Sociology

An expansive and fascinating field, sociology explores how human society develops and functions. Titles in this collection range from cultural studies classics like Orientalism by Edward Said and Gender Trouble by Judith Butler to recent Pulitzer Prize winner Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond.

Publication year 2018Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Mental Health, Values/Ideas: Truth & LiesTags Self Help, Inspirational, Psychology, Parenting, Sociology, American Literature, Science / Nature, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Religion / Spirituality, Politics / Government

12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos (2018) is Jordan B. Peterson’s second book. Peterson’s self-help book seeks to provide practical and virtuous rules to live by for a wide audience and general readership. The book streamlines, simplifies, and reimagines some of the more traditionally academic topics of Peterson’s first book, Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief. Each non-fiction work aims to explain human history and human nature according to universal frameworks. 12... Read 12 Rules for Life Summary


Publication year 2015Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: CommunityTags Sociology, Social Science, Business / Economics, History: World, Social Justice, Poverty, Politics / Government

Published in 2015, $2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America is a nonfiction investigation into how a new form of virtually cashless poverty emerged in the United States. Authors Kathryn J. Edin and H. Luke Shaefer are both academics with extensive experience researching poverty, but it is only in recent years that they have come across households with almost no cash income at all. There are now 1.5 million families with children in... Read $2.00 a Day Summary


Publication year 2018Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Globalization, Society: CommunityTags Science / Nature, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Self Help, Politics / Government

21 Lessons for the 21st Century (2018) is historian, philosopher, and acclaimed author Yuval Noah Harari’s in-depth look at the current global affairs and the immediate future of humankind. To Harari, the merging of biotechnology and artificial intelligence potentially represents the end of history with some humans becoming godlike. Despite the ramification of this situation on all of humanity, most people are distracted by irrelevant information and do not realize the debate that is occurring... Read 21 Lessons for the 21st Century Summary


Publication year 2010Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Society: Globalization, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: CommunityTags Politics / Government, Business / Economics, Education, Class, Finance / Money / Wealth, Food, History: World, Immigration / Refugee, Leadership/Organization/Management, Military / War, Poverty, Social Justice, Sociology, Technology, Philosophy, Philosophy

Publication year 2005Genre Reference/Text Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Politics & Government, Society: Economics, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: GlobalizationTags Business / Economics, Philosophy, Politics / Government, Anthropology, Social Justice, Education, Education, Anthropology, Sociology, History: World, Philosophy

Publication year 2014Genre Book, NonfictionTags Sociology, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Science / Nature, Journalism, Psychology, Psychology

A Deadly Wandering is a 2014 nonfiction book by Matt Richtel, a journalist at The New York Times. After winning a Pulitzer Prize in 2010 for a series of articles detailing the dangers of distracted driving, Richtel expanded his research and reporting into A Deadly Wandering. This nonfiction book combines the story of a 2006 Utah car accident—in which Mormon teenager Reggie Shaw killed two scientists, James Furfaro and Keith O’Dell, while texting and driving—and... Read A Deadly Wandering Summary


Publication year 1993Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Japanese Literature, Asian Literature, Race / Racism, Education, Education, History: U.S., Sociology, History: World, Social Justice, Politics / Government

A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America by Ronald Takaki is a revisionist account of American history that provides an in-depth view of America as a country populated and built by diverse peoples of the world. Originally published in 1993 by Little, Brown and Company, this study guide uses the updated 2008 edition. In 1994 A Different Mirror received an Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for its contributions to advancing understandings of racism and human diversity.Takaki’s... Read A Different Mirror Summary


Publication year 2012Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Disability, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & GovernmentTags History: U.S., Disability, Social Justice, Politics / Government, Sociology, Gender / Feminism, History: World

Publication year 2001Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Natural World: EnvironmentTags Business / Economics, Science / Nature, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, Arts / Culture, Politics / Government

Affluenza seeks to diagnose and treat the disease of overconsumption that its three authors, John de Graaf, David Wann and Thomas H. Naylor, believe to be a serious threat to both the human species and the rest of the planet. Accordingly, the book is divided into three main parts: a discussion of the symptoms of affluenza, an analysis of its causes, and suggestions for some possible cures.In Part 1, the authors offer a broad overview... Read Affluenza Summary


Publication year 2020Genre Biography, NonfictionThemes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Society: Immigration, Society: CommunityTags Immigration / Refugee, History: U.S., Politics / Government, Race / Racism, Social Justice, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Sociology, History: World, Biography

Publication year 1987Genre Reference/Text Book, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Race, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Race / Racism, Education, Education, Anthropology, Anthropology, Sociology, Social Justice, Poverty

Publication year 2000Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Identity: SexualityTags Gender / Feminism, Philosophy, Psychology, Love / Sexuality, Philosophy, Sociology, Psychology, Relationships, Self Help, Religion / Spirituality

Publication year 1997Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionTags Sociology, Poverty, Southern Literature, History: World, Biography

This book is a memoir written by a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter, Rick Bragg, who works for the New York Times. It describes the author’s childhood in rural Alabama,   the middle child of three brothers raised by an almost-always single mother in conditions of extreme poverty. His father was a veteran of the Korean War and an alcoholic, who abandoned his family for long periods of time.The book is dedicated “To my Momma and my brothers.” The author grows... Read All Over but the Shoutin' Summary


Publication year 1982Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Art, Society: Community, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Science & TechnologyTags Literary Criticism, Philosophy, Arts / Culture, Philosophy, History: World, Sociology, Politics / Government, Modernism

Publication year 2011Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: CommunityTags Sociology, Science / Nature, Philosophy, Philosophy, Relationships, Psychology, Psychology, Internet Culture / Social Media, Arts / Culture

Sherry Turkle’s Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other, originally published in 2011, is a work of nonfiction that explores technology’s effect on how humans interact with one another. The book is split into two halves: the first deals with human interactions with sociable robots and the second with the networked connections of social media and virtual worlds.In the 1970s, Turkle meets ELIZA, a computer program that “engaged in... Read Alone Together Summary


Publication year 1993Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionTags History: U.S., Sociology, Immigration / Refugee, Education, Education, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Biography

Always Running is the autobiography of Luis J. Rodriguez, a Mexican-American former gang member who grew up in dangerous East Los Angeles in the 1960s and 70s. Luis’ family moved to Los Angeles from Mexico after Luis’ father was accused of theft, and Luis spends his early years in Watts, a particularly crime-ridden LA neighborhood. Luis’ father struggles to find work, and the family struggles to find adequate shelter and food. After they are evicted... Read Always Running Summary


Publication year 2011Genre Book, NonfictionTags Politics / Government, History: U.S., Science / Nature, American Literature, Sociology, History: World, Arts / Culture

Colin Woodard’s 2011 book, American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America takes a fascinating look at American regionalism and the 11 territories that continue to shape North America. Woodard asserts that North America comprises 11 distinct nations, each containing its own unique history. Taking readers on a journey that reveals the origins of our fractured continent, Woodard offers a revelatory perspective on American identity and the ways the conflicts... Read American Nations Summary


Publication year 2018Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Incarceration, Social Justice, Journalism, Race / Racism, American Literature, Post-War Era, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Sociology, History: World, Politics / Government

Publication year 2021Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: Politics & Government, Society: CommunityTags History: U.S., Politics / Government, Race / Racism, Social Justice, Civil Rights / Jim Crow, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Sociology, History: World

Publication year 2018Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Natural World: EnvironmentTags Journalism, Science / Nature, Sociology, History: World, Social Justice, Politics / Government

Amity and Prosperity: One Family and the Fracturing of America, is a Pulitzer Prize-winning nonfiction book by journalist and poet Eliza Griswold. This study guide follows the book’s first edition, which was published in 2018. Griswold is a journalist known for investigative reporting into political issues, having previously published articles in The New York Times Magazine and The Nation. In Amity and Prosperity, Griswold investigates natural gas companies drilling in Pennsylvania’s western Washington County. The... Read Amity and Prosperity Summary


Publication year 2023Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Race, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Power & GreedTags Crime / Legal, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Journalism, Sociology, History: World

Publication year 2018Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Nation, Values/Ideas: EqualityTags History: U.S., Race / Racism, Politics / Government, Social Justice, Civil Rights / Jim Crow, Gender / Feminism, Black Lives Matter, Sociology, History: World

Publication year 1985Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Community, Society: Education, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Religion & SpiritualityTags Sociology, Education, Science / Nature, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Arts / Culture, Politics / Government, Philosophy, Technology, Information Age, Education

Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business is a nonfiction book by Neil Postman, published in 1985. Postman was a professor of education and communication at New York University with a special interest in the role of technology and media in society. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York in Fredonia and a master’s degree and doctorate from the Teachers College of Columbia University. In... Read Amusing Ourselves to Death Summary


Publication year 1974Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Society: Class, Society: Politics & Government, Society: CommunityTags Philosophy, Politics / Government, Sociology, History: World, Business / Economics, Philosophy

Publication year 2000Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: EducationTags Education, Education, Sociology, Inspirational, Biography, Religion / Spirituality

And Still We Rise: The Trials and Triumphs of Twelve Gifted Inner-City High School Students is a 2000 nonfiction work by Miles Corwin, the Los Angeles Times reporter best known for The Killing Season. In this book, Corwin chronicles a school year spent with 12 senior students in the gifted program in a South-Central Los Angeles high school. The students face many difficulties and must display perseverance to remain in this magnet program. Corwin was... Read And Still We Rise Summary


Publication year 1987Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: CommunityTags Health / Medicine, Science / Nature, Sociology, History: World, LGBTQ, Politics / Government

And The Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic is a work of investigative reporting by Randy Shilts, a reporter with the San Francisco Chronicle. Shilts covered the AIDS epidemic from 1982 for the only newspaper willing to give its full attention to the epidemic. Shilts examines the roots of AIDS beginning in 1976 to two events and focuses on the mysterious illness of a Danish physician working in Africa, Dr. Grethe Rask. Before... Read And The Band Played On Summary


Publication year 1798Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: EconomicsTags Business / Economics, Philosophy, Sociology, Age of Enlightenment, Poverty, Food, Science / Nature, Class, History: European, History: World, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government

An Essay on the Principle of Population by Thomas Malthus was first published anonymously in 1798. Its core argument, that human population will inevitably outgrow its capacity to produce food, widely influenced the field of early 19th century economics and social science. Immediately after its first printing, Malthus’s essay garnered significant attention from his contemporaries, and he soon felt the need to reveal his identity. Although it was highly controversial, An Essay on the Principle... Read An Essay on the Principle of Population Summary


Publication year 1936Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Equality, Society: Class, Society: CommunityTags Philosophy, Politics / Government, Social Justice, Asian Literature, Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Indian Literature, Classic Fiction, Religion / Spirituality

Publication year 2009Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Natural World: EnvironmentTags Sociology, Anthropology, Anthropology, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Social Justice, Politics / Government

Rebecca Solnit’s A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities That Arise in Disaster is a 2009 non-fiction book that examines the behavior of people amid and after disasters as well as the institutional failure that can worsen disasters. Solnit explores five major disasters and detours to discuss several others while providing commentary on contemporary Western culture, anarchism, and the media’s portrayal of disaster victims.Solnit and the many sociologists she cites present an optimistic view... Read A Paradise Built in Hell Summary


Publication year 2014Genre Book, NonfictionTags Chinese Literature, Asian Literature, Sociology, Social Justice, Gender / Feminism, Business / Economics, Inspirational, Philosophy, Philosophy, Self Help, Politics / Government

A Path Appears: Transforming Lives, Creating Opportunity is a nonfiction book published in 2014 by the husband-and-wife team of Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. The book speaks to altruism and how people can do something to promote more opportunities for others around the world. The authors declare, “We wrote this book mostly to encourage others—rich and poor alike—to join in this push to improve the world” (16). They promote three ways of doing so:... Read A Path Appears Summary


Publication year 2003Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Globalization, Society: Economics, Society: Education, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Power & GreedTags Politics / Government, Race / Racism, Social Justice, History: U.S., Sociology, Gender / Feminism, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy

Publication year 1922Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: CommunityTags Anthropology, Education, Education, Anthropology, Science / Nature, Social Science, Business / Economics, Sociology, History: World, Arts / Culture

Argonauts of the Western Pacific: An Account of Native Enterprise and Adventure in the Archipelagoes of Melanesian New Guinea (1922) is an ethnological monograph by Bronislaw Malinowski, a leading anthropologist of his time. It concerns his research in what was then called “Melanesian New Guinea,” which is today known as the Kiriwana island chain, northeast of New Guinea. The work focuses on the trade, magic, and cultural traditions of the Trobriand people on the archipelago... Read Argonauts of the Western Pacific Summary


Publication year 2007Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Life/Time: The Past, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Religion & SpiritualityTags Philosophy, Religion / Spirituality, Politics / Government, Sociology, Arts / Culture, History: World, Philosophy

Publication year 2004Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Community, Natural World: EnvironmentTags Sociology, Anthropology, Anthropology, Science / Nature, Business / Economics, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics / Government

This study guide refers to the 2004 House of Anansi edition of Ronald Wright’s A Short History of Progress. The book is a printed version of five Massey Lectures that Wright delivered in Canada in 2004. Wright is a Canadian author of historical fiction and non-fiction with a background in archaeology, anthropology, and linguistics. This lecture series uses Wright’s unique set of skills as a storyteller and student of history to provide a sweeping and... Read A Short History of Progress Summary


Publication year 2000Genre Biography, NonfictionThemes Natural World: Nurture v. Nature, Values/Ideas: Trust & DoubtTags Health / Medicine, Gender / Feminism, Science / Nature, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, LGBTQ, Biography

John Colapinto’s 1999 book As Nature Made Him is an expansion of his award-winning 1997 Rolling Stone article on the medical scandal surrounding David Reimer. David, raised as Brenda under the auspices of famous sexologist and child psychiatrist Dr. John Money, transitions back to a male gender identity during his teenage years. After Dr. Milton Diamond reveals the failure of Money’s theory of gender neutrality at birth, David’s story raises serious questions in the medical... Read As Nature Made Him Summary


Publication year 1971Genre Reference/Text Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Good & EvilTags Philosophy, Education, Education, Business / Economics, Sociology, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government

American philosopher John Rawls (1921-2002) published A Theory of Justice in 1971, and the work has become a foundational text in 20th-century political philosophy. A Theory of Justice argues in support of Rawls’s theory of justice-as-fairness, which is based on basic equal rights, equal opportunity, and helping those least advantaged in society. This approach, based on morality and ethics, is presented as an alternative to the theory of utilitarianism, in which the ends justify the... Read A Theory of Justice Summary


Publication year 2021Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & PrideTags Self Help, Psychology, Relationships, Inspirational, Sociology, Leadership/Organization/Management, Psychology, Mental Illness, Health / Medicine, Religion / Spirituality

Publication year 2018Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: Class, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Equality, Identity: RaceTags Technology, Politics / Government, Sociology, Science / Nature, Social Justice, Race / Racism, Poverty, Class, History: U.S., Technology, Business / Economics, History: World

Publication year 1892Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Femininity, Identity: Race, Society: Class, Society: Education, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Race / Racism, African American Literature, Gender / Feminism, History: U.S., Sociology, History: World, Social Justice, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government

Publication year 2004Genre Book, NonfictionTags Sociology, Education, Education, Science / Nature, Business / Economics, Psychology, Psychology, Self Help, Arts / Culture

Daniel H. Pink’s A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future, released in 2005, considers and challenges society’s history of valuing left-brained attributes over creative and empathic right-brained thinkers. Pink, an author of several books on business and human behavior, argues that the age of left-brain supremacy is over, making way for whole-minded thinkers who will define and thrive within the coming Conceptual Age. Pink offers six essential whole-minded aptitudes that are key... Read A Whole New Mind Summary


Publication year 1990Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Gender, Identity: Masculinity, Relationships: Family, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Education, Society: Globalization, Society: Immigration, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Emotions/Behavior: CourageTags Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, Gender / Feminism, Sociology, History: World, Social Justice, Politics / Government

Publication year 2017Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Good & EvilTags Sociology, Social Justice, Religion / Spirituality

Friar Gregory Boyle is the founder of Homeboy Industries, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization known for being the largest gang intervention and re-entry program in the world. Boyle is also a Jesuit priest and the author of the bestselling Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion, a memoir and religious text presenting his work with Homeboy Industries as a set of parables. Boyle received much acclaim for this first work and followed it... Read Barking to the Choir Summary


Publication year 2019Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Language, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Society: CommunityTags Sociology, Science / Nature, Technology, Technology, History: World

Publication year 2012Genre Book, NonfictionTags Sociology, Poverty, Journalism, History: World, Indian Literature, Travel Literature

Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity (2012) is a nonfiction book by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Katherine Boo. The book follows residents of a Mumbai slum called Annawadi. Boo, an American investigative journalist, was inspired to write the book by frequent visits to Mumbai with her husband, who is from the area. She spent several years among Annawadi’s residents, from 2007 to 2011, and the book recounts their struggles and... Read Behind the Beautiful Forevers Summary


Publication year 2010Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Society: Education, Values/Ideas: Truth & LiesTags Psychology, Philosophy, Relationships, Science / Nature, Business / Economics, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Philosophy, Self Help

Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error (2010) is a nonfiction book written by Kathryn Schulz, a journalist who has written for publications such as the New York Times Magazine, the Nation, and the Boston Globe. The book explores the nature of error from a psychological, philosophical, and personal point of view, drawing from philosophical thought, psychology studies, and personal anecdotes. Some themes of the book include the fallibility of the human mind, the... Read Being Wrong Summary


Publication year 1976Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Life/Time: The Future, Society: Globalization, Society: CommunityTags Anthropology, Arts / Culture, Sociology, Anthropology, Science / Nature, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy

Publication year 1971Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Self Discovery, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Science & TechnologyTags Psychology, Philosophy, Science / Nature, Education, Education, Social Science, Sociology, Psychology, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government

Beyond Freedom and Dignity (1971) is a scientific philosophical text written by B. F. Skinner. Skinner (1904-1990) was a psychologist from the United States who is widely recognized for his contributions to behaviorism, the psychological theory that human behavior is determined or based on antecedent and external circumstances. Beyond Freedom and Dignity has been highly criticized for its repudiation of free will and its underlying Victorian ideals; however, this heavy criticism resulted in the popularization... Read Beyond Freedom and Dignity Summary


Publication year 2019Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Equality, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Society: CommunityTags Psychology, Race / Racism, Sociology, Social Justice, Science / Nature, Psychology, Politics / Government

Publication year 1990Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Gender, Identity: Race, Relationships: Mothers, Society: CommunityTags Gender / Feminism, Race / Racism, Politics / Government, Social Justice, Sociology, Philosophy, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), African American Literature, Philosophy

Publication year 1961Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Identity: Race, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags History: U.S., Race / Racism, Journalism, Sociology, History: World, 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


Publication year 1952Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: RaceTags Sociology, Existentialism, Race / Racism, Afro-Caribbean Literature, Colonialism / Postcolonialism, Education, Education, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government

Frantz Fanon's Black Skin, White Masks is a psychological study of colonialism. According to Fanon, the encounter between white European colonizers and black slaves and their descendants creates a unique social and psychological situation with a characteristic set of psychopathologies. Black Skin, White Masks analyzes these psychopathologies, traces their roots in the colonial encounter, and suggests how healing might become possible.Fanon works within a broadly existentialist and phenomenological framework, his project is psychoanalytic, and he... Read Black Skin, White Masks Summary


Publication year 2013Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Community, Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Equality, Identity: GenderTags Psychology, Race / Racism, Science / Nature, Social Justice, Sociology, Education, Education, Business / Economics, Psychology, Self Help

