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 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Romance, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, New Adult
Publication year 1986
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Community, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Relationships: Mothers, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Society: Globalization, Society: War
Tags Social Science, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Relationships, Self Help, WWII / World War II, Military / War, Action / Adventure
Publication year 2008
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Society: Community, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Self Discovery
Tags Fantasy, Romance, Action / Adventure, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Religion / Spirituality
Publication year 1981
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Gratitude, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Mothers, Society: Community, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Tags Historical Fiction, Military / War, WWII / World War II
Goodnight Mister Tom is a work of historical fiction written by Michelle Magorian and published in 1981. The novel is aimed at an audience of middle grade readers. It tells the story of eight-year-old William Beech, who, at the start of WWII, has to move with his abusive mother from an impoverished suburb of London to the countryside, where they are in the care of an elderly recluse, Thomas Oakley. The novel explores the impact... Read Goodnight Mister Tom Summary
Publication year 2019
Genre Graphic Memoir , Nonfiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Identity: Race, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Siblings, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: Fathers, Society: Community, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Life/Time: The Future, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness
Tags Race / Racism, Politics / Government, September 11 Attacks, Relationships, LGBTQ, Grief / Death, Parenting, Social Justice, Immigration / Refugee, Biography
Publication year 1898
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Education, Society: Nation
Tags Classic Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Class, Finance / Money / Wealth, Education, History: World, Social Justice, Russian Literature, Education, Philosophy, Philosophy
“Gooseberries,” by Russian author Anton Chekhov, is a short story that uses symbolism, subtlety, irony, and keen observation of human behavior to explore themes of the quest for happiness, the meaning of life, social expectations, privilege, and social equality. Written in mid-1898, the story is the second in what was later referred to as The Little Trilogy, together with “The Man in the Case” and “About Love.” All three stories explore the definitions of happiness... Read Gooseberries Summary
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Art, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Society: Community
Tags Philosophy, Politics / Government, Ancient Egypt, Classical Period, Education, Education, Philosophy, History: World, Classic Fiction
The Gorgias is a philosophical dialogue composed by Plato in the early fourth century BCE, probably in the early 380s. Set within the cultural and historical background of classical Athens, the Gorgias takes the form of a debate between Socrates and the orators Gorgias, Polus, and Callicles. The dialogue explores questions about The Nature and Social Function of Oratory, The Meaning of Right and Wrong, and The Purpose of Art, offering valuable insights into Athenian... Read Gorgias Summary
Publication year 90
Genre Scripture, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Society: Community
Tags Religion / Spirituality, Christian literature
The Gospel of John is the last of the four biblical gospels in the New Testament, each offering a biography of the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. It is traditionally attributed to John, one of Jesus’s 12 disciples and a major leader in the early church, though some scholars dispute that attribution. The Gospel of John, most likely written in the latter decades of the first century CE, is part of the Johannine corpus... Read Gospel of John Summary
Publication year 2004
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Joy, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Nurture v. Nature, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Siblings, Relationships: Teams, Self Discovery, Society: Community, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt
Tags Fantasy, Action / Adventure, Children's Literature, Animals, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction
Publication year 1785
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Society: Community
Tags Philosophy, Age of Enlightenment, Education, Education, History: World, Philosophy, Classic Fiction
Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals (1785), also known as Grounding of the Metaphysics of Morals, is a work of modern philosophy by the philosopher Immanuel Kant. It is the first of his extensive writings on moral philosophy and attempts to establish a foundation for future works on moral theory. Kant believed that previous moral philosophers did not successfully define morality and argued that they based it too much on individual experiences. Groundwork of the... Read Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals Summary
Publication year 1965
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Community
