Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Loneliness, Social Class, Power & Greed
Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction
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.
Lock Every Door
Locking Up Our Own
Locomotion
Lola in the Mirror
London Labour and the London Poor
Longbourn
Long Island Compromise
Lord Arthur Savile's Crime
Lost Roses
Love
Lovely One
Lucy by the Sea
Madame Bovary
Madness and Civilization
Magnolia Parks
Maid
Main Street
Maisie Dobbs
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
Mama Might Be Better Off Dead
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Loneliness, Social Class, Power & Greed
Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction
Publication year 2017
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Race, Social Class, Nation, Politics & Government, Justice
Tags Race & Racism, US History, Politics & Government, Social Justice, Incarceration, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Sociology, World History
Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America is a work of nonfiction by James Forman Jr., an American lawyer and legal scholar specializing in racial inequities in criminal justice. Published in 2017, this critically acclaimed book examines the complex role Black leaders played in advancing tough-on-crime policies that ultimately contributed to the mass incarceration of Black people in the United States. Drawing on his experience as a public defender and his extensive... Read Locking Up Our Own Summary
Publication year 2003
Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction
Themes Family, Race, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Grief, Hope, Memory, Childhood & Youth, Animals, Friendship, Mothers, Siblings, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Education, Beauty, Literature, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt
Tags Realistic Fiction, African American Literature, Children`s Literature, Arts & Culture
Locomotion, Jacqueline Woodson’s 2003 novel in verse, follows the perspective of Lonnie Collins Motion, nicknamed Locomotion. After his parents die in a fire and his sister is adopted, Lonnie grieves and navigates life, first in a group home and then with Miss Edna, his foster mother. Through poetry, he slowly finds joy in life again, highlighting the themes of The Search for Identity and Belonging, The Healing Power of Writing, and The Enduring Support of... Read Locomotion Summary
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Perseverance, Family, Self Discovery, Social Class
Tags Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 1851
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Economics, Social Class, Community, Education, Equality, Justice
Tags European History, Social Justice, Poverty, Journalism, British Literature, Sociology, World History, Victorian Era, Classic Fiction
Publication year 2013
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Hope, Love, Femininity, Gender Identity, Race, Sexual Identity, Future, Family, Fathers, Marriage, Mothers, Social Class, Community, Beauty, Equality, Literature
Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, British Literature, World History, Regency Era
Longbourn (2013) is a work of fiction by British author Jo Baker, who is the author of several other novels of historical fiction and literary suspense. Longbourn depicts what life is like for the servants of the Bennet family of Jane Austen’s classic novel Pride and Prejudice. While events in Austen’s book frame this novel, Longbourn follows the inner lives of housemaid Sarah, housekeeper Mrs. Hill, and James Smith, the mysterious footman who shows up... Read Longbourn Summary
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Forgiveness, Coming of Age, Midlife, Death, Family, Marriage, Siblings, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Religion & Spirituality
Tags Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Jewish Literature
Publication year 1887
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Fate, Social Class, Truth & Lies
Tags Classic Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Humor, World History, Victorian Era
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Mothers, Social Class, War
Tags Historical Fiction, Life-Inspired Fiction, Poverty, World War I, Russian Literature, World War II, Military & War, World History
Publication year 2003
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Love, Hate & Anger, Social Class, Race, Gender Identity
Tags African American Literature, Grief & Death, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction
Publication year 2024
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Perseverance, Gratitude, Hope, Joy, Gender Identity, Race, Family, Marriage, Self Discovery, Social Class, Politics & Government, Equality, Justice
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family, Loneliness, Hope, Social Class
Tags Romance, Relationships, Grief & Death, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 1856
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Marriage, Social Class, Apathy
Tags Classic Fiction, French Literature, Realism
Madame Bovary is a foundational realist novel. Authored by the esteemed French writer Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880), Madame Bovary was first released through serialization in 1856, and then formally published as Flaubert’s debut novel in 1857. Madame Bovary is one of the earliest examples of realism in literature and is credited with helping to develop the importance of psychological realism in literature. It is a love story, a vociferous critique of the ways in which society... Read Madame Bovary Summary
Publication year 1961
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Fear, Disability, Mental Health, Social Class, Art
Tags World History, Psychology, Philosophy, Mental Illness
Madness and Civilization: A History of Insanity in the Age of Reason is the second monograph by French intellectual historian and philosopher Michel Foucault (1926-1984). Originally published in French in 1961, it follows the development of Western European conceptions of “madness” beginning in the Late Middle Ages and ending in the early 19th century. Foucault argues that following the decline of leprosy in the 15th century, Western European societies demanded that the figure of the... Read Madness and Civilization Summary
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Love, Conflict, Family, Friendship, Social Class, Loyalty & Betrayal, Trust & Doubt
Tags Romance, Fantasy, Dramatic Literature, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2019
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Social Class, Femininity, Mental Health, Mothers
Tags Sociology, Poverty, Biography, Social Justice
Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive is Stephanie Land’s first book. Land is a former professional house cleaner whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Atlantic. Her writing explores issues related to systemic poverty, the hardships and stigmas associated with social services, surviving in the gig economy, and the challenges of motherhood. Maid was originally inspired by a Vox article she wrote about... Read Maid Summary
Publication year 1920
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Loneliness, Gender Identity, Place, Family, Friendship, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Economics, Art, Beauty, Equality
Tags Satirical Literature, American Literature, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction
Main Street is a 1920 satirical novel written by Sinclair Lewis. Set in the tiny town of Gopher Prairie, Minnesota, the story revolves around the trials and tribulations of Carol Milford Kennicott as she struggles to adjust to small-town living. In 1930, Main Street helped Lewis become the first American to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. This guide is based on the 1995 Penguin Classics edition of Main Street.Content Warning: This guide and... Read Main Street Summary
Publication year 2003
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Grief, Guilt, War, Memory, Social Class
Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, World History, Historical Fiction, British Literature
Maisie Dobbs is the first installment in Jacqueline Winspear’s historical mysteries featuring the eponymous private detective. Winspear was born and grew up in England with a grandfather who was a World War I veteran. His experiences inform some of the background of Maisie Dobbs. Several installments of the series have been New York Times bestsellers or finalists for Agatha or Macavity Awards, which signal achievements in the mystery genre. This guide refers to the Kindle... Read Maisie Dobbs Summary
Publication year 2010
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Love, Family, Race, Grief, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Death, Social Class, Colonialism, Equality
Tags Romance, British Literature, Historical Fiction
Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand is a contemporary comedy of manners written by English-born author Helen Simonson, exploring the tensions that erupt in a conservative English village when a respected widower, Major Pettigrew, falls in love with Mrs. Ali, a Pakistani shopkeeper’s widow. While the Major longs for companionship with the gracious and sensible Mrs. Ali, he must also navigate conflicts with his self-absorbed son, the changing economy of rural English life, and the melodrama unfolding... Read Major Pettigrew's Last Stand Summary
Publication year 1993
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Race, Social Class, Politics & Government
Tags Health, Sociology, Race & Racism, Education, Education, Science & Nature, Politics & Government