Class

This thematic collection covers texts that investigate the particularly fraught dynamics and divisions of class, including Upton Sinclair's The Jungle and Ernesto Galarza's Barrio Boy.

Intermezzo

by Sally Rooney

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Forgiveness, Love, Nostalgia, Regret, Disability, Mental Health, Midlife, Place, Siblings, Social Class, Economics, Literature, Wins & Losses

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Romance

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Invisible Child

by Andrea Elliott

Publication year 2021

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Perseverance, Race, Social Class, Education, Loyalty & Betrayal, Justice

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

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Ironwood

by Michael Connelly

Publication year 2026

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Loneliness, Love, Femininity, Indigenous Identity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Death, Future, Climate, Environment, Plants, Place, Friendship, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Immigration, Politics & Government, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

Tags Horror & Suspense

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Isola

by Allegra Goodman

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Love, Perseverance, Gender Identity, Death, Nature Versus Nurture, Social Class

Tags Historical Fiction, Survival Fiction

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I Stand Here Ironing

by Tillie Olsen

Publication year 1961

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Mothers, Daughters & Sons, Femininity, Guilt, Social Class

Tags Education, Education, World History, Classic Fiction

“I Stand Here Ironing” was originally published in 1961 in Tell Me a Riddle, Tillie Olsen’s first collection of short stories. Since then, it has greatly impacted feminist scholars and creative writers alike and is often anthologized. The short story is an intimate exploration of one woman’s experience with motherhood between the 1930 and 1950s. Her oldest daughter, Emily, is 19 years old and has been neglected and separated from the narrator due to factors... Read I Stand Here Ironing Summary

Jacob's Room

by Virginia Woolf

Publication year 1922

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Masculinity, Social Class, Education, War

Tags British Literature, Classic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

Jacob’s Room (1922) is a novel by Virginia Woolf. The novel is considered to be Woolf’s first experimental novel and a landmark in Modernist literature, notable for its fragmented narrative structure and indirect characterization. Through shifting perspectives and lyrical prose, Woolf reconstructs the life of a young English man named Jacob Flanders in the early 20th century. The novel explores The Ineffability of Individual Identity, Navigating Social Norms in a Changing World, and The Complexities... Read Jacob's Room Summary

Jade Legacy

by Fonda Lee

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Loyalty & Betrayal, Conflict, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Family, Marriage, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Economics, Globalization, Nation

Tags Fantasy, LGBTQ+, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Science Fiction, Dramatic Literature

The third and final installment of the Green Bone Saga trilogy spans over two decades in the struggle between the No Peak and Mountain clans, two powerful organizations on the island nation of Kekon whose members, known as Green Bones, possess superhuman abilities granted by the bioenergetic mineral jade. The novel traces the Kaul family's fight for survival against Ayt Mada, the Pillar (ruling head) of the rival Mountain clan, while navigating international politics, generational... Read Jade Legacy Summary

Jesse

by Gary Soto

Publication year 1994

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Hope, Loneliness, Masculinity, Race, Family, Friendship, Community, War, Art, Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Social Class

Tags Realistic Fiction, Arts & Culture, Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, Agriculture, Social Class, US History, Poverty, Race & Racism, Social Justice, Vietnam War

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Jesus and John Wayne

by Kristin Kobes Du Mez

Publication year 2020

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Fear, Nostalgia, Masculinity, Race, Sexual Identity, Family, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

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Jews Without Money

by Michael Gold

Publication year 1930

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Immigration, Social Class, Justice

Tags Life-Inspired Fiction, Historical Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Social Class, Poverty, Social Justice, American Literature, Education, Education, Jewish Literature, World History, Classic Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

Jews Without Money is a semi-autobiographical 1930 novel by Itzok Isaac Granich, published under Granich’s pseudonym, Mike Gold. The book charts the impoverished conditions of the Lower East Side of New York City and the experiences of growing up in a community of predominantly Jewish immigrants in the early 20th century. Growing up in such a difficult environment informed the author’s socialist politics as an adult. Plot SummaryMike Gold is born and raised by a... Read Jews Without Money Summary

Journey to the End of the Night

by Louis-Ferdinand Celine, Transl. Ralph Manheim

Publication year 1932

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Apathy, Hate & Anger, Love, Mental Health, Race, Death, Social Class, Colonialism, War

Tags French Literature, Philosophy, Life-Inspired Fiction, World War I, Modernism, The Lost Generation

Journey to the End of the Night is a modernist novel by Louis-Ferdinand Céline, first published in the French language in 1932 by Parisian publishing house Éditions Denoël et Steele. It is a semi-autobiographical work centered on the life and travels of cynical antihero Ferdinand Bardamu, set over several decades of Bardamu’s life, beginning at the outbreak of World War I. The novel became influential in the development of post–WWI literary modernism, but like many... Read Journey to the End of the Night Summary