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 White House

by Claude McKay

Publication year 1919

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Justice, Equality, Truth & Lies, Hate & Anger, Shame & Pride, Fear, Perseverance, Conflict, Hope

Tags Lyric Poem, Race & Racism, Social Justice

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The Will to Change

by bell hooks

Publication year 2003

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Gender Identity, Masculinity, Equality

Tags Gender & Feminism, Love & Sexuality, Relationships, Psychology, Philosophy, Social Justice, Sociology, Psychology, Philosophy, Self-Improvement, Politics & Government

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The Wind Knows My Name

by Isabel Allende

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Guilt, Apathy, Shame & Pride, Family, Justice, Equality, Good & Evil, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Politics & Government, Immigration

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, World War II, Holocaust, Social Class, World History, History of the Americas, US History, Immigration & Refugeeism, Military & War, Politics & Government, Social Justice, Music, Trauma & Abuse, Race & Racism

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The World According To Garp

by John Irving

Publication year 1978

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Family, Marriage, Equality

Tags Relationships, Dramatic Literature, American Literature, Humor, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction

The World According to Garp, John Irving’s fourth novel, was first published in 1978 and continues to enjoy a wide circulation. The novel features elements drawn from Irving’s life and is a literary satire of gender dynamics in the wake of second-wave feminism. Irving himself claims that it’s a protest novel. The main subject areas include parenthood, death, feminism, manhood and masculinity, marriage and family structures, the influence of literature in a reader’s life, and... Read The World According To Garp Summary

This I Believe

by Jay Allison, Dan Gediman

Publication year 2006

Genre Essay Collection, Nonfiction

Themes Perseverance, Community, Equality, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Philosophy, Inspirational

This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women (2006) is a collection of 80 short essays written by American people from all walks of life, outlining their personal beliefs and credos. The volume was compiled by co-editors Jay Allison and Dan Gediman, working for the nonprofit organization This I Believe, Inc.. The organization and its publications aim to promote tolerance and understanding, and to facilitate public debate by encouraging members of the... Read This I Believe Summary

This Is My America

by Kim Johnson

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Race, Family, Aging, Safety & Danger, Daughters & Sons, Justice, Equality, Fathers, Perseverance, Conflict

Tags Realistic Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Social Justice, Race & Racism, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

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This Strange Eventful History

by Claire Messud

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Loneliness, Memory, Nostalgia, Indigenous Identity, Race, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Midlife, Death, Future, The Past, Place, Daughters & Sons, Family, Fathers, Friendship, Marriage, Mothers, Siblings, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Community, Globalization, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Equality, Justice, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Military & War, World History, French Literature, Historical Fiction

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Thousand Pieces of Gold

by Ruthanne Lum McCunn

Publication year 1981

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Hope, Gender Identity, Race, Fathers, Immigration, Nation, Equality

Tags Historical Fiction, Life-Inspired Fiction, Asian Literature, Chinese Literature, Education, Education, Asian Literature, World History, Classic Fiction

Thousand Pieces of Gold is a biographical novel written by Ruthanne Lum McCunn. McCunn is known for writing about the lives of often-forgotten Chinese Americans, and Thousand Pieces of Gold follows the life of Polly Bemis, a Chinese American woman considered to be one of the most important female pioneers in Idaho in the 19th century. The novel explores themes such as The Burden and Pain of Family Betrayal, Gender Expectations and the Quest for... Read Thousand Pieces of Gold Summary

Through My Eyes

by Ruby Bridges

Publication year 1999

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Fear, Hate & Anger, Equality, Justice, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Civil Rights & Jim Crow South, US History, Trauma & Abuse, Race & Racism, Bullying, Black Lives Matter, Education

Through My Eyes is the autobiography of Ruby Bridges. In 1960, Bridges became the first African American child to integrate an elementary school in New Orleans, Louisiana following a court mandate for the state to desegregate its public school system. Louisiana trailed segregation effort in neighboring states, such as the nine Black high school students known as the “Little Rock Nine” who integrated a high school in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957.Bridges’s autobiography, published in... Read Through My Eyes Summary

To Be a Slave

by Julius Lester

Publication year 1968

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Race, Equality, Nation

Tags US History, Race & Racism, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, World History, Classic Fiction, Biography

To Be a Slave is a nonfiction children’s book written by Julius Lester and published in 1968. In 1969, the book was named a John Newbery Honor Book in recognition of its important contribution to children’s literature.The book focuses on the history of enslavement in the United States. Julius Lester compiled slave narratives and wrote his own historical commentary to accompany them. Lester was writing in the context of the civil rights movement of the... Read To Be a Slave Summary

To His Excellency General Washington

by Phillis Wheatley

Publication year 1773

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Equality, Justice

Tags Classic Fiction, Civil Rights & Jim Crow South, Race & Racism, African American Literature

“To His Excellency General Washington'' was written in 1775 by Phillis Wheatley. The poem addresses George Washington following the commencement of the American Revolutionary War that year. At the time, Wheatley was writing in popular convention with a Victorian form praising poetry’s inherited forms. A striking dimension of the poem is its fealty to a slave owner, George Washington, by a woman who was still a slave at her time of writing and would remain... Read To His Excellency General Washington Summary