Literary theme analysis, by a book like {foo}
Books about Solidarity
The Underground Railroad
by Colson Whitehead
An escaped slave's daring escape to freedom, fighting against the brutality of slavery.
The story is told in the third person, focusing mainly on Cora. Scattered single chapters also focus on Cora's mother Mabel, the slavecatcher Ridgeway, a reluctant slave sympathizer named Ethel, and ... (Wikipedia)
The Help
by Kathryn Stockett
A group of African-American maids in 1960s Mississippi challenge the racial and social norms of the time.
The Help is set in the early 1960s in Jackson, Mississippi , and told primarily from the first-person perspectives of three women: Aibileen Clark, Minny Jackson, and Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan. ... (Wikipedia)
Between the World and Me
by Ta-Nehisi Coates
A letter to his son, exploring the realities of racism in America.
“This is your country, this is your world, this is your body, and you must find some way to live within the all of it.” In a profound work that pivots from the biggest questions about American ... (Goodreads)
The Hate U Give
by Angie Thomas
A young girl's struggle to stand up for justice in the face of racial injustice.
Starr Carter is a 16-year-old black girl, who lives in the mostly poor black neighborhood of Garden Heights, but attends an affluent predominantly white private school, Williamson Prep. After a ... (Wikipedia)
Feminism Is for Everybody: Passionate Politics
by bell hooks
Exploration of feminist thought and its applications to everyday life.
Acclaimed cultural critic bell hooks offers an open-hearted and welcoming vision of gender, sexuality, and society in this inspiring and accessible volume. In engaging and provocative style, bell ... (Goodreads)
القوقعة: يوميات متلصص
by مصطفى خليفة
An account of a young man’s life in Jerusalem under oppressive Israeli rule.
إنّه زمن “القوقعة”، حيث يختلط كل شيء. لا حدود فاصلة بين الماضي والحاضر، السوريالي والواقعي. هي ليست مجرّد رواية يقصّها علينا أحدهم. هي نص يختزن الرعب، الخوف، الظلم..الإحتضار. تدور الأحداث في ... (Goodreads)
Assata: An Autobiography
by Assata Shakur
A powerful memoir of her struggles and triumphs in the face of racism and oppression.
On May 2, 1973, Black Panther Assata Shakur (aka JoAnne Chesimard) lay in a hospital, close to death, handcuffed to her bed, while local, state, and federal police attempted to question her about the ... (Goodreads)
March: Book Three
by John Lewis
The civil rights movement recounted through the eyes of Congressman Lewis and other activists.
Welcome to the stunning conclusion of the award-winning and best-selling MARCH trilogy. Congressman John Lewis, an American icon and one of the key figures of the civil rights movement, joins ... (Barnes & Noble)
The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For
by Alison Bechdel
Collection of comics exploring the lives of queer women in all their complexity.
From the author of Fun Home – the lives, loves, and politics of cult fav characters Mo, Lois, Sydney, Sparrow, Ginger, Stuart, Clarice, and others For twenty-five years Bechdel’s path-breaking Dykes ... (Goodreads)
The Wretched of the Earth
by Frantz Fanon
A political analysis of colonialism and its effects on the global underclass.
A distinguished psychiatrist from Martinique who took part in the Algerian Nationalist Movement, Frantz Fanon was one of the most important theorists of revolutionary struggle, colonialism, and ... (Goodreads)
Women, Race & Class
by Angela Y. Davis
Examining the intersections of women's liberation, civil rights, and class struggle in the United States.
From one of our most important scholars and civil rights activist icon, a powerful study of the women’s liberation movement and the tangled knot of oppression facing Black women.,"Angela Davis is ... (Goodreads)
Germinal
by Émile Zola
Depicts the harsh conditions of miners in 19th century France, a story of hope and revolution.
The novel's central character is Étienne Lantier, previously seen in, L'Assommoir, (1877), and originally to have been the central character in Zola's "murder on the trains" thriller, La Bête ... (Wikipedia)
We the Animals
by Justin Torres
A coming-of-age story of a young boy growing up with a Puerto Rican family in Brooklyn, NY.
The young, unnamed narrator, a boy, grows up in a tight-knit family with two older brothers, Manny and Joel. His parents, who were teenagers when the boys were conceived and they married, have an ... (Wikipedia)
The Alice Network
by Kate Quinn
Two women in WWI join forces to unravel secrets of a spy network in search of a missing girl.
The plot follows pregnant American college student Charlie St. Clair in the aftermath of World War II , as she travels around France looking for her missing cousin, Rose. Her story intersects with ... (Wikipedia)
Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest
by Stephen E. Ambrose
An epic narrative of the American soldiers of Easy Company during World War II.