Publication year 2016Genre Book, NonfictionTags Sociology, Race / Racism, History: U.S., History: World, Social Justice, Politics / Government

Blood at the Root: A Racial Cleansing in America, Patrick Phillips’ first nonfictional book, is an expertly crafted narrative of the horrific racial violence that took place during the 20th century in Forsyth County, Georgia. Published in 2016, the book quickly gained critical acclaim from The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and the Smithsonian. The skillfully researched text includes primary documents from turn of the century Forsyth, in addition to descriptions based on recent... Read Blood at the Root Summary


Publication year 2016Genre Book, NonfictionTags History: U.S., Race / Racism, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Sociology, History: World, Social Justice, Politics / Government

Blood in the Water is a 2016 historical non-fiction book written by American historian Heather Ann Thompson. In it, she explores the uprising at Attica prison in New York State in 1971 and its bloody suppression by the state. As well as the causes of these events, Blood in the Water looks at their legal and political aftermath, in terms of both the state’s prosecution of prisoners and inmate efforts to find justice for violence... Read Blood in the Water Summary


Publication year 2000Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Society: Politics & GovernmentTags Sociology, Politics / Government, Social Science, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Arts / Culture

In Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, Robert D. Putnam chronicles the decline of civic engagement and social connectedness in the late 20th-century United States and highlights the importance of renewing these forms of social capital for the sake of individual, societal, and democratic health. Putnam, a political science professor and former dean, has the expertise to contribute this work to the academic literature in social science. Originally published in 2000, the... Read Bowling Alone Summary


Publication year 2020Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Sexuality, Identity: GenderTags Parenting, Gender / Feminism, Love / Sexuality, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, Self Help, Health / Medicine

Publication year 2017Genre Book, NonfictionTags Self Help, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, Mental Illness, Religion / Spirituality

Published in 2017, Brené Brown’s Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone presents insights and strategies for finding what Brown refers to as true belonging in a time of increasing cultural polarization in America. Based on Brown’s grounded theory research, true belonging is a practice that involves believing in and belonging to oneself so fully that one can share one’s innermost, authentic self with the rest of the... Read Braving the Wilderness Summary


Publication year 2018Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Society: Politics & Government, Society: NationTags History: U.S., Politics / Government, Race / Racism, Sociology, Military / War, Crime / Legal, History: World

Publication year 2004Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: EconomicsTags Gender / Feminism, History: World, Politics / Government, Philosophy, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Business / Economics, Sociology, Philosophy

Publication year 2013Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Equality, Society: CommunityTags Business / Economics, Politics / Government, Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy

Publication year 1942Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Politics & Government, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Order & ChaosTags Business / Economics, Sociology, Politics / Government, Philosophy

Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy is a work of economics and political theory by Austrian born economist Joseph A. Schumpeter, originally published in 1942. Schumpeter argues that capitalism, where private, for-profit ownership controls a nation’s industry, will be eventually replaced by socialism, an economic system based on the public, state ownership of industry. However, he disagrees with German philosopher Karl Marx. Unlike Marx, Schumpeter does not believe the shift to socialism will come about due to... Read Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy Summary


Publication year 2020Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Race / Racism, Black Lives Matter, History: U.S., Sociology, History: World, Social Justice

Isabel Wilkerson’s Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents is a 2020 historical and narrative nonfiction work about the nature of inequality in the United States, India, and Nazi Germany. Wilkerson is a writer and former journalist, best known for her work in the New York Times, for which she received a Pulitzer Prize. She achieved further acclaim with her 2010 work, The Warmth of Other Suns. Wilkerson has also taught journalism at many colleges and... Read Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents Summary


Publication year 2015Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Sociology, Health / Medicine, Politics / Government, Social Justice, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Science / Nature, History: World, Psychology, Psychology

Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs is a 2015 work of investigative nonfiction by British-Swiss author Johann Hari. Hari explores the so-called international war on drugs by looking deeply into its historical roots, its legal and social implications, and the possibility for reform. He examines addiction and the consequences of past and present drug laws across nine continents and 30,000 miles. A major focus is the criminalization and... Read Chasing the Scream Summary


Publication year 2006Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Life/Time: Childhood & YouthTags Food, Sociology, Children's Literature, Education, Education, Science / Nature, History: World, Health / Medicine

Chew On This: Everything You Don’t Want To Know About Fast Food, co-written by Eric Schlosser and Charles Wilson, aims to show young readers “the ripple effect near and far” of the fast food industry (199). Schlosser and Wilson go on to show that fast food can affect consumers on the immediate level of their own bodies and on the less obvious level of destroying indigenous food cultures.In the Introduction, Schlosser and Wilson describe the... Read Chew On This Summary


Publication year 1990Genre Book, NonfictionTags History: World, History: U.S., Urban Development, Sociology, Arts / Culture, Politics / Government

Mike Davis’ City of Quartz: Excavating the Future in Los Angeles, won the 1990 Social Science Association Best Book Award. Davis is a Marxist urban theorist, historian, and political commentator who, following the success of City of Quartz, has written monographs on other American cities, including San Diego and Las Vegas. In his writing for The New Left Review journal, he continues to be a prominent voice in Marxist politics and environmentalism. His acclaims include... Read City of Quartz Summary


Publication year 1930Genre Book, NonfictionTags Education, Education, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government

Civilization and Its Discontents is one of the most widely-read and influential works by Sigmund Freud, founder of psychoanalysis and a titan of the 20th century. The book examines the conflict between societies and their individual members, how cultures try to channel human drives toward constructive ends, and how individuals struggle to balance social demands for conformity with their own urges and yearnings. Late in the 19th century, Freud founded psychoanalysis, a talking therapy that... Read Civilization And Its Discontents Summary


Publication year 2011Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Society: Colonialism, Society: Globalization, Society: Nation, Society: Immigration, Society: Politics & Government, Society: WarTags History: World, Politics / Government, Sociology, Philosophy, Business / Economics, Philosophy

Publication year 2023Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Relationships: Mothers, Society: Class, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Society: EducationTags Poverty, Social Justice, Education, Education, Sociology, Biography, Politics / Government

Publication year 2004Genre Novel, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Society: Colonialism, Society: Class, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Truth & LiesTags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Social Justice, Anthropology, Class, Depression / Suicide, Finance / Money / Wealth, Politics / Government, Love / Sexuality, Race / Racism, Sociology, Religion / Spirituality, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World

Cloud Atlas is a 2004 dystopian novel by British author David Mitchell. The sprawling narrative is composed of a series of nested stories, spanning centuries into the past and the future. In addition to winning numerous literary and science fiction awards, the novel was adapted into a 2012 film of the same name. This guide uses the 2014 Sceptre edition of Cloud Atlas.Content Warning: The novel and this guide depict slavery and discuss racism, death... Read Cloud Atlas Summary


Publication year 1999Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Society: ClassTags Sociology, Race / Racism, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Poverty, Education, Education, Anthropology, Anthropology, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Social Science, Urban Development, History: World

Publication year 2004Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Natural World: Climate, Society: Community, Natural World: EnvironmentTags History: World, Climate Change, Anthropology, Anthropology, Science / Nature, Social Science, Business / Economics, Sociology, Politics / Government

Following his best-selling, Pulitzer Prize-winning Guns, Germs, and Steel (1997), geologist and anthropologist Jared Diamond published a companion book, Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, in 2006. Where Guns, Germs, and Steel described how various environments around the world helped or hindered human civilization, Collapse explains how environmental abuse ruined many past societies and how it threatens civilizations today. An updated edition, released in 2011 by Penguin Books, is the subject of this... Read Collapse Summary


Publication year 2009Genre Book, NonfictionTags Crime / Legal, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Journalism, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Biography

Dave Cullen’s nonfiction book, Columbine (2009), chronicles the mass shooting at Colorado’s Columbine High School, on April 20, 1999. The perpetrators of the shooting, Columbine High seniors Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, killed thirteen people—twelve students and one teacher—and injured another two-dozen, before taking their own lives. Cullen’s book moves backward and forward in time, chronicling the lives of the shooters, the victims, the victims’ families, and others both before and after the April 20... Read Columbine Summary


Publication year 1998Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Life/Time: The Past, Emotions/Behavior: GriefTags Sociology, Action / Adventure, History: U.S., American Civil War, Military / War, History: World, Travel Literature, Humor, Politics / Government

Confederates in the Attic is a non-fiction book written by Pulitzer-Prize-winning journalist Tony Horwitz. The book is a mixture of ethnography—the study of a specific group of people in a specific place—and travel writing, where Horwitz attempts to dive deeply into his childhood fascination for the American Civil War by traveling through the deep South, visiting Confederate battlefields, museums, and monuments, and interviewing the locals that he comes into contact with about their relationship to... Read Confederates In The Attic Summary


Publication year 2006Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Globalization, Society: Community, Society: Politics & GovernmentTags Philosophy, Education, Education, Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Arts / Culture, Politics / Government

Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers (2006) is a philosophical text written by Kwame Anthony Appiah. Appiah, a philosopher and ethicist who teaches at New York University, grew up in Kumasi, Ghana, where his father was a Ghanaian political leader and his mother a British expatriate. His family’s multicultural background, as well as the experience of growing up in diverse Kumasi and then attending school in the United Kingdom, informed Appiah’s thinking about communicating... Read Cosmopolitanism Summary


Publication year 2005Genre Book, NonfictionTags Politics / Government, Crime / Legal, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Journalism, Sociology, History: World, Social Justice

Steve Bogira’s nonfiction work Courtroom 302: A Year Behind the Scenes in an American Criminal Courthouse was published in 2005. Bogira, as a Chicago native and long-time writer for the Chicago Reader, is a social justice advocate and focuses much of his work on poverty and segregation. The work addresses themes of The Injustices of the US Justice System, The Prison-Industrial Complex, and The Influences of Corruption and Politics on Criminal Courts.Content Warning: The source... Read Courtroom 302 Summary


Publication year 2016Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Society: Class, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Race / Racism, Education, Education, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Sociology, Social Justice, Politics / Government

Publication year 2023Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: LanguageTags Psychology, Religion / Spirituality, Crime / Legal, Sociology, History: World, Psychology

Publication year 1993Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Colonialism, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: LiteratureTags Colonialism / Postcolonialism, History: World, Philosophy, Politics / Government, History: European, History: Middle Eastern, History: Asian, Literary Criticism, Sociology, Philosophy, Arts / Culture

Culture and Imperialism is a nonfiction book published in 1993 by the Palestinian American author and academic Edward Said. Originating from a series of lectures that Said delivered in 1985 and 1986, Culture and Imperialism is an expansion of the ideas set out in his groundbreaking earlier work, Orientalism. Considered one of the founders of the field of post-colonial studies, Said looks at how the formerly colonized margins influence the metropolitan centers, and vice versa... Read Culture and Imperialism Summary


Publication year 2013Genre Book, NonfictionTags Psychology, Science / Nature, Business / Economics, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Self Help

Malcolm Gladwell’s 2013 book David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants is an investigation of the relationship—often distorted, in Gladwell’s view—between underdogs and giants. Taken from the Biblical account of David and Goliath, underdogs are cast as those battling (and overcoming) seemingly overwhelming odds, and giants are their adversaries. David and Goliath was a bestseller, but some critics and scholars found Gladwell’s conclusions unsatisfying and the stories he draws from unsubstantiated... Read David And Goliath Summary


Publication year 1992Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Relationships: MothersTags Education, Education, Anthropology, Anthropology, Grief / Death, Social Science, Sociology, History: World, Politics / Government

Published in 1989, Death Without Weeping: The Violence of Everyday Life in Brazil, is an in-depth and long-ranging look at the crisis of infant and early-child mortality in the rural communities of the Brazilian Northeast. The author of the book is Nancy Scheper-Hughes, a former aidworker who returned to Brazil as an anthropologist. While the object of this book is infant and child mortality, its main focus is not a medical or scientific approach to... Read Death Without Weeping Summary


Publication year 2011Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Society: CommunityTags History: World, Business / Economics, Finance / Money / Wealth, Anthropology, Sociology, Anthropology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics / Government

Publication year 2010Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: GenderTags Sociology, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Science / Nature, Psychology, Psychology, LGBTQ

Delusions of Gender: How Our Minds, Society, and Neurosexism Create Difference, also known as Delusions of Gender: The Real Science Behind Sex Differences, is a 2010 work of feminist nonfiction by British psychologist and philosopher Dr. Cordelia Fine. Through an intensive but accessible review of neurological and sociological studies, the book debunks the idea that men and women have different brains. Nominated for numerous awards upon its publication, it went on to become a bestseller... Read Delusions of Gender Summary


Publication year 1916Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Education, Society: Politics & Government, Society: CommunityTags Education, Philosophy, Politics / Government, Education, Social Science, Sociology, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

Publication year 1835Genre Book, NonfictionTags History: U.S., Politics / Government, French Literature, American Literature, Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America is a work of history and political philosophy published in two volumes, the first in 1835 and the second in 1840. Tocqueville embarked on his own political career in France but is best known for his contributions to history and political philosophy.The first volume is based on Tocqueville’s nearly yearlong sojourn in the United States, ostensibly to study its prisons and prison reform. In his introduction Tocqueville emphasizes that... Read Democracy in America Summary


Publication year 2023Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Order & ChaosTags Science / Nature, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy

Publication year 1999Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Class, Society: Economics, Society: Politics & GovernmentTags Education, Education, Social Science, Business / Economics, Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Indian Literature, Politics / Government

Publication year 1975Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Politics & Government, Society: ClassTags Philosophy, Incarceration, History: World, Sociology, Psychology, French Literature, Education, Education, Psychology, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government

Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison by Michel Foucault is a socio-political study of how power manifests in the Western penal system throughout history. Considered to be Foucault’s masterpiece, Discipline and Punish traces the history of how punishment and control were applied in Western society and how penal systems evolved to match changes in social sensibilities. Michel Foucault was a French historical philosopher and literary critic in the 20th century. Foucault’s work has... Read Discipline And Punish Summary


Publication year 1955Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: ColonialismTags Philosophy, Afro-Caribbean Literature, Colonialism / Postcolonialism, Race / Racism, Philosophy, Sociology, History: World, Politics / Government

Discourse on Colonialism is an essay written originally in French by Aimé Césaire and published in 1950. This seminal work by Césaire opens with a thesis that Europe currently suffers from two problems. The first problem is the state of the proletariat and colonialism and the second is its moral hypocrisy. Throughout the essay, Césaire elaborates on this thesis by identifying the proletariat as the colonized laborer and the bourgeois as the European academic, scholar... Read Discourse on Colonialism Summary


Publication year 1755Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Politics & Government, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Science & TechnologyTags Philosophy, Politics / Government, Sociology, Age of Enlightenment, Education, Education, History: World, French Literature, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

“Discourse on the Origin and Foundations of Inequality Among Men,” often known as the “Discourse on Inequality” or the “Second Discourse,” is an essay by the Swiss philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau published in 1765. This summary is based on The First and Second Discourses, edited and translated by Roger D. Masters and Judith R. Masters, and published by St. Martin’s Press in 1964.SummaryRousseau wrote the essay in response to a prize announced by the Academy of... Read Discourse on the Origin of Inequality Summary


Publication year 1832Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Gender, Identity: Race, Natural World: Place, Society: Politics & GovernmentTags British Literature, American Literature, Sociology, History: World, Classic Fiction, Travel Literature, Satire, History: U.S.

Frances (Fanny) Trollope, today best known as the mother of the popular Victorian author Anthony Trollope, was herself an extraordinarily productive writer in many genres. Her literary career began in middle age when, out of financial desperation, she wrote a travelog describing her impressions of America, gathered on a three-year excursion there. Published in 1832 in two volumes, Domestic Manners of the Americans was a runaway bestseller and a wildly controversial takedown of what Trollope... Read Domestic Manners of the Americans Summary


Publication year 2018Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Economics, Society: Politics & Government, Identity: RaceTags History: U.S., Politics / Government, Science / Nature, Health / Medicine, Crime / Legal, Sociology, History: World

Publication year 2023Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionTags Gender / Feminism, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics / Government, Biography

Publication year 2015Genre Book, NonfictionTags Politics / Government, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Science / Nature, Sociology, History: World, Health / Medicine

Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic (Bloomsburg Press, 2015) is a nonfiction book by American journalist and writer Sam Quinones. It won the NBCC Award for General Nonfiction and was on Amazon’s list of best books of the year in 2015 as well as Slate’s list of the 50 best books of the past 25 years. In the book Quinones charts the parallel rise of prescription opiates and black tar heroin, and describes... Read Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic Summary


Publication year 2019Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Community, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Society: Class, Society: Economics, Society: Education, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Power & GreedTags Education, Education, History: World, Politics / Government, Race / Racism, Sociology, Social Justice, Health / Medicine

Publication year 1843Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Economics, Society: Class, Society: Politics & GovernmentTags Business / Economics, Philosophy, Politics / Government, History: World, Education, Education, Sociology, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

Publication year 2009Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Fame, Society: CommunityTags Sociology, Education, Education, American Literature, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Arts / Culture, Politics / Government

Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle is a non-fiction book written by Chris Hedges, published in 2009. This work of cultural criticism focuses on the effects of mass media and popular culture on American society, politics, and economics. Since its publication, Empire of Illusion has been marketed as a work which predicted the forces that ultimately gave rise to the election of Donald Trump in 2016. Author Chris Hedges... Read Empire Of Illusion Summary


Publication year 2023Genre Biography, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Family, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Truth & LiesTags History: European, Politics / Government, Sociology, British Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World, Biography

Publication year 2018Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Society: Class, Society: Education, Society: Globalization, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Society: CommunityTags Philosophy, Science / Nature, Psychology, Sociology, Politics / Government, Health / Medicine, Agriculture, Business / Economics, Class, Climate Change, Social Justice, History: World, Psychology, Philosophy

Publication year 1941Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: CommunityTags Psychology, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government

Escape From Freedom is a book of social psychology written by Erich Fromm in 1941. A German-Jewish psychoanalyst, Fromm had been a member of Frankfurt’s influential Institute for Social Research before fleeing the Nazis and relocating to the United States. In Escape From Freedom, Fromm uses ideas from both psychology and sociology to explain humanity’s ambivalent relation to freedom, with a particular attention paid to the rise of Nazism in Germany. The first two chapters of... Read Escape From Freedom Summary


Publication year 2016Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Relationships: Family, Society: CommunityTags Sociology, Social Justice, Poverty, Race / Racism, Business / Economics, History: World, Politics / Government

Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, written by Matthew Desmond, a tenured sociology professor at Princeton University, was published in 2016 and won the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction in 2017. In this influential work, Desmond highlights the interconnected issues of extreme poverty and affordable housing in the United States, themes he continues to explore in his more recent book, Poverty, by America. Through an ethnographic study, he follows the experiences of eight... Read Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City Summary


Publication year 2014Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: CommunityTags Sociology, Education, Education, History: World, Parenting, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics / Government

William Deresiewicz’s 2014 nonfiction book Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life examines elite education in America in the 21st century and finds it sorely lacking. By “elite education,” Deresiewicz is referring to the Ivy League schools and a handful of top-tier universities just below the Ivy League. Having spent over two decades in the Ivies as both a student and professor, Deresiewicz speaks from his own... Read Excellent Sheep Summary


Publication year 1938Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Education, Relationships: Teams, Life/Time: Childhood & YouthTags Education, Philosophy, Education, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

Publication year 1992Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Equality, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & GovernmentTags Race / Racism, History: U.S., Sociology, Social Justice, Politics / Government, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy

