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.

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 Land Is Your Land

by Beverly Gage

Publication year 2026

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Conflict, Hate & Anger, Hope, Nostalgia, Indigenous Identity, Language, Race, Future, The Past, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Economics, Immigration, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Equality, Justice, Power & Greed, Science & Technology

Tags US History, Politics & Government, Travel Literature

This Land Is Your Land: A Road Trip Through U.S. History (2026) is a work of nonfiction by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Beverly Gage. Combining narrative history and travelogue, the book chronicles Gage’s journey across the United States in the years leading up to the nation’s 250th anniversary. Troubled by a polarized political climate that simplifies the past, she embarked on a series of road trips to explore how American history is remembered and contested at... Read This Land Is Your Land Summary

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

Trad Wife

by Saratoga Schaefer

Publication year 2026

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Femininity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Birth, Death, Appearance & Reality, Nature Versus Nurture, Mothers, Self Discovery, Equality, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense, Gender & Feminism

Saratoga Schaefer’s 2026 horror novel, Trad Wife, satirizes the social media phenomenon of “traditional wives” (or tradwives) through the lens of supernatural body horror. The story follows Camille Deming, an influencer who meticulously curates her life online to fit the perfect homesteading aesthetic. Privately, however, her marriage to her husband, Graham, is strained, and her failed attempts to conceive a child threaten both her relationship and her growing social media brand. Desperate to achieve the... Read Trad Wife Summary

Translation State

by Ann Leckie

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Space, Love, Gender Identity, Conflict, Loneliness, Shame & Pride, Disability, Language, Mental Health, Race, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Future, Family, Self Discovery, Social Class, Colonialism, Education, Politics & Government, War, Equality, Science & Technology

Tags Science Fiction, LGBTQ+, Fantasy

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Twelve Years a Slave

by Solomon Northup

Publication year 1853

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Race, Social Class, Equality, Truth & Lies

Tags World History, Classic Fiction, Biography

Twelve Years a Slave is a memoir by Solomon Northup, a black man who was born free in New York and kidnapped by two men who sold him into slavery. Northup spent 12 years as a slave in the Deep South, encountering slave markets in Washington, DC and New Orleans and working on numerous cotton and sugar plantations throughout Louisiana. Northup narrated his memoir to American lawyer and writer David Wilson, who then edited Northup’s... Read Twelve Years a Slave Summary

Two Trains Running

by August Wilson

Publication year 1993

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Equality, Justice, Perseverance, Death

Tags Drama, Historical Drama, Civil Rights & Jim Crow South, African American Literature, Black Arts Movement, Race & Racism, Social Class, Finance, Education, Education, American Literature, Dramatic Literature, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

Two Trains Running by August Wilson first opened in 1990 at the Yale Repertory Theatre with Samuel L. Jackson as Wolf and Laurence Fishburne playing Sterling. The play premiered on Broadway in 1992, receiving four Tony nominations in 1992 including Best Play. Two Trains Running is a part of Wilson’s Century Cycle, also known as the Pittsburgh Cycle, which consists of 10 plays: one for each decade of the 20th century, each depicting the changing... Read Two Trains Running Summary

Unsinkable

by Gordon Korman

Publication year 2011

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Loneliness, Shame & Pride, Gender Identity, Childhood & Youth, Death, Fathers, Mothers, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Equality, Justice, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology

Tags World History, Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature

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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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