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.

The Laramie Project

by Moises Kaufman

Publication year 2001

Genre Play, Fiction

Tags LGBTQ+, Drama, Social Justice, Education, Education, World History, Dramatic Literature

The Laramie Project is a play by Moisés Kaufman and the Tectonic Theatre Project in response to the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, a young gay man, in Laramie, Wyoming. Kaufman and the other company members visited Laramie on six occasions and interviewed residents, members of the police force, and Matthew’s friends, in an attempt to understand what happened, and why. They were also interested in the possibility that theatre, more than any other medium... Read The Laramie Project Summary

The Life You Can Save

by Peter Singer

Publication year 2009

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Power & Greed, Justice, Economics, Community

Tags Philosophy, Poverty, Social Justice, Business & Economics, Sociology, Philosophy, Politics & Government

In 2009, Peter Singer, philosopher and ethicist at Princeton University, published The Life You Can Save, a short treatise on the obligations of affluent persons to alleviate the suffering of those experiencing extreme poverty on a global scale. By this time in his career, Singer had spent several decades on ethical questions related to global poverty. In 1972, he produced a seminal essay in the field, “Famine, Affluence, and Morality.” After a much more recent... Read The Life You Can Save Summary

The Light We Carry

by Michelle Obama

Publication year 2022

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Self Discovery, Friendship, Family, Marriage, Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Conflict, Gratitude

Tags Politics & Government, Social Justice, Self-Improvement, US History, Race & Racism, Diversity, Parenting, Relationships, Inspirational, Biography

... Read The Light We Carry Summary

The Lincoln Lawyer

by Michael Connelly

Publication year 2005

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Justice, Hate & Anger, Music, Good & Evil

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Crime & Law, Social Class, Social Justice, Incarceration

Michael Connelly is a prolific New York Times bestselling author. His legal thriller, The Lincoln Lawyer, won the Shamus Award and Macavity Award in 2006. The book was then successfully adapted to film. Connelly is widely regarded as one of the best American mystery writers. Other works by this author include The Black Echo, The Drop, and The Fifth Witness.This guide refers to the 2005 Hieronymus, Inc. edition.Plot SummaryMichael “Mick” Haller is a criminal defense... Read The Lincoln Lawyer Summary

The Line Becomes a River

by Francisco Cantú

Publication year 2018

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Tags Politics & Government, World History, Biography, Social Justice

The Line Becomes a River: Dispatches from the Border by Francisco Cantú is a work of literary nonfiction published in 2018. It was a New York Times best-seller, a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Nonfiction Award, winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in Current Interest, and was named a Top 10 Book of 2018 by NPR and The Washington Post. The book combines memoir with history, anthropology, sociology, and psychology to... Read The Line Becomes a River Summary

The Long Loneliness

by Dorothy Day

Publication year 1952

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Tags Social Justice, Christian, World History, Biography, Religion & Spirituality

The Long Loneliness, by Dorothy Day, is a memoir about Day’s lifelong relationship with Christianity, and how it pulled her away from communism and socialism toward a movement that combined political theory with Christian love and community. The memoir also tells the story about how her devotion to Catholicism allowed her to meet Peter Maurin, another devoted Catholic and liberal who created part of the theoretical basis of the Catholic Worker Movement.Day begins her book... Read The Long Loneliness Summary

The Long Walk

by Stephen King

Publication year 1979

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Coming of Age, Politics & Government, Justice, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Social Class

Tags Horror & Suspense, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Coming of Age, Survival Fiction, Social Justice, Politics & Government, Social Class, Love & Sexuality

... Read The Long Walk Summary

The Massacre at El Mozote

by Mark Danner

Publication year 1994

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes War, Truth & Lies

Tags Military & War, Cold War, Education, Education, Latin American Literature, Journalism, World History, Social Justice, Politics & Government

The Massacre at El Mozote, by Mark Danner, which in its first iteration appeared as a series of articles for The New Yorker, is an in-depth investigation into the events of December 1981 in the small town of El Mozote in northern El Salvador, during the country’s long civil war. Danner proceeds to not only bring these events to light, but also to place them in the global context of the Cold War of the... Read The Massacre at El Mozote Summary

The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood

by Howard Pyle

Publication year 1883

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Justice, Friendship, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Classic Fiction, Poverty, Social Justice, Social Class, Medieval, Renaissance, Children`s Literature, World History, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Action & Adventure

The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood is a much-beloved adventure novel by Howard Pyle (1853-1911), published in 1883. Pyle, an American illustrator and children’s author, wove together several of the early ballads about the famed medieval outlaw Robin Hood and his companions, the Merry Men, in an episodic and entertaining plot aimed at young readers of the late nineteenth century. Written in a pseudo-archaic English actually modeled on Elizabethan-era English, the book reflects a colorful... Read The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood Summary

The Mis-Education of the Negro

by Carter Woodson

Publication year 1933

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Race, Justice

Tags Black Lives Matter, Race & Racism, Education, Education, US History, Sociology, World History, Social Justice, Classic Fiction, Politics & Government

Carter Godwin Woodson’s The Mis-Education of the Negro is a social critique that addresses the inherent structural and institutional racism represented by the United States education system. Originally written and published in 1933, this study guide refers to a republication of the text from 2010 by IAP (Las Vegas, Nevada). The book traces Woodson’s arguments regarding how the United States education system reproduces White supremacy and fails to educate Black students; this failure, Woodson contends... Read The Mis-Education of the Negro Summary

The Moment of Lift

by Melinda French Gates

Publication year 2019

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Justice, Equality, Community, Globalization, Economics, Education, Teamwork, Family

Tags Gender & Feminism, Social Justice, Inspirational, Women`s Studies, Business & Economics, Self-Improvement, Biography

... Read The Moment of Lift Summary

The Music of Bees

by Eileen Garvin

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Community, Friendship, Environment, Perseverance, Mental Health, Self Discovery, Animals, Plants, Beauty, Politics & Government, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Hope

Tags Animals, Science & Nature, Disability, Coming of Age, Agriculture, Education, Health, Grief & Death, Depression & Suicide, Mental Illness, Social Justice, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read The Music of Bees Summary

The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain

by Langston Hughes

Publication year 1926

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Shame & Pride, Race, Art

Tags Creative Nonfiction, Harlem Renaissance, Inspirational, Life-Inspired Fiction, Race & Racism, Arts & Culture, Black Lives Matter, Diversity, African American Literature, Education, Education, Social Justice, Classic Fiction, Politics & Government

In Langston Hughes’s “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain,” the writer presents his argument regarding the creative limitations Black Americans face. Initially published in 1926, the essay traces a short, powerful argument that relies both on Hughes’s own identity as an artist as well as his critical observations of US society. As a Black author writing in the early 20th century, Hughes uses the terms “Negro” and “black” interchangeably; this study guide exclusively uses... Read The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain Summary