Publication year 2018Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Globalization, Values/Ideas: Trust & DoubtTags Sociology, Science / Nature, Business / Economics, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Self Help, Politics / Government

Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World—And Why Things Are Better Than You Think, written by Hans Rosling, Ola Rosling, and Anna Rosling Rönnlund, was published by Flatiron Books in 2018. This book examines how people across cultures view the world through a negative lens, which leads them to believe conditions everywhere are declining. Doctor and global health expert Hans Rosling offers research and anecdotes from his medical experience and his lectures to unpack... Read Factfulness Summary


Publication year 1914Genre Poem, FictionTags Lyric Poem, Sociology, Arts / Culture, American Literature, Realism, Food

Publication year 2001Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Natural World: Food, Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Science & TechnologyTags Food, Sociology, Education, Education, Science / Nature, Arts / Culture, History: World, Health / Medicine, Agriculture, Business / Economics, Journalism, Politics / Government, Social Justice

IntroductionFast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal is a 2001 nonfiction book by Eric Schlosser that investigates the business practices of the American fast food industry and the associated agricultural industries that supply it. Following the precedent of Upton Sinclair’s famous 1906 work The Jungle, Schlosser provides readers with a glimpse into the questionable ethics of these large food corporations. Schlosser likewise provides brief historical accounts of fast food’s origins and traces... Read Fast Food Nation Summary


Publication year 2011Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Society: Colonialism, Society: NationTags Science / Nature, Race / Racism, Politics / Government, Social Justice, Sociology, History: World, Health / Medicine

Publication year 2000Genre Essay Collection, NonfictionThemes Identity: GenderTags Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Sociology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Social Justice, Politics / Government

Feminism Is for Everybody: Passionate Politics by critic, academic, and writer bell hooks is described by the author as a primer, a handbook, even “a dream come true” (ix). In the Introduction to the book, hooks describes her labor of love in writing this brief guide to feminism, and she employs a concise style that does not waver from her goal of educating readers about the fundamentals of feminism. This book is the product of... Read Feminism Is For Everybody Summary


Publication year 2012Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: CommunityTags Sociology, Education, Education, Social Justice, Poverty, Politics / Government

Fire in the Ashes is writer Jonathan Kozol’s account of spending twenty-five years chronicling the lives of poor children in New York City. He begins with an account of the Martinique, a decrepit homeless shelter in midtown Manhattan that was closed in the late 1980s. It housed thousands of homeless people, mainly women and children, in criminally-decrepit conditions and a state of lawlessness that forever marked the children who lived there.In subsequent chapters, Kozol explains... Read Fire in the Ashes Summary


Publication year 1995Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionTags Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Education, Education, Sociology, Social Justice, Politics / Government, Biography

Fist, Stick, Knife, Gun: A Personal History of Violence is the 1995 memoir by Geoffrey Canada that details his coming-of-age in the South Bronx. It follows Canada from the age of four to young manhood and describes the different and increasingly lethal forms that violence takes in his life.The memoir begins with Canada living with his three older brothers and his newly-single mother. His father has recently left the family, and his mother is trying... Read Fist Stick Knife Gun Summary


Publication year 2005Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Society: Class, Society: EconomicsTags Business / Economics, Sociology, Science / Nature, Social Science, Psychology, Psychology, Politics / Government

Rarely does a book about economics attract a large audience, but Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything sold 4 million copies after its 2005 debut. The book, by University of Chicago professor Steven Levitt and journalist Stephen Dubner, explains how incentives—the reasons why people do things—can cause unusual and unexpected effects in many areas of life.Praised and reviled for its outside-the-box approach—the work was condemned for suggesting that liberalized abortion laws... Read Freakonomics Summary


Publication year 2013Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Immigration, Natural World: Food, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Globalization, Society: Economics, Society: Education, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Nation, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Truth & LiesTags Anthropology, Social Justice, Sociology, Health / Medicine, Education, Education, Anthropology, Food, Politics / Government

Publication year 1990Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Relationships: Teams, Society: Community, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: FathersTags Sports, Creative Nonfiction, Race / Racism, Sociology, Journalism, History: World, Biography

Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream is a 1990 nonfiction book by H. G. Bissinger that explores the American phenomenon of high school football in the small Texan town of Odessa. Friday Night Lights is a New York Times bestseller and inspired a television show and film of the same name. Bissinger, who left his job as a journalist and editor to write the book, moved his family to Odessa for... Read Friday Night Lights Summary


Publication year 2016Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Identity: Race, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Education, Society: Nation, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Trust & DoubtTags Black Lives Matter, Race / Racism, Social Justice, Civil Rights / Jim Crow, History: U.S., Business / Economics, Diversity, Class, Education, Finance / Money / Wealth, Poverty, Politics / Government, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Sociology, History: World

Publication year 2018Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Identity: Femininity, Self Discovery, Society: CommunityTags Travel Literature, Grief / Death, Science / Nature, Anthropology, Sociology, History, Anthropology, History: World

Publication year 2008Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionTags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Social Science, Business / Economics, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, Biography

Gang Leader for a Day is Sudhir Venkatesh’s account of the six years he spent doing research in Chicago’s housing projects as a Sociology graduate student. Early in his time at the University of Chicago, Venkatesh stumbles across the Black Kings, a powerful gang heavily involved in Chicago’s crack trade. While he is interested in studying urban poverty, Venkatesh cannot pass up the opportunity to learn more about how gangs operate and what role they... Read Gang Leader For a Day Summary


Publication year 2012Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Community, Natural World: EnvironmentTags Business / Economics, Climate Change, Science / Nature, Social Science, Sociology, History: World

Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash is a 2012 non-fiction book by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Edward Humes. Garbology is an analysis of American consumption, trash production, and what happens to everything in our disposable economy after we discard it. Through statistical analysis, interviews, and personal stories, Humes tells the story of our largest export—our trash—and how trash came to be synonymous with American life.Humes divides Garbology into three sections: first, an analysis of our... Read Garbology Summary


Publication year 1994Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Sexuality, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Masculinity, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Identity: GenderTags History: U.S., LGBTQ, Gender / Feminism, Sociology, History: World

Publication year 1989Genre Book, NonfictionTags Gender / Feminism, Sociology, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), LGBTQ, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics / Government

Published in 1990, Judith Butler's Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity is a seminal work in feminism and a foundational work in queer theory. This study guide is based on the 2006 Routledge edition of Butler’s text. Butler's primary aims in the work are to make a case for rejecting an essential female identity as the basis for feminist practice and to come up with an account of gender formation without recourse to... Read Gender Trouble Summary


Publication year 2003Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: ClassTags History: U.S., Race / Racism, Education, Education, Sociology, History: World

Ira Berlin’s Generations of Captivity: A History of African-American Slaves (2003) is an analytical work of historical research and synthesis that traces the development of American slavery from the 17th century to national Emancipation. Berlin compares the development and conditions of slavery across regions including the North (usually New England and the Mid-Atlantic states), the coastal South (or sections of it most relevant to the corresponding timeline), and the Southern Interior, particularly in the Lower... Read Generations of Captivity Summary


Publication year 2015Genre Book, NonfictionTags Journalism, Race / Racism, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Sociology, History: World, Social Justice, Politics / Government

Ghettoside, written by Jill Leovy and published in 2015, follows the investigation of and trial for the murder of Bryant Tennelle, the son of a Los Angeles homicide detective, through the late 2000s. In doing so, the author examines the critical epidemic of black-on-black violence in communities such as South Central Los Angeles in order to explicate the root causes, systemic issues, and contemporary problems that continue to contribute to higher rates of homicide in... Read Ghettoside Summary


Publication year 2016Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Sexuality, Identity: Femininity, Life/Time: Coming of AgeTags Gender / Feminism, Parenting, Psychology, Love / Sexuality, LGBTQ, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Sociology, Psychology, Self Help

Publication year 2002Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Society: Globalization, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Politics & GovernmentTags Business / Economics, Politics / Government, History: World, Poverty, Sociology

Globalization and Its Discontents (2002) is American economist John E. Stiglitz’s second major work, published shortly after he became a Nobel laureate. It explores and critiques the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) policies between the 1970s and the early 2000s. Since Stiglitz was a senior vice president of the World Bank between 1993 and 1997, he uses insider knowledge to explain certain structural and functional aspects of the IMF that remain opaque to the public. His... Read Globalization and Its Discontents Summary


Publication year 2007Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Society: Politics & GovernmentTags Religion / Spirituality, Philosophy, Sociology, Science / Nature, History: World, Philosophy, Politics / Government

God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything (2007) is a polemical text by English writer Christopher Hitchens. The author argues that religion is a cultural construct that represses people more than it liberates them. He examines religion’s role in sexuality, science, and human dignity and posits that organized religion rarely (if ever) benefits humanity at large. Hitchens was a noted columnist and contributing editor to Vanity Fair magazine.Its themes include mass delusions, the misogyny... Read God Is Not Great Summary


Publication year 2019Genre Biography, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Identity: Gender, Identity: SexualityTags Anthropology, History: World, Science / Nature, Race / Racism, Anthropology, Gender / Feminism, Sociology, Biography, Politics / Government

Gods of the Upper Air: How a Circle of Renegade Anthropologists Reinvented Race, Sex, and Gender in the Twentieth Century, was written by Dr. Charles King, and published in 2019 by Penguin Random House. King is a professor of International Affairs and Government at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, and the author of 10 books, predominantly on the subject of society, government, and culture in Eastern Europe. Gods of the Upper Air is a New... Read Gods of the Upper Air Summary


Publication year 1986Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Society: Community, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Relationships: Mothers, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Society: Globalization, Society: WarTags Social Science, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Relationships, Self Help, WWII / World War II, Military / War, Action / Adventure

Publication year 1997Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: CommunityTags Anthropology, History: World, Anthropology, Science / Nature, Business / Economics, Sociology, Politics / Government

Historian and anthropologist Jared Diamond’s Guns, Germs, and Steel (1997) is a multidisciplinary study that uses anthropological, biological, evolutionary, and socio-economic analysis to chart the fates of different peoples throughout human history. Subtitled first as A Short History of Everybody for the Last 13,000 Years, and later as The Fates of Human Societies, the book seeks to understand why some groups of people have prospered while others have failed to advance to the same extent... Read Guns, Germs, and Steel Summary


Publication year 1985Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Religion & SpiritualityTags Social Science, Arts / Culture, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Religion / Spirituality, Politics / Government

Habits of the Heart: Individualism and Commitment in American Life by Robert N. Bellah, Richard Madsen, William M. Sullivan, Ann Swidler, and Steven M. Tipton, is a sociological study published in 1985 that explores the balance between individualism and community within American society. The authors, who bring a collective background in sociology and theology to their analysis, investigate how Americans navigate the tensions between personal autonomy and social belonging. The book addresses topics such as... Read Habits of the Heart Summary


Publication year 2009Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: CommunityTags Gender / Feminism, Social Justice, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Diversity, Education, Education, Sociology, Politics / Government

In their 2009 nonfiction book Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, husband-and-wife journalist team Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn document what they consider the paramount moral challenge of the 21st century: the oppression of women and girls. The book was an international bestseller, inspired a four-part PBS documentary of the same name, and launched the Half the Sky movement.Like many journalists, when Kristof and WuDunn first began their careers, they... Read Half the Sky Summary


Publication year 1970Genre Biography, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Society: Class, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Race, Emotions/Behavior: LonelinessTags History: U.S., Great Depression, Poverty, Depression / Suicide, American Literature, Business / Economics, Sociology, History: World, Biography, Politics / Government

Publication year 2000Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: CommunityTags History: U.S., Race / Racism, Education, Education, Sociology, History: World, Social Justice, Politics / Government

Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America (first published in 2000 and revised in 2011) is a work of historical nonfiction authored by Juan Gonzalez. It provides a comprehensive account of the intersection of Latin American history with US history in the context of ongoing US debates surrounding immigration, which have involved propaganda, mythologizing, and stereotyping, resulting in much fear, anxiety, and anger. Gonzalez seeks to reveal the hidden story behind these stereotypes... Read Harvest Of Empire Summary


Publication year 2018Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Society: ClassTags Politics / Government, Class, Business / Economics, Sociology, Social Justice, Poverty, Biography

Heartland (2018) is both a memoir of Sarah Smarsh’s upbringing in rural Kansas as the daughter of working-class people and an exploration of the class system in America today. The book is subtitled: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth; this hits the core of the book, as Smarsh seeks to use her family’s anecdotes and memories to get to the truth of why mostly honest, hardworking people... Read Heartland Summary


Publication year 2012Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: CommunityTags Creative Nonfiction, History: U.S., American Literature, Sociology, History: World, Social Justice, Biography

Jeanne Marie Laskas’s Hidden America: From Coal Miners to Cowboys, an Extraordinary Exploration of the Unseen People Who Make This Country Work was published in 2012 to rave reviews and was chosen by Oprah Winfrey as a “Must-Read Best Books.” Laskas is an English professor at the University of Pittsburgh and has written a wide variety of best-selling nonfiction texts. In Hidden America, Laskas explores the way ordinary Americans live by getting to know her... Read Hidden America Summary


Publication year 2016Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & BetrayalTags Sociology, Poverty, History: World, Biography

American author J. D. Vance’s 2016 memoir, Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis, chronicles Vance’s Appalachian upbringing in a poor Scots-Irish working-class culture. As Vance tells the story of his journey from broken Ohio homes to the Marine Corps, Ohio State University, and Yale Law School, he also documents the numerous factors that comprise white, working-class Appalachians’ descent into poverty, addiction, and despair, leaving them ostracized and, often, in danger... Read Hillbilly Elegy Summary


Publication year 2015Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Natural World: Environment, Life/Time: The Future, Natural World: Appearance & RealityTags Science / Nature, History: World, Philosophy, Anthropology, Anthropology, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Politics / Government

Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow (2015) is a work of popular science by Israeli writer, professor, and futurist Yuval Noah Harari. Published in multiple languages, it is a continuation of the work of Harari’s previous book, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. While Sapiens contextualized the advents of modernity within humans’ evolutionary legacy, Homo Deus speculates about what lies in wait for humanity in the distant future. Harari grounds his discussion in an... Read Homo Deus Summary


Publication year 2012Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Natural World: Nurture v. Nature, Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Society: Class, Society: Education, Values/Ideas: EqualityTags Education, Psychology, Parenting, Children's Literature, Education, Science / Nature, Sociology, Psychology, Self Help

Publication year 2022Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: War, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Society: CommunityTags Politics / Government, History: World, Military / War, Social Science, Sociology

Publication year 2018Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: CommunityTags Politics / Government, Social Science, Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy

How Democracies Die (Crown, 2018) is a nonfiction book by political scientists Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt. The authors, who are both professors at Harvard, explore how American democracy is threatened by examining past examples of democratic breakdown. In doing so, they demonstrate how since the end of the Cold War, most democracies die not through violent overthrow of government but a gradual weakening of democratic norms and institutions. Using these insights from history, as... Read How Democracies Die Summary


Publication year 2008Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Relationships: MarriageTags Sociology, History: Middle Eastern, History: U.S., Race / Racism, Education, Education, History: World, Social Justice, Politics / Government, Religion / Spirituality

How Does It Feel to Be A Problem: Being Young and Arab in America (2008) is a nonfiction text by Brooklyn College English professor and Arab-American Moustafa Bayoumi. The title comes from W.E.B. Du Bois’s 1903 text, The Souls of Black Folk, wherein he directed this question toward the African-American experience. Following the stories of seven young ArabAmericans living in Brooklyn, and including their struggles after the 9/11 attacks, Bayoumi’s book suggests that present-day ArabAmericans absorb the... Read How Does It Feel to Be A Problem Summary


Publication year 1971Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Colonialism, Society: Economics, Society: Politics & GovernmentTags Business / Economics, History: African , Politics / Government, Race / Racism, Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Social Justice

Publication year 2018Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: CommunityTags Politics / Government, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Social Justice

How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us Versus Them is a nonfiction book published in 2018 by the American philosopher and Yale University professor Jason Stanley. In it, the author discusses ten mechanisms by which fascist politicians gain and consolidate power in democratic states, potentially yielding a fascist state with an absolute leader. Drawing on examples that range from Nazi Germany to the contemporary United States, Stanley explains the appeal of fascist ideology during times... Read How Fascism Works Summary


Publication year 1890Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Immigration, Society: Class, Society: CommunityTags Journalism, History: U.S., Sociology, Poverty, Addiction / Substance Abuse, Depression / Suicide, Race / Racism, Urban Development

Jacob Riis’s How the Other Half Lives (1890) is a photojournalistic account of New York City’s working class of the late 19th century and the tenements that housed them. Riis exposes the appalling and often inhumane conditions in and around the tenements. He attributes New York City’s squalor and degradation to sheer greed on the part of landlords who prioritize maximum profits over basic decency. More importantly, he documents these conditions with more than 40... Read How the Other Half Lives Summary


Publication year 2019Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: RaceTags Race / Racism, Black Lives Matter, Sociology, History: World, Social Justice, Politics / Government

How to Be an Antiracist is a nonfiction book by Ibram X. Kendi, a writer and historian of African American History and the founder of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center. Published in 2019, this New York Times best seller proposes antiracist strategies individuals can employ to transform racist policies. This study guide refers to the Kindle edition of the book.How to Be an Antiracist sets out to define antiracist work as a set of... Read How to Be an Antiracist Summary


Publication year 2023Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Apathy, Identity: Mental Health, Society: CommunityTags Psychology, Self Help, Relationships, Sociology, Leadership/Organization/Management, Philosophy

Publication year 1987Genre Essay / Speech, NonfictionThemes Identity: Language, Identity: Race, Identity: GenderTags Sociology, Latin American Literature, Education, Education

Publication year 1992Genre Essay Collection, NonfictionTags Politics / Government, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Gender / Feminism, Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Biography

How We Survived Communism and Even Laughed (1992) by Croatian essayist and journalist Slavenka Drakulić details life in Communist Eastern Europe, especially the former Yugoslavia (which after 1989 would become eight distinct countries, including Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, and Montenegro). Drakulić wrote this collection in response to the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall and dissolution of the USSR; in her view, there was more political coverage than reflections of how communism affected quotidian life. In... Read How We Survived Communism and Even Laughed Summary


Publication year 2019Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Community, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Good & EvilTags History: World, Psychology, Philosophy, Politics / Government, Sociology, Anthropology, Dutch Literature, Anthropology, Science / Nature, Psychology, Philosophy

Publication year 1968Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Education, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Gender, Identity: Indigenous, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Race, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Science & TechnologyTags Philosophy, Psychology, Self Help, Parenting, Sociology

Publication year 1979Genre Novel, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Art, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: BeautyTags Magical Realism, Post Modernism, Italian Literature, Science / Nature, Arts / Culture, Politics / Government, Sociology, History: World, Classic Fiction

If on a winter’s night a traveler is a 1979 postmodernist novel by Italo Calvino. The dual narrative is composed of two parallel strands: numbered chapters in which the narrator directly describes to the audience the process of reading the book, and titled chapters constructed from hypothetical first chapters of various books that the audience is reading. The innovative novel has been praised by critics and hailed as highly influential.This guide uses the 1998 Vintage... Read If on a Winter's Night a Traveler Summary


Publication year 1983Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: NationTags Politics / Government, Education, Education, Anthropology, Anthropology, Social Science, Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy

Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism is a nonfiction work by historian and political scientist Benedict Anderson. First published in 1983, the book provides a highly influential account of the rise of nationalism and the emergence of the modern nation-state. Anderson sees the nation as a social construct, an “imagined community” in which members feel commonality with others, even though they may not know them. The strength of patriotic feeling and... Read Imagined Communities Summary