As good a rifle company as any, Easy Company, 506th Airborne Division, US Army, kept getting tough assignments–responsible for everything from parachuting into France early DDay morning to the ... (Goodreads)
Life As We Knew It
by Susan Beth Pfeffer
A teenage girl's struggle to survive an apocalyptic disaster, relying on her resilience and resourcefulness.
Miranda’s disbelief turns to fear in a split second when a meteor knocks the moon closer to the earth. How should her family prepare for the future when worldwide tsunamis wipe out the coasts, ... (Goodreads)
Lysistrata
by Aristophanes
Women of Greece uniting to end the Peloponnesian War through a sex strike.
These lines, spoken by the Athenian Lysistrata and her friend Calonice at the beginning of the play, , set the scene for the action that follows. Women, as represented by Calonice, are sly hedonists ... (Wikipedia)
Down and Out in Paris and London
by George Orwell
An exploration of the dark side of two cities, and how life can be different for the privileged and the destitute.
This unusual fictional memoir - in good part autobiographical - narrates without self-pity and often with humor the adventures of a penniless British writer among the down-and-outs of two great ... (Goodreads)
Woman on the Edge of Time
by Marge Piercy
A woman is sent to the future to see the potential of a utopian society and how it can be achieved.
In the 1970s, an impoverished but intelligent thirty-seven-year-old Mexican-American woman Consuelo (Connie) Ramos, a resident of Spanish Harlem , is unfairly incarcerated in a New York mental ... (Wikipedia)
Safe Area Goražde: The War in Eastern Bosnia, 1992-1995
by Joe Sacco
A graphic novel depicting the author's experiences in the Bosnian War, specifically in the town of Goražde.
Joe Sacco visits Goražde, a mainly Bosniak enclave in eastern Bosnia surrounded by hostile Serb-dominated regions. Sacco visits the locals and gets a first-hand view of the war's brutal effect on the ... (Wikipedia)
Citizen: An American Lyric
by Claudia Rankine
Poetic exploration of racial injustice, highlighting the everyday experiences of racism.
A provocative meditation on race, Claudia Rankine's long-awaited follow up to her groundbreaking book Don't Let Me Be Lonely: An American Lyric. Claudia Rankine's bold new book recounts mounting ... (Goodreads)
War's Unwomanly Face
by Svetlana Alexievich
An exploration of the lives of Soviet women who served in World War II.
This book is a confession, a document and a record of people's memory. More than 200 women speak in it, describing how young girls, who dreamed of becoming brides, became soldiers in 1941. More than ... (Goodreads)
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf
by Ntozake Shange
A powerful collection of stories exploring the struggles and triumphs of African-American women.
In celebration of its highly anticipated Broadway revival, Ntozake Shange’s classic, award-winning play centering the wide-ranging experiences of Black women, now with introductions by two-time ... (Goodreads)
The City of Joy
by Dominique Lapierre
A heart-wrenching tale of the struggles of the poor in Calcutta, India, and the hope and joy found in their community.
The story revolves around the trials and tribulations of a young Polish priest, Father Stephan Kovalski (a French priest named Paul Lambert in the original French version), the hardships endured by a ... (Wikipedia)
All American Boys
by Jason Reynolds
Two high school boys, one black, one white, navigate race, justice and friendship.
Rashad is absent again today. That’s the sidewalk graffiti that started it all… Well, no, actually, a lady tripping over Rashad at the store, making him drop a bag of chips, was what started it all. ... (Goodreads)
Palestine
by Joe Sacco
A graphic novel that recounts the experiences of Palestinians living under military occupation.
The book takes place over a two-month period in late 1991 / early 1992, with occasional flashbacks to the expulsion of the Arabs, the beginning of the Intifada , the Gulf War and other events in the ... (Wikipedia)
The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland
by Jim DeFede
True story of how a small Canadian town opened their doors to thousands of stranded passengers after 9/11.
Perfect for fans of the hit Broadway musical Come from Away . When 38 jetliners bound for the United States were forced to land at Gander International Airport in Canada by the closing of U.S. ... (Goodreads)
God's Smuggler
by Brother Andrew
A story of faith and courage, smuggling Bibles to persecuted Christians behind the Iron Curtain.
As a boy he dreamed of being a spy undercover behind enemy lines. As a man he found himself undercover for God. Brother Andrew was his name and for decades his life story, recounted in God's ... (Goodreads)
Dear Martin
by Nic Stone
An African American student's reflections on racial injustice, sparked by the shooting of an unarmed black teen.
