiques of the American legal system. A former criminal defense attorney and Mississippi state legislator, Grisham draws on his legal background to craft narratives that often explore systemic corruption and social injustice. In Gray Mountain, the 2008 financial crisis serves as the catalyst for the story: After the collapse of Lehman Brothers, high-powered Wall... Read Gray Mountain Summary

Great Big Beautiful Life

by Emily Henry

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Grief, Guilt, Love, Memory, Death, Future, The Past, Family, Friendship, Mothers, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Art, Fame, Fate, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

... Read Great Big Beautiful Life Summary

Gulag

by Anne Applebaum

Publication year 2003

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Memory, Social Class, Politics & Government, Justice, Power & Greed

Tags European History, World History, Military & War, Politics & Government, Incarceration, Russian Literature

... Read Gulag Summary

Ham on Rye

by Charles Bukowski

Publication year 1982

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Equality, Apathy

Tags Coming of Age, Life-Inspired Fiction, Great Depression, US History, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Classic Fiction

... Read Ham on Rye Summary

Hard Times

by Charles Dickens

Publication year 1854

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Economics, Community, Perseverance, Femininity

Tags Victorian Period, Satirical Literature, Classic Fiction, British Literature, Social Class, Gender & Feminism, Poverty, Education, Education, World History, Historical Fiction, Victorian Era

Hard Times is an 1854 novel by Charles Dickens. The 10th book of Dickens’s career, Hard Times is notably shorter than his other works and is one of the few that isn’t set in London. Instead, Hard Times provides a satirical examination of the fictitious industrial city of Coketown, England. The novel has been adapted numerous times for radio, television, theater, and film.This guide is written using an eBook edition of the 2003 Penguin Classics... Read Hard Times Summary

Hard Times

by Studs Terkel

Publication year 1970

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Economics, Memory, Social Class, Shame & Pride, Race, Loneliness

Tags US History, Great Depression, Poverty, Depression & Suicide, American Literature, Business & Economics, Sociology, World History, Biography, Politics & Government

... Read Hard Times Summary

Harlem Duet

by Djanet Sears

Publication year 1997

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Race, Gender Identity, Social Class

Tags African American Literature, Race & Racism, US History

Often called a prelude to Shakespeare’s Othello, Harlem Duet tells the story of Othello and his first wife, Billie—the woman he married before Desdemona. Their history is told through the lives of three couples, each named Othello and Billie, during eras of special significance in Black American history: 1860, before the Emancipation Proclamation; 1928, at the height of the historic Harlem Renaissance; and 1997, after the civil rights movement but before the 21st century.Written by... Read Harlem Duet Summary

Headshot

by Rita Bullwinkel

Publication year 2024

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Femininity, Gender Identity, Coming of Age, Future, Self Discovery, Social Class, Education, Fame, Wins & Losses

Tags Modern Classic Fiction

... Read Headshot Summary

Heartland

by Sarah Smarsh

Publication year 2018

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Shame & Pride, Social Class

Tags Politics & Government, Social Class, Business & Economics, Sociology, Social Justice, Poverty, Biography

Heartland (2018) is both a memoir of Sarah Smarsh’s upbringing in rural Kansas as the daughter of working-class people and an exploration of the class system in America today. The book is subtitled: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth; this hits the core of the book, as Smarsh seeks to use her family’s anecdotes and memories to get to the truth of why mostly honest, hardworking people... Read Heartland Summary