Community

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 1968

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Emotions/Behavior: Apathy, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Natural World: Place, Natural World: Animals, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Emotions/Behavior: Memory

Tags Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction, American Literature, Addiction / Substance Abuse, Social Justice, History: World

The novel House Made of Dawn, by N. Scott Momaday, was first published in 1968. Heralded as a major landmark in the emergence of Indigenous American literature, the novel won the 1969 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. House Made of Dawn blends fictional and nonfictional elements to depict life on an Indigenous American reservation like the one where Momaday grew up.This guide uses an eBook version of the 2018 First Harper Perennial Modern Classics (50th Anniversary)... Read House Made of Dawn Summary


Publication year 2022

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: War, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Community

Tags Politics / Government, History: World, Military / War, Social Science, Sociology


Publication year 2018

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Community

Tags Politics / Government, Social Science, Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy

How Democracies Die (Crown, 2018) is a nonfiction book by political scientists Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt. The authors, who are both professors at Harvard, explore how American democracy is threatened by examining past examples of democratic breakdown. In doing so, they demonstrate how since the end of the Cold War, most democracies die not through violent overthrow of government but a gradual weakening of democratic norms and institutions. Using these insights from history, as... Read How Democracies Die Summary


Publication year 2017

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Language, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Gender, Identity: Mental Health, Self Discovery, Society: Community, Society: Education, Natural World: Nurture v. Nature

Tags Science / Nature, Psychology, Health / Medicine, Self Help, Psychology


Publication year 2018

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Community

Tags Politics / Government, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Social Justice

How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us Versus Them is a nonfiction book published in 2018 by the American philosopher and Yale University professor Jason Stanley. In it, the author discusses ten mechanisms by which fascist politicians gain and consolidate power in democratic states, potentially yielding a fascist state with an absolute leader. Drawing on examples that range from Nazi Germany to the contemporary United States, Stanley explains the appeal of fascist ideology during times... Read How Fascism Works Summary


Publication year 1939

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Society: Politics & Government, Society: Community, Self Discovery

Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, British Literature, History: World, Classic Fiction

How Green Was My Valley is a historical novel by Richard Llewellyn published in 1939. The book tells the story of a working-class Welsh family working in a mining town called the Valley. Though Llewellyn claimed that the novel was based on his personal experiences as a young man, this was later found to be untrue. The novel has been adapted for film and television.This guide refers to the 1981 Michael Joseph Ltd. edition.Plot SummaryHuw... Read How Green Was My Valley Summary


Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Society: Community, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Natural World: Climate, Natural World: Space & The Universe, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship

Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy, Grief / Death, Climate Change, Technology


Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community

Tags Historical Fiction, History: U.S., Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Children's Literature, History: World, Magical Realism, Fantasy, Arts / Culture

Published in 2013 by Tim Tingle, How I Became a Ghost is a work of middle grade fiction that follows a young boy in the Choctaw nation and his death on the Trail of Tears. The Choctaw Trail of Tears refers to The Indian Removal Act of 1830 and the forced relocation of Choctaws from their homes in the deep south to areas further west. How I Became a Ghost has received an American Indian... Read How I Became a Ghost Summary


Publication year 2014

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Music, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology

Tags Music, Science / Nature, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy, Arts / Culture, Biography


Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Identity: Race, Relationships: Family, Society: Community, Society: Immigration

Tags Gender / Feminism, Historical Fiction, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Society: Community, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Leadership/Organization/Management

Published by Minotaur Books in 2013, How the Light Gets In is the ninth book in Louise Penny’s bestselling Chief Inspector Gamache mystery series. The series is famous for its heroic protagonist, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, the head of the homicide division at the Sûreté du Québec. The novel comprises of three narratives: the murder of Constance Ouellet, the internal conflict at the Sûreté, and the mysterious death of a clerk at the Ministry of... Read How the Light Gets In Summary


Publication year 1890

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Immigration, Society: Class, Society: Community

Tags Journalism, History: U.S., Sociology, Poverty, Addiction / Substance Abuse, Depression / Suicide, Race / Racism, Urban Development

Jacob Riis’s How the Other Half Lives (1890) is a photojournalistic account of New York City’s working class of the late 19th century and the tenements that housed them. Riis exposes the appalling and often inhumane conditions in and around the tenements. He attributes New York City’s squalor and degradation to sheer greed on the part of landlords who prioritize maximum profits over basic decency. More importantly, he documents these conditions with more than 40... Read How the Other Half Lives Summary


Publication year 2001

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Joy, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Language, Natural World: Food, Relationships: Family, Society: Community


Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Life/Time: Aging, Relationships: Friendship, Self Discovery, Society: Community


Publication year 2019

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Politics & Government, Society: Economics, Natural World: Place, Society: Community, Natural World: Objects, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology

Tags Philosophy, Technology, Arts / Culture, Self Help, Information Age, Science / Nature, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Politics / Government


Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Society: Community, Society: Immigration, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Literature

Tags Romance, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Mothers, Self Discovery, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger

Tags Fantasy, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Religion / Spirituality


Publication year 2023

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Apathy, Identity: Mental Health, Society: Community

Tags Psychology, Self Help, Relationships, Sociology, Leadership/Organization/Management, Philosophy


Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Relationships: Family

Tags Grief / Death, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness


Publication year 2020

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Identity: Race, Society: Education, Relationships: Family, Society: Community, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Identity: Language, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Society: Class, Society: Immigration

Tags Immigration / Refugee, Asian Literature, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, History: Asian, Modern Classic Fiction