This assortment of study guides focuses on the arts, from cinema to cuisine. Read on to explore Aristotle’s Poetics, which analyzes the nature and uses of poetry; An Actor Prepares by Constantin Stanislavski, a manual for actors based on the author’s work and teachings at the Moscow Art Theatre in Russia; and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, which chronicles the art of fine dining.
Publication year 2018
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Aging, Identity: Gender, Relationships: Family
Tags Realistic Fiction, Children's Literature, Class, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Modern Classic Fiction, Arts / Culture
Merci Suárez Changes Gears (2018), a contemporary middle-grade novel by Meg Medina, centers on a young girl facing major changes to her family dynamics. The book won numerous awards, including the 2019 Newbery Medal. Medina, a founding member of the “We Need Diverse Books” movement, has written many picture books, young adult books, and middle-grade novels about strong girls who overcome adversity and step up to challenges.Plot SummaryEleven-year-old Merci Suárez is the child of Cuban... Read Merci Suárez Changes Gears Summary
Publication year 2008
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family
Tags Realistic Fiction, Sports, Modern Classic Fiction, Arts / Culture
Danny Lopez arrives in National City, a suburb just south of San Diego. The area’s proximity to the border makes it heavily Hispanic. Danny has come to spend the summer with his father’s family while his mother and sister are in San Francisco with his mother’s new boyfriend.From the start, it’s clear Danny does not fit in. He is from a beach community in northern San Diego County,where he plays baseball and attends Leucadia Prep... Read Mexican WhiteBoy 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 2003
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Society: Nation, Identity: Disability
Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Health / Medicine, Grief / Death, History: World, Arts / Culture
Publication year 2023
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Gender, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Race
Tags Arts / Culture, Gender / Feminism, Philosophy
Publication year 2015
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Art
Tags Music, Arts / Culture, Grief / Death, Travel Literature
Publication year 2017
Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Society: Class, Identity: Sexuality, Society: Community, Relationships: Friendship, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Relationships: Siblings, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Art, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Mothers, Identity: Race, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Relationships: Fathers
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Realistic Fiction, LGBTQ, Arts / Culture
Publication year 1998
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Art, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Gender, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Relationships: Teams, Society: Globalization, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Tags Historical Fiction, Middle Eastern Literature, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Asian Literature, History: World, Arts / Culture
My Name is Red (originally titled Benim Adim Kirmizi) is a 1998 historical novel by the Nobel Prize winning Turkish author Orhan Pamuk. Set in late-16th century Istanbul, the novel explores cultural tensions stemming from contemporary philosophical understandings of visual art. Told from the viewpoints of many different animate and inanimate characters—including Muslim and Jewish individuals, a corpse, the color red, and paintings of a horse, a devil, and a dog—the novel integrates elements of... Read My Name is Red Summary
Publication year 1966
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Identity: Femininity, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Fame, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Literature, Identity: Gender
Tags Lyric Poem, Arts / Culture, Gender / Feminism, American Literature, Confessional
Publication year 1789
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Natural World: Nurture v. Nature, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Animals
Tags Romanticism / Romantic Period, Religion / Spirituality, History: World, Arts / Culture
Publication year 1983
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Colonialism, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Society: Community, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Emotions/Behavior: Hope
Tags Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, History: U.S., Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Religion / Spirituality, American Literature, Anthropology, Anthropology, History: World, Arts / Culture
Publication year 2000
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Economics, Society: Community
Tags Business / Economics, Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Arts / Culture, Politics / Government
First published in 2000, No Logo is Naomi Klein’s classic examination of globalization and its discontents at the close of the 20th century. What started as a journalistic “hunch” about growing anticorporate sentiment on university campuses evolved into a full-scale exposé of the subterranean social and economic system lurking behind our logo-driven consumption. The stated hypothesis of the book is that “as more people discover the brand-name secrets of the global logo web, their outrage... Read No Logo Summary
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Marriage, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Literature
Tags Psychological Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Relationships, Arts / Culture, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Art
Tags Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Southern Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Arts / Culture
Publication year 2009
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Siblings, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Community, Relationships: Teams
Tags Military / War, Historical Fiction, Arts / Culture, Realistic Fiction, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Sports, African Literature
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Fame, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Fate, Society: Nation, Self Discovery, Emotions/Behavior: Fear
Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Arts / Culture, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Addiction / Substance Abuse, Depression / Suicide, History: U.S., Mental Illness, History: World
Publication year 2009
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Fate
Tags Psychological Fiction, Natural Disaster, Modern Classic Fiction, Asian Literature, Indian Literature, Arts / Culture
Published in 2010, novelist and poet Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s One Amazing Thing tells the story of nine people from diverse backgrounds who become trapped inside the visa office of the Indian Consulate after a major earthquake hits. As they wait for help to arrive, each person takes a turn telling a story from their own life, often revealing feelings or tales previously unshared. Told in third-person perspective from the point of view of each character... Read One Amazing Thing Summary
Publication year 1976
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Life/Time: The Past, Identity: Language
Tags Lyric Poem, American Literature, Arts / Culture, LGBTQ, Classic Fiction, Biography
Throughout her life, Elizabeth Bishop (1911-1979) suffered many losses. Her father died before her first birthday and her mother entered a mental institution when Bishop was only five, leaving her to the guardianship of maternal and paternal grandparents. Later, Bishop’s lover committed suicide in Brazil, prompting Bishop’s return to the US. “One Art” (1976) alludes to several of these prominent losses, though the poem objectively approaches loss. “One Art” defines loss as a special form... Read One Art Summary
Publication year 2010
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Family
Tags Historical Fiction, Children's Literature, Realistic Fiction, History: World, Arts / Culture
One Crazy Summer, a Coretta Scott King Book Award winner and National Book Award nominee, is a historical novel for children that was published in 2009 by Rita Williams-Garcia. Other works by this author include P.S. Be Eleven, Like Sisters on the Homefront, and Clayton Byrd Goes Underground.This guide is based on the 2009 Amistad/HarperCollins Kindle edition. Set in 1968, the novel describes what happens when Delphine Gaither and her two younger sisters, Vonetta and... Read One Crazy Summer Summary
Publication year 2002
Genre Graphic Memoir , Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Art, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Language, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Midlife, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Food, Relationships: Mothers, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Society: Education, Society: Immigration, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Literature
Tags Humor, Arts / Culture, Biography
One! Hundred! Demons! is a semi-autobiographical genre-defying graphic novel by American cartoonist and pedagogue, Lynda Barry. Over the course of her career as a prominent cartoonist with nationally syndicated comic strips, published collections, and illustrated novels, Barry has received many national and state-wide awards for her work, including two Eisner awards and MacArthur Genius Grant.Originally published serially in Salon magazine, the collected cartoon chapters were collected and published by Sasquatch Books in 2002, and later... Read One! Hundred! Demons! Summary