Publication year 1916Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Society: CommunityTags Politics / Government, Philosophy, History: World, Poverty, Russian Literature, Business / Economics, Sociology, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

Publication year 1982Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: Community, Identity: Femininity, Identity: MasculinityTags Psychology, Gender / Feminism, Philosophy, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Sociology, Science / Nature, Psychology, Philosophy

Publication year 2015Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Education, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Literature, Society: CommunityTags Education, Education, Social Science, Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics / Government

Publication year 1995Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Relationships: MothersTags Education, Education, Anthropology, Anthropology, Social Science, Sociology, Politics / Government

In Search of Respect: Selling Crack in El Barrio is a critically-acclaimed work of nonfiction by Philippe Bourgois, first published in 1995. It won the 1996 C. Wright Mills Award and the 1997 Margaret Mead Award. A second edition, with a prologue and an additional epilogue, was released in 2003. The book explores themes of respect, independence, autocracy, self-worth, racism, and social marginalization. Bourgois is Professor and Chair of the Department of Anthropology, History and... Read In Search of Respect Summary


Publication year 2021Genre Biography, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Race, Society: Class, Society: Education, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Race / Racism, Social Justice, Poverty, Sociology, History: World, Politics / Government, Biography

Publication year 2019Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Life/Time: The Past, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Identity: Gender, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: EqualityTags Gender / Feminism, Science / Nature, Social Justice, Finance / Money / Wealth, Sociology, Business / Economics, Technology, Health / Medicine, Politics / Government, Women's Studies (Nonfiction)

Publication year 1984Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Masculinity, Natural World: Nurture v. Nature, Relationships: FathersTags Gender / Feminism, Philosophy, Philosophy, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, Fantasy, Self Help, Religion / Spirituality

Publication year 2017Genre Book, NonfictionTags Self Help, Science / Nature, Business / Economics, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, Health / Medicine

Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked (2017), a nonfiction book by Adam Alter, explores the relationship between humans and addictive technologies. Alter is a professor of marketing at New York University Stern School of Business and has written other nonfiction titles about human behavior, such as Drunk Tank Pink.  The book begins with the assertion that people can easily become addicted to smartphones, video games, and other technologies... Read Irresistible Summary


Publication year 2008Genre Essay / Speech, NonfictionTags Sociology, Science / Nature, Psychology, Psychology

The essay “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” was written by Nicholas Carr. It was originally published in The Atlantic’s July/August 2008 issue. The essay stirred much debate, and in 2010, Carr published an extended version of the essay in book form, entitled The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains. The essay begins and ends with an allusion to Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film, 2001: A Space Odyssey. In the initial allusion, Carr summarizes... Read Is Google Making Us Stupid? Summary


Publication year 1898Genre Essay / Speech, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Society: Nation, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Truth & LiesTags Politics / Government, History: European, Journalism, French Literature, Sociology, History: World, Classic Fiction

Publication year 2005Genre Reference/Text Book, NonfictionThemes Society: CommunityTags Politics / Government, Education, Education, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Social Justice

Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do?, a 2005 nonfiction book written by Harvard professor Michael J. Sandel, grew out of a popular course of the same name that Sandel teaches, in which he “exposes students to some of the great philosophical writings about justice, and also takes up contemporary legal and political controversies that raise philosophical questions” (293). In this book, Sandel does the same, comparing and contrasting several important approaches to justice and... Read Justice Summary


Publication year 2001Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: EconomicsTags Philosophy, Politics / Government, Education, Education, Business / Economics, Sociology, Philosophy

Publication year 2009Genre Book, NonfictionTags Sociology, Race / Racism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, Politics / Government, Biography

Just Like Us: The True Story of Four Mexican Girls Coming of Age in America, written by Helen Thorpe, is detailed account of the lives of four Mexico-born girls as they come of age in Denver, Colorado. Thorpe, an Irish-American journalist, published the nonfiction novel in 2009. Two of the girls, Clara and Elissa, are here legally, while the other two, Marisela and Yadira, are without documents. While the girls are similar in birth and... Read Just Like Us Summary


Publication year 1995Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Gender, Identity: Race, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Society: Politics & GovernmentTags Race / Racism, Social Justice, Politics / Government, Gender / Feminism, Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy

Publication year 1997Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: ClassTags Social Justice, Race / Racism, Gender / Feminism, History: U.S., Health / Medicine, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Sociology, History: World, Politics / Government

Publication year 2000Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Climate, Society: Colonialism, Society: EconomicsTags History: World, Politics / Government, Business / Economics, Science / Nature, Sociology, Indian Literature, Chinese Literature

Publication year 2021Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: Apathy, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Society: Colonialism, Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Truth & LiesTags Leadership/Organization/Management, Psychology, Philosophy, Mental Illness, Psychology, Self Help, Philosophy, Sociology, Health / Medicine, Health

Publication year 1963Genre Essay / Speech, NonfictionThemes Identity: RaceTags Sociology, African American Literature, Race / Racism, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Social Justice, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government

This guide is based on the revised version of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail," published as the fifth essay in Why We Can't Wait (1964).King's letter is a response to another open letter, "A Call for Unity," published in The Birmingham News and collectively authored by eight Alabama clergymen who argued that the protests were not an appropriate response to conditions in Birmingham.King opens the letter by explaining that he is responding... Read Letter From Birmingham Jail Summary


Publication year 2017Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Society: Class, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Race / Racism, History: U.S., Politics / Government, Social Justice, Incarceration, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Sociology, History: World

Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America is a work of nonfiction by James Forman Jr., an American lawyer and legal scholar specializing in racial inequities in criminal justice. Published in 2017, this critically acclaimed book examines the complex role Black leaders played in advancing tough-on-crime policies that ultimately contributed to the mass incarceration of Black people in the United States. Drawing on his experience as a public defender and his extensive... Read Locking Up Our Own Summary


Publication year 1851Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Education, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags History: European, Social Justice, Poverty, Journalism, British Literature, Sociology, History: World, Victorian Literature / Period, Classic Fiction

Publication year 2013Genre Novel, FictionThemes Life/Time: The Past, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: RegretTags Romance, Drama / Tragedy, Sociology, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Modern Classic Fiction

Publication year 2018Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: CommunityTags Self Help, Psychology, Mental Illness, Health / Medicine, Sociology, Philosophy, Depression / Suicide, Science / Nature, Psychology, Philosophy

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Publication year 2019Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Society: Class, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Mental Health, Relationships: MothersTags Sociology, Poverty, Biography, Social Justice

Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive is Stephanie Land’s first book. Land is a former professional house cleaner whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Atlantic. Her writing explores issues related to systemic poverty, the hardships and stigmas associated with social services, surviving in the gig economy, and the challenges of motherhood. Maid was originally inspired by a Vox article she wrote about... Read Maid Summary


Publication year 1993Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Society: Class, Society: Politics & GovernmentTags Health / Medicine, Sociology, Race / Racism, Education, Education, Science / Nature, Politics / Government

Publication year 1995Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Gender, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: NationTags Education, Education, Sociology, History: World, History: U.S., Gender / Feminism, Race / Racism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction)

Publication year 1999Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Order & ChaosTags Psychology, Philosophy, Sociology, History: World, Science / Nature, Philosophy, Psychology, Fantasy, Self Help, Religion / Spirituality

Publication year 2007Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: CommunityTags Race / Racism, Social Justice, Politics / Government, Incarceration, Education, Education, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Sociology

Publication year 2020Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Good & EvilTags Race / Racism, Black Lives Matter, Education, Education, Social Justice, Sociology, Self Help, Politics / Government

Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor by Layla F. Saad is a New York Times bestselling nonfiction book and workbook published in 2020. Structured around a 28-day antiracism journaling challenge, white readers and participants critically examine their own personal complicity in upholding white supremacy.Stemming from author Saad’s viral challenge on Instagram— #MeAndWhiteSupremacy—over the course of four weeks, Me and White Supremacy breaks open white supremacy as an... Read Me and White Supremacy Summary


Publication year 2014Genre Essay Collection, NonfictionThemes Identity: GenderTags Gender / Feminism, Sociology, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Social Justice, Politics / Government

Men Explain Things to Me is Rebecca Solnit’s 19th book. First published in 2014, it is comprised of a collection of essays primarily concerned with gender politics. The first essay explores men silencing women. It begins with Solnit recounting a conversation with “Mr. Very Important” in which he asks her about her writing, only to talk over her and lecture her about a book that, it turns out, she actually wrote. She uses this to... Read Men Explain Things To Me Summary


Publication year 2009Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Relationships: FamilyTags Sociology, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Science / Nature, Journalism, Social Science, History: World, Politics / Government

Methland: The Death and Life of a Small American Town is a nonfiction book published in 2009 by American journalist Nick Reding. Focusing on the small town of Oelwein, Iowa, Reding traces the beginnings of America’s meth epidemic to its current prevalence in the rural Midwest. Methland is a blend of sociology, economics, memoir, and history that provides a perspective that is ultimately hopeful about America’s ability to solve its meth problem, even if the... Read Methland Summary


Publication year 2016Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Society: Community, Society: Politics & GovernmentTags Science / Nature, Business / Economics, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Self Help

Publication year 2015Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Safety & DangerTags Crime / Legal, Gender / Feminism, History: U.S., Politics / Government, Journalism, True Crime, History, Sociology, Mystery / Crime Fiction, History: World

Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town by Jon Krakauer is a work of narrative nonfiction that explores the pervasive issue of sexual violence within the context of a college town. Published in 2015, the book offers an examination of several cases of sexual assault at the University of Montana in Missoula, shedding light on the systemic failures of the justice system and the broader societal attitudes that often exacerbate the trauma... Read Missoula Summary


Publication year 2015Genre Book, NonfictionTags Sociology, Humor, Psychology, Psychology, Relationships, Romance

Aziz Ansari’s Modern Romance, published in 2015, is a nonfiction work that combines statistics, interviews, and comedy to explore the current landscape of dating in the modern age. Ansari is an actor and comedian, as well as a writer. He got his start on television in the role of Tom Haverford in Parks and Recreation, which ran on NBC. He starred in Human Giant and went on to perform in several movies. His first comedy... Read Modern Romance Summary


Publication year 2009Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Community, Society: ClassTags Sociology, Black Lives Matter, Race / Racism, Education, Education, Urban Development, Social Justice, Poverty, Politics / Government

More Than Just Race: Being Black and Poor in the Inner City is a 2009 nonfiction book by William Julius Wilson, a Harvard University professor of sociology. In his book, Wilson examines the structural and, more controversially, the cultural contributors to the poverty, high incarceration rate, and social problems faced by inner-city African American males today. Wilson’s central contention is that African Americans have suffered disproportionately from the impacts of nonracial political and global economic... Read More Than Just Race Summary


Publication year 1971Genre Novel, FictionThemes Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Life/Time: Aging, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Friendship, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Relationships: Mothers, Natural World: Animals, Relationships: Family, Life/Time: The Past, Life/Time: The Future, Society: Education, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: HopeTags Fantasy, Children's Literature, Classic Fiction, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Action / Adventure, Animals, Technology, Grief / Death, Agriculture, Parenting, Science / Nature, Philosophy, Sociology

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH is a children’s science fiction novel written in 1971 by Robert C. O’Brien. It tells the story of a field mouse whose son becomes ill as moving day approaches, so she enlists the help of a group of highly intelligent experimental rats for help. Robert C. O’Brien was inspired to write the Rats of NIMH after a visit to the National Institute of Mental Health’s experimental rat compound... Read Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH Summary


Publication year 2006Genre Book, NonfictionTags Crime / Legal, Sociology, Education, Education, Mystery / Crime Fiction, History: World, History: European, War On Terrorism / Iraq War, Politics / Government, Religion / Spirituality

Murder in Amsterdam: Liberal Europe, Islam, and the Limits of Tolerance is a 2006 nonfiction book written by Dutch professor and social scientist Ian Buruma. The book investigates both the murder of Theo van Gogh, a prominent Dutch filmmaker, social critic, and opponent of political Islam in Europe. Additionally, it explores feelings of historical guilt, liberal mores, and the changing social fabric that has created tension between the native Dutch and the large, mostly Muslim... Read Murder in Amsterdam Summary


Publication year 2016Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Indigenous, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Place, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Globalization, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Truth & LiesTags Philosophy, Social Science, Politics / Government, Sociology

Publication year 1999Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionTags Sociology, Journalism, Mystery / Crime Fiction, History: World, Biography

Newjack is a nonfiction book written by Ted Conover. Conover, a journalist, spends a year as a correction officer in Sing Sing Prison and keeps a detailed record of events in a spiral notebook. The story takes place largely at Sing Sing, a historic prison located in Ossining, New York. Sing Sing is a palimpsest of structures dating back to the 1800s: spread across fifty-five acres, the prison includes massive cell blocks, a solitary-housing unit... Read Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing Summary


Publication year 2001Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Class, Society: Economics, Society: Globalization, Society: Politics & Government, Society: CommunityTags Sociology, Poverty, Social Justice, Politics / Government, Education, Education, Business / Economics

Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America is a 2001 nonfiction book written by Barbara Ehrenreich. This book is considered a classic of investigative journalism and was ranked #13 in The Guardian’s list of the 100 best books of the 21st century. Ehrenreich takes a series of low-paying, entry-level jobs in three cities (Key West, Florida; Portland, Maine; Minneapolis, Minnesota) to answer the question of whether one can survive on these wages and... Read Nickel and Dimed Summary


Publication year 1994Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Society: Politics & Government, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Gender, Relationships: Marriage, Society: CommunityTags Religion / Spirituality, Gender / Feminism, Politics / Government, Sociology, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), History: World, Travel Literature

Publication year 2009Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Natural World: EnvironmentTags Sociology, Education, Education, Climate Change, Biography

No Impact Man: The Adventures of a Guilty Liberal Who Attempts to Save the Planet, and the Discoveries He Makes About Himself and Our Way of Life in the Process is an autobiography published in 2009. Author Colin Beavan, tired of being a liberal who only lectures his wife about not wearing fur, decides to dedicate himself, his wife Michelle, and their toddler Isabella to a year of creating no impact on the environment. His... Read No Impact Man Summary


Publication year 2021Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Society: EconomicsTags Psychology, Science / Nature, Business / Economics, Sociology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Self Help

Publication year 2017Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: GlobalizationTags Travel Literature, Sociology, Poverty, Class, American Literature, Business / Economics, History: World, Politics / Government

Publication year 1996Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Society: CommunityTags Sociology, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Social Justice, Politics / Government, Biography

No Matter How Loud I Shout is a work of nonfiction written by Pulitzer-Prize-winning journalist Edward Humes and published in 1996. This work comprises the author’s ethnographical observations and participations in the Los Angeles juvenile justice system for the year of 1994. Humes asserts that the names of juveniles have been changed in accordance with state laws regarding confidentiality; however, everything else is true, and reported in the allegedly unbiased style of 1990s investigative journalism... Read No Matter How Loud I Shout Summary


Publication year 1955Genre Essay Collection, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & AngerTags Sociology, Existentialism, Black Arts Movement, Black Lives Matter, Race / Racism, History: World, Social Justice, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government, Biography

Notes of a Native Son is a collection of nonfiction essays by James Baldwin. Baldwin originally published the essays individually in various literary and cultural commentary magazines between 1948 and 1955. The Beacon Press first republished the essays as Notes of a Native Son in 1955. This study guide refers to the 2012 Beacon Press edition of Notes of a Native Son. Citations to page numbers, however, come from the volume The Price of the... Read Notes of a Native Son Summary


Publication year 2009Genre Book, NonfictionTags Asian Literature, Sociology, Korean Literature, Journalism, Immigration / Refugee, History: World, Travel Literature, Politics / Government, Biography

Barbara Demick’s 2010 nonfiction book, Nothing to Envy, is based on interviews with North Korean defectors from the city of Chongjin, six of whom are profiled in the book. It relays the history of modern Korea, from the end of Japanese occupation after WWII, to the division of Korea into two by the United States, to the economic rise and fall of the North Korean state in the late 20th century. There is a particular... Read Nothing to Envy Summary


Publication year 2019Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Masculinity, Society: CommunityTags Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Mystery / Crime Fiction, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, Social Justice, Politics / Government

No Visible Bruises: What We Don’t Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us (2019) was written by Rachel Louise Snyder, an associate professor of creative writing and journalism at American University. A world traveler, longtime contributor to magazines and podcasts, and a 2020 Guggenheim Fellow, Snyder has won awards for both her fiction and nonfiction works, which include Fugitive Denim and What We’ve Lost is Nothing. No Visible Bruises, published by Bloomsbury Publishing, won the... Read No Visible Bruises Summary


Publication year 2008Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Society: Politics & GovernmentTags Self Help, Psychology, Business / Economics, Science / Nature, Sociology, Psychology, Politics / Government

In 2021 the behavioral economists Richard H. Thaler and the legal scholar Cass R. Sunstein released an updated, “final” version of their 2008 book Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness. Drawing on research from psychology, economics, sociology, and elsewhere, Thaler and Sunstein make the case for the importance of “nudges.” Nudges, according to these authors, are “aspects of choice architecture” that predictably alter behavior without forbidding or commanding anything (8). Choice architecture refers... Read Nudge Summary


Publication year 1964Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Society: CommunityTags Philosophy, Politics / Government, Psychology, Education, Education, Business / Economics, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Philosophy

Publication year 1978Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Natural World: Nurture v. NatureTags Science / Nature, Sociology, Psychology, Philosophy, Anthropology, Anthropology, History: World, Psychology, Philosophy

Publication year 1995Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: War, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Society: CommunityTags Psychology, Military / War, Sociology, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Science / Nature, History: World, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics / Government

Publication year 1977Genre Essay Collection, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Art, Society: Colonialism, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Society: Economics, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & GovernmentTags Arts / Culture, Philosophy, History: World, Business / Economics, Class, Finance / Money / Wealth, Sociology, Literary Criticism, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

On Photography is a 1977 collection of seven essays by American scholar, activist, and philosopher Susan Sontag. The essays were published in the New York Review of Books from 1973 to 1977 before publication in a single volume. Sontag explores the history of photography and its relationship to reality, the fine arts, and sociopolitical power structures. Individual essays explore these various relationships between photography and the world through a different lens before the culminating exploration... Read On Photography Summary


Publication year 1963Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: War, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Philosophy, Politics / Government, History: World, American Revolution, Sociology, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

Publication year 2017Genre Book, NonfictionTags Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Social Justice, Politics / Government

On Tyranny, by Timothy Snyder, PhD, describes how tyrants have dismantled 20th-century republics and replaced them with totalitarian regimes, and how threats to democracies still exist today, including in America. Published in 2017, On Tyranny holds the distinction of being a #1 New York Times bestseller. Dr. Snyder is a Yale professor of European history. His short and pithy book details the methods that demagogues, including Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin, have used to degrade... Read On Tyranny Summary


Publication year 1982Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Language, Life/Time: The Past, Values/Ideas: Science & TechnologyTags Anthropology, Anthropology, Science / Nature, Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy

Publication year 1978Genre Essay Collection, NonfictionThemes Society: ColonialismTags Sociology, History: Middle Eastern, Colonialism / Postcolonialism, Race / Racism, Education, Education, Anthropology, Anthropology, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government

One of the foundational texts of postcolonial studies, Edward W. Said’s Orientalism was published in 1978. Up until this point, the term “Orientalism” was used to describe Western scholarship, thinking, and art about “the Orient,” generally Asia and the Middle East. In his book, Said interrogates both the term and ideology of Orientalism. He asserts that the West paints these cultures as exotic and “Other,” using essentialism and stereotypes to situate the West as superior... Read Orientalism Summary


