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.

Yellow Wife

by Sadeqa Johnson

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed

Tags Historical Fiction, American Civil War, Race & Racism, Social Justice, Relationships, Trauma & Abuse, Military & War, World History

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Z For Zachariah

by Robert C. O'Brien

Publication year 1974

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Coming of Age, Future, Climate, Environment, Food, War, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Science & Technology

Tags Science Fiction, Survival Fiction

Z for Zachariah (1974) by Robert C. O’Brien is a young adult dystopian novel. It tells the story of Ann Burden, who survives a nuclear war that destroys the world thanks to a natural phenomenon that keeps her valley safe from radiation. After over a year alone, she awakes one morning to a column of smoke, and John Loomis—a scientist who has traveled for weeks in a protective suit—arrives and disrupts her life of solitude... Read Z For Zachariah Summary

Zofloya

by Charlotte Dacre

Publication year 1806

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Race, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense, Gothic Literature, World History, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Classic Fiction

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Zoobreak

by Gordon Korman

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Childhood & Youth, Animals, Environment, Power & Greed

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Action & Adventure, Humor, Animals, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction

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Zorro

by Isabel Allende

Publication year 2005

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Race, Social Class, Animals, Conflict, Justice, Power & Greed

Tags Historical Fiction, Action & Adventure, Latin American Literature, Social Class, World History, Magical Realism, Romance, Classic Fiction

Zorro, first published in 2005, is a historical fiction novel by the Chilean writer Isabel Allende. Taking the form of a biography or bildungsroman, Zorro is the first work to chronicle the origins of Zorro, a fictional character created by American pulp writer Johnston McCulley in 1919.Set against the backdrop of Spanish colonialism at the turn of the 19th century, the novel details the events that led the protagonist, Diego de la Vega, to become... Read Zorro Summary