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.

Boy Overboard

by Morris Gleitzman

Publication year 2002

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes War, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Hope, Gender Identity, Coming of Age, Death, Family, Siblings, Teamwork, Immigration, Politics & Government, Justice, Safety & Danger

Tags Children`s Literature, Action & Adventure, Contemporary Literature

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Boy: Tales of Childhood

by Roald Dahl

Publication year 1984

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Memory, The Past, Childhood & Youth, Good & Evil, Justice, Nostalgia, Family

Tags Humor, Children`s Literature, Classic Fiction, Biography

IntroductionMany readers are familiar with Roald Dahl (1916-1990) as the author of popular stories such as James and the Giant Peach (1961) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964). Dahl published 19 novels and short story collections for children. He was born in Wales to a Norwegian family and spent most of his life in England. He was an intelligence officer and fighter pilot in the Royal Air Force during World War II and suffered... Read Boy: Tales of Childhood Summary

Brain Damage

by Freida McFadden

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Memory, Shame & Pride, Disability, Femininity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Midlife, Appearance & Reality, Objects & Materials, Friendship, Marriage, Self Discovery, Community, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense, Psychological Fiction

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Breakout

by Kate Messner

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Race, Good & Evil, Justice

Tags Realistic Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Incarceration, Race & Racism, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

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Bright Young Women

by Jessica Knoll

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Friendship, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Good & Evil, Femininity, Perseverance, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Gender & Feminism, US History, Incarceration, Internet & Social Media, Journalism, LGBTQ+, Love & Sexuality, Politics & Government, Psychology, Relationships, Social Justice, Trauma & Abuse, Crime & Law, World History

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Brown Girl Dreaming

by Jacqueline Woodson

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Nonfiction

Themes Race, Justice, Family

Tags Race & Racism, Narrative Poem, Life-Inspired Fiction, Children`s Literature, Biography

Brown Girl Dreaming (2014) is a memoir in verse by Jacqueline Woodson, a children’s and young adult fiction writer. Published by Nancy Paulsen Books, a division of the Penguin Group, the memoir won the National Book Award, the Newberry Honor Book Award, and the Coretta Scott King Award. Other works by this author include Another Brooklyn, Red at the Bone, and Before the Ever After.Plot SummaryBrown Girl Dreaming covers Woodson’s childhood, detailing her family history and... Read Brown Girl Dreaming Summary

Bullet Points

by Jericho Brown

Publication year 2019

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Race, Death, Mothers, Community, Nation, Equality, Justice, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Trauma & Abuse, Race & Racism, Social Justice

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Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee

by Dee Brown

Publication year 1970

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Wins & Losses, Power & Greed, Loyalty & Betrayal, Justice, Politics & Government, Nation, War, Indigenous Identity, Place, Environment

Tags US History, Military & War, Race & Racism, Politics & Government, World History, Classic Fiction

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West, a nonfiction history by librarian and historian Dee Brown, was published in 1970 and became a widely influential bestseller. Dee Brown (full name Dorris Alexander Brown) was the author of more than 30 fiction and nonfiction books. As a librarian at the University of Illinois, he had access to the primary historical records from the late 19th century that became the main... Read Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee Summary

Butcher's Crossing

by John Edward Williams

Publication year 1960

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Nature Versus Nurture, Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Hope, Loneliness, Memory, Indigenous Identity, Masculinity, Coming of Age, Death, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Food, Place, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Economics, Globalization, Nation, Beauty, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Literature, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

Tags Western, American Literature, Historical Fiction

Published in 1960, Butcher’s Crossing is a revisionist Western novel by American author John Williams. The book follows a young Harvard dropout who ventures into the Kansas wilderness in the 1870s on a buffalo-hunting expedition, confronting the brutal realities of the American frontier and the destruction of the natural world. The novel explores themes that include The Deconstruction of the American Frontier Myth, Human Arrogance Versus Nature’s Indifference, and Disillusionment and the Loss of Idealism.Williams... Read Butcher's Crossing Summary

By Night in Chile

by Roberto Bolaño

Publication year 2000

Genre Novella, Fiction

Themes Memory, Shame & Pride, Justice, Power & Greed

Tags Latin American Literature, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction

By Night in Chile (2000) is a novella by Roberto Bolaño. The story unfolds as the deathbed confession of Father Sebastián Urrutia Lacroix, a Jesuit priest and literary critic who collaborates with Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship. Urrutia’s omissions, lies, and rationalizations betray the guilt he avoids until the moment before his death. By Night in Chile explores The Problem of Complicity in Dictatorships, The Illusion of Literary Immortality, and The Past as Mutable and Uncertain.  Bolaño... Read By Night in Chile Summary

Caleb Williams

by William Godwin

Publication year 1794

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Justice, Social Class, Good & Evil, Shame & Pride

Tags Classic Fiction, Education, Education, Horror & Suspense, British Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Gothic Literature, World History

Caleb Williams, written by William Godwin, is one of the first crime novels in English literature as well as a critique of the injustices and inequities of the political and social system in Britain during the late 1700s and early 1800s. Godwin passionately believed that the social hierarchy that placed the upper class over the lower class was unjust and that the law enabled a tyrannical abuse of power. Although many felt that Caleb Williams... Read Caleb Williams Summary

Camino Ghosts

by John Grisham

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Hope, Memory, Shame & Pride, Race, The Past, Environment, Place, Family, Community, Politics & Government, Equality, Justice, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Historical Fiction, Crime & Law

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Canyons

by Gary Paulsen

Publication year 1990

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Indigenous Identity, Race, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Colonialism, Nation, Equality, Justice, Religion & Spirituality, Self Discovery

Tags Historical Fiction, Action & Adventure, Realistic Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Survival Fiction, Children`s Literature

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Captive Prince

by C. S. Pacat

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Hate & Anger, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Future, The Past, Family, Friendship, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Beauty, Fate, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Wins & Losses, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Fantasy, Love & Sexuality, Romance

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