Challenging Authority

In this Collection, we've gathered together a selection of fictional and real-life narratives that share the theme of Challenging Authority. These selections feature protagonists and real-world figures who stand up to both powerful individuals and oppressive systems in an array of cultural and historical settings.

Mortal Engines

by Philip Reeve

Publication year 2001

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Forgiveness, Memory, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Love, Revenge, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, War, Good & Evil, Justice, Fate, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Technology, Social Class

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Moses, Man of the Mountain

by Zora Neale Hurston

Publication year 1939

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Hope, Place, Family, Social Class, Colonialism, Nation, Politics & Government, Equality, Justice, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Education, Education, African American Literature, Historical Fiction, Fairy Tale & Folklore, Classic Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

Moses, Man of the Mountain is an allegorical novel by African-American author and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston. The novel reimagines the life of Moses and the biblical narrative of the Exodus from Egypt with several important changes, including the use of African American dialect, slang, and folklore. Throughout the novel, Hurston draws allegorical parallels between the enslavement of the Hebrew people in Egypt and the enslavement of people of African descent in the United States... Read Moses, Man of the Mountain Summary

Mother Courage and Her Children

by Bertolt Brecht

Publication year 1939

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes War, Mothers, Power & Greed

Tags Drama, German Literature, Education, Education, World History, Dramatic Literature, Classic Fiction

Mother Courage and Her Children (1939) is a play by German author Bertolt Brecht (1898-1980). It tells the story of Anna Fierling, nicknamed Mother Courage, a peddler who travels across Europe during the Thirty Years’ War. It is a drama that questions the justification of warfare, revealing the hypocrisy of a war fought on religious grounds. As the war unfolds, Mother Courage struggles to keep her business afloat and her three children safe. The play... Read Mother Courage and Her Children Summary

Moth Smoke

by Mohsin Hamid

Publication year 2000

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Social Class, Guilt, Justice

Tags Asian Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Asian Literature

Mohsin Hamid’s first novel, Moth Smoke, examines class and privilege, drugs, and sex in 1990s Pakistan. The novel plots the unraveling of Darashikoh Shezad’s life. When the book opens, Daru is on trial for the death of a boy, and the text examines the events leading up to this false accusation. Multiple narrators chart Daru’s moral decline, and the examination of Daru’s choices from different angles asks the reader to be the judge of Daru’s... Read Moth Smoke Summary

Murder by Cheesecake

by Rachel Ekstrom Courage

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Grief, Love, Nostalgia, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Gender Identity, Death, Appearance & Reality, Family, Friendship, Community, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction

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Murderland

by Caroline Fraser

Publication year 2025

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Hate & Anger, Memory, Masculinity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Childhood & Youth, Death, Future, The Past, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Climate, Environment, Place, Family, Social Class, Community, Education, Nation, Politics & Government, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags True Crime, Biography

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Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science

by Charles Wheelan

Publication year 2002

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Education, Teamwork, Power & Greed

Tags Business & Economics, Education, Education, Science & Nature, Social Science, Psychology, Psychology, Finance, Politics & Government

Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science is a nonfiction book by Charles Wheelan published in 2002. The author holds a PhD from the University of Chicago and is a senior lecturer and policy fellow at Dartmouth College. Previously, he was a correspondent for the magazine The Economist. He has written a number of other books, including Naked Statistics and Naked Money. This study guide refers to the 2019 third edition of Naked Economics.SummaryNaked Economics is... Read Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science Summary

Nana

by Émile Zola, Transl. Gerhard Krüger

Publication year 1880

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Social Class, Nation, Fame, Beauty, Power & Greed, Femininity, Masculinity

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Love & Sexuality, Realism, Realistic Fiction, Naturalism, Social Class, European History, French Literature

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Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

by Frederick Douglass

Publication year 1845

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Race, Equality, Power & Greed

Tags American Literature, Race & Racism, US History, Education, Education, World History, Classic Fiction, Biography

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is an autobiography by Frederick Douglass that was first published in 1845. Douglass escaped from slavery in 1838 and became a prominent abolitionist, orator, and writer. His autobiography describes his experiences under slavery and his eventual freedom. The book was widely read and influenced public opinion in favor of the abolition of slavery. It remains one of the most read memoirs from the antebellum period. The autobiography includes... Read Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Summary

Nathan the Wise

by Gotthold Lessing

Publication year 1779

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Family, Power & Greed

Tags Historical Drama, Religion & Spirituality, Relationships, Elizabethan Era, Dramatic Literature, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

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Native Son

by Richard Wright

Publication year 1940

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Race, Social Class, Power & Greed

Tags Existentialism, American Literature, African American Literature, Education, Education, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction, Race & Racism

Richard’s Wright’s debut novel Native Son was an immediate success upon its publication in 1940, selling 250,000 copies in three weeks. Today, it is widely recognized as not only Wright’s greatest work, but as one of the most significant American novels of the twentieth century.In his essay “How ‘Bigger’ Was Born” (1940), Wright explains that he based the protagonist of the novel on five young Black men he had known as a child. These five... Read Native Son Summary

Necropolitics

by Achille Mbembe

Publication year 2016

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Indigenous Identity, Race, Death, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Place, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Economics, Globalization, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Equality, Good & Evil, Justice, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Science & Technology, Truth & Lies

Tags Philosophy, Social Science, Politics & Government, Sociology

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Needful Things

by Stephen King

Publication year 1991

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Good & Evil, Community, Power & Greed, Conflict, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Revenge, Death, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Order & Chaos, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense, Fantasy, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Addiction & Substance Abuse

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Neither Wolf Nor Dog

by Kent Nerburn

Publication year 1994

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Indigenous Identity, Language, Animals, Place, Colonialism, Nation, Equality, Justice, Power & Greed

Tags Race & Racism, US History, Travel Literature, Creative Nonfiction, Philosophy, Philosophy, World History, Biography

Neither Wolf Nor Dog: On Forgotten Roads with an Indian Elder is a memoir by American author Kent Nerburn. The book describes a road trip Nerburn took with two Lakota men, weaving Nerburn’s personal experiences with lengthy speeches from the men on indigenous history and culture. Major themes in the book include The Role of Language in Oppression, The Lasting Trauma of America’s Violence Against Indigenous Communities at the hands of white colonizers, and The... Read Neither Wolf Nor Dog Summary