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.

Street Love

by Walter Dean Myers

Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Shame & Pride, Race, Coming of Age, Family, Self Discovery, Social Class

Tags Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Urban Development, Romance

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Sugar

by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Family, Friendship, Social Class, Equality, Race

Tags Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Diversity, Race & Racism, US History, Reconstruction Era, Children`s Literature, World History, Arts & Culture

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Summer in the City

by Alex Aster

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Memory, Regret, Shame & Pride, Gender Identity, Death, Fathers, Mothers, Self Discovery, Social Class, Equality, Power & Greed, Trust & Doubt

Tags Romance

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Summit Lake

by Charlie Donlea

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Hate & Anger, Memory, Revenge, Death, Place, Friendship, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Education, Politics & Government, Fate, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense

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Suttree

by Cormac McCarthy

Publication year 1979

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Loneliness, Regret, Social Class, Community

Tags Life-Inspired Fiction, Humor, Southern Gothic, American Literature, Southern Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction

Suttree by Cormac McCarthy is a piece of Southern Gothic fiction published in 1979. Considered a modern classic of American literature, it exemplifies McCarthy’s characteristic use of imagery, existentialist exploration, and societal criticism.McCarthy is the author of 12 novels, including bestsellers Blood Meridian (1985), All the Pretty Horses (1992), and the Pulitzer-prize-winning novel The Road (2006). The Road and his novel No Country for Old Men (2005) were adapted into celebrated films. McCarthy was born... Read Suttree Summary

Swan Song

by Elin Hilderbrand

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Marriage, Revenge, Place, Social Class, Community, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

Tags Science Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Fantasy

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Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

by Hugh Wheeler

Publication year 1979

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Revenge, Power & Greed, Music, Hate & Anger, Social Class

Tags Horror & Suspense, Historical Fiction, Drama, Victorian Era

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, originally published in 1979, is a musical play by Hugh Wheeler with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The play follows murderous barber Sweeney Todd, who seeks revenge against the corrupt Judge Turpin for wrongfully incarcerating him in order to steal Todd’s wife. Wheeler and Sondheim use this tale to examine the exploitation and retaliation of the working class, the perils of obsession, and the tension between tenderness and... Read Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Summary

Sylvia And Aki

by Winifred Conkling

Publication year 2011

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Education, Race, Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Family, Fathers, Mothers, Siblings, Social Class, Community, Equality, Justice

Tags Historical Fiction, Social Justice, World War II, Children`s Literature, Military & War, World History, Arts & Culture

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System Collapse

by Martha Wells

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Space, Fear, Friendship, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Colonialism, Justice

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Humor

Published in 2023, Martha Wells’s science fiction novel System Collapse is the seventh installment in the critically acclaimed and bestselling series, The Murderbot Diaries. The story continues the journey of Murderbot, a rogue security android that has hacked its own control module. In this entry, Murderbot is struggling with the aftermath of a traumatic event that causes it to have system-crashing flashbacks. It must overcome this internal crisis to help its human allies rescue a... Read System Collapse Summary

Table for Two

by Amor Towles

Publication year 2024

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Joy, Femininity, Place, Teamwork, Social Class, Economics, Art, Beauty, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Historical Fiction

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Taiwan Travelogue

by Yáng Shuāng-Zǐ, Transl. Lin King

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Guilt, Food, Place, Friendship, Social Class, Colonialism, Immigration, Loyalty & Betrayal, Trust & Doubt

Tags Contemporary Literature, Historical Fiction

Yáng Shuāng-zǐ’s novel Taiwan Travelogue was originally published in Mandarin in 2020. A work of historical metafiction, the story is set in 1938, when Taiwan was a Japanese colony. The novel follows Aoyama Chizuko, a young, celebrated Japanese writer who travels to Taiwan on an official lecture tour. Disinterested in imperial propaganda, Aoyama seeks authentic Taiwanese culture, especially its food, and develops an intense relationship with her brilliant Taiwanese interpreter, Ō Chizuru (or Ōng Tshian-hòh... Read Taiwan Travelogue Summary

Tales of Two Americas

by John Freeman

Publication year 2017

Genre Essay Collection, Nonfiction

Themes Social Class, Immigration, Economics

Tags World History, Social Justice, Poverty, Politics & Government, US History, Social Class, Sociology, Race & Racism

Tales of Two Americas: Stories of Inequality in a Divided Nation is a 2017 non-fiction collection of 36 essays, poems, and short stories edited by former Granta editor John Freeman and including contributions by Rebecca Solnit, Sandra Cisneros, Edwidge Danticat, Julia Alvarez, Joyce Carol Oates, Ann Patchett, Annie Dillard, Roxane Gay, and more. The text crosses disciplinary boundaries, covering sociology, history, racial and ethnic studies, and gender studies.The personal essays, stories, and poetry in Tales... Read Tales of Two Americas Summary

Tar Baby

by Toni Morrison

Publication year 1981

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Gender Identity, Race, Family, Marriage, Social Class, Colonialism, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Race & Racism, Social Class, African American Literature, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction

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