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 Young Landlords

by Walter Dean Myers

Publication year 1979

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Perseverance, Race, Coming of Age, Fathers, Social Class, Community, Justice

Tags Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age, Children`s Literature

Walter Dean Myers first published his middle grade novel, The Young Landlords, in 1979. Like most of the 100 books Myers penned before his death in 2014, the story centers on Black youth. The Young Landlords is particularly personal to Myers, however, because he writes about the neighborhood in Harlem, New York, where he grew up, describing the sort of activities and individuals he encountered as a youth. The main character, 15-year-old Paul Williams, pays... Read The Young Landlords Summary

They Went Left

by Monica Hesse

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Love, Memory, Death, Marriage, Siblings, War, Good & Evil, Justice, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, World War II, Military & War, World History

... Read They Went Left Summary

Thick: And Other Essays

by Tressie Mcmillan Cottom

Publication year 2019

Genre Essay Collection, Nonfiction

Themes Race, Beauty, Justice

Tags Creative Nonfiction, Gender & Feminism, Race & Racism, Social Justice, Politics & Government, African American Literature, Women`s Studies, Sociology

Tressie McMillan Cottom’s Thick: And Other Essays (2019) is a collection of personal essays that explore race, gender, and class in the US. McMillan Cottom is a professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an influential public intellectual whose writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Slate, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. Thick situates McMillan Cottom’s personal experiences within sociological and structural analysis to link her experiences to... Read Thick: And Other Essays Summary

Thirst

by Varsha Bajaj

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Justice, Perseverance, Femininity, Family, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Economics, Education

Tags Social Class, Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Social Justice, Modern Classic Fiction, Indian Literature

... Read Thirst Summary

Thirteen

by Steve Cavanagh

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Guilt, Justice, Truth & Lies

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

The fifth installment in the Eddie Flynn legal thriller series, the novel follows a con-artist-turned-defense-attorney as he takes on a high-profile murder trial while a serial killer secretly infiltrates the jury to ensure a guilty verdict.The story opens with Joshua Kane, a meticulous killer, posing as a homeless man outside the Manhattan Criminal Courts Building. Over six weeks, he studies the mail system, then feigns injury to access a mail van and photograph jury duty... Read Thirteen Summary

This Earth of Mankind

by Pramoedya Ananta Toer

Publication year 1980

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Indigenous Identity, Family, Race, Social Class, Colonialism, Education, Politics & Government, Good & Evil, Justice, Self Discovery

Tags Historical Fiction, Colonialism & Postcolonialism, Asian Literature, Social Class, Education, Asian History, Race & Racism

Pramoedya Ananta Toer—a famous Indonesian editor, essayist, and social activist—wrote This Earth of Mankind (1980)—the first book of his series The Buru Quartet—while imprisoned in the Buru Concentration Camp following a military coup that overthrew Sukarno, the first democratically elected president of Indonesia. Incarcerated for 14 years and prevented from having writing material, Toer memorized the books of his series and recited them to his fellow inmates each day until his release in 1979. The... Read This Earth of Mankind Summary

This Inevitable Ruin

by Matt Dinniman

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Justice, Science & Technology

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy

Matt Dinniman’s This Inevitable Ruin (2024) is the seventh novel in the bestselling Dungeon Crawler Carl LitRPG science fiction series. The story continues the journey of Carl, a former US Coast Guard member, and his intelligent cat, Princess Donut, while they fight to survive a deadly, galaxy-wide game show that has transformed Earth into a dungeon. As Carl, Donut, and their allies enter the game’s next level, a massive battle called Faction Wars on the... Read This Inevitable Ruin Summary

This Is My America

by Kim Johnson

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Race, Family, Aging, Safety & Danger, Daughters & Sons, Justice, Equality, Fathers, Perseverance, Conflict

Tags Realistic Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Social Justice, Race & Racism, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read This Is My America Summary

This Is the Fire

by Don Lemon

Publication year 2021

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Race, Sexual Identity, Justice

Tags Race & Racism, Black Lives Matter, Social Justice, Civil Rights & Jim Crow South, African American Literature, American Literature, World History, Politics & Government, Biography

... Read This Is the Fire Summary

This Is Why We Lied

by Karin Slaughter

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Guilt, Love, Regret, Revenge, Death, The Past, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction

... Read This Is Why We Lied Summary

This Land Is Your Land

by Beverly Gage

Publication year 2026

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Conflict, Hate & Anger, Hope, Nostalgia, Indigenous Identity, Language, Race, Future, The Past, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Economics, Immigration, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Equality, Justice, Power & Greed, Science & Technology

Tags US History, Politics & Government, Travel Literature

This Land Is Your Land: A Road Trip Through U.S. History (2026) is a work of nonfiction by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Beverly Gage. Combining narrative history and travelogue, the book chronicles Gage’s journey across the United States in the years leading up to the nation’s 250th anniversary. Troubled by a polarized political climate that simplifies the past, she embarked on a series of road trips to explore how American history is remembered and contested at... Read This Land Is Your Land Summary

This Strange Eventful History

by Claire Messud

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Loneliness, Memory, Nostalgia, Indigenous Identity, Race, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Midlife, Death, Future, The Past, Place, Daughters & Sons, Family, Fathers, Friendship, Marriage, Mothers, Siblings, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Community, Globalization, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Equality, Justice, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Military & War, World History, French Literature, Historical Fiction

... Read This Strange Eventful History Summary

Those Empty Eyes

by Charlie Donlea

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Truth & Lies, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Guilt, Memory, Revenge, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, The Past, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Community, Justice, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt

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

... Read Those Empty Eyes Summary

Three Bags Full

by Leonie Swann

Publication year 2005

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Guilt, Loneliness, Regret, Revenge, Animals, Teamwork, Justice

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction

Leonie Swann’s debut novel, Three Bags Full (2005), is a comedic mystery that follows an unusual team of detectives: a flock of sheep in the small Irish village of Glennkill. When their beloved shepherd, George Glenn, is found impaled by a spade in their pasture, the sheep feel obligated to find his killer. Led by the highly intelligent Miss Maple, the flock uses their unique ovine senses and logic to investigate the human suspects in... Read Three Bags Full Summary