In this Collection, we've gathered together a selection of fictional and real-life narratives that share the theme of Challenging Authority. These selections feature protagonists and real-world figures who stand up to both powerful individuals and oppressive systems in an array of cultural and historical settings.
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Future, Relationships: Teams, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt
Tags Fantasy, Romance, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, LGBTQ, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Religion / Spirituality
Publication year 1990
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Indigenous, Identity: Race, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Environment, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Historical Fiction, Western, Magical Realism, American Literature, Education, Education, Mystery / Crime Fiction, History: World
Mean Spirit (1990) is the first novel by Chickasaw author Linda Hogan. Nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1991, it was well-reviewed and established Hogan as an important Indigenous author. The novel tells the story of what came to be known as the Osage murders, a string of killings in Oklahoma’s Osage country after oil was discovered on Osage land. The murders were ultimately discovered to have been the result of not only... Read Mean Spirit Summary
Publication year 1604
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Identity: Sexuality, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Classic Fiction, Play: Comedy / Satire, Jacobean Era, Education, Education, Drama / Tragedy
Measure for Measure is a play written by William Shakespeare. It was first performed in 1604 and is considered one of Shakespeare’s “problem plays” because of its ambiguous tone that shifts between tragedy and comedy. Shakespeare was a prolific poet and playwright during the Elizabethan and Jacobean era. While his earlier works were primarily comedies and histories, Measure for Measure was written during the period in which Shakespeare began to write many of his most... Read Measure For Measure Summary
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Relationships: Marriage
Tags Mythology, Play: Tragedy, Classic Fiction, Ancient Greece, Education, Education, Drama / Tragedy, Fantasy
Medea is a tragic play written by the ancient Greek playwright Euripides. It was composed in 431 BCE as Euripides’s entry for the Dionysia, an important religious festival and theatrical competition in the city of Athens. Though Medea placed third in the competition that year, it has since become one of Euripides’s most popular works, enjoying special attention for its nuanced treatment of revenge and domestic strife and for the complexity of its lead character... Read Medea Summary
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Relationships: Family, Society: Class, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Fantasy, Romance, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, New Adult, Action / Adventure
Publication year 8
Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Politics & Government, Life/Time: Mortality & Death
Tags Education, Education, Mythology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classical Period, Fantasy, Classic Fiction, Ancient Greece, Narrative / Epic Poem
Publius Ovidius Naso, known more commonly today as Ovid, originally composed his Metamorphoses in Latin and completed the work around 8 CE. The Metamorphoses combines hundreds of Greco-Roman mythological tales into 15 books of poetry, brief summaries of which follow.This guide follows A. D. Melville’s 1986 translation for Oxford World’s Classics, and citations reference page numbers rather than line numbers. This guide follows Melville’s divisions of the various myths, although not all editions will make... Read Metamorphoses Summary
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Gratitude, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Historical Fiction, Race / Racism, Civil Rights / Jim Crow, Children's Literature, History: World, Arts / Culture
Publication year 1977
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Gender, Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: The Future, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Teams, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy, Gender / Feminism
Publication year 1951
Genre Essay Collection, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Apathy, Society: Community, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology
Tags Philosophy, Politics / Government, Sociology
Publication year 1910
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: The Past, Identity: Masculinity, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Narrative / Epic Poem, Depression / Suicide, Addiction / Substance Abuse, History: European, Psychology, American Literature
Publication year 1888
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Sexuality, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Play: Drama, Naturalism, Scandinavian Literature, Class, Education, Education, Drama / Tragedy, History: World, Classic Fiction
Miss Julie is a naturalistic play produced in 1888 by the Swedish playwright and novelist August Strindberg. The play follows the acute romantic entanglement of the three characters: Miss Julie, a young aristocratic woman; Jean, her father’s well-read and well-traveled valet; and Kristine, the cook. Through the psychological battle of wills between Julie and the ruthless Jean, the play explores themes of Class Conflict and Social Hierarchy, Gender Roles and Power Dynamics, and The Complexity... Read Miss Julie Summary
Publication year 2006
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Relationships: Friendship
Tags Fantasy, Action / Adventure
Publication year 2010
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: War, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Action / Adventure, Fantasy, Romance
Mockingjay, published in 2010 by Scholastic, is the third novel in Suzanne Collins’s bestselling Hunger Games series. The series follows the life of Katniss Everdeen, an adolescent girl living in the futuristic dystopia of Panem. Mockingjay focuses on the civil war between the 13 districts of Panem and the oppressive government of the Capitol. Through Katniss’s experiences in the war, Collins explores cycles of oppression, the meaning of love in wartime, and the power of... Read Mockingjay Summary
Publication year 1722
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Femininity, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Relationships: Marriage, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Identity: Gender
Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, British Literature, History: World
Published in 1722, The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe tells the life story of a woman who carves her own path through late 17th-century England and North America. Like Defoe’s first novel, Robinson Crusoe, this work also tells the tale of a singular individual who overcomes adversity—in her case, extreme poverty—to become considerably wealthy. Moll Flanders is a wife, a thief, a sex worker, and an impresario. She is... Read Moll Flanders Summary
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction
Publication year 2018
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Language, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Indigenous
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Depression / Suicide, History: The Americas, Leadership/Organization/Management, Race / Racism, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Colonialism / Postcolonialism
Publication year 2010
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: The Past, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Society: Community, Society: Class, Society: Economics, Society: Immigration, Society: Education, Society: War, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Nation, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt
Tags Historical Fiction, Children's Literature, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Realistic Fiction, History: World
Moon Over Manifest is a 2010 novel by author Claire Vanderpool. It relates the story of 12-year-old Abilene Tucker, a drifting girl in search of her father, a home, and a sense of belonging. When the novel starts, her father, Gideon Tucker, has just sent Abilene to the Kansas town of Manifest, claiming that he can’t take her to Iowa, where he is allegedly taking a railroad job. It is 1936, and the Great Depression... Read Moon Over Manifest Summary
Publication year 2016
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Natural World: Space & The Universe, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy
Publication year 2001
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy, Action / Adventure, Technology, Class
Publication year 1939
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Family, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Tags Education, Education, African American Literature, Historical Fiction, Fairy Tale / Folklore, Classic Fiction, Religion / Spirituality
Moses, Man of the Mountain is an allegorical novel by African-American author and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston. The novel reimagines the life of Moses and the biblical narrative of the Exodus from Egypt with several important changes, including the use of African American dialect, slang, and folklore. Throughout the novel, Hurston draws allegorical parallels between the enslavement of the Hebrew people in Egypt and the enslavement of people of African descent in the United States... Read Moses, Man of the Mountain Summary