"Nothing can be said to be certain," wrote Ben Franklin, "except death and taxes." And yet, death is often ignored, dismissed, or delayed as an experience worth contemplating—until we are forced to reckon with it head-on. The books in this collection do their own reckoning.
Publication year 1907
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal
Tags Narrative / Epic Poem
Publication year 2011
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Values/Ideas: Music
Tags Religion / Spirituality, Christian literature, Race / Racism, Social Justice, Reconstruction Era, History: World
Publication year 1922
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Family
Tags Classic Fiction, Fantasy, American Literature, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, History: World
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” is a short story by American author F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) addressing themes of time, aging, social class, and destiny. Fitzgerald is among the most celebrated American authors of the 20th century. His novels The Great Gatsby and Tender Is the Night, though commercial disappointments in his lifetime, are now considered classics.Remembered today primarily as a novelist, Fitzgerald was known as a short story writer for magazines by contemporary... Read The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Summary
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Relationships: Teams, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Self Discovery, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance
Tags Fantasy, Mythology, Action / Adventure, LGBTQ, Children's Literature
Publication year 1971
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Identity: Masculinity, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Teams, Society: Colonialism, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Politics / Government
The Day of the Jackal is a 1971 thriller by Frederick Forsyth. The novel is centered around a professional assassin, known only as the Jackal, who is hired by a French paramilitary group to assassinate French President Charles de Gaulle. Forsyth’s realistic, research-based writing style builds suspense through a detailed account of the cat-and-mouse chase that spans across Europe, showcasing the complexities of security and espionage during a tumultuous political era. The novel has been... Read The Day of the Jackal Summary
Publication year 1983
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Natural World: Place, Natural World: Objects, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia
Tags Lyric Poem, Free verse, American Literature, Grief / Death
Publication year 1962
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: War, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Emotions/Behavior: Love
Tags Magical Realism, Historical Fiction, Latin American Literature
Panamanian-born Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes wrote The Death of Artemio Cruz (La Muerte de Artemio Cruz) in 1962. It was Fuentes’s third novel and established him as a major figure in Latin American literature. The novel belongs to the Latin American Boom of the 1960s and 1970s, which saw the translation of major works of Latin American writers, such as Julio Cortázar (Argentina) and Gabriel García Márquez (Colombia), for circulation in Europe and the United... Read The Death of Artemio Cruz Summary
Publication year 1886
Genre Novella, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Tags Classic Fiction, Christian literature, Psychological Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Philosophy, Grief / Death, Religion / Spirituality, Russian Literature
The Death of Ivan Ilyich (1886) is a fictional novella by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910). The story raises questions about what is important in life through Tolstoy’s observation of social interaction and individual priorities.Tolstoy was born into aristocracy and was popular at a time when Russia was under the autocratic rule of Tsar Nicholas II, the last Russian emperor of the Romanov Dynasty. Tolstoy, whose best-known works are War and Peace (1867) and... Read The Death of Ivan Ilyich Summary
Publication year 1914
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Society: Class, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Life/Time: Mortality & Death
Tags Narrative / Epic Poem, Free verse
Publication year 1942
Genre Essay / Speech, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Environment, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance
Tags Grief / Death, Animals, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), British Literature, Gender / Feminism, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction
Publication year 1945
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Marriage, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Mortality & Death
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Gothic Literature, British Literature, Holidays & Occasions, Education, Education, Historical Fiction, Irish Literature, Classic Fiction
Content Warning: This guide features discussion of wartime violence, relationship abuse, sexuality, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and demon possession.Elizabeth Bowen (1899-1973) was a notable Irish English writer of novels and short stories dealing with Irish life as well as the lives of Londoners in the 1940s. She is also famous for her ghost stories. “The Demon Lover,” one of Bowen’s most famous works, was published in 1945 in the United Kingdom in a collection called... Read The Demon Lover Summary
Publication year 1973
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Values/Ideas: Art
Tags Psychology, Philosophy, Religion / Spirituality, Grief / Death, Anthropology, Anthropology, Science / Nature, Sociology, Psychology, Philosophy, Self Help
The Denial of Death was written by the American cultural anthropologist Ernest Becker and published in 1973. The work explores the fear of death and the ways in which rituals and beliefs have helped humans to cope with it throughout history. It was inspired by the fact that Becker had been diagnosed with terminal colon cancer. Over the course of his life, he taught at several prestigious universities, including Syracuse University, UC Berkeley, and, by... Read The Denial of Death Summary
Publication year 2024
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Family, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags History: World, Biography
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Siblings, Relationships: Grandparents, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Mothers, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Identity: Language, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Race, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Society: Nation, Society: Education, Self Discovery, Relationships: Fathers
Tags Historical Fiction, Children's Literature, Free verse, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Race / Racism, History: African , African American Literature, History: World
Publication year 1987
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Friendship, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt
Tags Fantasy, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Western, Action / Adventure
Publication year 1877
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Classic Fiction, Russian Literature, Philosophy, History: World, Philosophy
Publication year 1996
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Self Discovery, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Life/Time: Mortality & Death
Tags Christian literature, Religion / Spirituality, Medieval Literature / Middle Ages, British Literature, Education, Education, History: European, Classic Fiction
Publication year 1962
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Natural World: Climate, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Place, Society: Class, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Climate Change, British Literature
The Drowned World is a 1962 post-apocalyptic science fiction novel by British author J.G. Ballard. Set in a future London that has been completely submerged in the ocean due to climate change-induced flooding, it follows a group of scientists who embark on a mission to study its unique, rapidly evolving flora and fauna. The novel is an extension of a shorter story published in Science Fiction Adventures. The novel is one of the first works... Read The Drowned World Summary
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Literature, Life/Time: Mortality & Death
Tags Lyric Poem, Ancient Greece, Italian Literature, Classical Period, History: World, Fantasy, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction
Publication year 2006
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Literature, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Midlife, Society: Education, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Identity: Language, Society: Community, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Self Discovery
Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Philosophy, Philosophy, Class, Arts / Culture, Depression / Suicide, Relationships, French Literature
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery was published in 2006 and translated by Alison Anderson into English for publication in 2008. The novel has been translated into more than 40 languages and was a major bestseller in France. The novel was adapted into a film called The Hedgehog (Le Hérisson) in 2009 to critical acclaim. The Elegance of the Hedgehog follows the narrative point of view of two erudite narrators: Renée, a concierge... Read The Elegance of the Hedgehog Summary