In this collection we've gathered fiction and nonfiction texts that address humanity's age-old search for meaning and purpose within a higher power.
Publication year 2017
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Good & Evil
Tags Sociology, Social Justice, Religion / Spirituality
Friar Gregory Boyle is the founder of Homeboy Industries, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization known for being the largest gang intervention and re-entry program in the world. Boyle is also a Jesuit priest and the author of the bestselling Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion, a memoir and religious text presenting his work with Homeboy Industries as a set of parables. Boyle received much acclaim for this first work and followed it... Read Barking to the Choir Summary
Publication year 1959
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Relationships: Friendship, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Historical Fiction, Play: Tragedy, Religion / Spirituality, History: European, Politics / Government, French Literature, Modernism, Medieval Literature / Middle Ages, History: World, Drama / Tragedy, Classic Fiction
Becket or The Honor of God is a 1959 play by the French dramatist Jean Anouilh. It portrays a fictionalized version of the conflict that took place between King Henry II of England and the archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket, in the 12th century. The English translation of the play premiered on Broadway in 1960 to great acclaim and was adapted into an Academy Award-winning film in 1964.The central conflict of Becket, which ended in... Read Becket Summary
Publication year 2018
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Literature, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Mothers, Self Discovery, Emotions/Behavior: Joy, Life/Time: Midlife
Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, Auto/Biographical Fiction, British Literature, Christian literature, History: World, Religion / Spirituality
Publication year 2017
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Mental Health, Self Discovery, Society: Globalization, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology
Tags Science / Nature, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Self Help, Health / Medicine, Religion / Spirituality
Publication year 2010
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Fate
Tags Bullying, Grief / Death, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Religion / Spirituality
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver is a young adult novel about redemption, written in 2010. Following her death in a car accident, high school senior Sam Kingston wakes the next morning to find that she’s reliving the same day—February 12, or Cupid Day. She juggles the complexities of bullying, blossoming sexuality, self-confidence, and self-sacrifice after reliving the same day seven times. Through this experience, she reconnects with her family and friends, but mostly with... Read Before I Fall Summary
Publication year 1971
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: New Age, Natural World: Space & The Universe, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Identity: Gender
Tags Religion / Spirituality, Philosophy, Self Help, Psychology
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Femininity, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Past, Self Discovery
Tags Fantasy, Romance, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Gothic Literature, Religion / Spirituality
Publication year 1880
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Revenge
Tags Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction, Christian literature, History: World, Action / Adventure, Religion / Spirituality
One of the most influential Christian novels of the 19th century, Lew Wallace’s Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ is a classic historical fiction story of redemption and forgiveness, reimagining the stories of peripheral biblical figures, from Roman tax collectors and charioteers, to people with leprosy, fishermen, Pharisees, shepherds, John the Baptist, and Pontius Pilate. The story traces the life of the fictional main character Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish nobleman from Jerusalem whose future is... Read Ben-Hur Summary
Publication year 2004
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Self Discovery, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Life/Time: Mortality & Death
Tags Inspirational, Action / Adventure, Travel Literature, Animals, Arts / Culture, Philosophy, Relationships, Religion / Spirituality, Science / Nature, Music, Sports, Biography
Between a Rock and a Hard Place is a 2004 adventure and survival memoir by American mountain climber Aron Ralston. The narrative focuses on Ralston’s near-death experience when his arm became stuck under a boulder in a canyon in Utah, where he remained trapped for five days until he amputated his arm. Dealing with profound existential themes, the book garnered critical acclaim and became a New York Times bestseller. A 2010 film adaptation titled 127... Read Between a Rock and a Hard Place Summary
Publication year 2012
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Values/Ideas: Fate
Tags Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Medieval Literature / Middle Ages, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, History: World, Religion / Spirituality
Publication year 1886
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Tags Philosophy, Victorian Period, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Religion / Spirituality
Beyond Good and Evil: Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future is a classic philosophical text composed by one of modernity’s greatest thinkers, Friedrich Nietzsche, and first published in 1886, just a few years after the arguably more infamous Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Published first in Nietzsche’s native German, the book was translated into English 20 years later in 1906, making the work even more widely known to an international audience. A more polemical text than... Read Beyond Good And Evil Summary
Publication year 2021
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Gender, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Mental Health, Relationships: Marriage, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Art
Tags Psychology, Self Help, Philosophy, Politics / Government, Science / Nature, Religion / Spirituality, Leadership/Organization/Management
Publication year 1972
Genre Scripture, Nonfiction
Tags Religion / Spirituality
The Bhagavad Gita is a religious text written by an unknown author in the 1st or 2nd century BCE. The title translates as The Song of God, and the text contains 700 verses that explore the nature of the Hindu religion. The Gita comprises part of the Mahabharata, one of two ancient Indian epics, but it is often regarded and studied as an independent work. The narrative portrays a conversation between a prince named Arjuna... Read Bhagavad Gita Summary
Publication year 1611
Genre Scripture, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Life/Time: The Past
Tags Religion / Spirituality, Christian literature
Publication year 1611
Genre Scripture, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Emotions/Behavior: Hope
Tags Religion / Spirituality, Philosophy, Jewish Literature
Publication year 1877
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Society: Class, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Natural World: Animals
Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Action / Adventure, Animals, Addiction / Substance Abuse, Class, History: European, Poverty, Religion / Spirituality, Social Justice, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Urban Development, Victorian Period, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Children's Literature, History: World
Black Beauty was written by English novelist Anna Sewell, and published in 1877. It quickly became extremely popular, and led to increased activism and public concern for the humane treatment of horses and other animals. It went on to become one of best-selling novels of all time, and has been adapted numerous times into films and theatre productions. Sewell used her novel to explore themes such as kindness and responsibility, and to critique social problems... Read Black Beauty Summary
Publication year 1932
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Tags History: U.S., Philosophy, Philosophy, History: World, Biography, Religion / Spirituality
Black Elk Speaks (1932) is a book written by John G. Neihardt that relates the life of Black Elk, a member of the Ogalala band of the Lakota Native Americans. Though Neihardt is the book’s author, the book is based on a conversation between Black Elk and Neihardt and is presented as a transcript of Black Elk’s words, though Neihardt made some edits to the transcript. The book follows Black Elk from his boyhood to... Read Black Elk Speaks Summary
Publication year 1985
Genre Novel, Fiction
Tags Historical Fiction, History: World, Irish Literature, Religion / Spirituality
Black Robe is a 1985 historical fiction novel written by Brian Moore. It is set in the 17th century and tracks the journey of two Europeans—one of whom is a Jesuit priest—in New France. The two men find themselves caught between the two cultures shortly after the time of the first contact. Other works by this author include Lies of Silence and The Emperor of Ice Cream.Plot SummaryFather Laforgue awaits his orders from the Commandant of... Read Black Robe Summary
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Femininity, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags New Adult, Romance, Fantasy, Mythology, Religion / Spirituality
Publication year 2010
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Tags WWII / World War II, History: World, Biography, Religion / Spirituality