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.

Moses, Man of the Mountain

by Zora Neale Hurston

Publication year 1939

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Hope, Place, Family, Social Class, Colonialism, Nation, Politics & Government, Equality, Justice, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Education, Education, African American Literature, Historical Fiction, Fairy Tale & Folklore, Classic Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

Moses, Man of the Mountain is an allegorical novel by African-American author and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston. The novel reimagines the life of Moses and the biblical narrative of the Exodus from Egypt with several important changes, including the use of African American dialect, slang, and folklore. Throughout the novel, Hurston draws allegorical parallels between the enslavement of the Hebrew people in Egypt and the enslavement of people of African descent in the United States... Read Moses, Man of the Mountain Summary

Mother Tongue

by Amy Tan

Publication year 1990

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Justice

Tags Race & Racism, Asian Literature, Chinese Literature

“Mother Tongue” explores Amy Tan’s relationship with the English language, her mother, and writing. This nonfiction narrative essay was originally given as a talk during the 1989 State of the Language Symposium; it was later published by The Threepenny Review in 1990. Since then, “Mother Tongue” has been anthologized countless times and won notable awards and honors, including being selected for the 1991 edition of Best American Essays.The original publication of “Mother Tongue,” which this... Read Mother Tongue Summary

Moth Smoke

by Mohsin Hamid

Publication year 2000

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Social Class, Guilt, Justice

Tags Asian Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Asian Literature

Mohsin Hamid’s first novel, Moth Smoke, examines class and privilege, drugs, and sex in 1990s Pakistan. The novel plots the unraveling of Darashikoh Shezad’s life. When the book opens, Daru is on trial for the death of a boy, and the text examines the events leading up to this false accusation. Multiple narrators chart Daru’s moral decline, and the examination of Daru’s choices from different angles asks the reader to be the judge of Daru’s... Read Moth Smoke Summary

Mr Stink

by David Walliams

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Forgiveness, Loneliness, Coming of Age, Appearance & Reality, Family, Marriage, Mothers, Siblings, Social Class, Community, Justice

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Murder at the Vicarage

by Agatha Christie

Publication year 1930

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Marriage, Social Class, Justice

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Classic Fiction, British Literature

Published in 1930, Murder at the Vicarage is Agatha Christie’s first novel featuring the elderly detective Miss Marple. The character first appears in a 1927 short story entitled “The Tuesday Murder Club.” In Murder at the Vicarage, unpopular bully Colonel Protheroe dies from a gunshot wound in the study of St. Mary Mead’s Vicarage. All suspects have an alibi, including the victim’s wife and her lover, who each admits guilt to divert suspicion from the... Read Murder at the Vicarage Summary

Murder by Cheesecake

by Rachel Ekstrom Courage

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Grief, Love, Nostalgia, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Gender Identity, Death, Appearance & Reality, Family, Friendship, Community, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction

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Murderland

by Caroline Fraser

Publication year 2025

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Hate & Anger, Memory, Masculinity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Childhood & Youth, Death, Future, The Past, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Climate, Environment, Place, Family, Social Class, Community, Education, Nation, Politics & Government, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags True Crime, Biography

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Murder on the Orient Express

by Agatha Christie

Publication year 1934

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Revenge, Appearance & Reality, Death, Globalization, Justice, Truth & Lies, Good & Evil, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt

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

Murder on the Orient Express, first published in 1934, is a mystery by Agatha Christie featuring one of her most famous characters, the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. A locked-room mystery, the novel unfolds in a train, the Orient Express, which has become stranded in a snowstorm. Poirot happens to be on the train when a man named Mr. Ratchett is murdered. Poirot is called upon to solve the case, and the book follows his investigation... Read Murder on the Orient Express Summary

Murder Road

by Simone St. James

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Fear, Love, Revenge, Gender Identity, The Past, Self Discovery, Justice, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt

Tags Science Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

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My Name Is Not Easy

by Debby Dahl Edwardson

Publication year 2011

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Education, Perseverance, Indigenous Identity, Family, Siblings, Colonialism, Politics & Government, Justice, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt

Tags Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, World History, Historical Fiction

... Read My Name Is Not Easy Summary

Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes

by Edith Hamilton

Publication year 1942

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Literature, Justice, Art

Tags Mythology, Classical Period, Education, Education, World History, Fantasy, Classic Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

Originally published in 1942, Mythology is primarily a compendium of Greek and Roman myths, with a brief final section on Norse mythology, written by American educator and classicist Edith Hamilton. Hamilton engages with the myths as both a storyteller and a literary critic. She organizes and retells the myths narrated in ancient sources, and she assesses those ancient sources as works of literature. Her approach is grounded in the assumptions that Greek and Roman civilizations... Read Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes Summary

Naked Lunch

by William S. Burroughs

Publication year 1959

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Order & Chaos, Mental Health, Safety & Danger, Justice, Community, Politics & Government

Tags The Beat Generation, Classic Fiction, Science Fiction, Addiction & Substance Abuse, American Literature, Satirical Literature, Politics & Government, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

Naked Lunch is a 1959 novel by American author William. S. Burroughs. In it, Lee, a heroin user, looks to escape New York to avoid arrest by the police. He thus embarks on a journey through Philadelphia and Mexico before arriving in the fictional state of Freeland, where all life is well-ordered and hygienic. Following a riot in a Freeland psychological reconditioning center, however, Lee flees to the strange and fantastical city of Interzone. There... Read Naked Lunch Summary