The wretched and landless poor have existed from the time of the earliest British colonial settlement. They were alternately known as "waste people," "offals," "rubbish," "lazy lubbers," and "crackers." By the 1850s, the downtrodden included so-called "clay eaters" and "sandhillers," known for prematurely-aged children distinguished by their yellowish skin, ragged clothing, and listless minds. Surveying political rhetoric and policy, popular literature...

The daughters of a North Carolina senator, Isabelle and Mirabelle, who are still reeling from the knowledge that they are not cousins, but actually sisters, barely have time to process the news with cotillion season right around the corner.

Rejecting an undesirable marriage in favor of working at her father's prestigious Savile Row tailoring firm, hearing-impaired Victorian gentlewoman Veda Grenfell reluctantly accepts the advances of unpredictable heir Harry Breadalbane.

Brooklyn's famed neighborhood of Park Slope has it all: the sprawling, majestic Prospect Park; acclaimed public schools; historic brownstones; and progressive values. The more upwardly mobile New Yorkers discover its virtues, the more that claiming a stake in Park Slope becomes a competitive sport.In the park, the coffee shops, and the playgrounds of the neighborhood, four women's lives collide one long, hot Brooklyn summer. Melora Leigh, a two-time...

"In a reverse twist on the Robin Hood story, a young medieval maiden stands up for the rights of the mistreated, stealing from the rich to give to the poor, but she never anticipates falling in love with the wealthy knight who represents all she's come to despise"--

Profiles everyday life in the settlement of Annawadi as experienced by a Muslim teen, an ambitious rural mother, and a young scrap metal thief, illuminating how their efforts to build better lives are challenged by religious, caste, and economic tensions.

Amid preparations for their preppy Southern town's Founders Day celebration and their own shared sweet sixteen, sisters Isabelle Scott and Mirabelle Monroe long to break free from the tight constraints that come with being the daughters of a prominent public figure.

"Crazy Rich Asians meets The Help! From Reese's Book Club veteran Balli Kaur Jaswal comes an absolute tour de force--the wildly entertaining and sharply observed story of three women who work in the homes of Singapore's elite, and band together to solve a murder mystery involving one of their own"-- The wealthy island nation of Singapore seems like an oasis of luxury and order, but it owes everything to the immigrant women no one sees. Corazon, Donita,...

At its optimistic best, America has embraced its identity as the world's melting pot. Today it is on the cusp of becoming a country with no racial majority, and new minorities are poised to exert a profound impact on U.S. society, economy, and politics. The concept of a "minority white" may instill fear among some Americans, but William H. Frey, the man behind the demographic research, points out that demography is destiny, and the fear of a more...

"The majority is never right…Who are the people that make up the biggest proportion of the population -- the intelligent ones or the fools?" – Henrik Ibsen Widely regarded as one of the foremost dramatists of the nineteenth century, Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen (1828–1906), created realistic plays bringing the social problems of his day to center stage. His dramas portrayed psychological conflict that emphasized character over devious...