Publication year 2015Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Class, Society: CommunityTags Education, Education, Social Science, Business / Economics, Sociology, History: World, Parenting, Social Justice, Politics / Government

In Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis (2015), author Robert D. Putnam describes how unattainable upward social mobility, or the American Dream, is for most young people. Putnam examines the factors that encourage or discourage upward mobility and how they have changed over time. The book was well-received by critics for its honest and timely commentary on important social issues. Putnam currently works as both a political scientist and a professor of public policy... Read Our Kids Summary


Publication year 2009Genre Biography, NonfictionThemes Relationships: Teams, Society: Immigration, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Society: Community, Society: Politics & GovernmentTags Sports, Sociology, Inspirational, Education, Education, Military / War, Biography

Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman’s Quest to Make a Difference (2007) is the second book by former New York Times journalist Warren St. John. It follows one season with the Fugees, a soccer team for refugee boys in Clarkston, Georgia. Weaving personal stories with local and international histories, St. John demonstrates The Value of Organized Sports for Young People and the systemic injustices preventing refugees from equal participation in... Read Outcasts United Summary


Publication year 2008Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Society: Education, Values/Ideas: FameTags Psychology, Business / Economics, Science / Nature, Sociology, Psychology, Self Help

The nonfiction book Outliers: The Story of Success is Malcolm Gladwell’s third book, published in 2008. Gladwell is a prolific writer for the New Yorker, where he has been on staff since 1996. His writing often incorporates research from the social sciences, as in Outliers, in which he makes the case that the way we understand and portray success is wrong. Before joining the staff of the New Yorker, Gladwell was a reporter for the... Read Outliers Summary


Publication year 1934Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: CommunityTags Anthropology, Education, Education, Anthropology, Science / Nature, Social Science, Arts / Culture, Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

Patterns of Culture, originally published in 1934, is an anthropological text by Ruth Benedict. Translated into 14 languages and with three updated English editions, the book is considered a classic in American anthropology. This study guide uses the most recent, 2005 edition published by Mariner Books, which includes a foreword by Louise Lamphere, a preface by Margaret Mead, and an introduction by Franz Boas, the founding father of cultural anthropology.Benedict popularized the idea of cultural... Read Patterns of Culture Summary


Publication year 1968Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Education, Emotions/Behavior: GuiltTags Education, Education, Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Social Justice, Politics / Government

Paolo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed develops a theory of education fitted to the needs of the disenfranchised and marginalized members of capitalist societies. Combining educational and political philosophy, the book offers an analysis of oppression and a theory of liberation. Freire believes that traditional education serves to support the dominance of the powerful within society and thereby maintain the powerful’s social, political, and economic status quo. To overcome the oppression endemic to an exploitative... Read Pedagogy of the Oppressed Summary


Publication year 2003Genre Essay / Speech, NonfictionThemes Society: Community, Society: Nation, Values/Ideas: EqualityTags Diversity, Sociology

“People Like Us” was published in the September 2003 issue of The Atlantic Monthly. Using a series of examples to compare different areas of the United States, author and political commentator David Brooks argues that although America prides itself on being a diverse nation, its population actively self-segregates along multiple demographic lines.The essay begins by painting a picture of an unlikely community where “a black Pentecostal minister lives next to a white anti-globalization activist, who... Read People Like Us Summary


Publication year 2005Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Politics & Government, Society: Economics, Society: Colonialism, Society: Class, Society: Globalization, Society: Nation, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & GreedTags Politics / Government, Business / Economics, Urban Development, Poverty, Finance / Money / Wealth, History: Asian, History: African , History: European, History: U.S., Social Justice, Class, Science / Nature, Sociology, History: World

Planet of Slums is a non-fiction book published in 2006 by American author and urban theorist Mike Davis. It chronicles the spread of poverty in cities around the world at a time when more than a billion people live in what the United Nations (UN) classifies as "slums."SummaryIn 1950, only 86 cities around the world had populations of one million people or more. When Davis wrote this book in 2005, he predicted that by 2015... Read Planet of Slums Summary


Publication year 2023Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: CommunityTags Poverty, History: U.S., Sociology, Social Justice

Publication year 2008Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Mental Health, Natural World: Nurture v. Nature, Society: EducationTags Business / Economics, Psychology, Science / Nature, Social Science, Sociology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Self Help

Publication year 2001Genre Reference/Text Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Gender, Identity: Race, Society: Class, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & GreedTags Social Justice, Race / Racism, Gender / Feminism, Politics / Government, Disability, Education, Education, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology

Publication year 1879Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: EqualityTags Business / Economics, Philosophy, Politics / Government, Poverty, Social Justice, Urban Development, Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

Publication year 2005Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Relationships: Mothers, Society: ClassTags Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Gender / Feminism, Social Science, Parenting, Social Justice, Poverty, Sociology

Publication year 1966Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Safety & DangerTags Anthropology, Education, Education, Anthropology, Social Science, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Religion / Spirituality

Originally published in 1966, Purity and Danger, by Mary Douglas, is a treatise on the concepts of purity and uncleanness in various societies and cultures. It is widely considered a classic in the field of cultural anthropology. Douglas (1921-2007), a British anthropologist with an interest in comparative religion, pursues the idea that dirt is abhorrent to us because it is “matter out of place.” She examines dietary rules, religious rituals, and social and sexual taboos... Read Purity and Danger Summary


Publication year 2016Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Race, Society: EducationTags Race / Racism, Education, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Sociology, Social Justice, Politics / Government

Publication year 2012Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Relationships: Teams, Self Discovery, Society: Community, Society: Education, Values/Ideas: Win & LoseTags Self Help, Business / Economics, Psychology, Psychology, Sociology, Education, Leadership/Organization/Management, Parenting

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking is a nonfiction book by Susan Cain, published in 2012. It is considered part of the psychology and self-help genres. The book made several bestseller lists, including those of the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and National Public Radio. It also was voted the best nonfiction book of 2012 by the Goodreads Choice Awards and has been translated... Read Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking Summary


Publication year 2019Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Identity: RaceTags Technology, Race / Racism, Social Justice, Philosophy, Education, Education, Science / Nature, Technology, Sociology, Politics / Government

Publication year 1986Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Community, Society: Immigration, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Race / Racism, History: U.S., Sociology, Politics / Government, Social Justice, Education, Education, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy

Publication year 2003Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Education, Identity: Race, Society: CommunityTags Race / Racism, Social Justice, Sociology, Politics / Government, History: U.S., Education, Education, History: World

Publication year 1999Genre Biography, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: EqualityTags Race / Racism, History: U.S., Sociology, History: World, Biography, Social Justice, Politics / Government

Published in 1999 by historian and professor Timothy B. Tyson, Radio Free Dixie is a work of biographical nonfiction about the life of civil rights leader Robert F. Williams. A controversial figure within the movement, Williams is best remembered for his advocation of armed self-defense in the struggle for Black liberation. In Radio Free Dixie, Tyson charts Williams’s rise to prominence against the sociopolitical and cultural influences that guided the evolution of the civil rights... Read Radio Free Dixie Summary


Publication year 2003Genre Book, NonfictionTags Sociology, Race / Racism, Journalism, Social Justice, Poverty, Biography

Random Family was published in 2003 and is the product of a decade of research and interviews by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc. It mainly focuses on two Puerto Rican teenagers, Coco Rodriguez and Jessica Martinez, who are fifteen and sixteen, respectively, when the narrative begins.Jessica is the daughter of Lourdes, and when we are first introduced to her, she is a sixteen-year-old girl who lives on Tremont Avenue, a particularly desolate area in the Bronx. Simultaneously... Read Random Family Summary


Publication year 2015Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Society: Education, Identity: LanguageTags Psychology, Technology, Relationships, Parenting, Science / Nature, Sociology, Psychology, Self Help, Arts / Culture

Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age (2015) is a non-fiction work by Sherry Turkle. A clinical psychologist and professor of Social Studies of Science and Technology at MIT, Turkle specializes in human-technology interaction and has decades of experience writing on technology’s problematic effects on human connection. In Reclaiming Conversation, the book’s premise is in the title: Turkle believes that technology has detrimentally taken over human conversation and that we ought to... Read Reclaiming Conversation Summary


Publication year 2003Genre Essay / Speech, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: MemoryTags Sociology, Military / War, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Arts / Culture

Regarding the Pain of Others is a book-length essay by Susan Sontag published in 2003. Sontag initially addresses a question posed to writer and anti-war activist Virginia Woolf: “How in your opinion are we to prevent war?” but then, deducing that war is perennial, Sontag uses the remainder of her book to examine the relation between photography and feelings and ideas about war. She insists on discussing specific wars and specific photographers because each work... Read Regarding the Pain of Others Summary


Publication year 2014Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Disability, Identity: Race, Society: CommunityTags Anthropology, Race / Racism, Sociology, History: U.S., Education, Education, Anthropology, Social Science, Politics / Government

Publication year 2017Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Society: Class, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Education, Society: Colonialism, Society: NationTags Business / Economics, Politics / Government, Philosophy, Social Justice, Civil Rights / Jim Crow, Finance / Money / Wealth, History: U.S., American Literature, Sociology, History: World, Philosophy

Requiem for the American Dream: The 10 Principles of Concentration of Wealth & Power by linguist and political activist Noam Chomsky evaluates the rise of income inequality in the US over the last 40 years. It argues that the main consequence of neoliberalism, which has increased since the 1970s, is a dramatic concentration of wealth and power to the elite—at the expense of the lower and middle classes. Chomsky observes how rapid financialization since the... Read Requiem for the American Dream Summary


Publication year 1994Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Femininity, Relationships: Family, Identity: Gender, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Childhood & YouthTags Psychology, Gender / Feminism, Parenting, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, Sociology, Psychology, Mental Illness, Self Help

Reviving Ophelia was written in 1994 by Mary Pipher, a psychologist who works with women and teen girls, studying the ways cultural norms impact their mental health. The book comprises a collection of Pipher’s essays, which are based on the interviews and focus groups with adolescent girls she conducted with her daughter, Sara Pipher. She wrote the collection to bring awareness to the cultural trauma and dysfunction experienced by adolescent girls and to assist girls... Read Reviving Ophelia Summary


Publication year 2008Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Community, Society: Globalization, Society: ClassTags Addiction / Substance Abuse, Journalism, Sociology, History: U.S., Information Age, Education, Education, Anthropology, Anthropology, Social Science, Arts / Culture, Health / Medicine

Publication year 2018Genre Biography, NonfictionThemes Society: Nation, Identity: RaceTags Race / Racism, History: U.S., Sociology, History: World, Social Justice, Politics / Government, Biography

Rising Out of Hatred: The Awakening of a Former White Nationalist (2018) is a biography of disavowed white nationalist Derek Black, authored by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Eli Saslow.Derek is a former white nationalist wunderkind. Derek is the son of former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard and Stormfront online hate group creator, Don Black, and the godson of former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard, white supremacist politician, and notorious public figure, David Duke. Derek’s parents remove... Read Rising Out of Hatred Summary


Publication year 2023Genre Biography, NonfictionThemes Society: Class, Society: Community, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: TeamsTags Health / Medicine, Sociology, Poverty, Class, Social Justice, Politics / Government, Biography

Publication year 1969Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Politics & Government, Society: Community, Society: Class, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / PerseveranceTags Social Justice, Politics / Government, Psychology, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy

Publication year 1974Genre Book, NonfictionTags Sociology, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, History: U.S., Anthropology, Anthropology, History: World, Religion / Spirituality

Salem Possessed: The Social Origins of Witchcraft is an academic work focusing on the Salem witch trials. First published by Harvard University Press in 1974, the book offers an alternative explanation for the phenomenon of witch hysteria and its special relevance to the town of Salem, Massachusetts. The book was well-received by critics for its unique approach to this familiar material. It falls into the nonfiction categories of popular culture, social sciences, and U.S. history... Read Salem Possessed Summary


Publication year 2011Genre Book, NonfictionTags Science / Nature, Anthropology, Anthropology, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy

First published in Hebrew in 2011, with the English translation following in 2014, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind examining the shaping of human history. Israeli author Yuval Noah Harari shines a light, sometimes harshly, on how humans have exploited the ideas of capitalism, religion, and politics to control the globe and put the species Homo sapiens on the threshold of banishing natural selection. Sapiens landed on the New York Times best-seller list and won... Read Sapiens Summary


Publication year 1991Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: EducationTags Education, Race / Racism, Education, Sociology, History: World, Social Justice, Poverty, Politics / Government

Jonathan Kozol's 1991 book, Savage Inequalities, is a critical look at the American educational system and its failures. The main argument of the book is that a tremendous divide exists between rich and poor in education, a divide intensified by ethnic and racial prejudice. Kozol claims that in many communities and localities, American schools remain effectively segregated, more than 50 years after the criminalization of such practices. Kozol argues that while the letter of the... Read Savage Inequalities Summary


Publication year 2015Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Power & GreedTags Business / Economics, Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics / Government

Publication year 2013Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Society: Class, Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Win & LoseTags Psychology, Business / Economics, Science / Nature, Sociology, Self Help, Politics / Government, Philosophy, Psychology, Philosophy

Publication year 1982Genre Novel, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Identity: Race, Society: WarTags Historical Fiction, Holocaust, WWII / World War II, Auto/Biographical Fiction, Race / Racism, History: World, Immigration / Refugee, Incarceration, Military / War, Politics / Government, Social Justice, Sociology, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Classic Fiction, Biography

Schindler’s List (originally titled Schindler’s Ark) is a 1982 historical novel by Australian author Thomas Keneally. It tells the story of Oskar Schindler, a member of the Nazi party who used his position as a German industrialist to save more than 1,200 people’s lives during the war. In protecting as many people as he could from the genocidal Nazi regime, Schindler risked being sent to a concentration camp himself. Keneally wrote the novel with the... Read Schindler's List Summary


Publication year 1970Genre Book, NonfictionTags Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Love / Sexuality, Sociology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics / Government

Kate Millett’s 1970 book Sexual Politics is a groundbreaking feminist critique of literature and social organization that is widely regarded as an essential radical feminist text.It opens with brief exploration of fiction by Henry Miller, Norman Mailer, and Jean Genet. Presenting these as “Incidents of Sexual Politics,” Millett examines how power operates within sexual relationships and builds an argument that the relationship between the sexes is a political issue revolving around the dominance of one... Read Sexual Politics Summary


Publication year 2009Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Religion & SpiritualityTags Religion / Spirituality, Education, Education, Business / Economics, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Self Help, Arts / Culture

Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work, published in 2009, is an often personal and meditative pitch for a cultural recommitment to the vocational arts. As a mechanic with a doctorate in philosophy, author Matthew B. Crawford has lived both lives—that of the “knowledge worker” of white-collar culture and that of the manual laborer who solves the problems society faces on a daily basis. He uses the space of the book... Read Shop Class as Soulcraft Summary


Publication year 1999Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Safety & DangerTags Sociology, Race / Racism, Education, Education, Anthropology, Anthropology, Social Science, Urban Development, Poverty

Sidewalk tells the true story of sociologist Mitchell Duneier’s years-long effort to understand the informal sidewalk economy of 1990s Greenwich Village, in New York City. The story begins when Duneier meets Hakim Hasan, who is a vendor of books on Sixth Avenue, one of the commercial hubs of the Village and the main focus of this book. Through Hakim, Duneier becomes acquainted with several of the lower-income book and magazine vendors, scavengers, and panhandlers that... Read Sidewalk Summary


Publication year 1981Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Self Discovery, Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: New Age, Values/Ideas: Truth & LiesTags Philosophy, Sociology, Arts / Culture, French Literature, Post Modernism, Education, Education, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Politics / Government

Publication year 2008Genre Book, NonfictionTags History: U.S., Race / Racism, Sociology, History: World, Social Justice, Politics / Government

Written by American journalist Douglas Blackmon, Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II (2008) is a thorough account of the forms of slavery perpetuated by economic disempowerment in the South after the Civil War up to World War II. The book addresses themes like The Intentional Revival of Slavery, The Toxic Mix of White Mythology and Naïve Racism, and Challenges of Confronting the Past. Slavery... Read Slavery by Another Name Summary


Publication year 2006Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Natural World: Nurture v. Nature, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Identity: LanguageTags Psychology, Self Help, Science / Nature, Sociology, Relationships, Business / Economics, Psychology

Publication year 1880Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: EqualityTags Politics / Government, Philosophy, History: European, Business / Economics, Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

Publication year 2015Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Identity: RaceTags Journalism, Black Lives Matter, Race / Racism, Education, Education, History: U.S., Sociology, History: World, Social Justice, Politics / Government

Something Must Be Done About Prince Edward County is a 2015 nonfiction book by Kristen Green about the closing of public schools in Prince Edward County, Virginia from 1959 to 1964, following the 1954 United States Supreme Court ruling that school segregation is unconstitutional. During the five years the public schools were closed, black students in Prince Edward County largely went uneducated while a new private school for whites, Prince Edward Academy, opened. The book... Read Something Must Be Done About Prince Edward County Summary


Publication year 1991Genre Novel, FictionThemes Society: Education, Values/Ideas: Fate, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Values/Ideas: Literature, Life/Time: The Past, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / PerseveranceTags Philosophy, Scandinavian Literature, Magical Realism, Science / Nature, Sociology, Religion / Spirituality, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy, Classic Fiction

Sophie's World is a young adult book by Norwegian author Jostein Gaarder. The book follows main character Sophie, a young girl who is fourteen years old and living with her parents in Norway. Sophie's life changes dramatically when she receives a series of strange postcards, which ask her large, existential questions about the world around her. Each day, Sophie receives a postcard, and in the evenings she receives a package from a man named Alberto... Read Sophie's World Summary


Publication year 2015Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Psychology, Sociology, Journalism, Technology, Science / Nature, Arts / Culture, Psychology, Humor

Publication year 2018Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Race / Racism, Black Lives Matter, Gender / Feminism, Sociology, Social Justice, Politics / Government

So You Want to Talk About Race is a 2018 non-fiction book written by Ijeoma Oluo, an American author of Nigerian descent whose columns and news articles on race have appeared in The Guardian, The Stranger, and Jezebel, among other places. This guide refers to the first edition published in 2018 by Seal Press. The title gestures to the discourse that is necessary to combat racial oppression in the United States. The book made Bustle’s... Read So You Want to Talk About Race Summary


Publication year 2020Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Nation, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Race / Racism, Social Justice, Politics / Government, History: U.S., African American Literature, Sociology, History: World

Publication year 2016Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: MusicTags African American Literature, History: U.S., Civil Rights / Jim Crow, Black Lives Matter, Race / Racism, Sociology, History: World, Social Justice, Politics / Government

Ibrahim Kendi’s comprehensive history of racial thought in the US, Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, was published in 2016 and won the National Book Award for Nonfiction. Kendi has also collaborated author Jason Reynolds (Long Way Down, Ain't Burned All the Bright) on a young adult "remix" of Stamped from the Beginning titled Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You, and is well known for his 2019 book, How to... Read Stamped From the Beginning Summary


Publication year 1989Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Language, Identity: Race, Society: Immigration, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags History: U.S., History: Asian, Race / Racism, Immigration / Refugee, Education, Education, Asian Literature, Sociology, History: World, Chinese Literature

Strangers from a Different Shore: A History of Asian Americans is a 1989 book by American historian Ronald Takaki. Takaki analyzes the long and diverse history of Asians in America, explaining the personal and economic circumstances that prompted their immigration, and recounting their myriad experiences in their new country. Takaki argues that, traditionally, historians’ Eurocentric histories have neglected to analyze and explain Asian Americans’ role in American history. This has led to a distorted perception... Read Strangers from a Different Shore Summary


