Since the summer of 2020, after the murder of George Floyd, there have been even more book lists and titles published about social justice. With so many titles to choose from, how does one build a collection that encompasses an array of topics, ranging from racism and xenophobia to mental health and disability justice?

The eclectic mix of titles below highlights the many facets of social justice. Many of the characters and nonfiction subjects encounter multiple forms of discrimination and hatred. While some handle their situations quietly, others sound the alarm with calls to action. 

Starred titles () are recommended for all library collections.

Fiction

Brandon-Croft, Barbara. Where I’m Coming From. Drawn & Quarterly. Feb. 2023. 184p. ISBN 9781770465688. $29.95. GRAPHIC NOVELS

George, Jessica. Maame. St. Martin’s. Jan. 2023. 320p. ISBN 9781250282521. $27.99. F

Guns, Priya. Your Driver Is Waiting. Doubleday. Feb. 2023. 320p. ISBN 9780385549301. $26. F

Jiménez, Claire. What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez. Grand Central. Mar. 2023. 240p. ISBN 9781538725962. $28. F

Kuang, R.F. Yellowface. Morrow. May 2023. 336p. ISBN 9780063250833. $30. F

Nonfiction

Alsultany, Evelyn. Broken: The Failed Promise of Muslim Inclusion. NYU. Nov. 2022. 320p. ISBN 9781479823963. $30. SOCIAL SCIENCE

Aziz, Omer. Brown Boy: A Memoir. Scribner. Apr. 2023. 320p. ISBN 9781982136314. $28. MEMOIR

Ortner, Sherry B. Screening Social Justice: Brave New Films and Documentary Activism. Duke Univ. Mar. 2023. 160p. ISBN 9781478019510. pap. $23.95. FILM

Piepzna-Samarasinha, Leah Lakshmi. The Future Is Disabled: Prophecies, Love Notes and Mourning Songs. Arsenal Pulp. Oct. 2022. 272p. ISBN 9781551528915. pap. $19.95. SOCIAL SCIENCE

Royster, Francesca T. Choosing Family: A Memoir of Queer Motherhood and Black Resistance. Abrams. Feb. 2023. 288p. ISBN 9781419756177. $26. MEMOIR

Don’t Miss These Previously Reviewed Titles

Arce, Julissa. You Sound Like a White Girl: The Case for Rejecting Assimilation. Flatiron: Macmillan. Mar. 2022. 208p. ISBN 9781250787019. $27.99. SOCIAL SCIENCE

Atoe, Osa. Shotgun Seamstress: An Anthology. Soft Skull. Nov. 2022. 368p. ISBN 9781593767396. $40. MUSIC

Canaday, Margot. Queer Career: Sexuality and Work in Modern America. Princeton Univ. Jan. 2023. 312p. ISBN 9780691205953. $39.95. LGBTQIA+ STUDIES

Cole, Alyssa. When No One Is Watching. Morrow. Sep. 2020. 368p. ISBN 9780062982650. pap. $16.99. THRILLER

Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century. Vintage. Jun. 2020. 240p. ed. by Alice Wong. ISBN 9781984899422. pap. $16. SOCIAL SCIENCE

Ewing, Eve L. Ghosts in the Schoolyard: Racism and School Closings on Chicago’s South Side. Univ. of Chicago. Oct. 2018. 240p. ISBN 9780226526027. $22.50. EDUCATION

Hill, Anita. Believing: Our Thirty-Year Journey To End Gender Violence. Viking. Sept. 2021. 352p. ISBN 9780593298299. $30. SOCIAL SCIENCE

Hosein, Kevin Jared. Hungry Ghosts. Ecco: HarperCollins. Jan. 2023. 336p. ISBN 9780063213388. $27.99. CULTURAL HERITAGE NOVEL

Ng, Celeste. Our Missing Hearts. Penguin Pr. Oct. 2022. 352p. ISBN 9780593492543. $29. LITERARY

Tovar, Virgie. You Have the Right To Remain Fat. Feminist Pr. at CUNY. Aug. 2018. 136p. ISBN 9781936932313. pap. $14.95. ebk. ISBN 9781936932320. SOCIAL SCIENCE