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.

None Left to Tell

by Noelle W. Ihli

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Guilt, Hope, Memory, Indigenous Identity, Race, Death, The Past, Nature Versus Nurture, Daughters & Sons, Colonialism, Immigration, War, Equality, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense

... Read None Left to Tell Summary

No Talking

by Andrew Clements

Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Teamwork, Equality

Tags Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Humor

No Talking (2007) is a children’s novel by Andrew Clements, and the 2010 recipient of the California Young Reader Medal. In the novel, fifth-grade boys and girls compete to see who can talk the least at school. The competition causes an uproar among teachers and staff, exploring questions of authority in the school setting and building friendships across differences. Andrew Clements was a teacher, author, editor, and book publisher, best known for his debut novel, Frindle... Read No Talking Summary

Notes on Nursing

by Florence Nightingale

Publication year 1860

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Death, Teamwork, Perseverance, Trust & Doubt, Equality, Community, Education

Tags Health, Psychology, Relationships, Science & Nature, World History, Classic Fiction

Florence Nightingale was an English nurse commonly known as the founder of modern nursing practices. Born in Italy, she became an experienced nurse and formed many of her opinions while serving in the Crimean War, enrolling in nursing school at age 24 in Germany. She penned Notes on Nursing: What It Is, and What it Is Not in 1859, just a few years after serving in the war, and the work was first published in... Read Notes on Nursing Summary

Nothing Tastes as Good

by Luke Dumas

Publication year 2026

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Hate & Anger, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Mental Health, Appearance & Reality, Food, Community, Equality, Justice

Tags Horror & Suspense, LGBTQ+

Luke Dumas’s 2026 novel, Nothing Tastes as Good, is a work of body and psychological horror that satirizes contemporary diet culture. The story follows Emmett Truesdale, a 28-year-old man living with severe obesity whose life is defined by trauma and shame. Desperate to escape a world that constantly judges his body, he enrolls in a clinical trial for Obexity, a revolutionary drug that promises rapid weight loss without diet or exercise. While the treatment initially... Read Nothing Tastes as Good Summary

Noughts And Crosses

by Malorie Blackman

Publication year 2001

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Equality, Justice

Tags Science Fiction, Romance, Race & Racism, Coming of Age, Incarceration, Relationships, Symbolic Narrative, Trauma & Abuse, Social Justice, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Dramatic Literature

... Read Noughts And Crosses Summary

Now I Surrender

by Álvaro Enrigue, Transl. Natasha Wimmer

Publication year 2026

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Grief, Memory, Regret, Indigenous Identity, Race, Death, The Past, Environment, Place, Family, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Nation, War, Equality, Justice, Wins & Losses

Tags Historical Fiction, Latin American Literature, Literary Fiction, Western

Now I Surrender (2024) is a historical novel by the acclaimed Mexican author Álvaro Enrigue. A work of autofiction and a revisionist Western, the novel weaves together three distinct timelines to explore the brutal history of the American Southwest. The narrative is framed by the reflections of a contemporary Mexican writer on a family road trip through the former territory of Apachería, a research journey for a book about the Apache Wars. This modern pilgrimage... Read Now I Surrender Summary

Numbering all the Bones

by Ann Rinaldi

Publication year 2002

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Death, Siblings, Coming of Age, Daughters & Sons, Race, Equality, Justice, War, Fathers

Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Life-Inspired Fiction, American Civil War, Race & Racism, US History, Military & War, World History

... Read Numbering all the Bones Summary

Old New York

by Edith Wharton

Publication year 1924

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Guilt, Loneliness, Love, Regret, Femininity, Masculinity, Death, The Past, Mothers, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Economics, Education, Art, Beauty, Equality, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction

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On Beauty

by Zadie Smith

Publication year 2005

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Beauty, Family, Marriage, Aging, Religion & Spirituality, Race, Loyalty & Betrayal, Mothers, Social Class, Community, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Siblings, Midlife, Trust & Doubt, Friendship, Loneliness, Childhood & Youth, Forgiveness, Art, Apathy, Guilt, Equality, Hate & Anger, Coming of Age, Masculinity, Conflict, Education, Femininity, Self Discovery, Truth & Lies, Shame & Pride, Appearance & Reality, Death, Grief, Gender Identity, Hope

Tags British Literature, Race & Racism, Modern Classic Fiction

On Beauty by the celebrated British author Zadie Smith was published in 2005. On Beauty was shortlisted for the prestigious Man Booker Prize and won the Orange Prize for Fiction. Smith is known for writing novels and essays that analyze the intersections of identity in the contemporary world with nuance, clarity, and empathy. She is also known to be influenced by the classic English author E.M. Forster. On Beauty is loosely based on Forster’s masterpiece... Read On Beauty Summary

One Native Life

by Richard Wagamese

Publication year 2008

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Gratitude, Guilt, Hope, Loneliness, Memory, Shame & Pride, Indigenous Identity, Language, Animals, Plants, Place, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Community, Education, Nation, Art, Beauty, Equality, Fate, Justice, Literature, Music, Religion & Spirituality, Truth & Lies

Tags World History, Biography

... Read One Native Life Summary

One Today

by Richard Blanco

Publication year 2013

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Language, Hope, Future, The Past, Community, Politics & Government, Equality

Tags LGBTQ+, Politics & Government, Immigration & Refugeeism

... Read One Today Summary

Open Throat

by Henry Hoke

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Animals, Equality, Climate, Loneliness, Gender Identity, Environment, Social Class

Tags Fantasy, LGBTQ+, Humor, Dramatic Literature

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Ophie's Ghosts

by Justina Ireland

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Memory, Femininity, Race, Coming of Age, Death, The Past, Family, Social Class, Economics, Equality, Justice, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Crime Fiction, African American Literature

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Ordinary Hazards

by Nikki Grimes

Publication year 2019

Genre Memoir in Verse, Nonfiction

Themes Literature, Childhood & Youth, Family, Mental Health, Perseverance, Race, Coming of Age, Mothers, Self Discovery, Equality, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Biography, Mental Illness

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Original Sins

by Eve L. Ewing

Publication year 2025

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Hope, Shame & Pride, Indigenous Identity, Race, Childhood & Youth, The Past, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Education, Immigration, Nation, Politics & Government, Equality, Justice

... Read Original Sins Summary