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.

Leather & Lark

by Brynne Weaver

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Hate & Anger, Love, Revenge, Death, Family, Marriage, Self Discovery, Art, Justice

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Romance, Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction

... Read Leather & Lark Summary

Le Cid

by Pierre Corneille

Publication year 1636

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Love, Loyalty & Betrayal, Justice

Tags Tragedy, Comedy & Satire, Arts & Culture, French Literature

Le Cid is a five-act tragicomic play by Pierre Corneille, first performed in 1636 at the Théâtre du Marais in Paris. The plot is based on the Spanish play Las mocedadas del Cid by Guillén de Castro, which itself is based on the legend of Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar (1043-1099), a Castilian knight and Spanish national hero whose title “El Cid” is derived from the Arabic word for lord, sayyid. Corneille (1606-1684) is considered one... Read Le Cid Summary

Left for Dead

by Pete Nelson

Publication year 2002

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Perseverance, Justice, Safety & Danger

Tags US History, Military & War, World War II, Education, Education, World History, Action & Adventure, Biography

Left for Dead is a work of military nonfiction for young adults by Pete Nelson. It tells the true story of what happened to the men whose ship, the USS Indianapolis, sank during World War II in July 1945. Hunter Scott, who wrote an introduction for the book, studied the incident for a school history fair project and became determined to discover the truth about what happened. Dismayed by the miscarriage of justice surrounding the... Read Left for Dead Summary

Les Misérables

by Victor Hugo

Publication year 1862

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Justice, Love

Tags Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction, Dramatic Literature, French Literature

Les Misérables (in English, The Wretched or The Miserable Ones) is a novel by French author Victor Hugo, published for the first time in 1862. The story follows several characters through early- to mid-19th century France as they seek redemption for their sins and an escape from poverty. As well as being praised as one of the greatest novels of its time, Les Misérables has been adapted for many other formats, most notably a very... Read Les Misérables Summary

Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed

by Philip Paul Hallie

Publication year 1994

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Race, Death, Community, War, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags World War II, Military & War, French Literature, World History, Philosophy, Philosophy, Religion & Spirituality

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Let Me Hear a Rhyme

by Tiffany D. Jackson

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Music, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Hate & Anger, Love, Joy, Hope, Guilt, Memory, Nostalgia, Regret, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Equality, Justice, Safety & Danger, Loyalty & Betrayal, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Power & Greed, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Daughters & Sons, Family, Friendship, Siblings, Mothers, Race, Language, Community

Tags Realistic Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Grief & Death, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Music

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Let The Circle Be Unbroken

by Mildred D. Taylor

Publication year 1981

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Perseverance, Hate & Anger, Race, Siblings, Social Class, Economics, Justice, Equality

Tags Historical Fiction, Race & Racism, Great Depression, Children`s Literature, World History, Classic Fiction

Let the Circle Be Unbroken (1981) is part of the Logan Family Saga by author Mildred D. Taylor. The series follows the fortunes of a Black farming family, the Logans, through more than one generation as they experience the tribulations of life in the South before the Civil Rights era. The saga consists of 10 novels and novellas. The award-winning novels include The Land (2001), Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (1976), and The Road... Read Let The Circle Be Unbroken Summary

Liar & Spy

by Rebecca Stead

Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Mothers, Justice, Community, Self Discovery, Family

Tags Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, Bullying, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

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Lift Every Voice and Sing

by James Weldon Johnson

Publication year 1900

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Grief, Equality, Joy, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt, Justice, Nation, The Past, Future, Race, Perseverance

Tags Lyric Poem, Inspirational, African American Literature, American Literature, Race & Racism, Religion & Spirituality, Civil Rights & Jim Crow South, US History

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Like a Winding Sheet

by Ann Petry

Publication year 1946

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Justice, Hate & Anger, Community

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

“Like A Winding Sheet” is a short story by African American writer Ann Petry, originally published in 1945 and included in the 1946 collection of Best American Short Stories. Like many of Petry’s novels and short stories, “Like A Winding Sheet” examines how racism within American society impacts the personal lives of working-class African American people. In the story, Petry is especially interested in how racism is an inescapable part of life in New York... Read Like a Winding Sheet Summary

Little Rot

by Akwaeke Emezi

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Guilt, Regret, Gender Identity, Sexual Identity, Marriage, Self Discovery, Social Class, Good & Evil, Justice, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger

Tags Horror & Suspense, LGBTQ+, Modern Classic Fiction, Literary Fiction

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Living a Feminist Life

by Sara Ahmed

Publication year 2017

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Femininity, Sexual Identity, Power & Greed, Justice, Gender Identity, Race, Equality

Tags Philosophy, Gender & Feminism, Politics & Government, Women`s Studies, Social Justice, Education, Education, LGBTQ+, Philosophy

... Read Living a Feminist Life Summary

Lizzie Bright And The Buckminster Boy

by Gary D. Schmidt

Publication year 2004

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Grief, Race, Coming of Age, Friendship, Equality, Economics, Justice, Religion & Spirituality, Community, Power & Greed, Fathers, Daughters & Sons, Hate & Anger

Tags Historical Fiction, American Literature, Grief & Death, Race & Racism, Religion & Spirituality, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, World History

Gary D. Schmidt’s Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy (2004), an historical novel for young adults, received the Newbery Honor in 2005. It is based on actual events occurring on Malaga Island, Maine in 1912, when the government of Maine placed the residents of the island in a mental hospital and tore down their homes.Turner Buckminster is the son of a reverend living in Phippsburg, Maine in 1912. Turner has just relocated to Phippsburg from... Read Lizzie Bright And The Buckminster Boy Summary