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 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

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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

The New Jim Crow

by Michelle Alexander

Publication year 2010

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Justice

Tags Sociology, Social Justice, African American Literature, Black Lives Matter, Race & Racism, World History, Politics & Government

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness is a nonfiction book published in 2010 by American author and legal scholar Michelle Alexander. The book argues that the War on Drugs and mass incarceration operate as tools of racialized social control and oppression, not unlike the system in place during the Jim Crow era in the American South. The winner of the NAACP Image Award for Nonfiction, The New Jim Crow continues... Read The New Jim Crow Summary

The Octopus

by Frank Norris

Publication year 1901

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Good & Evil, Fate, Literature, Power & Greed, Justice, Science & Technology, Economics, The Past, Future, Conflict

Tags Historical Fiction, Social Justice, Naturalism, Technology, Business & Economics, American Literature, World History, Classic Fiction, Politics & Government

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The Other Slavery

by Andrés Reséndez

Publication year 2016

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Colonialism, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Justice, Equality, Truth & Lies, Perseverance, Conflict

Tags World History, US History, Race & Racism, Social Justice, Politics & Government, European History, Colonial America

The Other Slavery: The Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in America (First Mariners Books edition 2017) by Andrés Reséndez, a Mexican historian working at the University of California Davis, won the 2017 Bancroft Prize and was a finalist for the National Book Award. In this book, Reséndez dispels the myth that only African slaves faced enslavement in the Americas. He focuses on Indigenous slaves in the Caribbean, central and northern Mexico, and the American Southwest... Read The Other Slavery Summary

The Port Chicago 50

by Steve Sheinkin

Publication year 2014

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes War

Tags Military & War, Social Justice, World War II, Children`s Literature, US History, World History, Arts & Culture

In The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights, historian Steve Sheinkin traces the story of the Port Chicago 50, a group of African-American sailors charged with mutiny for disobeying orders during World War II. Sheinkin’s history opens, however, with the story of Dorie Miller, a black mess attendant stationed at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attack in 1942. Though not trained for battle, Miller courageously begins fighting with an anti-aircraft... Read The Port Chicago 50 Summary

The Price of Inequality

by Joseph E. Stiglitz

Publication year 2012

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Economics, Community

Tags Business & Economics, Sociology, World History, Social Justice, Politics & Government

In 2007 the United States experienced an economic downturn that caused the standard for living for millions of Americans to plummet. While the share of national income dropped for 99 percent of Americans, the top 1 percent of Americans saw their wealth increase, in some cases considerably. Joseph E. Stiglitz published The Price of Inequality: How Today’s Divided Society Endangers Our Future in 2012 to explain this income gap and offer some hope that it... Read The Price of Inequality Summary

The Promise

by Damon Galgut

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Race, Justice, Colonialism

Tags Dramatic Literature, Historical Fiction, History: African , Social Justice, Race & Racism, African Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

... Read The Promise Summary