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 Reckoning

by John Grisham

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Guilt, Grief, Hate & Anger, Revenge, Shame & Pride, War, Social Class, Colonialism, Politics & Government, Equality, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt, Race, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Femininity, Masculinity, Daughters & Sons, Family, Fathers, Marriage, Mothers, Siblings, Death, Coming of Age, The Past, Nation

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Crime & Law, Race & Racism, Military & War, World History

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The Red and the Black

by Stendhal (Marie-Henri Beyle)

Publication year 1830

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Hate & Anger, Shame & Pride, Coming of Age, Family, Social Class, Economics, Nation, Politics & Government, Equality, Justice, Power & Greed

Tags Historical Fiction, French Literature, Classic Fiction, Psychological Fiction

The Red and the Black (in French, Le Rouge et le Noir: Chronique du XIX siècle) is an 1830 historical novel by Marie-Henri Beyle, better known by the pen name Stendhal. The Red and the Black follows the rise and fall of Julien Sorel, a bright and ambitious, but in many ways naïve, young man of lowly birth, who resolves to work his way up in the highly stratified French society during the Bourbon Restoration... Read The Red and the Black Summary

There Is No Antimemetics Division

by qntm

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Hope, Loneliness, Memory, Language, Mental Health, Death, Future, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Marriage, Teamwork, Politics & Government, War, Equality, Justice, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

Tags Science Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Fantasy

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There Is No Place for Us

by Brian Goldstone

Publication year 2025

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Hate & Anger, Shame & Pride, Mental Health, Race, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Economics, Globalization, Nation, Politics & Government, Equality, Justice, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Sociology, Politics & Government, Political Science, Journalism, Poverty, Urban Studies

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The River Between Us

by Richard Peck

Publication year 2003

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Equality, Family, War

Tags Historical Fiction, Military & War, American Civil War, Children`s Literature, World History

The River Between Us by Richard Peck is a young adult historical fiction novel about the Civil War. Peck was the author of over 35 novels for children and young adults and won a Newberry Medal, Newberry Honor, the Edgar Allan Poe Award, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, and the Christopher Medal. The River Between Us, published in 2003, won the Scott O’Dell Award and was a National Book Award finalist. The book deals with... Read The River Between Us Summary

The Salt Eaters

by Toni Cade Bambara

Publication year 1980

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mental Health, Community, Femininity, Gender Identity, Politics & Government, Race, Equality

Tags American Literature, Classic Fiction, Race & Racism, Gender & Feminism, African American Literature

The Salt Eaters (1980) by Toni Cade Bambara is set in the fictional town of Claybourne, Georgia, in the late 1970s. The style of the novel is experimental and nonlinear. It follows stories and characters linked by themes more than plot. It moves between the past, present, and future in the minds and actions of different characters. The novel centers on the spiritual healing Velma receives from Minnie after a mental health crisis and spirals... Read The Salt Eaters Summary

The Secret History of Wonder Woman

by Jill Lepore

Publication year 2014

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Equality, Truth & Lies, Love

Tags World History, Arts & Culture, Gender & Feminism, Women`s Studies, US History, Social Justice, Psychology, Biography

The Secret History of Wonder Woman is a nonfiction book by Jill Lepore, published in 2014. It falls into the categories of history, comics, women’s studies, and biography, and won the American History Book Prize from the New York Historical Society. Lepore is a professor of American history at Harvard University and a staff writer for the New Yorker magazine. This guide was written from the hardcover first edition.SummaryThe first section, called “Veritas,” includes nine... Read The Secret History of Wonder Woman Summary

The Sexual Contract

by Carole Pateman

Publication year 1988

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Equality, Gender Identity, Community

Tags Philosophy, Gender & Feminism, Women`s Studies, Sociology, World History, Philosophy, Politics & Government

The Sexual Contract, published in 1988 by Polity Press, is an examination of social contract theory through a radical feminist lens. While acknowledging that the original contract itself is a political fiction, Carole Pateman claims that the original contract is a sexual-social contract that secures patriarchy and relations of sexually differentiated domination and subordination in modern civil society. However, dominant interpretations repress the sexual contract so that civil society appears to be post- or anti-patriarchal... Read The Sexual Contract Summary

The Sicilian Inheritance

by Jo Piazza

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Forgiveness, Hope, Loneliness, Memory, Nostalgia, Revenge, Femininity, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Death, The Past, Daughters & Sons, Family, Mothers, Equality, Emotions/Behavior: Courage

Tags Horror & Suspense, Italian Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction

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The Singer Solution to World Poverty

by Peter Singer

Publication year 1999

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Justice, Equality, Good & Evil

Tags Philosophy, Social Justice, Poverty, Business & Economics, Philosophy

Philosopher Peter Singer, known for his uncompromising commitment to utilitarian principles, published his opinion editorial “The Singer Solution to World Poverty” in The New York Times Magazine on 5 September 1999. In the essay, Singer argues that the inhabitants of affluent countries have a moral obligation to donate a significant portion of their wealth to charities that can save lives around the world.Singer begins by describing a situation from the 1998 Brazilian film Central Station... Read The Singer Solution to World Poverty Summary

The Slave Ship

by Marcus Rediker

Publication year 2007

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Race, The Past, Colonialism, Globalization, Politics & Government, Equality, Justice

Tags Race & Racism, US History, Politics & Government, History: African , Age of Enlightenment

The Slave Ship: A Human History is a 2007 book by Marcus Rediker that describes what happened aboard the ships carrying enslaved people from Africa to the Americas across the Atlantic Ocean. Rediker focuses his history on the slave ship itself as well as those onboard. The book won numerous awards, including the 2008 George Washington Book Prize and the 2008 Merle Curti Award. Critics praise it for shedding light on a little-explored facet of... Read The Slave Ship Summary