Contemporary Books on Social Justice

Social justice is the pursuit of fairness in society based on the belief that all people deserve equal opportunities and rights. We curated the following study guide collection (including books for middle-grade and young adult readers) to help readers get the most out of books that cover contemporary issues and topics in social justice.

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

Justice

by Michael J. Sandel

Publication year 2005

Genre Reference/Text Book, Nonfiction

Themes Community

Tags Politics & Government, Education, Education, Sociology, World History, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Social Justice

Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do?, a 2005 nonfiction book written by Harvard professor Michael J. Sandel, grew out of a popular course of the same name that Sandel teaches, in which he “exposes students to some of the great philosophical writings about justice, and also takes up contemporary legal and political controversies that raise philosophical questions” (293). In this book, Sandel does the same, comparing and contrasting several important approaches to justice and... Read Justice Summary

Justice and The Politics of Difference

by Iris Marion Young

Publication year 1990

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Justice, Gender Identity, Community

Tags Philosophy, Social Justice, Gender & Feminism, Education, Education, Philosophy, Politics & Government

Originally published in 1990, Justice and the Politics of Difference is a nonfiction work in the field of political theory. The author, Iris Marion Young, uses critical theory to expose the shortcomings of distributive theories of justice and calls for the empowerment of oppressed and disadvantaged social groups. She cites the claims of new social movements, such as those for civil rights, as evidence of the inadequacy of the distributive model of justice. According to... Read Justice and The Politics of Difference Summary

Just Mercy

by Bryan Stevenson

Publication year 2014

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Race, Justice, Music

Tags US History, Crime & Law, Race & Racism, World History, Social Justice, Politics & Government, Biography

Part memoir, part exhortation for much-needed reform to the American criminal justice system, Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy is a heartrending and inspirational call to arms written by the activist lawyer who founded the Equal Justice Initiative, an Alabama-based organization responsible for freeing or reducing the sentences of scores of wrongfully convicted individuals. Stevenson’s memoir weaves together personal stories from his years as a lawyer with strong statements against racial and legal injustice, drawing a clear... Read Just Mercy Summary

Just Us

by Claudia Rankine

Publication year 2020

Genre Anthology/Varied Collection, Nonfiction

Themes Race, Politics & Government, Justice

Tags Race & Racism, Trauma & Abuse, Arts & Culture, World History, Social Justice, Politics & Government

... Read Just Us Summary

Killing Rage

by bell hooks

Publication year 1995

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Gender Identity, Race, Social Class, Colonialism, Politics & Government

Tags Race & Racism, Social Justice, Politics & Government, Gender & Feminism, Sociology, World History, Philosophy, Philosophy

... Read Killing Rage Summary

Landscape with Invisible Hand

by M. T. Anderson

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Equality, Love, Truth & Lies, Social Class, Economics, Art

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Satirical Literature, Relationships, Agriculture, Arts & Culture, Business & Economics, Social Class, Finance, Food, Health, US History, Politics & Government, Poverty, Religion & Spirituality, Social Justice

Landscape with Invisible Hand is a satirical dystopian science fiction novel by M. T. Anderson, written for a young adult audience. A diverse author, Anderson writes both fiction and nonfiction for people of all ages. In 2023, Landscape with Invisible Hand was adapted for film, reflecting the novel’s popularity and relevance. The book depicts a future world in which an alien species, the vuvv, have sold their technology to humans, causing the collapse of the... Read Landscape with Invisible Hand Summary

Lead from the Outside

by Stacey Abrams

Publication year 2018

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Fear, Power & Greed, Politics & Government, Race, Gender Identity, Justice

Tags Politics & Government, Leadership, Self-Improvement, Gender & Feminism, Social Justice, Business & Economics, Biography

... Read Lead from the Outside Summary

Letter From Birmingham Jail

by Martin Luther King Jr.

Publication year 1963

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Race

Tags Sociology, African American Literature, Race & Racism, World History, Philosophy, Philosophy, Social Justice, Classic Fiction, Politics & Government

This guide is based on the revised version of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail," published as the fifth essay in Why We Can't Wait (1964).King's letter is a response to another open letter, "A Call for Unity," published in The Birmingham News and collectively authored by eight Alabama clergymen who argued that the protests were not an appropriate response to conditions in Birmingham.King opens the letter by explaining that he is responding... Read Letter From Birmingham Jail Summary

Letters to a Young Teacher

by Jonathan Kozol

Publication year 2007

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Education, Social Class, Childhood & Youth, Truth & Lies

Tags Education, Social Justice, Race & Racism, Education, Psychology, Psychology

Jonathan Kozol’s Letters to a Young Teacher, originally published in 2007, is a collection of letters containing Kozol’s teaching advice for a new first grade schoolteacher named Francesca. The format of this book is inspired by Rainer Maria Rilke’s famous Letters to a Young Poet, which has become a model for advice books for young people in different professions and callings. Although some identifying elements have been changed, the book’s letters represent a real correspondence... Read Letters to a Young Teacher Summary

Life on the Color Line

by Gregory Howard Williams

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Race, Love, Fame, Family

Tags Race & Racism, Civil Rights & Jim Crow South, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Relationships, World History, Social Justice, Biography

Life on the Color Line: The True Story of a White Boy Who Discovered He Was Black, published in 1995, is an autobiographical account of the childhood and adolescence of the American lawyer and educator Gregory Howard Williams. An exceptional achiever throughout his life, Williams devoted 10 years to penning this memoir that centers around his being raised to believe he’s white, only to be told as a 10-year-old boy that he’s of African American... Read Life on the Color Line Summary