A community can come together for the common good or be torn apart by disagreement and strife. This collection explores what makes a community and how individuals struggle or succeed in finding their place within it.
Publication year 2009
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Society: Community, Emotions/Behavior: Fear
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction
Publication year 1903
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Natural World: Animals, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Action / Adventure, American Literature, Animals, Naturalism, Children's Literature, Education, Education, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction
Originally serialized in 1903, Jack London’s The Call of the Wild is an adventure story about Buck, a dog from the Santa Clara Valley who finds himself living the life of a sled dog in the Arctic wilderness. Through Buck’s adventure, the novel addresses what it takes to survive in the natural world, contemplates the connection between life and death, and demonstrates the power of respect and love. The Call of the Wild was immediately... Read The Call of the Wild Summary
Publication year 1980
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Society: Community
Tags Health / Medicine, Gender / Feminism, LGBTQ, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Disability, Biography
Audre Lorde was a poet, essayist, activist, and memoirist whose writings on lesbian feminism and race were integral to second-wave feminism. Lorde was born in New York City on February 18, 1934 to Grenadian immigrant parents. She attended Hunter High School, where she edited the school’s literary magazine. She published her first poem, which had been rejected by an English teacher, in Seventeen magazine. She later attended Hunter College, where she trained to become a... Read The Cancer Journals Summary
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Relationships: Family, Society: Community, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Values/Ideas: Literature
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy, Technology, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: War, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Disability, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Historical Fiction, Southern Literature, Southern Gothic, Korean War
Publication year 2007
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Natural World: Nurture v. Nature, Relationships: Family, Society: Class, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology
Tags Education, Education, Science / Nature, Social Science, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics / Government
Publication year 1980
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Themes Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt
Tags Religion / Spirituality, Education, Education, Anthropology, Anthropology, Italian Literature, Medieval Literature / Middle Ages, History: World, History: European
Publication year 2004
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Nation, Society: Class
Tags History: U.S., History: World, Historical Fiction, Action / Adventure
The Children’s Blizzard by David Laskin is an account of a devastating natural disaster that took place in 1888. Affecting multiple Midwestern states, the blizzard claimed the lives of many people, including children. The loss of lives to the blizzard laid bare the vulnerabilities of isolated immigrant communities in the Great Plains and marked a watershed moment in American history regarding disaster prediction and mitigation. The author, David Laskin, is a well-known historian who has... Read The Children's Blizzard Summary
Publication year 1967
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Fathers, Society: Community, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Religion / Spirituality, Jewish Literature, Education, Education
Rabbi Chaim Potok published The Chosen in 1967, and the book became a National Book Award finalist and established Potok as an influential Jewish writer. Born in Brooklyn and raised by Hasidic parents, Potok’s historical novel arguably links to parts of his personal life, as it follows two Jewish best friends, Reuven and Danny, and emphasizes Danny’s rocky relationship with his Hasidic father. The book centers on themes like Judaism and the Quest for Knowledge... Read The Chosen Summary
Publication year 1955
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Society: Community, Society: War, Emotions/Behavior: Fear
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy, Allegory / Fable / Parable, Cold War, Post-War Era, Education, Education, Classic Fiction
The Chrysalids is a young-adult science fiction novel, written by John Wyndham and first published in 1955. Wyndham was a renowned science fiction author of the post-World War II era, and many of his works are thus inspired by a potential nuclear apocalypse. The Chrysalids was well-received by critics and is considered one of Wyndham’s best novels. It was adapted into a BBC radio play in 1982 and a play in 1999.This guide utilizes the... Read The Chrysalids Summary
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Life/Time: Midlife, Life/Time: The Past, Self Discovery, Society: Community
Publication year 2003
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Society: Community
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Children's Literature, Fantasy, Action / Adventure
The City of Ember (2003) is the first novel in Jeanne DuPrau’s highly-esteemed middle grade science fiction series of the same name. Readers meet the 12-year-old protagonists Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow, newly assigned members of the city of Ember’s working class. In their new jobs as messenger and Pipeworks laborer, Lina and Doon begin to grasp the disturbing truth about their doomed city—and discover the chance to leave it for good. The novel examines... Read The City of Ember Summary
Publication year 426
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Society: Community
Tags Religion / Spirituality, Philosophy, Christian literature, Ancient Rome
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Joy, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Indigenous, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Midlife, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Mothers, Self Discovery, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Society: Education, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Literary Fiction, Gothic Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World
Publication year 1987
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Education, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Society: Community
Tags 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 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Community
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2018
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags 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 2004
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Western, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction
The Cold Dish is a 2004 western mystery novel by Craig Johnson. The first of a series featuring Walt Longmire, sheriff of the fictional Absaroka County, Wyoming, the novel explores concepts related to legal and vigilante justice, including within the context of an Indigenous community. The Cold Dish earned Johnson a nomination for the Dilys Award, and the series was later adapted into a 2012 television series called Longmire, which was a critical and popular... Read The Cold Dish Summary
Publication year 1987
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Identity: Race, Identity: Sexuality, Society: Community
Tags Play: Comedy / Satire, Race / Racism, African American Literature, Education, Education, Drama / Tragedy
The Colored Museum is a play by Tony Award-winning dramatist George C. Wolfe. The play premiered in March 1986 at Crossroads Theatre Company in New Jersey.A satire of modern conventions surrounding African American identity, The Colored Museum is set in a fictional museum where a collection of 11 “exhibits” have been mounted for public viewing. These exhibits take the form of sketches performed by an ensemble of five Black performers—two men and three women. Direct... Read The Colored Museum Summary
Publication year 2003
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Disability, Identity: Gender, Identity: Race, Life/Time: The Past, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Globalization, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Tags History: World, Military / War, WWII / World War II, History: European, Politics / Government