Publication year 2016Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Natural World: Climate, Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Place, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: EqualityTags Sociology, Politics / Government, History: U.S., American Literature, Social Science, Business / Economics, History: World, Social Justice

Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right (2016) is an in-depth exploration of the rise of the Tea Party movement in Louisiana by sociologist Arlie Russell Hochschild. In an effort to understand the Tea Party and bolster her empathy for political opinions oppositional to her own, Hochschild spent five years getting to know residents and conducting interviews in and around Lake Charles, Louisiana. Hochschild argues that by understanding one another’s... Read Strangers in Their Own Land Summary


Publication year 2014Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Language, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Relationships: Teams, Society: CommunityTags Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, Self Help, Business / Economics, Leadership/Organization/Management

Publication year 2020Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Natural World: Nurture v. Nature, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Safety & DangerTags Anthropology, Anthropology, Animals, Science / Nature, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Psychology

Publication year 2017Genre Essay Collection, NonfictionThemes Society: Class, Society: Immigration, Society: EconomicsTags History: World, Social Justice, Poverty, Politics / Government, History: U.S., Class, Sociology, Race / Racism

Tales of Two Americas: Stories of Inequality in a Divided Nation is a 2017 non-fiction collection of 36 essays, poems, and short stories edited by former Granta editor John Freeman and including contributions by Rebecca Solnit, Sandra Cisneros, Edwidge Danticat, Julia Alvarez, Joyce Carol Oates, Ann Patchett, Annie Dillard, Roxane Gay, and more. The text crosses disciplinary boundaries, covering sociology, history, racial and ethnic studies, and gender studies.The personal essays, stories, and poetry in Tales... Read Tales of Two Americas Summary


Publication year 2019Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: LanguageTags Sociology, Science / Nature, Business / Economics, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Self Help

In Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don’t Know (2019), journalist and author Malcolm Gladwell investigates why we face so many problems when interacting with strangers. He was inspired to search for the underlying causes of our miscommunications following the death of Sandra Bland, a black woman who was pulled over by a white police officer for a minor traffic infraction in 2015. Bland should have been let go with... Read Talking to Strangers Summary


Publication year 1994Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: EducationTags Education, Race / Racism, Education, Gender / Feminism, Sociology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Social Justice, Politics / Government

Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom is a collection of 14 essays and interviews examining how to transform the multicultural classroom into an inclusive space dedicated to the practice of freedom for all students. “bell hooks” is Gloria Jean Watkins’s pen name, which she chooses not to capitalize so that her work is emphasized more so than her name. She is an acclaimed feminist scholar, cultural critic, writer, and educator. She’s the... Read Teaching to Transgress Summary


Publication year 2017Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Society: Community, Society: ClassTags Race / Racism, Social Justice, Politics / Government, Relationships, Sociology, History: World

Publication year 1992Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Science & TechnologyTags Technology, Sociology, Education, Education, Science / Nature, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Arts / Culture, Politics / Government

Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology is a 1992 nonfiction book by Neil Postman, a professor of education and communication. The book examines the influence of technology in society, particularly its rapid spread, far-reaching effects, and unquestioned acceptance. The last point is significant: Postman is not unequivocally opposed to technology but worries that it is not sufficiently scrutinized.The author begins with an overview of technology and how it works culturally. He reviews the history... Read Technopoly Summary


Publication year 2020Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Community, Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Politics & GovernmentTags History: World, Politics / Government, Race / Racism, Social Justice, Science / Nature, Urban Development, Sociology

Publication year 2024Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Identity: Mental Health, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Values/Ideas: Science & TechnologyTags Psychology, Sociology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Mental Illness, Self Help

Publication year 2018Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Life/Time: The Future, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Society: Politics & GovernmentTags Technology, Business / Economics, Politics / Government, Class, War On Terrorism / Iraq War, Information Age, Science / Nature, Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy

Publication year 2003Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Nation, Society: Colonialism, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Society: Class, Society: Immigration, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: Politics & GovernmentTags History: U.S., Immigration / Refugee, Civil Rights / Jim Crow, Black Lives Matter, Race / Racism, Social Justice, Politics / Government, American Revolution, American Civil War, Colonialism / Postcolonialism, Colonial America, Sociology, Education, Education, Business / Economics, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Arts / Culture

The American Dream: A Short History of an Idea that Shaped a Nation, originally published in 2003 by Oxford University Press, is a popular history book by American cultural historian Jim Cullen. As an overview and critical analysis of the American Dream, this book adds some meat to the bones of a traditionally ambiguous concept. Cullen maintains an optimistic outlook about the usefulness of the various American Dreams and about the promise of America, despite... Read The American Dream Summary


Publication year 2012Genre Book, NonfictionTags Food, Sociology

The American Way of Eating: Undercover at Walmart, Applebee's, Farm Fields and the Dinner Table is a 2012 non-fiction book written by American journalist Tracie McMillan. By zeroing in on three aspects of the American food system—farm, supermarket, and family restaurant—McMillan, who has reported extensively on food and social equity, investigates how and why healthy meals are out of reach for so many Americans, despite the fact that food is abundant in America. She argues... Read The American Way of Eating Summary


Publication year 2021Genre Essay Collection, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Identity: Mental HealthTags Modern Classic Fiction, Biography, Inspirational, Science / Nature, History: World, Health / Medicine, Climate Change, Relationships, Sociology

Publication year 2024Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Apathy, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Identity: Gender, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Natural World: Place, Society: Community, Society: Education, Values/Ideas: Science & TechnologyTags Education, Education, Science / Nature, Sociology, Parenting, Psychology, Psychology, Mental Illness, Self Help, Health / Medicine

Publication year 2005Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Society: NationTags History: Asian, Philosophy, Indian Literature, Sociology, Asian Literature, Business / Economics, History: World, Philosophy, Arts / Culture, Politics / Government

Publication year 2018Genre Book, NonfictionTags Psychology, Sociology, Self Help, Business / Economics, Relationships, Psychology

Priya Parker’s book The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters (2018) is a series of chapter-length essays that provide a guide to organizing effective gatherings as well as a persuasive argument for thinking about them as tools for social transformation. As a highly experienced group facilitator, advisor, podcast host, and expert in conflict resolution, Parker brings a specialist’s insight to her topic. At the same time, she organizes and presents the... Read The Art of Gathering Summary


Publication year 1990Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Femininity, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Life/Time: AgingTags Gender / Feminism, Sociology, Psychology, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Self Help, Politics / Government

Naomi Wolf’s The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women was published in 1990 and republished in 2002 by HarperCollins with an updated introduction. At the time of its original release, The Beauty Myth was considered a seminal feminist work for its analysis of the way the market—and its consumer culture—generates and perpetuates the myth of beauty to control women on a psychological level. This study guide refers to the 2009 HarperCollins... Read The Beauty Myth Summary


Publication year 2013Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Natural World: EnvironmentTags Journalism, Business / Economics, Sociology, History: World, Social Justice, Politics / Government

The Big Truck That Went By: How the World Came to Save Haiti and Left Behind a Disaster is a nonfiction book published in 2013 by the American journalist Jonathan M. Katz. Katz, a reporter for the Associated Press (AP), gives a detailed, firsthand account of the 2010 earthquake that devastated the Caribbean island nation of Haiti. The book is a journalist's chronicle of the causes and consequences of a natural disaster, how it can... Read The Big Truck That Went By Summary


Publication year 1993Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Society: Nation, Values/Ideas: MusicTags Sociology, Race / Racism, Arts / Culture, History: World, African American Literature, Afro-Caribbean Literature, British Literature, Education, Education, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics / Government

The Black Atlantic: Modernity and Double Consciousness, published in 1993 by Harvard University Press, combines historical, social, political, and cultural dimensions to reconceptualize the contours of Western modernity. Paul Gilroy, noted sociologist and cultural historian, proposes that modernity can be better understood through the analytical frame of the Black Atlantic, a transnational, intercultural, fractal structure of Black political and expressive cultures in the West. Reflections of experiences of modernity by early Black Atlantic intellectuals and... Read The Black Atlantic Summary


Publication year 2007Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: EconomicsTags Business / Economics, Philosophy, Science / Nature, Psychology, Finance / Money / Wealth, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Philosophy

Publication year 2002Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Natural World: Nurture v. NatureTags Psychology, Technology, Anthropology, Anthropology, Science / Nature, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics / Government

In the nonfiction book The Blank Slate, Steven Pinker, a Harvard-educated experimental psychologist, draws from cutting-edge cognitive science to debunk popular ideas about the mind and human nature. Primarily, Pinker argues against the concept of the Blank Slate—that is, that the mind is a “blank slate”—showing instead that our brains come hardwired with universal attributes. He also discredits two related concepts, that of the Noble Savage (the idea that primitive humans were superior to and... Read The Blank Slate Summary


Publication year 1528Genre Book, NonfictionTags Sociology, Elizabethan Era, Italian Literature, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government

Baldassare Castiglione, an Italian courtier, diplomat, soldier, and prominent Renaissance author, wrote The Book of the Courtier between 1513 and 1527. Principally an instructive work, the book takes place over the course of four evenings in the Italian court of Urbino in 1507. To entertain themselves, the courtiers discuss the nature and traits of the ideal courtier, dealing with topics of individual morals, behavior, and etiquette, particularly in situations involving royalty.The book begins with a... Read The Book of the Courtier Summary


Publication year 2017Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Society: CommunityTags Business / Economics, Social Science, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, Social Justice, Politics / Government

The Broken Ladder: How Inequality Affects the Way We Think, Live, and Die (2017) is a nonfiction popular-psychology book written by Keith Payne, an American professor of psychology and neuroscience. In it, he examines the physical, physiological, psychological, and moral effects of present-day inequality, particularly within the United States. Payne broadly argues that inequality has massively widened over the last 50 years, and that this has had profound implications because inequality harms everyone in society... Read The Broken Ladder Summary


Publication year 1987Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Education, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Society: CommunityTags Philosophy, Education, Education, American Literature, Social Science, Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Arts / Culture, Politics / Government

The Closing of the American Mind: How Higher Education Has Failed Democracy and Impoverished the Souls of Today’s Students, by Allan Bloom, is a non-fiction book published in 1987. The work is a critique of American culture and higher education and was considered a landmark in the culture wars of the 1980s. It was a surprise bestseller and a New York Times Book Review Notable Book of the Year. This guide refers to the page... Read The Closing of the American Mind Summary


Publication year 2018Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Truth & LiesTags Anthropology, Education, Education, Sociology, Parenting, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Arts / Culture, Politics / Government

The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting Up a Generation for Failure is a psychology book written by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt and published in 2018. The nonfiction work, which expounds upon an essay the authors wrote for The Atlantic in 2015, became a bestseller and National Book Critics Circle Award nominee. The book argues that parents and schools, in an overabundance of caution, have taught children... Read The Coddling of the American Mind Summary


Publication year 2017Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Race / Racism, History: U.S., Sociology, History: World, 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: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America Summary


Publication year 2023Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Globalization, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Life/Time: The Future, Society: Politics & Government, Society: CommunityTags Technology, Science / Nature, Business / Economics, Politics / Government, Technology, Sociology, Philosophy, Philosophy

Publication year 1848Genre Reference/Text Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: FateTags Politics / Government, Industrial Revolution, Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

The Communist Manifesto is a political pamphlet written by German philosophers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. First written in German, the Manifesto was initially published in London in 1848. Marx was the primary author, while Engels edited the text and assisted Marx financially. They wanted to present a working set of guidelines and principles for their European socialist allies and to offer a text that communists all over the world could use to support their... Read The Communist Manifesto Summary


Publication year 2010Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: EqualityTags Race / Racism, History: U.S., Social Justice, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Sociology, History: World, Politics / Government

Khalil Gibran Muhammad’s book The Condemnation of Blackness: Race, Crime, and the Making of Modern Urban America is a nonfiction history published in 2010. Muhammad, an American historian specializing on race and public policy, studies the connections between Blackness, crime, and the makings of America’s urban North after the Civil War. The book has garnered significant accolade, winning awards such as the 2011 John Hope Franklin Publication Prize and landing on the Vera Institute of... Read The Condemnation of Blackness Summary


Publication year 1845Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Philosophy, Business / Economics, Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government

Considered one of the classics of social and political theory, Friedrich Engels’s The Condition of the Working Class in England (1845) is a thought-provoking work based on the author’s personal observations of English society. As the first text of its kind to address the effects of capitalism on workers, it was widely read upon publication, even influencing the theories of Karl Marx, with whom Engels would later write The Communist Manifesto.Employed as a representative of... Read The Condition of the Working Class in England Summary


Publication year 2003Genre Biography, NonfictionThemes Society: CommunityTags Crime / Legal, Business / Economics, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Politics / Government

Published in 2004, The Corporation, by legal scholar Joel Bakan, demonstrates that corporations often misbehave because it is in their nature to do so. The corporate legal mandate, to pursue profit on behalf of shareholders, impels corporations to take any action, including callous, antisocial, and even unlawful behaviors, so long as they generate a profit.  Because corporations are created by governments, they are beholden to the state for their survival, yet they often manage to... Read The Corporation Summary


Publication year 2004Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Sexuality, Identity: Gender, Society: NationTags Education, Education, Gender / Feminism, Arts / Culture, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics / Government

Publication year 2021Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Class, Society: Economics, Society: CommunityTags Anthropology, Science / Nature, History: World, Anthropology, Business / Economics, Sociology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics / Government

Publication year 1961Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: CommunityTags Sociology, Urban Development, History: World, Arts / Culture, Politics / Government

The Death and Life of Great American Cities is a 1961 non-fiction book written by Jane Jacobs, an American-Canadian journalist, author, and activist with expertise in urban history and theory. This guide refers to the original edition published by the Vintage Books division of Random House. The title references the killing of cities by urban planners and to Jacobs’s ideas about the processes required to breathe new life into them. Jacobs’s overarching aim is to... Read The Death and Life of Great American Cities Summary


Publication year 2017Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Equality, Identity: Race, Society: Community, Society: Politics & GovernmentTags Health / Medicine, Race / Racism, Politics / Government, Social Justice, Poverty, Business / Economics, Sociology

Publication year 1973Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Values/Ideas: ArtTags Psychology, Philosophy, Religion / Spirituality, Grief / Death, Anthropology, Anthropology, Science / Nature, Sociology, Psychology, Philosophy, Self Help

The Denial of Death was written by the American cultural anthropologist Ernest Becker and published in 1973. The work explores the fear of death and the ways in which rituals and beliefs have helped humans to cope with it throughout history. It was inspired by the fact that Becker had been diagnosed with terminal colon cancer. Over the course of his life, he taught at several prestigious universities, including Syracuse University, UC Berkeley, and, by... Read The Denial of Death Summary


Publication year 2004Genre Book, NonfictionTags Sociology, History: U.S., Race / Racism, Immigration / Refugee, Creative Nonfiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Journalism, History: World, Social Justice, Politics / Government

Luis Alberto Urrea’s book, The Devil’s Highway, tells the story of a disastrous border crossing between Mexico and The United States. The Devil’s Highway refers to a particularly brutal stretch of desert. In the past, it was not used as often as other routes, but as the story shows, the development and proliferation of the Border Patrol has made it necessary to use this dangerous route. The story is divided into four sections: “Cutting the... Read The Devil's Highway Summary


Publication year 2021Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Race / Racism, Social Justice, Civil Rights / Jim Crow, Sociology, History: World, Politics / Government

Publication year 2011Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Win & LoseTags Politics / Government, Philosophy, Psychology, Business / Economics, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Philosophy

Publication year 1893Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Sociology, Philosophy, Business / Economics, Education, Education, Anthropology, Anthropology, Social Science, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government

The Division of Labor in Society by Émile Durkheim is a doctoral dissertation first published in 1893. It is most notable for using the scientific method to explain social phenomena, and it is widely considered one of the foundational works in modern sociology. Durkheim, along with other theorists such as Max Weber and Karl Marx, is considered a founder of the field. In The Division of Labor in Society, Durkheim explores how modern societies remain... Read The Division of Labor in Society Summary


Publication year 1852Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Society: Class, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Win & LoseTags History: European, Politics / Government, Philosophy, Sociology, German Literature, Business / Economics, History: World, French Literature, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

Publication year 1912Genre Reference/Text Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Natural World: Objects, Natural World: Place, Society: CommunityTags Philosophy, Sociology, Religion / Spirituality

Publication year 1992Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Equality, Society: Politics & GovernmentTags Politics / Government, Philosophy, Business / Economics, History: World, History: European, Sociology, Philosophy

The End of History and the Last Man by political scientist Francis Fukuyama is a widely read and controversial book on political philosophy published in 1992. In it, Fukuyama argues that the end of the Cold War in 1991 established Western liberal democracy as the final and most successful form of government, thus marking the conclusion of “mankind’s ideological evolution.” Since its original release, the book has been updated in 2006 and 2019 with reassertions... Read The End of History and the Last Man Summary


Publication year 2017Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Equality, Society: Politics & Government, Society: CommunityTags Sociology, Social Justice, Politics / Government, Race / Racism, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy

Publication year 2005Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: CommunityTags Race / Racism, Social Science, Business / Economics, History: World, Sociology, Social Justice, Poverty, Politics / Government

In The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time (2005), leading economist Jeffrey D. Sachs draws on his extensive global experience to identify a path to end extreme poverty within 20 years. This work is inspired by, and in some ways modeled after, the classic John Maynard Keynes essay Economic Possibilities for Our Grandchildren (1930). In the depths of the Great Depression, Keynes outlined a pathway to ending poverty in the industrialized countries near... Read The End of Poverty Summary


Publication year 1970Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Femininity, Identity: Sexuality, Relationships: FamilyTags Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government

Publication year 1963Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Femininity, Society: Education, Society: EconomicsTags Gender / Feminism, History: U.S., History: World, Love / Sexuality, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Sociology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government

Betty Friedan’s 1963 The Feminine Mystique is considered a classic text of feminist non-fiction. It was enormously influential in kick-starting the second wave of feminism, a movement that began in the 1960s advocating increased rights and new social roles for women. By voicing the despair that many women felt, The Feminine Mystique galvanized readers across the US to join the feminist movement and prompted others to at least to take its criticisms of mid-century American... Read The Feminine Mystique Summary


Publication year 1996Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Nation, Life/Time: The Future, Values/Ideas: Safety & DangerTags History: U.S., Sociology, Politics / Government, Business / Economics, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy

Publication year 2009Genre Book, NonfictionTags Psychology, Education, Education, Science / Nature, Social Science, Sociology, Parenting, Psychology

In 2009, New York Times bestselling author Alexandra Robbins returned with The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth: Popularity, Quirk Theory and Why Outsiders Thrive After High School. The nonfiction book, which unconventionally flows like a YA novel, takes us inside the corridors of the nation’s schools to look at what popularity really means, and why it is so important to young people. Grounded in the latest social science, Robbins’ bestseller tracks the lives of young... Read The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth Summary


Publication year 2008Genre Book, NonfictionTags Action / Adventure, Travel Literature, Science / Nature, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Self Help, Humor

In his 2008 nonfiction book The Geography of Bliss, Eric Weiner travels the world in search of happiness. Weiner, a former foreign correspondent for National Public Radio, sets out in this travelogue to investigate where in the world people are the most happy—and why. Casting himself as an inveterately cranky person, Weiner mixes humor, scientific inquiry, and psychological research to explain geographic concentrations of elevated mood. Since its publication, the book has been on the... Read The Geography of Bliss Summary


