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.

Electra

by Sophocles

Publication year 450

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Death, Fate, Siblings, Revenge, Family, Justice, Grief, Truth & Lies, Perseverance, Appearance & Reality

Tags Tragedy, Mythology, Grief & Death, Ancient Greece, Dramatic Literature, Classical Period, Fantasy, Classic Fiction

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Electra

by Euripides

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Family, Justice, Revenge, Siblings, Hate & Anger

Tags Tragedy, Mythology, Ancient Greece, Classical Period, Trauma & Abuse, Dramatic Literature, Fantasy, Classic Fiction

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Eleven

by Sandra Cisneros

Publication year 1991

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Power & Greed, Shame & Pride, Justice

Tags Coming of Age, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, American Literature

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Ellen Foster

by Kaye Gibbons

Publication year 1987

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Hate & Anger, Memory, Loneliness, Shame & Pride, Revenge, Love, Gratitude, Hope, Childhood & Youth, Death, The Past, Equality, Good & Evil, Literature, Art, Beauty, Trust & Doubt, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses, Power & Greed, Daughters & Sons, Friendship, Family, Fathers, Grandparents, Mothers, Nature Versus Nurture, Appearance & Reality

Tags Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction, Southern Literature, Life-Inspired Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Race & Racism

Ellen Foster is a work of adult fiction by US novelist Kaye Gibbons, first published by Algonquin Books in 1987. The novel was Gibbons’s debut, and it won the Sue Kaufman Prize for literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and a notable citation from the Ernest Hemingway Foundation. Critics praised the novel for its unsentimental outlook and the wry, distinct voice of its protagonist. Ellen, a young girl living in the American... Read Ellen Foster Summary

Emako Blue

by Brenda Woods

Publication year 2005

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Coming of Age, Grief, Safety & Danger, Race, Justice, Community, Death

Tags Realistic Fiction, Poverty, Trauma & Abuse, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Grief & Death, Urban Development, Arts & Culture

Emako Blue is a novel for young adults written by Brenda Woods. Set in Los Angeles, California, Emako's friends and schoolmates relay the events leading up to Emako Blue’s gang-related murder in alternating first-person narration, primarily through flashbacks. The text explores the effects of poverty, gang violence, guns, and how these issues have far-reaching impacts on each member of a community. As the events of the story unfold, each narrator must consider what they want... Read Emako Blue Summary

Embracing Defeat

by John W. Dower

Publication year 1999

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Justice, Power & Greed, Memory, Grief, War, Colonialism

Tags Asian History, World War II, Politics & Government, Military & War, Asian Literature, World History, Japanese Literature

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Empire of Pain

by Patrick Radden Keefe

Publication year 2021

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Loyalty & Betrayal, Social Class, Siblings, Art, Trust & Doubt, Economics, Justice, Power & Greed

Tags Health, Politics & Government, US History, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Business & Economics, Crime & Law, Finance, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Science & Nature, World History, Biography

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End of Story

by A. J. Finn

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Forgiveness, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Memory, Regret, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Death, The Past, Fathers, Self Discovery, Justice, Truth & Lies

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End of Watch

by Stephen King

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mental Health, Good & Evil, Justice, Death

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Action & Adventure, Fantasy, Religion & Spirituality

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Enlightenment Now

by Steven Pinker

Publication year 2018

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Economics, Social Class, Education, Globalization, Nation, Politics & Government, Nostalgia, Equality, Justice, Science & Technology, Religion & Spirituality, Truth & Lies, Community

Tags Philosophy, Science & Nature, Psychology, Sociology, Politics & Government, Health, Agriculture, Business & Economics, Social Class, Climate Change, Social Justice, World History, Psychology, Philosophy

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Eumenides

by Aeschylus

Publication year 458

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Revenge, Justice, Guilt, Gender Identity

Tags Ancient Greece, Dramatic Literature, Drama, Philosophy, Trauma & Abuse

Eumenides is an Attic tragedy by the playwright Aeschylus (circa 525/4-circa 456/5 BCE). Eumenides was the final part of the Oresteia, a tragic trilogy first produced for the City Dionysia in 458 BCE. The Oresteia describes the murder of Agamemnon by his wife Clytemnestra and the aftermath of this act; in Eumenides, Orestes—the son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra—must undergo a trial to be purified of the blood of his mother, whom he murdered to avenge... Read Eumenides Summary

Eva Luna

by Isabel Allende, Transl. Margaret Sayers Peden

Publication year 1987

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Politics & Government, Femininity, Perseverance, Appearance & Reality, Community, Justice

Tags Magical Realism, Historical Fiction, Romance, Latin American Literature, Classic Fiction

First published in Spanish in 1987, Eva Luna is a novel written by celebrated Chilean writer Isabel Allende and later translated into English by Margaret Sayers Peden the following year. The story is set in an unnamed South American country believed to be an amalgamation of Chile and Venezuela. The eponymous Eva Luna narrates the epic story of her life against a backdrop inspired by the sociopolitical changes in South America from the mid-1940s to... Read Eva Luna Summary

Exile

by Shannon Messenger

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Hope, Love, Memory, Language, Race, Future, The Past, Family, Friendship, Community, Education, Immigration, Nation, War, Fate, Justice, Music, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Conflict, Animals, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Truth & Lies, Self Discovery

Tags Children`s Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Action & Adventure

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