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.

Utopia for Realists

by Rutger Bregman

Publication year 2014

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Economics, Social Class, Community, Globalization, Politics & Government, Immigration, Education, Power & Greed, Equality, Justice

Tags Science & Nature, Sociology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics & Government, Business & Economics, World History, Social Justice, Education, Technology, Military & War

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Valentine

by Elizabeth Wetmore

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Community, Safety & Danger, Coming of Age, Forgiveness, Revenge, Love, Mothers, Family, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Fear, Justice, Equality, Good & Evil, Marriage, Truth & Lies, Perseverance, Conflict, Loneliness, Hope, Gratitude

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Coming of Age, Relationships, Race & Racism, Trauma & Abuse, Love & Sexuality, Social Justice, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

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Valley of the Dolls

by Jacqueline Susann

Publication year 1966

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fame, Loyalty & Betrayal, Equality, Femininity

Tags Addiction & Substance Abuse, Dramatic Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Classic Fiction

The novel Valley of the Dolls, originally published in 1966, is a fictional exposé of the lives of three young career women who meet in New York City in 1945, just after the end of World War II. Anne, a recent Radcliffe College graduate, works for a law firm that represents well-known entertainers. Jennifer is an astonishingly beautiful showgirl who marries a famous singer. Neely, only 17, is a budding singer and dancer who eventually... Read Valley of the Dolls Summary

Warriors Don't Cry

by Melba Pattillo Beals

Publication year 1994

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Education, Equality, Perseverance, Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Hate & Anger, Grandparents, Mothers

Tags Race & Racism, US History, African American Literature, Trauma & Abuse, Education, Education, World History, Biography

Originally published in 1994, Warriors Don’t Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals primarily focuses on the 1957-58 school year at Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, during which Beals was a member of the Little Rock Nine—the first group of Black students to attend the formerly all-white high school of 2,000 white students. Beals’s book, written for young-adult readers, speaks of her early life and her many adult accomplishments. Encouraged by school administrators and local... Read Warriors Don't Cry Summary

Ways to Make Sunshine

by Renée Watson

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Friendship, Siblings, Daughters & Sons, Mothers, Childhood & Youth, Love, Food, Equality, Fathers, Perseverance, Conflict, Grandparents

Tags Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, African American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

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Weapons of Math Destruction

by Cathy O'Neil

Publication year 2016

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Economics, Equality, Science & Technology

Tags Business & Economics, Science & Nature, Technology, Technology, Sociology, Politics & Government

In this nonfiction book, data scientist and mathematician Catherine O’Neil’s Weapons of Math Destruction (2016) explores how math-driven models encoded in technology shape many people’s lives and opportunities in the United States. She calls these models weapons of math destruction (WMDs) for their ability to wreak mass havoc on the poor and marginalized peoples of America. This book deals with difficult subject matter, such as socioeconomic oppression, racial discrimination, gender inequality, and discrimination against individuals... Read Weapons of Math Destruction Summary

Weedflower

by Cynthia Kadohata

Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Community, Safety & Danger, Coming of Age, Justice, Race, Shame & Pride, Loneliness, Family, Order & Chaos, Trust & Doubt, Equality, Fear, War

Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Military & War, World History, Japanese Literature, Arts & Culture, World War II, Coming of Age

Weedflower, Cynthia Kadohata’s 2006 historical fiction young adult novel, tells the story of 12-year-old Japanese American Sumiko amid Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor and the US government’s ensuing involvement in World War II. Kadohata depicts the conditions of Japanese internment camps from Sumiko’s perspective, providing unique insight and education on the racism that Japanese Americans faced and the US government’s poor decisions.This guide references the 2009 paperback reprint edition from Atheneum Books for Young Readers.Plot... Read Weedflower Summary

Welcome to the Monkey House

by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

Publication year 1968

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Shame & Pride, Femininity, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Future, Politics & Government, Equality

Tags Science Fiction, Satirical Literature, Love & Sexuality, Postmodernism

“Welcome to the Monkey House” is a short story written by Kurt Vonnegut that was originally published in Playboy Magazine in 1968. It was republished in a short story collection entitled Welcome to the Monkey House that same year. Set in a not-too-distant dystopian future, Vonnegut uses science fiction to darkly satirize the moral restrictions on birth control in 1968. The characters of Nancy McLuhan, a suicide hostess responsible for administering lethal injections, and Billy... Read Welcome to the Monkey House Summary

We Should All Be Feminists

by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Publication year 2014

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Femininity, Equality, Perseverance, Community

Tags Gender & Feminism, Women`s Studies, Social Justice, Politics & Government

“We Should All Be Feminists” is an essay by Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Adichie is also the author of the novels Half of a Yellow Sun, which won the Orange Prize, and Americanah, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award. “We Should All Be Feminists” is based on Adichie’s December 2012 TED talk. In the essay’s introduction, Adichie states that her aim in delivering the speech was to challenge stereotypical notions of feminism.Adichie... Read We Should All Be Feminists Summary

We the People

by Jill Lepore

Publication year 2025

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Future, The Past, Place, Community, Nation, Politics & Government, Equality, Justice

Tags US History, Politics & Government, Political Science, Crime & Law

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Weyward

by Emilia Hart

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Femininity, Self Discovery, Love, Fear, Power & Greed, Equality, Mothers

Tags Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, Gender & Feminism, Trauma & Abuse

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What It Means When a Man Falls From the Sky

by Lesley Nneka Arimah

Publication year 2017

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Femininity, Mothers, Equality

Tags Magical Realism, Fantasy, Modern Classic Fiction

Lesley Nneka Arimah is a Nigerian writer who has lived in the United Kingdom and the United States. What It Means When a Man Falls From the Sky is her debut collection of short stories, many of which have received literary awards, such as the O. Henry Prize and two awards for African writers: the Caine Prize and the Commonwealth Short Story Prize. At the heart of her stories, both realistic and speculative, are relationships... Read What It Means When a Man Falls From the Sky Summary

What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?

by Frederick Douglass

Publication year 1852

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Equality

Tags Race & Racism, US History, Politics & Government, American Civil War, Education, Education, World History, Classic Fiction

In “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?,” otherwise known as “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro,” Frederick Douglass outlines a careful argument against the institution of slavery and more specifically the Fugitive Slave Act. Weaving together ethical, religious, and sociopolitical threads of argument, Douglass points out the ironies of American values, particularly regarding the existence of an economic system based on slavery. Originally drafted and given as a speech in... Read What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July? Summary

While the World Watched

by Carolyn Maull Mckinstry

Publication year 2011

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Hope, Mental Health, Race, Coming of Age, Death, Family, Politics & Government, Equality, Justice

Tags Race & Racism, African American Literature, Civil Rights & Jim Crow South, World History, Biography

Carolyn Maull McKinstry's memoir While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement (2011) describes the author’s experiences growing up in Birmingham, Alabama, during the 1950s and 1960s. At 14 years old, McKinstry survived the racially motivated bombing of Sixteen Street Baptist Church. Four of McKinstry’s friends were killed in the explosion, and the trauma of the experience haunted her into adulthood. McKinstry later embraced a peaceful approach... Read While the World Watched Summary