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.

The Chestnut Man

by Søren Sveistrup

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Equality, Family, Apathy, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Regret, Revenge, Death, The Past, Nature Versus Nurture, Place, Mothers, Politics & Government, Justice, Order & Chaos, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Trauma & Abuse

In 1989, police officer Marius Larsen drives to a remote farm on the Danish island of Møn. Inside, he finds the farmer Ørum's two teenage children shot dead and Ørum's wife hacked to death with an axe. In the bathroom, Larsen discovers a young boy barely alive beneath a shower curtain. Remembering the boy has a twin sister, he descends to the basement and finds the girl cowering in a room used as a prison... Read The Chestnut Man Summary

The Children Act

by Ian McEwan

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Marriage, Religion & Spirituality, Regret, Justice

Tags British Literature

The Children Act is a work of literary fiction by British novelist and screenwriter Ian McEwan. Originally published in 2014, The Children Act was inspired by a 1990 case that Sir Alan Ward presided over. The novel fictionalizes this historical case, revolving around the High Court Judge Fiona Maye’s story and character. When Fiona hears that 17-year-old Adam Henry is refusing a blood transfusion because of his Jehovah’s Witness beliefs, she decides to visit him... Read The Children Act Summary

The Chimney Sweeper

by William Blake

Publication year 1789

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Justice, Childhood & Youth, Social Class

Tags Lyric Poem, Poverty, Social Justice, Social Class, Romanticism

William Blake’s poem “The Chimney Sweeper” was first published in his poetry collection Songs of Innocence (1789) and then republished in the expanded Songs of Innocence and of Experience (1794). The latter collection includes another poem of the same title, which complements the first poem and clarifies Blake’s intention. All poems in the collection are short and deceivingly simple in form, borrowing from and building on the conventions of 18th-century poetry for children, designed to... Read The Chimney Sweeper Summary

The Chocolate War

by Robert Cormier

Publication year 1974

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Hate & Anger, Masculinity, Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Education, Good & Evil, Justice, Power & Greed

Tags Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age, Bullying, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier, first published in 1974, is a novel that delves into the dark aspects of adolescence, authority, and conformity. Set in an all-boys Catholic high school called Trinity, the story centers around Jerry Renault, a freshman who defies the school’s two most powerful forces–the secret student group known as the Vigils, and acting Headmaster Brother Leon–by refusing to participate in the annual chocolate sale. Jerry’s act of defiance exposes the... Read The Chocolate War Summary

The Christmas Pig

by J. K. Rowling

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Grief, Childhood & Youth, Objects & Materials, Family, Siblings, Politics & Government, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed

Tags Children`s Literature

... Read The Christmas Pig Summary

The Circuit

by Francisco Jiménez

Publication year 1997

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Family, Justice, Immigration, Perseverance, Education, Childhood & Youth

Tags Historical Fiction, Poverty, Immigration & Refugeeism, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Arts & Culture

... Read The Circuit Summary

The City and the City

by China Miéville

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Appearance & Reality, Order & Chaos, Politics & Government, Justice, Nation, Fear

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Politics & Government, Horror & Suspense

China Miéville’s The City and the City, originally published in 2009, is a hybrid of two distinct genres—speculative fiction and detective fiction—that explores the human susceptibility to fear and the erection of borders as a response to that fear. Other themes examined in the novel are political corruption, violence inspired by far-right politics, and the allure of myths. The City and the City is the winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the World Fantasy... Read The City and the City Summary

The Client

by John Grisham

Publication year 1993

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Justice, Safety & Danger, Fear, Conflict, Perseverance

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Trauma & Abuse, Depression & Suicide, Incarceration

The Client is a legal thriller written by John Grisham. Published in 1993, it is Grisham’s fourth novel. An international best-selling author, Grisham was a lawyer himself for nine years and even served in the Mississippi House of Representatives for six years. His legal and political expertise lend especially well to The Client’s subject matter involving legal ethics, notions of justice, the power of government over its citizens, and political careerism. The Client was adapted... Read The Client Summary

The Cliffs

by J. Courtney Sullivan

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Guilt, Joy, Memory, Femininity, Indigenous Identity, Mental Health, Midlife, The Past, Place, Friendship, Mothers, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Community, Education, Nation, Politics & Government, Equality, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Literary Fiction, Gothic Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

... Read The Cliffs Summary

The Clouds

by Aristophanes

Publication year -423

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Education, Good & Evil, Justice

Tags Classic Fiction, Drama, Comedy & Satire, Ancient Greece, Philosophy, Religion & Spirituality

Clouds is an Attic Comedy by Aristophanes (circa 450-385 BCE). The play was initially produced at the City Dionysia in 423 BCE, where it placed third in a drama festival. Aristophanes subsequently worked on a revision that he never completed, and it is this incomplete revision that represents the surviving text of the play known today. Clouds centers on the character of Strepsiades and his ill-conceived attempt to learn sophistry, or fallacious arguments, from Socrates... Read The Clouds Summary

The Cold Dish

by Craig Johnson

Publication year 2004

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Community, Justice

Tags Western, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense

The Cold Dish is a 2004 western mystery novel by Craig Johnson. The first of a series featuring Walt Longmire, sheriff of the fictional Absaroka County, Wyoming, the novel explores concepts related to legal and vigilante justice, including within the context of an Indigenous community. The Cold Dish earned Johnson a nomination for the Dilys Award, and the series was later adapted into a 2012 television series called Longmire, which was a critical and popular... Read The Cold Dish Summary

The Color of Death

by Trey Gowdy, Christopher Greyson

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Revenge, Death, Family, Justice, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction

Set in Spartanburg, South Carolina, the novel opens with JD, seeking revenge over a family member's conviction in a case Frank defended, and Knox, JD's imposing accomplice, holding defense attorney Frank Hastings captive in a cabin near the North Pacolet River. JD forces Frank to watch a recording of Assistant District Attorney Colm Truesdale delivering a masterful closing argument in a trial Frank lost due to incompetence. After coercing Frank into writing a confession and... Read The Color of Death Summary

The Color of Law

by Richard Rothstein

Publication year 2017

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Race, Justice

Tags Race & Racism, US History, Sociology, World History, Social Justice, Politics & Government

Richard Rothstein’s The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America (2017) is a historical study of how the US government and legal system implemented and enforced de jure segregation. This guide cites the 2017 Kindle edition, and all pagination refers to location numbers.Rothstein challenges the belief that segregation was de facto, or the result of individual choices. Rather, he shows how all levels of government created the system of residential... Read The Color of Law Summary

The Comfort of Crows

by Margaret Renkl

Publication year 2023

Genre Essay Collection, Nonfiction

Themes Grief, Memory, Aging, Death, Future, The Past, Animals, Climate, Environment, Plants, Food, Nature Versus Nurture, Objects & Materials, Place, Family, Self Discovery, Community, Education, Globalization, Beauty, Equality, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Order & Chaos, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Animals, Science & Nature

... Read The Comfort of Crows Summary

The Coming of the Third Reich

by Richard J. Evans

Publication year 2003

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Hate & Anger, Nostalgia, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Disability, Gender Identity, Race, The Past, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Economics, Globalization, Politics & Government, War, Art, Good & Evil, Justice, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger

Tags World History, Military & War, World War II, European History, Politics & Government

... Read The Coming of the Third Reich Summary