Books About Art

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 2011

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Society: Immigration, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Family

Tags Drama / Tragedy, Immigration / Refugee, Poverty, Children's Literature, Realistic Fiction, Arts / Culture

Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall is a coming-of-age story about the importance of family, heritage, and perseverance. This young adult novel comes directly from McCall’s own experiences as a young Mexican immigrant, a writer with a dream, and a teenager who watches her mother die from cancer. Under the Mesquite infuses poetic form, free verse, imagery, and sprinkles of the Spanish language in order to portray a bildungsroman in which a young girl... Read Under The Mesquite Summary


Publication year 2015

Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Education, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Society: Community

Tags Philosophy, Science / Nature, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Arts / Culture

Unflattening began as the first comic-form dissertation at Columbia University, where Nick Sousanis completed a doctorate in education in 2014. It was published by Harvard University Press in 2015 and functions as an argument for visual thinking in teaching and learning. In 2016 the book received the further accolade of the American Publishers Award for Professional and Scholarly Excellence.In a Paris Review interview with Timothy Hodler, Sousanis cited Scott McCloud’s 1993 Understanding Comics as a... Read Unflattening Summary


Publication year 2005

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Community

Tags Science / Nature, Anthropology, Anthropology, Social Science, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Arts / Culture, Politics / Government

Us and Them: Understanding Your Tribal Mind is a 2005 nonfiction book by David Berreby about how humans divide and categorize themselves. The psychological text explains human nature and the neuroscience of human groupings like races, ethnicities, classes, and nationalities. Berreby also discusses the positive and negative effects of human-kind groupings and offers advice on how to better act on human-kind beliefs.Plot SummaryBerreby begins by explaining the concept of human kinds—a number of people that... Read Us and Them Summary


Publication year 1994

Genre Poem, Fiction

Tags Lyric Poem, Humor, Arts / Culture


Publication year 2005

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Globalization

Tags History: World, Business / Economics, History: European, Chinese Literature, Travel Literature, Arts / Culture

Vermeer’s Hat (2007) is a work of nonfiction by Canadian historian Timothy Brook. The full title of the book, Vermeer’s Hat: The Seventeenth Century and the Dawn of the Global World, indicates Brook’s comprehensive outlook—positioning Johannes Vermeer, a Dutch painter from the city of Delft in the Netherlands known for his use of light and the textual clues that abound in his artwork within the context of his contemporaries and the larger world. Brook uses... Read Vermeer's Hat Summary


Publication year 1975

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Art, Identity: Gender

Tags Gender / Feminism, Arts / Culture, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy

Laura Mulvey’s essay “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” originally appeared in the autumn 1975 issue of the British film journal, Screen. This study guide refers to the reprint of the essay included in Mulvey’s book Visual and Other Pleasures (Palgrave Macmillan, 2nd edition 2009).Part 1: “Introduction”In the “Introduction” to her 1975 essay, “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema,” Laura Mulvey announces her agenda: to appropriate psychoanalytic theory “as a political weapon” to expose how “the unconscious... Read Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema Summary


Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Siblings, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Literature

Tags Action / Adventure, Children's Literature, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Arts / Culture


Publication year 1972

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags Arts / Culture, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

The book opens with Berger’s take on Walter Benjamin’s seminal essay “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.” Berger therefore establishes the Marxist bent of his work, particularly as he parses out the manner in which the ruling class, and a class of scholars which essentially do its bidding, attach an artificial and untruthful aura to original artworks. They do this as a bid to maintain their oppressive and morally-wrong socioeconomic status... Read Ways Of Seeing Summary


Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Friendship, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Identity: Race, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Equality, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Society: War

Tags Historical Fiction, Children's Literature, Military / War, History: World, Japanese Literature, Arts / Culture, WWII / World War II, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman

Weedflower, Cynthia Kadohata’s 2006 historical fiction young adult novel, tells the story of 12-year-old Japanese American Sumiko amid Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor and the US government’s ensuing involvement in World War II. Kadohata depicts the conditions of Japanese internment camps from Sumiko’s perspective, providing unique insight and education on the racism that Japanese Americans faced and the US government’s poor decisions.This guide references the 2009 paperback reprint edition from Atheneum Books for Young Readers.Plot... Read Weedflower Summary


Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family

Tags Realistic Fiction, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Action / Adventure, Arts / Culture

We Were Here is a Newbury-Award-winning, young adult novel written by Matt De La Pena. Published in 2011, the first person narrative is written in diary form in the voice of the teenaged protagonist, Miguel Castaneda. The story begins with Miguel’s description of his admission to juvenile hall, a detention facility near his family home in Stockton, California. His father, a member of the US Army, was killed in action the preceding year. While the... Read We Were Here Summary


Publication year 1941

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Art, Society: Class

Tags Classic Fiction, Satire, Philosophy, American Literature, Great Depression, Arts / Culture, Modern Classic Fiction, Philosophy, Self Help


Publication year 2024

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Apathy, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Race, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Climate, Natural World: Environment, Society: Class, Society: Education, Society: Immigration, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Fame, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Humor, Politics / Government, Arts / Culture


Publication year 2003

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Life/Time: Birth

Tags Education, Education, Arts / Culture, Classic Fiction

“What You Pawn I Will Redeem” is a short story by Sherman Alexie, an American writer and member of both the Spokane and Coeur-d’Alene nations. First published in The New Yorker in 2003, the story also featured in Alexie’s 2004 collection Ten Little Indians. Although largely realistic in its depiction of issues like homelessness and the legacy of Native American genocide, “What You Pawn I Will Redeem” contains references to and elements of fairy tale... Read What You Pawn I Will Redeem Summary


Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Society: Immigration, Relationships: Family

Tags Romance, Relationships, Arts / Culture, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

When Dimple Met Rishi (2017), a young adult romantic novel by Indian-American author Sandhya Menon, is focused on the blossoming love story between two Indian-American teenagers during a tech summer camp. It was widely praised for its realistic and original depiction of the ways in which second-generation teenagers react to their mixed cultures.Dimple Shah is a strong-willed eighteen-year-old girl with plans to go to Stanford. She wants to go to university to build a career... Read When Dimple Met Rishi Summary


Publication year 2008

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Economics, Society: Globalization, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Natural World: Environment

Tags Education, Education, Business / Economics, Sociology, History: World, Travel Literature, Arts / Culture


Publication year 2010

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos

Tags History: World, Psychology, Arts / Culture, Business / Economics, Science / Nature, Psychology, Self Help, Technology, Philosophy


Publication year 2006

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: Community

Tags Race / Racism, History: U.S., Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Social Justice, Arts / Culture, Politics / Government

White Guilt: How Blacks and Whites Together Destroyed the Promise of the Civil Rights Era is a 2006 nonfiction book by Shelby Steele, a Black conservative author who specializes in the study of race relations in the US. This guide refers to the e-book published in 2009 by HarperCollins. The title points to the book’s central theme: white guilt—the loss of moral authority—and the damaging responses it elicited in Black and White Americans in the... Read White Guilt Summary


Publication year 2024

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Natural World: Place, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government

Tags Race / Racism, History: U.S., Business / Economics, Sociology, History: World, Social Justice, Arts / Culture, Politics / Government


Publication year 2018

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Natural World: Environment

Tags Politics / Government, Philosophy, History: World, Education, Education, Social Science, Business / Economics, Sociology, Philosophy, Arts / Culture


Publication year 1981

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil

Tags Psychology, Arts / Culture