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.

Belonging

by Nora Krug

Publication year 2018

Genre Graphic Memoir , Nonfiction

Themes Family, Guilt, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Forgiveness, Gratitude, Grief, Hate & Anger, Hope, Loneliness, Memory, Shame & Pride, Mental Health, Race, Death, The Past, Place, Self Discovery, Community, Politics & Government, War, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags European History, Holocaust, World War II

... Read Belonging Summary

Betty

by Tiffany McDaniel

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Indigenous Identity, Family, Grief, Hope, Hate & Anger, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Race, Coming of Age, Environment, Mothers, Siblings, Good & Evil, Justice

Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, Trauma & Abuse

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Between the World and Me

by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Publication year 2015

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Race, Justice

Tags Race & Racism, African American Literature, Black Lives Matter, World History, Social Justice, Politics & Government, Biography

Ta-Nehisi Coates’s nonfiction book Between the World and Me was published 2015. The book takes the form of a long letter to Coates’s son Samori at age 15, and the title borrows from a poem by famed Black author Richard Wright. The text focuses on the psychological and physical trauma of racial violence that haunts generations of Black people, considering themes like The Precarity of the Black Body in the United States, The Danger of... Read Between the World and Me Summary

Biased

by Jennifer L. Eberhardt, PhD

Publication year 2019

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Safety & Danger, Justice, Equality, Fear, Conflict, Community

Tags Psychology, Race & Racism, Sociology, Social Justice, Science & Nature, Psychology, Politics & Government

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Big Boy Leaves Home

by Richard Wright

Publication year 1936

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Community, Race, Justice

Tags African American Literature, Race & Racism, Trauma & Abuse, Coming of Age, Civil Rights & Jim Crow South

The short story “Big Boy Leaves Home” (1936) is the first published work of Richard Wright (1908-1960), a celebrated African American author who is best known for his 1940 protest novel Native Son. Most of Wright’s poetry, fiction, and nonfiction deal with the experiences of working-class Black people (especially men) in the United States. His protagonists, like “Big Boy,” struggle against overt racism and racist violence in their communities, ultimately facing crises that force them... Read Big Boy Leaves Home Summary

Billy Budd, Sailor

by Herman Melville

Publication year 1924

Genre Novella, Fiction

Themes Teamwork, Community, War, Good & Evil, Justice

Tags American Literature, Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Action & Adventure, Education, Education, World History

Billy Budd, Sailor is a 1924 novella by Herman Melville. The narrative is equal parts philosophical examination and Christian allegory. The story concerns the brief time and tragic death of the eponymous Billy on the British warship Bellipotent. In the story, Billy, happy and naïve, is framed for mutiny and hanged for treason despite his innocence. Melville uses Billy’s story to examine The Struggle Between Morality and Lawfulness, The Vulnerability of Innocence and Naivety, and... Read Billy Budd, Sailor Summary

Black Boy

by Richard Wright

Publication year 1945

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Race, Justice

Tags Race & Racism, Civil Rights & Jim Crow South, Education, Education, World History, Classic Fiction, Biography

Black Boy (American Hunger): A Record of Childhood and Youth is American writer Richard Wright’s classic memoir about coming of age as a Black man in the Jim Crow South and his migration to Chicago. Harper published Part 1 in 1945 as Black Boy and Part 2, which focuses on Wright’s experiences in the Communist Party in Chicago, in 1977 as American Hunger; Library of America published the combined memoir in 1991. The 1945 edition... Read Black Boy Summary

Black Like Me

by John Howard Griffin

Publication year 1961

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Hate & Anger, Race, Community, Justice

Tags US History, Race & Racism, Journalism, Sociology, World History, Classic Fiction, Biography

Black Like Me is a sociological memoir written by John Howard Griffin in 1960. It takes place in 1959 in the deep South of the United States during the end of the segregation era. Griffin, a white man, assumes the appearance and life of a Black man and records his experiences in an attempt to create understanding and bridge gaps between Black and white Americans. Black Like Me was awarded the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for... Read Black Like Me Summary

Bleak House

by Charles Dickens

Publication year 1853

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Justice, Love, Family

Tags Classic Fiction, Victorian Period, Satirical Literature, British Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, World History, Historical Fiction, Victorian Era

Bleak House is a novel by English Victorian author Charles Dickens, published between 1852-1853. The expansive narrative covers many plots, including the first-person account of the life of Esther Summerson and an ongoing court case concerning a large inheritance thrown into chaos by the existence of contradictory wills. Bleak House has been adapted for the theater, radio, film, and television (most recently in 2005) and is considered among Dickens’ greatest novels. This guide uses an... Read Bleak House Summary

Blood Meridian

by Cormac McCarthy

Publication year 1985

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Loyalty & Betrayal, Fate, Safety & Danger, Justice, Order & Chaos, Good & Evil, Power & Greed, Wins & Losses, Revenge, Hate & Anger, Fear, Conflict

Tags Western, Historical Fiction, American Literature, Horror & Suspense, World History, Classic Fiction

Blood Meridian, a 1985 historical fiction novel by Cormac McCarthy, is one of the most celebrated works of modern American literature. The novel was inspired by people and events of the mid-19th century in the borderlands of the United States and Mexico. McCarthy’s works have won many honors including the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize. Blood Meridian is often considered his greatest novel. This guide uses an eBook version of the 1992 First Vintage... Read Blood Meridian Summary

Blood Moon

by Sandra Brown

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Love, Regret, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Death, Appearance & Reality, Fathers, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Politics & Government, Good & Evil, Justice, Safety & Danger

Tags Horror & Suspense, Romance

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Blood Over Bright Haven

by M. L. Wang

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Hope, Regret, Revenge, Femininity, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Coming of Age, Death, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Place, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Equality, Justice, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Truth & Lies, Race

Tags Fantasy

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Bluebird, Bluebird

by Attica Locke

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Community, Safety & Danger, Family, Hate & Anger, Music, Race, Mothers, Food, Trust & Doubt, Justice, Equality, Marriage, Grief, Fear, Perseverance, Conflict

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Race & Racism, African American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

Bluebird, Bluebird (2017) by Texas native Attica Locke, published by Little, Brown and Company, is a 2018 Edgar and Anthony award-winning mystery novel. It was also selected as a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and Kirkus Best Mysteries and Thrillers of 2017. The first in the Highway 59 series follows Texas Ranger Darren Mathews through the backroads of Texas in search of justice and reform... Read Bluebird, Bluebird Summary

Bonk

by Mary Roach

Publication year 2008

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Fear, Gratitude, Love, Shame & Pride, Disability, Femininity, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Self Discovery, Community, Education, Politics & Government, Justice, Literature, Order & Chaos, Science & Technology, Truth & Lies

Tags Science & Nature, Love & Sexuality, Health, Psychology, Humor

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Born to Run

by Bruce Springsteen

Publication year 2016

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Perseverance, Hope, Joy, Memory, Love, Coming of Age, Midlife, Childhood & Youth, Family, Friendship, Self Discovery, Community, Politics & Government, Fate, Art, Fame, Justice, Music, Equality, Loyalty & Betrayal, Trust & Doubt, Religion & Spirituality, Truth & Lies

Tags Music, Arts & Culture, Mental Illness, Social Justice, US History, Biography

... Read Born to Run Summary