Publication year 1923Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & PrideTags Anthropology, Sociology, Philosophy, Business / Economics, Education, Education, Anthropology, French Literature, History: World, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

Publication year 1997Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Safety & DangerTags Psychology, Self Help, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Crime / Legal, Relationships, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Science / Nature, Sociology, Psychology, Mental Illness

Publication year 1975Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Natural World: EnvironmentTags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Action / Adventure, Food, Grief / Death, Sociology, Relationships, American Literature, Children's Literature, Education, Education

Publication year 1843Genre Essay / Speech, NonfictionThemes Relationships: MothersTags Sociology, Transcendentalism, History: World

“The Great Lawsuit” is an essay by Margaret Fuller, an American writer known for her contributions to transcendentalism and the women’s rights movement of the 1800s. It was first published in 1843 in The Dial, a journal she edited at the time. Fuller expanded the piece to create Woman in the Nineteenth Century, a book published in 1845.An early example of feminist writing and a vehicle for transcendental ideas, “The Great Lawsuit” centers on concepts... Read The Great Lawsuit Summary


Publication year 1944Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Trust & DoubtTags History: World, Education, Education, Anthropology, Anthropology, Business / Economics, Sociology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics / Government

The Great Transformation, by Karl Polanyi, was first published in 1944 and is a nonfiction work of economic history. The most recent 2001 edition features a Foreword by renowned economist Joseph Stiglitz as well as an Introduction by sociology professor Fred Block, both of which tout the continued relevance of Polanyi’s work. Throughout the work itself, Polanyi discusses the social and economic changes—what he terms “the great transformation”—that occurred as a result of the Industrial... Read The Great Transformation Summary


Publication year 1976Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Sexuality, Identity: Mental Health, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Society: CommunityTags Sociology, Philosophy, Love / Sexuality, Psychology, LGBTQ, Post Modernism, Education, Education, French Literature, History: World, Psychology, Philosophy

Michel Foucault was a French philosopher and theorist whose most significant works were first published in the 1960s and 1970s. Throughout his career, he examined the mechanisms of power and challenged accepted historical narratives, working to show how institutional power shapes the field of possible knowledge to its own advantage. The History of Sexuality, published in three volumes between 1976 and 1984—with a fourth volume published posthumously, in draft form, in 2018—examines the development of... Read The History of Sexuality Summary


Publication year 1958Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Life/Time: Birth, Natural World: Appearance & RealityTags Philosophy, Politics / Government, Education, Education, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

The Human Condition, written by Hannah Arendt and originally published in 1958, is a work of political and philosophical nonfiction. Arendt, a German-American philosopher and political theorist, divides the central theme of the book, vita activa, into three distinct functions: labor, work, and action. Her analyses of these three concepts form the philosophical core of the book. The rest of the book is historical in approach.Part 1 serves as an introduction to Arendt’s argument. She... Read The Human Condition Summary


Publication year 2003Genre Reference/Text Book, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Natural World: Climate, Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Food, Natural World: Place, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Globalization, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Science & TechnologyTags Education, Education, Anthropology, Anthropology, Science / Nature, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics / Government, History: World, Sociology

Publication year 1973Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Colonialism, Society: Nation, Society: Community, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Emotions/Behavior: ConflictTags Anthropology, Sociology, Philosophy, Science / Nature, Psychology, Politics / Government, Education, Education, Anthropology, Social Science, History: World, Philosophy, Arts / Culture

Publication year 1950Genre Essay Collection, NonfictionThemes Society: Nation, Society: Colonialism, Identity: MasculinityTags Philosophy, Race / Racism, Sociology, Gender / Feminism, Latin American Literature, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), History: World, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

The Labyrinth of Solitude is a nine-part philosophical and historical essay on Mexican identity and culture. Octavio Paz, a famous Mexican poet and career diplomat, began writing The Labyrinth of Solitude during his time as the Mexican ambassador to France in the late 1940s. Originally published in 1951, the first edition of Paz’s work appeared in Spanish under the title El labertino de la soledad, and it is widely considered to be Paz’s masterpiece. This... Read The Labyrinth of Solitude Summary


Publication year 1997Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Society: GlobalizationTags Business / Economics, Social Science, Sociology, History: World, Arts / Culture, Politics / Government

The Lexus and the Olive Tree is a nonfiction work by Thomas L Friedman, a New York Times foreign affairs reporter turned opinion columnist. Friedman has won three Pulitzer Prizes for General Non-Fiction and won the National Book Award for From Beirut to Jerusalem (1989), his memoir about reporting Middle East relations. He is also notable for his 2005 book, The World Is Flat, which focuses on many of the same themes as The Lexus... Read The Lexus and the Olive Tree Summary


Publication year 2009Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: Economics, Society: CommunityTags Philosophy, Poverty, Social Justice, Business / Economics, Sociology, Philosophy, Politics / Government

In 2009, Peter Singer, philosopher and ethicist at Princeton University, published The Life You Can Save, a short treatise on the obligations of affluent persons to alleviate the suffering of those experiencing extreme poverty on a global scale. By this time in his career, Singer had spent several decades on ethical questions related to global poverty. In 1972, he produced a seminal essay in the field, “Famine, Affluence, and Morality.” After a much more recent... Read The Life You Can Save Summary


Publication year 1934Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Natural World: ObjectsTags Philosophy, Science / Nature, Education, Education, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

Publication year 2007Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Good & EvilTags Science / Nature, Social Science, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Self Help, Politics / Government

The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil, published in 2007, is a nonfiction book written by Philip Zimbardo, an American psychologist and a professor emeritus at Stanford University. He rose to prominence for his Stanford Prison Experiment and is founder and president of the Heroic Imagination Project. In The Lucifer Effect, Zimbardo argues that humans are neither good nor evil. Instead, systemic and situational forces shape individuals’ actions, and every individual has the... Read The Lucifer Effect Summary


Publication year 1963Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Religion & SpiritualityTags Politics / Government, Business / Economics, History: European, Sociology, Industrial Revolution, British Literature, Class

Publication year 1983Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Joy, Identity: Mental Health, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Education, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Truth & LiesTags Education, Education, Anthropology, Anthropology, Gender / Feminism, Social Science, Business / Economics, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy

Publication year 1933Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Black Lives Matter, Race / Racism, Education, Education, History: U.S., Sociology, History: World, Social Justice, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government

Carter Godwin Woodson’s The Mis-Education of the Negro is a social critique that addresses the inherent structural and institutional racism represented by the United States education system. Originally written and published in 1933, this study guide refers to a republication of the text from 2010 by IAP (Las Vegas, Nevada). The book traces Woodson’s arguments regarding how the United States education system reproduces White supremacy and fails to educate Black students; this failure, Woodson contends... Read The Mis-Education of the Negro Summary


Publication year 1982Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Natural World: Nurture v. NatureTags History: World, Sociology, Anthropology, Anthropology, Science / Nature, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics / Government

The Mismeasure of Man, by Stephen Jay Gould, is a survey and critique of 19th- and 20th-century theories that posited human intelligence was a fixed and measurable number. Gould argues that mainstream scientists were not immune to the widespread racist and prejudicial beliefs of their time, and that these unconscious biases underlie the history of biological determinism, or the argument that shared human behavior is innate and primarily controlled by biology. Under this argument, social... Read The Mismeasure Of Man Summary


Publication year 1377Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Society: CommunityTags History: World, Medieval Literature / Middle Ages, History: Middle Eastern, Middle Eastern Literature, Sociology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government, Religion / Spirituality

Publication year 2022Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Mental Health, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Society: EconomicsTags Psychology, Self Help, Health / Medicine, Science / Nature, Sociology, Psychology, Mental Illness

Publication year 2010Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Sociology, Social Justice, African American Literature, Black Lives Matter, Race / Racism, History: World, Politics / Government

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness is a nonfiction book published in 2010 by American author and legal scholar Michelle Alexander. The book argues that the War on Drugs and mass incarceration operate as tools of racialized social control and oppression, not unlike the system in place during the Jim Crow era in the American South. The winner of the NAACP Image Award for Nonfiction, The New Jim Crow continues... Read The New Jim Crow Summary


Publication year 2022Genre Book, NonfictionTags History: World, Music, History: U.S., Arts / Culture, Politics / Government, Sociology, Humor, Internet Culture / Social Media

Publication year 1940Genre Book, NonfictionTags Anthropology, Sociology, Education, Education, Anthropology, Social Science, History: World, Politics / Government

Publication year 1998Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Natural World: Nurture v. Nature, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: MothersTags Psychology, Parenting, Science / Nature, Sociology, Children's Literature, Education, Education, Social Science, Psychology

Publication year 1945Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Politics & Government, Society: Nation, Values/Ideas: Fate, Society: CommunityTags Politics / Government, Philosophy, History: World, Science / Nature, Sociology, Business / Economics, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

Publication year 1966Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Self Discovery, Identity: Language, Natural World: ObjectsTags Philosophy, Science / Nature, Sociology, Psychology, Education, Education, Anthropology, Anthropology, French Literature, History: World, Psychology, Philosophy

Publication year 1884Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Relationships: Family, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: NationTags Anthropology, Anthropology, Gender / Feminism, Business / Economics, Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government

Publication year 1996Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Equality, Society: Class, Society: Economics, Society: Politics & GovernmentTags Urban Development, Race / Racism, History: U.S., Class, Sociology, History: World, Politics / Government

Publication year 1951Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: ClassTags Politics / Government, Philosophy, History: World, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

Hannah Arendt’s 1951 The Origins of Totalitarianism is an examination of the origins and ideologies of Nazism and Stalinism in the first half of the 20th century through an examination of antisemitism, imperialism, and totalitarianism. Arendt charts the emergence of the Nazi and Bolshevik totalitarian regimes and how those regimes operated as governments. Arendt asserts that imperialism, not nationalism, created the framework for the success of totalitarian movements, and she claims that totalitarian movements capitalized... Read The Origins of Totalitarianism Summary


Publication year 2010Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: FateTags Race / Racism, Sociology, Education, Education, Biography

The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates (2010) is a narrative nonfiction story that chronicles the lives of two young black men who share the same name: Wes Moore. The author was inspired to write this story because of this fact and their similar start in Baltimore, Maryland. While one Wes Moore was sentenced to life in prison, the writer Wes Moore became a Rhodes Scholar and a best-selling author. Moore’s purpose in writing... Read The Other Wes Moore Summary


Publication year 2004Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Identity: Mental Health, Values/Ideas: Science & TechnologyTags Psychology, Business / Economics, Self Help, Philosophy, Science, Sociology, Science / Nature, Psychology, Philosophy

Publication year 2018Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: Class, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Equality, Identity: RaceTags Business / Economics, Sociology, Psychology, Self Help, Psychology, Race / Racism, Social Justice

Publication year 1998Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Gender, Identity: Race, Society: Politics & GovernmentTags Race / Racism, Social Justice, Sociology, History: U.S., Politics / Government, Education, Education, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Arts / Culture

Publication year 1956Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Politics & Government, Society: ClassTags Sociology, Politics / Government, Philosophy, Social Science, Business / Economics, History: World, Philosophy

Publication year 2012Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Relationships: TeamsTags Psychology, Inspirational, Self Help, Leadership/Organization/Management, Science / Nature, Business / Economics, Sociology, Psychology

Charles Duhigg’s The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business investigates the science behind habit formation in the human brain. Drawing on corporate case studies and pioneering scientific experiments, Duhigg analyzes how individuals, organizations, and societies can use the knowledge of habit formation to change their behaviors. Published in 2012 by Random House, the nonfiction book has reached a broad public readership and landed on the New York Times... Read The Power of Habit Summary


Publication year 1991Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Language, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Society: CommunityTags Anthropology, Anthropology, Philosophy, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Fantasy, Classic Fiction, Religion / Spirituality, Mythology, Philosophy

The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell with Bill Moyers, published in 1988, is a nonfiction companion to a six-episode PBS documentary series by the same name. The main text of the book is a transcript of an extensive conversation between comparative mythology expert Joseph Campbell and journalist Bill Moyers. Using mythological stories, psychoanalytic theories, and personal anecdotes, Campbell and Moyers examine how world mythologies illuminate the mysteries of human life through shared symbols as... Read The Power of Myth Summary


Publication year 2022Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Mental Health, Self Discovery, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: RegretTags Psychology, Self Help, Relationships, Business / Economics, Sociology, Psychology, Mental Illness, Health / Medicine

Publication year 2021Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Order & ChaosTags Politics / Government, Health / Medicine, History: U.S., Science / Nature, Sociology, History: World

Publication year 1959Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: CommunityTags Education, Education, Anthropology, Anthropology, Science / Nature, Social Science, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy

The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life is a sociological study of the ways individuals encounter each other. Published in 1956 by Erving Goffman, it focuses on the relationship between an individual carrying out a particular role in society (what Goffman calls a “performance”) and those who are present but not participant (whom he calls “observers”) in the activity. While the text begins with a general introduction to Goffman’s methodology, with Chapter 1 solely an... Read The Presentation Of Self In Everyday Life Summary


Publication year 2012Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Society: CommunityTags Business / Economics, Sociology, History: World, Social Justice, Politics / Government

In 2007 the United States experienced an economic downturn that caused the standard for living for millions of Americans to plummet. While the share of national income dropped for 99 percent of Americans, the top 1 percent of Americans saw their wealth increase, in some cases considerably. Joseph E. Stiglitz published The Price of Inequality: How Today’s Divided Society Endangers Our Future in 2012 to explain this income gap and offer some hope that it... Read The Price of Inequality Summary


Publication year 2019Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Education, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Society: ClassTags Education, Business / Economics, Social Justice, Politics / Government, Education, Class, Sociology, Race / Racism

Publication year 1905Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Religion & SpiritualityTags Sociology, Social Science, Business / Economics, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government, Religion / Spirituality

The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism is a book written by German historian and sociologist Max Weber in 1905. Weber is often considered to be one of the founders of the discipline of sociology, and The Protestant Ethic is one of his most famous texts. As a work of sociology, the book seeks to analyze broad changes in both the economic and the religious structures of Western European and American societies. Over the... Read The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism Summary


Publication year 1997Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: Politics & GovernmentTags Philosophy, Race / Racism, Politics / Government, Sociology, Social Justice, Education, Education, History: World, Philosophy

Publication year 1944Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: EconomicsTags Business / Economics, Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government

As World War II raged around him, F.A. Hayek wrote and published The Road to Serfdom, which became a touchstone of the campaign to preserve personal and economic freedoms. The book argues that Western democracies’ attraction to socialism will take them down a path to authoritarian dictatorships like those in Soviet Russia and Nazi Germany. Government planning of economies, Hayek declares, must result in arbitrary and unfair edicts, as well as a loss of individual... Read The Road To Serfdom Summary


Publication year 1937Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Society: Class, Society: CommunityTags Social Justice, Class, History: European, British Literature, Journalism, Business / Economics, Sociology, History: World, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government, Biography

The Road to Wigan Pier is a 1937 nonfiction book by George Orwell. The book describes Orwell’s firsthand experiences of life in Great Britain’s working-class communities in the early 20th century and advocates for the adoption of socialism. SummaryThe Road to Wigan Pier begins in a small lodging house in Northern England. The impoverished, rundown house rents crowded rooms to people who work in the nearby mines. The landlord, Mr. Brooker, was once a miner... Read The Road to Wigan Pier Summary


Publication year 2019Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Life/Time: Midlife, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Marriage, Self Discovery, Society: CommunityTags Philosophy, Self Help, Psychology, Religion / Spirituality, Sociology, Psychology, Philosophy

Publication year 1949Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Equality, Identity: Femininity, Identity: SexualityTags Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Existentialism, Philosophy, Sociology

Publication year 1988Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Equality, Identity: Gender, Society: CommunityTags Philosophy, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Politics / Government

The Sexual Contract, published in 1988 by Polity Press, is an examination of social contract theory through a radical feminist lens. While acknowledging that the original contract itself is a political fiction, Carole Pateman claims that the original contract is a sexual-social contract that secures patriarchy and relations of sexually differentiated domination and subordination in modern civil society. However, dominant interpretations repress the sexual contract so that civil society appears to be post- or anti-patriarchal... Read The Sexual Contract Summary


Publication year 2010Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Literature, Life/Time: The Future, Emotions/Behavior: MemoryTags Science / Nature, Technology, Sociology, Philosophy, Information Age, Education, Education, Technology, Psychology, Psychology, Self Help

The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains (2011) is a nonfiction book by writer, editor, and media critic Nicholas Carr. Carr is a prolific nonfiction writer known for his analysis of cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and human society. A 2011 Pulitzer Prize Finalist, The Shallows combines elements of personal essay, journalism, and academic research to explore The Impact of the Internet on Cognitive Processes, The Nature of Learning and Media in the... Read The Shallows Summary


Publication year 2005Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Education, Identity: Race, Society: Class, Society: Politics & GovernmentTags Race / Racism, Politics / Government, Sociology, Social Justice, Poverty, Education, Education, History: World

Publication year 1979Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Race, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags History: U.S., Race / Racism, Social Justice, African American Literature, Education, Education, American Literature, Sociology, History: World

Publication year 1762Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Politics & GovernmentTags Philosophy, Age of Enlightenment, Education, Education, Sociology, History: World, French Literature, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government

The Social Contract is a political treatise published in 1762 by the Genevan philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Rousseau argues about the best ways to establish and maintain political authority without unduly sacrificing personal liberty. He builds off 17th-century philosopher Thomas Hobbes’s idea of the “social contract” between the people and sovereign authority, departing from Hobbes in his views on monarchy and the natural state of humankind. The Social Contract was enormously influential on political thought before... Read The Social Contract Summary


Publication year 1967Genre Reference/Text Book, NonfictionThemes Society: CommunityTags Philosophy, Sociology, French Literature, History: World, Philosophy, Arts / Culture, Politics / Government

Guy Debord’s 1967 philosophy text, The Society of the Spectacle, analyzes the phenomena of alienation and argues that alienation’s root cause is located within the economic, political, and cultural spheres of modern society. While previous periods of capitalist development saw the hyper-exploitation of workers, the period of capitalism after WWII saw an improvement in labor conditions for greater numbers of workers in society. However, for Debord, this improvement in work conditions did not translate to... Read The Society of the Spectacle Summary


Publication year 1959Genre Book, NonfictionTags Sociology, Education, Education, Anthropology, Anthropology, Science / Nature, Social Science, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics / Government

C. Wright Mills’ The Sociological Imagination covers the recent history of sociology as a field of study relating to society and the lives of individuals therein. While Mills’ work was not well received at the time of publication due to his reputation, today it is one of the most widely read sociology books and a staple in sociology university courses. The questions this text raises and the attention it gives to reconceiving the contemporary human... Read The Sociological Imagination Summary


Publication year 1891Genre Essay / Speech, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Power & GreedTags Philosophy, Politics / Government, Business / Economics, Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

Publication year 1903Genre Essay Collection, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Emotions/Behavior: GriefTags History: U.S., Existentialism, African American Literature, Black Lives Matter, Race / Racism, Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Social Justice, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government

Published in 1903, W.E.B. Du Bois’s The Souls of Black Folk is an important contribution to African-American literature, American literature, and sociology. A collection of 14 essays, the work is Du Bois’s description of the state of the South and African Americans’ lives at the turn of the 20th century. This guide is based on the Amazon Classics Kindle book edition.In “Of Our Spiritual Strivings,” Du Bois describes the psychological struggles of African Americans as... Read The Souls of Black Folk Summary