Raw, captivating, and undeniably real, Nic Stone joins industry giants Jason Reynolds and Walter Dean Myers as she boldly tackles American race relations in this stunning debut. Justyce McAllister is ... (Goodreads)
Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches
by Audre Lorde
Collection of essays and speeches exploring issues of race, gender, sexuality, and liberation.
A collection of fifteen essays written between 1976 and 1984 gives clear voice to Audre Lorde's literary and philosophical personae. These essays explore and illuminate the roots of Lorde's ... (Goodreads)
Prisoner B-3087
by Alan Gratz
A young boy's harrowing journey through ten concentration camps during the Holocaust.
Survive. At any cost. 10 concentration camps. 10 different places where you are starved, tortured, and worked mercilessly. It's something no one could imagine surviving. But it is what Yanek Gruener ... (Barnes & Noble)
في قلبي أنثى عبرية
by خولة حمدي
A story of a young Palestinian woman's struggle for identity and freedom in a politically tumultuous environment.
في قلب حارة اليهود في الجنوب التونسي تتشابك الأحداث حول المسلمة اليتيمة التي تربت بين أحضان عائلة يهودية، و بين ثنايا مدينة قانا العتيقة في الجنوب اللبناني تدخل بلبلة غير متوقعة في حياة ندى التي نشأت ... (Goodreads)
In Dubious Battle
by John Steinbeck
A story of a labor strike and the power struggle between workers and landowners.
In Dubious Battle deals with a fruit-workers' strike in a California valley and the attempts of labor unions to organize, lead, and provide for the striking pickers. Jim Nolan meets Harry Nilson who ... (Wikipedia)
Pedagogy of the Oppressed
by Paulo Freire
Analysis of the educational system, advocating a pedagogy of liberation.
First published in Portuguese in 1968, Pedagogy of the Oppressed was translated and published in English in 1970. The methodology of the late Paulo Freire has helped to empower countless impoverished ... (Goodreads)
Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type
by Doreen Cronin
A group of cows learn to type, and use it to negotiate better living conditions with their farmer.
Farmer Brown has a problem. His cows like to type. All day long he hears Click, clack, MOO. Click, clack, MOO. Clickety, clack, MOO. But Farmer Brown's problems REALLY begin when his cows start ... (Goodreads)
Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals
by Shane Claiborne
A call to Christians to engage in politics and social justice, inspired by Jesus' teachings and life.
Jesus for President is a radical manifesto to awaken the Christian political imagination, reminding us that our ultimate hope lies not in partisan political options but in Jesus and the incarnation ... (Goodreads)
Unlocked: An Oral History of Haden's Syndrome
by John Scalzi
A collection of interviews with people affected by Haden's Syndrome, a virus that leaves victims locked in their own bodies.
The world is exposed to a highly contagious virus. Most who get sick experience nothing worse than flu -like symptoms. For 1%, the virus causes the victims to be fully awake, but unable to move or ... (Wikipedia)
Everyday Sexism
by Laura Bates
An exploration of the various ways sexism manifests in society and the need for change.
In 2012 after being sexually harassed on London public transport Laura Bates, a young journalist, started a project called Everyday Sexism to collect stories for a piece she was writing on the issue. ... (Goodreads)
People Like Us: Misrepresenting the Middle East
by Joris Luyendijk
Vijf jaar lang was Joris Luyendijk correspondent voor de Arabische wereld. Hij liep vluchtelingenkampen af en sloppenwijken, joodse nederzettingen en fundamentalistische bolwerken. Hij sprak met ... (Goodreads)
Twenty and Ten
by Claire Huchet Bishop
During WWII, a group of French children hide ten Jewish children from the Nazis and must keep them safe.
During the Nazi occupation of France, twenty ordinary French kids in a boarding school agree to hide ten Jewish children Then German soldiers arrive. Will the children be able to withstand the ... (Goodreads)
Outcasts United: A Refugee Team, an American Town
by Warren St. John
A soccer team made up of refugees in a small American town overcomes cultural barriers and discrimination to find success on and off the field.
The extraordinary story of a refugee football team and the transformation of a small American town. Clarkston, Georgia, was a typical Southern town until it was designated a refugee settlement centre ... (Goodreads)
A Gathering of Old Men
by Ernest J. Gaines
A group of elderly black men in rural Louisiana stand up to racism and injustice after one of their own is accused of murder.
One afternoon, Candy Marshall, a white plantation owner, discovers that a white Cajun farmer, Beau Boutan, has been shot in the yard of a black man named Mathu. She enlists the help of seventeen ... (Wikipedia)
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