Tags Anthropology, Education, Education, Anthropology, History: World, Travel Literature, Religion / Spirituality, Biography
Guests of the Sheik is a nonfiction book set in Iraq in the early years of the Cold War. In 1956, Elizabeth Warnock Fernea accompanies her husband, Bob Fernea, on a two-year, anthropological, dissertation research trip. As a new bride who is entirely unfamiliar with the Middle East or its history and culture, Elizabeth lives in the rural tribal settlement of El Nahra among the El Eshadda tribe. Though she is unable to speak Arabic... Read Guests of the Sheik Summary
Publication year 1997
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Community
Tags Anthropology, History: World, Anthropology, Science / Nature, Business / Economics, Sociology, Politics / Government
Historian and anthropologist Jared Diamond’s Guns, Germs, and Steel (1997) is a multidisciplinary study that uses anthropological, biological, evolutionary, and socio-economic analysis to chart the fates of different peoples throughout human history. Subtitled first as A Short History of Everybody for the Last 13,000 Years, and later as The Fates of Human Societies, the book seeks to understand why some groups of people have prospered while others have failed to advance to the same extent... Read Guns, Germs, and Steel Summary
Publication year 1985
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Tags Social Science, Arts / Culture, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Religion / Spirituality, Politics / Government
Habits of the Heart: Individualism and Commitment in American Life by Robert N. Bellah, Richard Madsen, William M. Sullivan, Ann Swidler, and Steven M. Tipton, is a sociological study published in 1985 that explores the balance between individualism and community within American society. The authors, who bring a collective background in sociology and theology to their analysis, investigate how Americans navigate the tensions between personal autonomy and social belonging. The book addresses topics such as... Read Habits of the Heart Summary
Publication year 2004
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal
Tags Animals, Children's Literature
Publication year 2014
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Society: Community, Relationships: Siblings, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict
Tags Fantasy, LGBTQ, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Religion / Spirituality
Half Bad (March 2014) is the debut novel of author Sally Green. It is also the first book in a trilogy of the same name. The book became an instant bestseller because of its similarity to the Harry Potter series. Green followed Half Bad with Half Wild (2015) and Half Lost (2016). The Half Bad trilogy was eventually produced as the Netflix series entitled The Bastard Son & the Devil Himself. It ran for one... Read Half Bad Summary
Publication year 2009
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: Community
Tags Gender / Feminism, Social Justice, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Diversity, Education, Education, Sociology, Politics / Government
In their 2009 nonfiction book Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, husband-and-wife journalist team Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn document what they consider the paramount moral challenge of the 21st century: the oppression of women and girls. The book was an international bestseller, inspired a four-part PBS documentary of the same name, and launched the Half the Sky movement.Like many journalists, when Kristof and WuDunn first began their careers, they... Read Half the Sky Summary
Publication year 1969
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, British Literature
Publication year 1854
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: Class, Society: Economics, Society: Community, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Femininity
Tags Victorian Period, Satire, Classic Fiction, British Literature, Class, Gender / Feminism, Poverty, Education, Education, History: World, Historical Fiction, Victorian Literature / Period
Hard Times is an 1854 novel by Charles Dickens. The 10th book of Dickens’s career, Hard Times is notably shorter than his other works and is one of the few that isn’t set in London. Instead, Hard Times provides a satirical examination of the fictitious industrial city of Coketown, England. The novel has been adapted numerous times for radio, television, theater, and film.This guide is written using an eBook edition of the 2003 Penguin Classics... Read Hard Times Summary
Publication year 1998
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Values/Ideas: Fate, Society: Community, Relationships: Friendship, Values/Ideas: Fame
Tags Fantasy, Classic Fiction, Action / Adventure, Children's Literature
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a 1998 young adult fantasy novel by J.K. Rowling, the second in the Harry Potter series. The story follows Harry’s tumultuous second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, including an encounter with Voldemort, the wizard who killed Harry’s parents. Against this fantastic backdrop, Rowling examines such themes as death, fame, friendship, choice, and prejudice. Upon release, the novel became a worldwide bestseller and won several... Read Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets Summary
Publication year 1997
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Natural World: Nurture v. Nature, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Fate, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Fantasy, Action / Adventure, Children's Literature