Equality

The titles in this Collection examine the concept of social equality through a broad array of literary genres and forms. These curated selections represent a diversity of voices and perspectives that examine social disparities through the lenses of gender, race, socioeconomics, and other factors.

Mercy

by Jodi Picoult

Publication year 1996

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Mental Health, Equality, Love, Conflict

Tags Realistic Fiction, Romance, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Health, Modern Classic Fiction, Dramatic Literature

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Middlesex

by Jeffrey Eugenides

Publication year 2002

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Perseverance, Guilt, Love, Gender Identity, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Community, Immigration, Equality, Justice, Literature, Religion & Spirituality, Science & Technology, Truth & Lies

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+

Middlesex is a 2002 novel by Jeffrey Eugenides that tells a multigenerational, epic tale of a Greek family who immigrates to the US. The narrator, Calliope (or Cal) tells the story of how his grandparents, Lefty and Desdemona Stephanides, flee their homeland during a time of war and uncertainty, settling in the US. They harbor a family secret that changes the course of the narrator’s life: They’re brother and sister, and carry a genetic mutation... Read Middlesex Summary

Midnight Without a Moon

by Linda Williams Jackson

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Gratitude, Hate & Anger, Hope, Shame & Pride, Race, Beauty, Equality, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Race & Racism, Civil Rights & Jim Crow South, Children`s Literature, World History, Arts & Culture

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Mockingbird Summer

by Lynda Rutledge

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Hate & Anger, Gender Identity, Race, Coming of Age, Friendship, Community, Equality, Justice, Safety & Danger, Family

Tags Historical Fiction, Race & Racism, Southern Literature, World History

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Moon Over Manifest

by Clare Vanderpool

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Guilt, Hope, Loneliness, Regret, Nostalgia, Memory, Shame & Pride, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, The Past, Death, Appearance & Reality, Place, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Family, Friendship, Community, Social Class, Economics, Immigration, Education, War, Politics & Government, Nation, Equality, Good & Evil, Justice, Literature, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies, Power & Greed, Trust & Doubt

Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Coming of Age, Realistic Fiction, World History

Moon Over Manifest is a 2010 novel by author Claire Vanderpool. It relates the story of 12-year-old Abilene Tucker, a drifting girl in search of her father, a home, and a sense of belonging. When the novel starts, her father, Gideon Tucker, has just sent Abilene to the Kansas town of Manifest, claiming that he can’t take her to Iowa, where he is allegedly taking a railroad job. It is 1936, and the Great Depression... Read Moon Over Manifest Summary

Moses, Man of the Mountain

by Zora Neale Hurston

Publication year 1939

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Hope, Place, Family, Social Class, Colonialism, Nation, Politics & Government, Equality, Justice, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Education, Education, African American Literature, Historical Fiction, Fairy Tale & Folklore, Classic Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

Moses, Man of the Mountain is an allegorical novel by African-American author and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston. The novel reimagines the life of Moses and the biblical narrative of the Exodus from Egypt with several important changes, including the use of African American dialect, slang, and folklore. Throughout the novel, Hurston draws allegorical parallels between the enslavement of the Hebrew people in Egypt and the enslavement of people of African descent in the United States... Read Moses, Man of the Mountain Summary

Mountains Beyond Mountains

by Tracy Kidder

Publication year 2003

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Equality, Social Class, Economics

Tags Health, Science & Nature, Social Justice, World History, Biography

Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World is a 2003 nonfiction book by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Tracy Kidder. It is an expansion of “The Good Doctor,” a 2000 article for The New Yorker and the winner of the 2004 Lettre Ulysses Award for the Art of Reportage. The book profiles Dr. Paul Edward Farmer, co-founder of Partners in Health, as he treats patients in Haiti and... Read Mountains Beyond Mountains Summary

Moxie

by Jennifer Mathieu

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Equality

Tags Gender & Feminism, Bullying, Realistic Fiction, Romance, Modern Classic Fiction

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Naked Statistics

by Charles Wheelan

Publication year 2012

Genre Reference/Text Book, Nonfiction

Themes Appearance & Reality, Social Class, Community, Economics, Education, Nation, Politics & Government, Equality, Justice, Science & Technology, Truth & Lies

Tags Business/Economics, Technology, Science, Education

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Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

by Frederick Douglass

Publication year 1845

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Race, Equality, Power & Greed

Tags American Literature, Race & Racism, US History, Education, Education, World History, Classic Fiction, Biography

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is an autobiography by Frederick Douglass that was first published in 1845. Douglass escaped from slavery in 1838 and became a prominent abolitionist, orator, and writer. His autobiography describes his experiences under slavery and his eventual freedom. The book was widely read and influenced public opinion in favor of the abolition of slavery. It remains one of the most read memoirs from the antebellum period. The autobiography includes... Read Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Summary

Necropolitics

by Achille Mbembe

Publication year 2016

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Indigenous Identity, Race, Death, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Place, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Economics, Globalization, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Equality, Good & Evil, Justice, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Science & Technology, Truth & Lies

Tags Philosophy, Social Science, Politics & Government, Sociology

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Neither Wolf Nor Dog

by Kent Nerburn

Publication year 1994

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Indigenous Identity, Language, Animals, Place, Colonialism, Nation, Equality, Justice, Power & Greed

Tags Race & Racism, US History, Travel Literature, Creative Nonfiction, Philosophy, Philosophy, World History, Biography

Neither Wolf Nor Dog: On Forgotten Roads with an Indian Elder is a memoir by American author Kent Nerburn. The book describes a road trip Nerburn took with two Lakota men, weaving Nerburn’s personal experiences with lengthy speeches from the men on indigenous history and culture. Major themes in the book include The Role of Language in Oppression, The Lasting Trauma of America’s Violence Against Indigenous Communities at the hands of white colonizers, and The... Read Neither Wolf Nor Dog Summary

Neo-Colonialism

by Kwame Nkrumah

Publication year 1965

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Economics, Colonialism, Race, Globalization, Nation, Politics & Government, Equality, Power & Greed

Tags Politics & Government, History: African , Philosophy, African Literature

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Network Effect

by Martha Wells

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Space, Grief, Hate & Anger, Memory, Future, Friendship, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Politics & Government, Equality, Justice, Science & Technology

Tags Science Fiction, Action & Adventure, Humor

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New from Here

by Kelly Yang

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Forgiveness, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Hope, Love, Shame & Pride, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Place, Equality, Justice, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Science & Technology, Safety & Danger, Race, Mothers, Siblings, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Friendship, Marriage, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Social Class, Community, Nation, Regret

Tags Race & Racism, Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

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Nightjohn

by Gary Paulsen

Publication year 1993

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Equality, Education, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Race

Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Realistic Fiction, World History, Race & Racism

Nightjohn is a young adult historical fiction novel written by Gary Paulsen. The story is told from the perspective of a young slave girl, as she faces the cruelty of life as a slave and learns to read and write. It was published in 1993 and adapted into a Disney Channel TV film of the same name in 1996. The idea for the novel was born when Paulsen began to research Sally Hemings, a slave... Read Nightjohn Summary