Books on Justice & Injustice

James Baldwin said, "It is certain, in any case, that ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have." In this collection, we've compiled texts that explore the idea of what justice is — and how it can thrive.

10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World

by Elif Shafak

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Grief, Love, Memory, Femininity, Sexual Identity, Death, The Past, Family, Immigration, Justice, Safety & Danger

Tags Historical Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Gender & Feminism, Women`s Studies, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

Elif Shafak’s 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World was published in 2019. Shafak is an award-winning British Turkish novelist who advocates for women’s and LGBTQIA+ rights through her fiction. Shafak’s 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World examines the life of a sex worker who was murdered in Istanbul, Turkey, exploring key moments in her life while her friends desperately try to arrange her funeral. The novel investigates topics like violence against... Read 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World Summary

A Bottle in the Gaza Sea

by Valérie Zenatti

Publication year 2005

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Forgiveness, Hate & Anger, Mental Health, Race, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Family, Social Class, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Justice, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt

Tags Realistic Fiction, Historical Fiction

A Bottle in the Gaza Sea (2005) is a young adult novel by French author and translator Valérie Zenatti. It was first published in French as Une bouteille dans la mer de Gaza. The novel begins when 17-year-old Israeli Tal Levine learns about a bombing at a neighborhood café. She is moved to send a letter in a bottle, which reaches 20-year-old Palestinian Naïm Al-Farjouk. Tal included her email address, and they begin corresponding. Initially... Read A Bottle in the Gaza Sea Summary

Absalom, Absalom

by William Faulkner

Publication year 1936

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Memory, Race, Nation, War, Justice

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Southern Gothic, American Civil War, Southern Literature, American Literature, World History

William Faulkner’s Absalom, Absalom! (1936) is one of the many texts in Faulkner’s oeuvre that is set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi. Faulkner is considered one of the greatest writers of the 20th century, a designation earned due to his innovative and stylistic modernist techniques, which he uses to investigate the history and identity of the American South. Faulkner, who grew up in Mississippi and spent the majority of his life there, was deeply... Read Absalom, Absalom Summary

A Case Of Identity

by Arthur Conan Doyle

Publication year 1891

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Science & Technology, Good & Evil, Justice

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Classic Fiction

“A Case of Identity,” published in September 1891, is the fifth episode in the series of four novels and 56 short stories in the Sherlock Holmes canon, written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It follows the first two novel-length Holmes tales, A Study in Scarlet (1887) and The Sign of Four (1890), as well as the shorter stories “A Scandal in Bohemia” and “The Red-Headed League,” both of which appeared earlier that same year in... Read A Case Of Identity Summary

Accidental Death Of An Anarchist

by Dario Fo

Publication year 1970

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Politics & Government, Justice, Truth & Lies

Tags Drama, Comedy & Satire, Italian Literature, Dramatic Literature, Classic Fiction, Politics & Government

Accidental Death of an Anarchist was first written and produced by playwright and actor Dario Fo in Italy, 1970. The script was directly inspired by the events surrounding the 1969 Piazza Fontana Bombing, and much of Fo’s work revolves around political satire directed at Italy post-World War II and later. Exemplifying Fo’s work as a writer, Accidental Death of an Anarchist combines the humor, irony, and satire of the old Italian tradition of commedia dell’arte... Read Accidental Death Of An Anarchist Summary

A Century of Dishonor

by Helen Hunt Jackson

Publication year 1881

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Race, Place, Colonialism, Politics & Government, Nation, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Indigenous Identity

Tags US History, Race & Racism, Colonial America, Grief & Death, Military & War, Politics & Government, Social Justice, World History

... Read A Century of Dishonor Summary

A Chance in the World

by Steve Pemberton

Publication year 2012

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Race, Justice, Safety & Danger, Family

Tags Race & Racism, Parenting, Inspirational, Biography

A Chance in the World: An Orphan Boy, a Mysterious Past, and How He Found a Place Called Home is a 2012 memoir by author Steve Pemberton. In three parts, it tells the story of his quest to learn the truth about his past. The book examines themes of identity, abuse, family, racism, and how peoples’ pasts can influence their futures. Part 1 begins with Steve’s recurring memory of the day that his mother abandoned... Read A Chance in the World Summary

A Clockwork Orange

by Anthony Burgess

Publication year 1962

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Hate & Anger, Coming of Age, Justice

Tags Satirical Literature, British Literature, Science Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Classic Fiction

Published in 1962, during the height of Cold War tensions between the Soviet Union and the West, Anthony Burgess’s A Clockwork Orange reflects the anxieties and paranoia of the era. It is a dystopian novel about a roving gang of teenagers who instill fear in and inflict violence on the populace. The novel is known for its invented language, called Nadsat, which is an amalgam of Russian-influenced slang and Cockney dialect. The protagonist, the gleefully... Read A Clockwork Orange Summary

Adam of the Road

by Elizabeth Gray Vining

Publication year 1942

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Justice, Perseverance, Coming of Age

Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Action & Adventure, Medieval, Education, Education, World History, Classic Fiction

Adam of the Road, published in 1942, was written by American author and librarian Elizabeth Janet Gray Vining and illustrated by Robert Lawson. Vining wrote many children’s books and holds the rare distinction of winning both the Newberry Medal and the Caldecott Medal, for her books Rabbit Hill and They Were Strong and Good, respectively. Adam of the Road is a historical fiction novel set in the 13th century that focuses on a child’s coming of... Read Adam of the Road Summary