Publication year 1997Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Disability, Values/Ideas: Trust & DoubtTags Health / Medicine, Science / Nature, Sociology, Immigration / Refugee, American Literature, Education, Education, Anthropology, Anthropology, History: World, Biography

Anne Fadiman’s nonfiction book The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures chronicles the life of Lia Lee, a Hmong girl who lives with her family in Merced, California, in the 1980s and 1990s. The book examines the cultural misunderstandings and conflicting belief systems that result in Lia’s poor medical treatment after she is diagnosed with a severe form of epilepsy, Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome... Read The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Summary


Publication year 2009Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Power & GreedTags Science / Nature, Social Science, Business / Economics, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Social Justice, Politics / Government

Publication year 2010Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Natural World: EnvironmentTags Science / Nature, Climate Change, Business / Economics, Sociology, Health / Medicine, Politics / Government

The Story of Stuff: How Our Obsession with Stuff is Trashing the Planet, Our Communities, and Our Health—and a Vision for Change (2010) is a book by Annie Leonard. It is based on a short animated documentary with the same title (2007) written and narrated by Leonard. Leonard criticizes American consumer society that values novelty, accumulation, and low prices for being unsustainable. Overconsumption affects our health, our happiness, and our planet. Leonard travels from factories, to... Read The Story of Stuff Summary


Publication year 2012Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Identity: LanguageTags Anthropology, Anthropology, Science / Nature, Business / Economics, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy

Publication year 1955Genre Book, NonfictionTags Politics / Government, Race / Racism, History: U.S., Sociology, History: World, Social Justice

The Strange Career of Jim Crow is a nonfiction book by the Pulitzer Prize-winning historian C. Vann Woodward about the origins and nature of segregation in the Southern United States. Originally published in 1955, the commemorative edition was published in 2002. The Strange Career of Jim Crow argues that racial segregation in the rigid and universal form that existed in 1954 did not appear with the end of slavery. In the time between Reconstruction and... Read The Strange Career of Jim Crow Summary


Publication year 1962Genre Reference/Text Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Order & ChaosTags Science / Nature, Education, Education, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Philosophy, History: World, Sociology

The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962) by Thomas Kuhn stands as a seminal work that revolutionized the philosophy of science. As a scholar who shifted his focus from physics to the history of science, and later to the philosophy of science, Kuhn challenged prevailing notions about the nature of scientific progress, introducing concepts such as paradigms, normal science, and scientific revolutions. Situated at the nexus of science, history, and philosophy, Kuhn’s work upended the view... Read The Structure of Scientific Revolutions Summary


Publication year 2021Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Society: Politics & Government, Identity: RaceTags Race / Racism, Social Justice, Business / Economics, Sociology, History: World, Politics / Government

Publication year 1759Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & AngerTags Philosophy, Business / Economics, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government

Adam Smith’s The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759) secured its author’s place as one of history’s most celebrated philosophers. Like all great works of moral philosophy, Smith’s book belongs to a tradition that dates to antiquity. The Theory of Moral Sentiments, however, is probably best understood in the context of the 18th-century Scottish Enlightenment, for its argument helps reconcile two otherwise conflicting ideas advanced by two of that era’s intellectual titans. Furthermore, The Theory of... Read The Theory of Moral Sentiments Summary


Publication year 1899Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: ClassTags Business / Economics, Education, Education, Social Science, History: World, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Sociology, Philosophy, Politics / Government

The Theory of the Leisure Class: An Economic Study of Institutions (1899), written by Norwegian-American sociologist and economist Thorstein Veblen, is a critique of consumerism and conspicuous culture promoted by the wealthy leisure class in America during the Industrial era. Veblen proposes that economics is not simply the study of markets and cash flow; it must include sociological analysis to accurately reflect a society’s consumption patterns and their cultural and economic repercussions. Though the book... Read The Theory of the Leisure Class Summary


Publication year 2000Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Life/Time: The FutureTags Business / Economics, Sociology, Psychology, Self Help, Leadership/Organization/Management, Science / Nature, Psychology

Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point (2000) is an interdisciplinary work of popular sociology and psychology that explores the concept of the tipping point, a moment of sudden change that occurs in social epidemics. Gladwell explores how social epidemics work and offers many case studies and illustrative research to bolster his novel arguments about how epidemics “tip.” The book began as an article for The New Yorker. This guide refers to the first edition of the... Read The Tipping Point Summary


Publication year 1951Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & AngerTags Psychology, Philosophy, Politics / Government, Sociology, Social Science, History: World, Psychology, Philosophy, Religion / Spirituality

The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements (1951), by Eric Hoffer, is a philosophical treatise that explores the question of why ordinary people join mass movements and become fanatical devotees of what they perceive as a holy cause. Hoffer argues that prospective fanatics—the soon-to-be true believers—experience personal frustration so intense that their strongest desire is to lose their individuality altogether by surrendering to something greater than themselves. Mass movements exploit this frustration... Read The True Believer Summary


Publication year 2020Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Equality, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Society: Politics & GovernmentTags Philosophy, Politics / Government, Sociology, Social Justice, Education, Education, Social Science, Business / Economics, History: World, Philosophy

Publication year 2016Genre Biography, NonfictionThemes Relationships: FriendshipTags History: World, Science / Nature, Business / Economics, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Biography

A powerful dichotomy lies at the heart of The Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds (2016), Michael Lewis’s account of how the friendship between two Israeli psychologists—Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky—essentially created the field of behavioral economics and shifted paradigms about human decision making. This dichotomy is the tension between intuition and algorithms, between gut feelings and empirical data. In the Introduction, Lewis explains that The Undoing Project exists largely as a complement... Read The Undoing Project Summary


Publication year 2013Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: NationTags Business / Economics, History: U.S., Politics / Government, American Literature, Journalism, Sociology, History: World, Biography

The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America is a 2013 work of contemporary political science and history by the American journalist George Packer. It won the National Book Award in 2013 and was a finalist for the 2013 National Book Critics Circle Award. The book explores the trajectory of the United States from 1978 to 2012 and argues that those years saw a diminishing of the institutions, promises, and social connections that had... Read The Unwinding Summary


Publication year 2006Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Politics & Government, Society: Economics, Society: Globalization, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Business / Economics, History: U.S., Education, Education, Leadership/Organization/Management, Sociology, History: World, Politics / Government, Biography

Publication year 2019Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Apathy, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Identity: Mental HealthTags Psychology, Science / Nature, Self Help, Sociology, Arts / Culture, Technology, Business / Economics, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Religion / Spirituality

Publication year 2009Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: CommunityTags Anthropology, Science / Nature, Technology, Anthropology, Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Travel Literature, Religion / Spirituality

This study guide refers to the 2009 House of Anansi Press edition of Wade Davis’s The Wayfinders: Why Ancient Wisdom Matters in the Modern World. The Wayfinders collects a series of five Massey Lectures that Davis delivered in Canada in 2009. Davis is a Colombian-Canadian anthropologist and ethnobotanist, and the Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society. This position, as well as his long anthropological career, has allowed Davis to spend time with many of the... Read The Wayfinders Summary


Publication year 2006Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Society: ColonialismTags Business / Economics, Colonialism / Postcolonialism, Sociology, History: World, Social Justice, Poverty, Politics / Government

The White Man’s Burden: Why the West’s Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good is William Easterly’s investigation and critique of international development, foreign aid, and Western intervention, including the histories and effects of colonialism and imperialism. Easterly comes with decades of experience as a development economist working with global institutions such as the World Bank and on projects across the developing world, which is reflected in his... Read The White Man’s Burden Summary


Publication year 2003Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Gender, Identity: Masculinity, Values/Ideas: EqualityTags Gender / Feminism, Love / Sexuality, Relationships, Psychology, Philosophy, Social Justice, Sociology, Psychology, Philosophy, Self Help, Politics / Government

Publication year 2004Genre Book, NonfictionTags Sociology

David K. Shipler is a former New York Times correspondent and a 1987 Pulitzer Prizewinner who has authored nonfiction books on global politics, civil liberties, and racial inequality. He wrote the 2004 national bestseller The Working Poor: Invisible in America. The book’s aim is to discover, analyze, and expose the lives of the people who do work that is essential to America’s comfort and prosperity but who do not share in it. In 1997, “as... Read The Working Poor Summary


Publication year 1935Genre Essay / Speech, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: BeautyTags Philosophy, Arts / Culture, Sociology, German Literature

Publication year 2015Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Self Discovery, Society: Economics, Society: Globalization, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Science & TechnologyTags Education, Education, Science / Nature, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Self Help, Arts / Culture

Publication year 2005Genre Book, NonfictionTags Science / Nature, Education, Education, Business / Economics, Sociology, History: World, Politics / Government

The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century is a nonfiction book by Thomas L. Friedman. It was first published in 2005 and was updated with two new editions in 2006 and 2007. The book is a wide-ranging examination of globalization at the turn of the 21st century and its impact on the United States. The book is divided into sections that explain the origin, impact, and meaning of a “flat world.”... Read The World Is Flat Summary


Publication year 1961Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: ColonialismTags Race / Racism, Existentialism, Afro-Caribbean Literature, Colonialism / Postcolonialism, History: European, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Social Justice, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government

The Wretched of the Earth (1961) is a nonfiction book by Frantz Fanon, a French West Indian psychiatrist and philosopher. Together with such texts as Edward Said’s Orientalism (1978), Gayatri Spivak’s “Can the Subaltern Speak?” (1988), and Homi Bhabha’s The Location of Culture (1994), The Wretched of the Earth is a founding text of modern postcolonial studies. It is also Frantz Fanon’s most internationally acclaimed book, translated into more than 25 languages, though he is... Read The Wretched of the Earth Summary


Publication year 2019Genre Essay Collection, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Creative Nonfiction, Gender / Feminism, Race / Racism, Social Justice, Politics / Government, African American Literature, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), 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


Publication year 2014Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Truth & LiesTags Self Help, Business / Economics, Science / Nature, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy

Think Like a Freak is a nonfiction book published in 2014 by Steven D. Levitt, a professor of economics at the University of Chicago, and Stephen J. Dubner, a journalist based in New York City. It is a follow-up to the authors’ successful books Freakonomics (2005) and SuperFreakonomics (2009), and ties in with their blog and podcast, which can be found at freakonomics.com. A fourth book in the series, When to Rob a Bank, was... Read Think Like a Freak Summary


Publication year 2020Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Education, Society: CommunityTags Sociology, Politics / Government, Poverty, Business / Economics, History: World, Social Justice

Tightrope: Americans Reaching For Hope (Alfred A. Knopf, 2020) is a nonfiction book written by the journalists Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, who are also married. The book chronicles the individual impact of the American approach to poverty and offers prescriptions for how the United States can adopt a more human approach to those who are struggling with deprivation, addiction, and despair. Upon its release, the book was a New York Times best seller.Plot SummaryThe... Read Tightrope Summary


Publication year 2020Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Relationships: Family, Society: CommunityTags Psychology, Self Help, Health / Medicine, Relationships, Sociology, Science / Nature, Psychology, Mental Illness

Publication year 2016Genre Book, NonfictionTags Sociology, Anthropology, Anthropology, Military / War, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics / Government

Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging is a 2016 non-fiction book by Sebastian Junger. This guide is based on the 2016 first-edition hardback published in New York by Twelve/Hachette Book Group. Junger is a journalist, essayist, filmmaker, and best-selling author whose writing about dangerous work and the people who perform it has been credited with stimulating the “adventure non-fiction” genre. His first book, Perfect Storm: A True Story About Men Against the Sea, about six fishermen... Read Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging Summary


Publication year 2011Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: EconomicsTags Business / Economics, Urban Development, Sociology, History: World, Arts / Culture

Harvard economics professor Edward Glaeser brings new life and controversy to the study of urban areas with his book Triumph of The City: How Our Greatest Invention Makes Us Richer, Smarter, Greener, Healthier, and Happier (2011). The 2011 Penguin Books edition is the subject of this guide. Glaeser amasses evidence from his own research and elsewhere to prove the critical importance of cities to the progress of humanity. His thesis is that the many personal interconnections... Read Triumph of the City Summary


Publication year 2003Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Literature, Identity: LanguageTags Incarceration, Arts / Culture, Education, Education, Sociology, Biography

True Notebooks: A Writer's Year at Juvenile Hall is a 2003 nonfiction book by Mark Salzman. In the first three chapters, Salzman, currently writing his latest novel, and stuck, begins volunteering as a writing teacher at Central Juvenile Hall, in Los Angeles. Mark has little connection with the correctional system, and is ambivalent about taking on the role. The facility leaves a powerful impression on Mark; he decides that it might prove to be helpful... Read True Notebooks Summary


Publication year 1910Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Society: Immigration, Identity: Gender, Society: Class, Society: CommunityTags Sociology, Poverty, Industrial Revolution, Social Justice, History: U.S., History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Biography

Publication year 2020Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Society: Nation, Society: CommunityTags Politics / Government, History: U.S., Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy

Publication year 2004Genre Essay Collection, NonfictionThemes Identity: Femininity, Identity: Gender, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: SexualityTags Gender / Feminism, Sociology, LGBTQ, Philosophy, Philosophy

Publication year 2003Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Class, Society: Education, Society: EconomicsTags Sociology, Class, Race / Racism, Parenting, Poverty, Education, Education, Anthropology, Anthropology, Social Science, Psychology, Psychology

Publication year 2005Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: CommunityTags Science / Nature, Anthropology, Anthropology, Social Science, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Arts / Culture, Politics / Government

Us and Them: Understanding Your Tribal Mind is a 2005 nonfiction book by David Berreby about how humans divide and categorize themselves. The psychological text explains human nature and the neuroscience of human groupings like races, ethnicities, classes, and nationalities. Berreby also discusses the positive and negative effects of human-kind groupings and offers advice on how to better act on human-kind beliefs.Plot SummaryBerreby begins by explaining the concept of human kinds—a number of people that... Read Us and Them Summary


Publication year 2014Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Globalization, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Immigration, Society: Education, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Science / Nature, Sociology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics / Government, Business / Economics, History: World, Social Justice, Education, Technology, Military / War

Publication year 1848Genre Reference/Text Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Class, Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & GreedTags Business / Economics, Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics / Government

Publication year 2016Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Science & TechnologyTags Business / Economics, Science / Nature, Technology, Technology, Sociology, Politics / Government

In this nonfiction book, data scientist and mathematician Catherine O’Neil’s Weapons of Math Destruction (2016) explores how math-driven models encoded in technology shape many people’s lives and opportunities in the United States. She calls these models weapons of math destruction (WMDs) for their ability to wreak mass havoc on the poor and marginalized peoples of America. This book deals with difficult subject matter, such as socioeconomic oppression, racial discrimination, gender inequality, and discrimination against individuals... Read Weapons of Math Destruction Summary


Publication year 2012Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Business / Economics, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics / Government

Publication year 2004Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Education, Relationships: Teams, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: EqualityTags Education, Education, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, Self Help

Publication year 2009Genre Book, NonfictionTags Psychology, Sociology, Science / Nature, Business / Economics, Social Science, Psychology, Self Help

Publication year 2008Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Society: Globalization, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Natural World: EnvironmentTags Education, Education, Business / Economics, Sociology, History: World, Travel Literature, Arts / Culture

Publication year 1996Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Politics & GovernmentTags Education, Education, Sociology, History: World, Race / Racism, Crime / Legal, Politics / Government, Social Justice, History: U.S.

Publication year 2018Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Race / Racism, Social Justice, Black Lives Matter, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Self Help, Politics / Government

Published in 2018, White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo received critical acclaim and became a New York Times Bestseller for explaining how white people should address racism in the moment and how they can move into a new, healthier, less racist paradigm. DiAngelo holds a PhD in multicultural education and specializes in critical racial and social justice education.Plot SummaryDiAngelo stresses that all white people play... Read White Fragility Summary


Publication year 2006Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: CommunityTags Race / Racism, History: U.S., Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Social Justice, Arts / Culture, Politics / Government

White Guilt: How Blacks and Whites Together Destroyed the Promise of the Civil Rights Era is a 2006 nonfiction book by Shelby Steele, a Black conservative author who specializes in the study of race relations in the US. This guide refers to the e-book published in 2009 by HarperCollins. The title points to the book’s central theme: white guilt—the loss of moral authority—and the damaging responses it elicited in Black and White Americans in the... Read White Guilt Summary


Publication year 1998Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: EqualityTags History: U.S., Race / Racism, Politics / Government, Social Justice, Education, Education, Anthropology, Anthropology, Sociology, History: World

Publication year 2016Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: CommunityTags Sociology, Politics / Government, Black Lives Matter, Race / Racism, History: U.S., History: World, Social Justice

Carol Anderson's 2016 nonfiction book, White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide, looks at the way African-American progress has been halted and repressed, again and again, by a powerful cocktail of economic self-interest, fear, and hatred on the part of America's white elites, a philosophy she calls "white rage." The book’s five chapters examine five crucial turning points in the African-American struggle for freedom and equality: Reconstruction and the abolition of slavery, the... Read White Rage Summary


Publication year 2024Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Natural World: Place, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & GovernmentTags Race / Racism, History: U.S., Business / Economics, Sociology, History: World, Social Justice, Arts / Culture, Politics / Government

Publication year 2016Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Nation, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Sociology, History: U.S., Class, Social Justice, Race / Racism, Business / Economics, History: World, Politics / Government

IntroductionIn White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America, Nancy Isenberg documents the historical and contemporary disdain of the upper and middle classes in America for the white poor and the resultant staying power of a class hierarchy. Isenberg, an award-winning historian, uses her expertise to contribute this non-fictional work to the academic literature on social class. Originally published in 2016, the book became a New York Times bestseller and was a finalist... Read White Trash Summary


Publication year 1997Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: RaceTags Race / Racism, Psychology, Education, Education, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Social Justice, Politics / Government

First published in 1997, Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?: And Other Conversations About Race addresses race and racism in the United States from a psychologist’s perspective. Beverly Daniel Tatum is a clinical psychologist with extensive experience in researching racial identity development. We need to learn how to have productive dialogues about race and racism, and to do that we need to understand how our racial identities form and how... Read Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? Summary


Publication year 2017Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Society: Class, Society: Politics & GovernmentTags Race / Racism, Gender / Feminism, Politics / Government, Social Justice, Black Lives Matter, History: African , Sociology, History: World

Publication year 2018Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Natural World: EnvironmentTags Politics / Government, Philosophy, History: World, Education, Education, Social Science, Business / Economics, Sociology, Philosophy, Arts / Culture

Publication year 2012Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Society: CommunityTags Business / Economics, Politics / Government, History: World, Science / Nature, Sociology

Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty (2012) is a nonfiction book co-authored by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson. Acemoglu, an MIT economist renowned for his work on political economy, and Robinson, a political scientist and economist, combine their expertise to examine the reasons behind the varying levels of success and failure among nations. This interdisciplinary work, situated at the intersection of institutional economics, developmental economics, and economic history, examines a... Read Why Nations Fail Summary


Publication year 2020Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Politics & Government, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Society: Nation, Society: CommunityTags History: U.S., Psychology, Sociology, Politics / Government, Social Science, History: World, Psychology, Arts / Culture

Publication year 2018Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Equality, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Win & LoseTags Politics / Government, Business / Economics, Social Justice, Civil Rights / Jim Crow, Class, Sociology, History: World

Publication year 1981Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Society: Class, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Gender / Feminism, Race / Racism, History: U.S., Politics / Government, Social Justice, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy

Publication year 2019Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Life/Time: Aging, Emotions/Behavior: Gratitude, Emotions/Behavior: JoyTags Self Help, Psychology, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Sociology, Psychology, Mental Illness, Health / Medicine