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.
Publication year 2025
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Identity: Gender, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Family, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Disability, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Publication year 2020
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Community
Tags Social Justice, Race / Racism, Crime / Legal, Incarceration, Biography
Publication year 2012
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Religion / Spirituality, Southern Gothic
Wiley Cash’s novel A Land More Kind Than Home (2012) is set in rural tobacco country in North Carolina. It focuses on the events that unfold over just a few days involving a charismatic church and its leader, Pastor Carson Chambliss. The story is told in alternating points of view from the perspectives of three characters, each of whom witnesses the events that unfold from a different angle. The story speaks to themes of The... Read A Land More Kind than Home Summary
Publication year 2025
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Society: Nation, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Fantasy, Romance, Action / Adventure
Publication year 1978
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Gender, Identity: Race, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Social Justice
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Race, Identity: Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Race / Racism, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 1929
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: War, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Relationships: Friendship, Life/Time: Mortality & Death
Tags Military / War, Historical Fiction, WWI / World War I, Education, Education, History: World, Classic Fiction
All Quiet on the Western Front is a 1929 novel by Erich Maria Remarque which details the experiences of German soldiers at the frontlines of World War I. At the heart of the novel are graphic portrayals of trench warfare and the psychological trauma inflicted on the soldiers as a result. The novel presents a realistic portrait of a horrific war and provides unflattering accounts of the elite classes responsible for such mass destruction. The... Read All Quiet on the Western Front Summary
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: The Future, Natural World: Place, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Joy, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Food, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Teams, Self Discovery, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Society: Globalization, Society: Nation, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose
Tags Historical Fiction
Publication year 1946
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Relationships: Family, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal
Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Southern Literature, Politics / Government
All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren is a fictional political novel originally published in 1946 by Harcourt Brace & Company. Robert Penn Warren was an acclaimed novelist and poet from the American South. Along with fellow Southerners Cleanth Brooks and John Crowe Ransom, he was a leading proponent of the literary critical approach known as New Criticism. His best-known novel, All the King’s Men follows the political rise and fall of Governor Willie... Read All the King's Men Summary
Publication year 2008
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Relationships: Siblings
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Poverty, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Relationships, Bullying, American Literature, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Children's Literature, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Religion / Spirituality
All The Lovely Bad Ones is a 2008 middle-grade fiction book written by Mary Downing Hahn, a prolific children’s author who has authored several award-winning novels. The book’s title is taken from the poem “Little Orphant Annie” by James Whitcomb Riley, which the author inscribed to all children—including “all the lovely bad ones.” All The Lovely Bad Ones won an Oklahoma Sequoyah Award for Children and the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award.All The Lovely... Read All The Lovely Bad Ones Summary
Publication year 1992
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Natural World: Animals
Tags Historical Fiction, Western, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction
All the Pretty Horses (1992) is a novel by Cormac McCarthy and a winner of the National Book Award. The book follows a young man, John Grady Cole, and his best friend Lacey Rawlins as they run away to Mexico in the late 1940s. A bestseller and winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, All the Pretty Horses is the first novel in McCarthy’s Border Trilogy and helped increase the American novelist’s popularity and... Read All The Pretty Horses Summary
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: Politics & Government, Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Southern Literature, Race / Racism, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, African American Literature, Social Justice, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2025
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Race, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Climate, Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Food, Natural World: Objects, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Teams, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Music, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction
Publication year 2020
Genre Anthology/Varied Collection, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance
Tags Climate Change, Science / Nature, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction)
Publication year 1993
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: Politics & Government, Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Race, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Psychological Fiction
Along Came a Spider (1992) is the first novel in the Alex Cross psychological thriller series by James Patterson. Alex Cross is a Black psychologist and police detective working in Washington, DC, with his partner and childhood friend, John Sampson. In this novel, Alex and John are part of a hostage-rescue team investigating the kidnapping of two children by their teacher, Gary Soneji. As of 2023, there are 32 novels in the Alex Cross series... Read Along Came a Spider Summary
Publication year 2009
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Family, Self Discovery, Society: Community, Society: Nation, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Military / War, WWII / World War II, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World, Historical Fiction, Romance
Publication year 2002
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Life/Time: The Future, Society: Class, Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Fantasy