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.

The Golden Gate

by Amy Chua

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Race, Power & Greed, Justice, Immigration, Equality, Femininity, Mental Health, Truth & Lies, Social Class

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Race & Racism, Love & Sexuality, Social Class

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The Great Contradiction

by Joseph J. Ellis

Publication year 2025

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Race, Politics & Government, Equality

Tags US History

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Joseph J. Ellis examines the two greatest failures of the American founding: the failure to end slavery and the failure to prevent Indian removal. He frames these as tragedies coexisting alongside extraordinary achievements, posing a central question: Were these outcomes inevitable, like a Greek tragedy dictated by the gods, or were they avoidable, the product of inadequate leadership and moral blindness?Ellis begins by placing American slavery within the larger context of the... Read The Great Contradiction Summary

The Great Greene Heist

by Varian Johnson

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Forgiveness, Revenge, Childhood & Youth, Friendship, Teamwork, Politics & Government, Equality, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt, Science & Technology

Tags Realistic Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Humor, Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature, Arts & Culture, Modern Classic Fiction

The Great Greene Heist is a middle grade novel by Varian Johnson that follows Jackson Greene, a middle school boy and nearly reformed prankster, who tries to win his crush through hijinks. The novel was named Publisher’s Best Summer Book of 2014, ALA ALSC Notable Children’s Book in 2015, and received a Kirkus Star Review. Johnson published the sequel To Catch a Cheat in 2016. Johnson is also the author of The Parker Inheritance, which... Read The Great Greene Heist Summary

The Guardians

by John Grisham

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Justice, Forgiveness, Perseverance, Conflict, Equality, Truth & Lies, Power & Greed, Politics & Government

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Crime & Law, Social Justice, Race & Racism, Incarceration, Politics & Government

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The Hare With Amber Eyes

by Edmund de Waal

Publication year 2010

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Art, Family, Perseverance, Fear, Memory, Race, The Past, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Education, Politics & Government, War, Beauty, Equality, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Jewish Literature, World History

Edmund de Waal’s The Hare with Amber Eyes (2010) is a family memoir that traces the fate of a collection of Japanese netsuke across generations of the Ephrussi family. Blending personal narrative with cultural history, the author reconstructs the rise and fall of his Jewish ancestors against the backdrop of Western Europe’s turbulent modern history. The book is a meditation on the Jewish diaspora and the fragility of cultural assimilation, exploring how objects, particularly works... Read The Hare With Amber Eyes Summary

The House in the Cerulean Sea

by T. J. Klune

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Nature Versus Nurture, Family, Equality, Community, Sexual Identity

Tags Fantasy, Magical Realism, Romance, LGBTQ+

The House in the Cerulean Sea (2020) is a queer fantasy novel by TJ Klune, Lambda Award-winning author of The Extraordinaires and the Green Creek series. Klune is a queer author whose works often explore supernatural elements. Many mythological species feature in this novel, while other books focus on werewolves, ghosts, and the like. The book explores themes of Nature Versus Nurture, The Perpetuation of Prejudice, and Found Family.Klune’s work, particularly The House in the... Read The House in the Cerulean Sea Summary

The House of Mirth

by Edith Wharton

Publication year 1905

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Community, Friendship, Economics, Shame & Pride, Nature Versus Nurture, Power & Greed, Beauty, Marriage, Trust & Doubt, Equality, Gender Identity, Appearance & Reality, Truth & Lies, Love, Femininity, Art, Perseverance, Hope

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Satirical Literature, Social Class, Gilded Age, Naturalism, American Literature, World History

Set in New York’s high society at the turn of the 20th century, The House of Mirth (1905), was the second novel by renowned American writer Edith Wharton. Wharton drew upon her own privileged upbringing in a wealthy, long-established New York family for her astute observations of this social milieu during the Gilded Age, a period marked by economic disparities and ostentatious materialism. Prior to the novel’s publication in October 1905, The House of Mirth... Read The House of Mirth Summary

The Human Web

by John Robert Mcneill, William H. Mcneill

Publication year 2003

Genre Reference/Text Book, Nonfiction

Themes Conflict, Climate, Environment, Food, Place, Colonialism, Community, Economics, Globalization, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Equality, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Science & Technology

Tags Education, Education, Anthropology, Anthropology, Science & Nature, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics & Government, World History, Sociology

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The Hungry Woman

by Cherríe Moraga

Publication year 2001

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Hate & Anger, Hope, Love, Revenge, Gender Identity, Indigenous Identity, Language, Mental Health, Race, Sexual Identity, Death, Mothers, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Nation, Politics & Government, Equality, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Drama, LGBTQ+, Gender & Feminism, Science Fiction

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The Husbands

by Chandler Baker

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Marriage, Guilt, Gender Identity, Equality

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Gender & Feminism, Modern Classic Fiction

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