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.

Rebecca

by Daphne du Maurier

Publication year 1938

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Death, Social Class, Coming of Age, Loyalty & Betrayal, The Past, Hate & Anger, Marriage, Fear, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Beauty, Appearance & Reality, Power & Greed, Grief, Conflict, Memory, Truth & Lies, Loneliness

Tags British Literature, Romance, Classic Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Coming of Age, Dramatic Literature, Gothic Literature, Modernism, Horror & Suspense, Historical Fiction

Rebecca, a bestselling novel by famed English writer Daphne du Maurier, was published in 1938, and has never gone out of print. The winner of the National Book Award for favorite novel of 1938, Rebecca has been adapted numerous times, including Alfred Hitchcock’s 1940 film version, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and a 1997 television miniseries. It was most recently adapted for a Netflix film in 2020 by the same name. Rebecca... Read Rebecca Summary

Reckless Girls

by Rachel Hawkins

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Trust & Doubt, Loyalty & Betrayal, Grief, Gender Identity, Friendship, Social Class, Equality, Justice, Revenge

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction

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Red City

by Marie Lu

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Regret, Race, Coming of Age, Mothers, Self Discovery, Social Class, Justice, Power & Greed

Tags Fantasy

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Renegades

by Marissa Meyer

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Hate & Anger, Revenge, Death, Family, Self Discovery, Social Class, Politics & Government, Good & Evil, Justice

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Action & Adventure

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"Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman

by Harlan Ellison

Publication year 1965

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Science & Technology, Social Class, Fear

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror & Suspense, Classic Fiction

“‘Repent, Harlequin!’ Said the Ticktockman,” one of Harlan Ellison’s most famous short stories, was published in Galaxy in 1965 and went on to win both the Hugo and the Nebula Awards. Ellison (1934-2018) was an American speculative fiction and screenwriter whose works were influential in the development of New Wave science fiction. “‘Repent, Harlequin!’ Said the Ticktockman” uses nonlinear storytelling to depict a short-lived one-man rebellion against a dystopian future society. The story explores themes... Read "Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman Summary

Requiem for a Dream

by Hubert Selby Jr.

Publication year 1978

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Loneliness, Social Class

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Dramatic Literature, Psychological Fiction, Addiction & Substance Abuse, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction

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Requiem for the American Dream

by Noam Chomsky

Publication year 2017

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Economics, Social Class, Politics & Government, Justice, Equality, Power & Greed, Education, Colonialism, Nation

Tags Business & Economics, Politics & Government, Philosophy, Social Justice, Civil Rights & Jim Crow South, Finance, US History, American Literature, Sociology, World History, Philosophy

Requiem for the American Dream: The 10 Principles of Concentration of Wealth & Power by linguist and political activist Noam Chomsky evaluates the rise of income inequality in the US over the last 40 years. It argues that the main consequence of neoliberalism, which has increased since the 1970s, is a dramatic concentration of wealth and power to the elite—at the expense of the lower and middle classes. Chomsky observes how rapid financialization since the... Read Requiem for the American Dream Summary

Resurrection

by Leo Tolstoy

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Forgiveness, Love, Guilt, Hope, Regret, Masculinity, Self Discovery, Social Class, Good & Evil, Justice

Tags Russian Literature, Classic Fiction, Philosophy, Social Science

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Revolutionary Road

by Richard Yates

Publication year 1961

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Marriage, Loyalty & Betrayal, Masculinity, Social Class

Tags Historical Fiction, Psychological Fiction, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Classic Fiction

IntroductionRichard Yates’s novel Revolutionary Road was published in 1961 and was a finalist for the National Book Award in 1962, along with Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 and Walker Percy’s The Moviegoer, which won the award. The book was Yates’s first novel, though he had worked as a journalist and ghostwriter, writing some of John F. Kennedy’s speeches following his service in the US Army during World War II. In a 1976 interview for the literary journal... Read Revolutionary Road Summary

Rich Dad Poor Dad

by Robert Kiyosaki, Sharon Lechter

Publication year 1997

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Future, Social Class, Fathers

Tags Self-Improvement, Business & Economics, Finance

Published in 1997, Rich Dad Poor Dad is a financial self-help book written by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter. Kiyosaki’s aim in writing the book was to impart financial lessons and insights to the masses, drawing from his own life experiences and the starkly contrasting financial philosophies of his two “dads.” Upon its release, the book quickly became a bestseller and remains a classic in the personal finance genre. Kiyosaki structures the book as a... Read Rich Dad Poor Dad Summary

Rise To Rebellion

by Jeff Shaara

Publication year 2001

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Hate & Anger, Hope, Revenge, Mental Health, Death, The Past, Place, Family, Fathers, Marriage, Teamwork, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Economics, Globalization, Politics & Government, War, Equality, Power & Greed

Tags World History, American Revolution, Historical Fiction, Military & War, US History

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Rising

by Elizabeth Rush

Publication year 2018

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Climate, Social Class, Science & Technology, Environment

Tags Science & Nature, Climate Change, Journalism, World History, Politics & Government

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Rooftoppers

by Katherine Rundell

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Hope, Love, Memory, Nostalgia, Regret, Femininity, Gender Identity, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Appearance & Reality, Mothers, Self Discovery, Social Class, Politics & Government, Justice

Tags Children`s Literature, Action & Adventure, Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Fantasy

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