Literature refers to superior and artistic written works of any topic, whereas law consists of the rules and principles set by a country, to regulate the actions and behaviours of the citizens of that particular country. Most people hardly ever experience situations that need the involvement of the law; as a result, they are unaware of how the judicial system works.

Books that combine Law Literature commonly have the objective to educate people on how a country’s law is applied and how certain laws have an impact on social issues.

Listed below are the popular “must read” law and literature books.

• Bleak House, by Charles Dickens

The book tells the tale of the residents of a town near London, who desperately try to solve a civil case that they named “Jarndyce”.

The case appears to be very complex because it involves an inheritance.

Charles Dickens’ books often address social issues, and in this particular one, the reviews, in a satirical manner, the British judicial system.

• In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote

This book is a non-fiction novel that tells the true story of the assassination of the Clutter family which took place in Holcomb, Kansas.

Capote spent a total of six years gathering the information that would be essential to his book, the publication of which made him a literary celebrity.

• To Kill a Mocking bird, by Harper Lee

The book tells the story of a young girl named Scout.

Scout’s father is a lawyer defending a black man who has been accused of sexually assaulting a white woman.

The main themes of the book are southern life, racial injustice, courage and compassion, and class.

The book is praised for its ability to have some humour while addressing serious issues.

• Fifty years of silence, by Jan Ruff O’Herne

This book is a biography-memoir of a woman, Jan, who was forced into sexual slavery during the Japanese invasion of Java in 1942.

In 1944, Jan was taken, along with her mother and two younger sisters, to a Prison Camp in Ambarawa. She was then later secretly taken to a military brothel to work as a slave for three months. She was repeatedly raped and beaten during that period.

After she was returned to the camp, she was threatened not to reveal what had happened to her. Fifty years later, Jan needs to go public; However, she must first find the courage to tell her family members about what had really happened to her.

• The Trial, by Franz Kafka

This is the story of a banker, Joseph k, who is mysteriously arrested one morning, for no apparent reason.

The book speaks of his struggles during the period of his trial. He was murdered exactly a year after his arrest.

Most of us are sheltered, and we are unaware or have only a brief idea of what goes on around us and in other parts of the world. Literary books involving juridical cases and issues may be chilling and hard to read. However, they really open one’s eyes to the harsh reality of life.