Power

This curated selection of titles examines the concept of power and its role in shaping society. The texts in the Power Collection draw upon a wide range of literary traditions and genres to explore concepts related to power and its pursuit, such as equality and injustice, colonialism, authority, and conflict.

Publication year 1941

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Colonialism, Life/Time: The Past, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose

Tags History: U.S.


Publication year 1873

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Class, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Society: Economics, Society: Politics & Government

Tags American Literature, History: World, Humor, Classic Fiction, Satire, Historical Fiction, Gilded Age, Politics / Government


Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed

Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Psychological Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World


Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Business / Economics, Arts / Culture, Class, Gender / Feminism, American Literature, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 1904

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Marriage, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Life/Time: Midlife, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Relationships: Fathers, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction, American Literature, History: U.S., History: World

The Golden Bowl is a 1904 novel by Henry James. The novel explores the intricacies of marriage and affairs in the early 19th century through the affair of Amerigo and Charlotte, who were once in love but too poor to marry. Amerigo instead marries Maggie, and Charlotte marries Maggie’s father, a wealthy American museum curator. While Amerigo is at first happy with his new wife, the time she spends with her father creates an opportunity... Read The Golden Bowl Summary


Publication year 1931

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Natural World: Environment, Society: Class, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Natural World: Place, Society: Community

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, History: Asian, Education, Education, History: World, Chinese Literature

A measure of the quality, prescience, and veracity of Pearl S. Buck’s The Good Earth is that, nearly a century after its first publication, the book remains required reading in literature, world history, and social science courses. The novel is a simple, straightforward narrative about 50 years in the life of Wang Lung, an uneducated farmer in eastern China in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. While this era period was one of continual... Read The Good Earth Summary


Publication year 2013

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger

Tags Crime / Legal, Mystery / Crime Fiction, History: World, Biography, Health / Medicine, History: U.S., Depression / Suicide, Mental Illness, Trauma / Abuse / Violence

The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder by Charles Graeber is a true crime biography of the life of Charles Cullen, one of the most prolific serial killers in US history. Graeber is an American journalist who spent time as a medical student before moving on to journalism, writing for many prolific news outlets. His joint history in medicine and writing provides him with the necessary expertise to explain the intimacies... Read The Good Nurse Summary


Publication year 1836

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Society: Community, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Play: Comedy / Satire, Classic Fiction, Russian Literature

The Government Inspector is a satirical stage play by Russian-Ukrainian author Nikolai Gogol, originally published in 1836 and later revised in 1842. Also known as The Inspector General, the play is a comedy of errors based on a supposed anecdote relayed to Gogol by the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin. In a small unnamed Russian town, a young dissolute government clerk, Khlestakov, is mistaken for an awaited government inspector. Khlestakov uses the situation to his advantage... Read The Government Inspector Summary


Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Siblings, Relationships: Teams, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction


Publication year 1880

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil

Tags Classic Fiction, Prose poetry, Narrative / Epic Poem, Poetry: Dramatic Poem, Philosophy, Religion / Spirituality, Russian Literature, History: World, Philosophy

“The Grand Inquisitor” is an embedded narrative, or a story within a story, contained in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s 1880 novel The Brothers Karamazov. In the novel, “The Grand Inquisitor” is a prose poem composed by the character Ivan Karamazov. Its fictional author, who writes this poem in an increasing state of despair, recites this work to his younger brother, the novice monk Alyosha. “The Grand Inquisitor” imagines Jesus Christ coming to Seville at the time of... Read The Grand Inquisitor Summary


Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Teams, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology

Tags Realistic Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Humor, Action / Adventure, Children's Literature, Arts / Culture, Modern Classic Fiction

The Great Greene Heist is a middle grade novel by Varian Johnson that follows Jackson Greene, a middle school boy and nearly reformed prankster, who tries to win his crush through hijinks. The novel was named Publisher’s Best Summer Book of 2014, ALA ALSC Notable Children’s Book in 2015, and received a Kirkus Star Review. Johnson published the sequel To Catch a Cheat in 2016. Johnson is also the author of The Parker Inheritance, which... Read The Great Greene Heist Summary


Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Politics & Government

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Crime / Legal, Social Justice, Race / Racism, Incarceration, Politics / Government


Publication year 1940

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Life/Time: The Past, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed

Tags American Literature, Southern Literature, Southern Gothic, History: World, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction


Publication year 2020

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Memory

Tags Holocaust, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, WWII / World War II, Military / War, History: World, Biography


Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Fate, Relationships: Marriage, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Society: Economics, Society: Class

Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

Margaret Atwood’s The Heart Goes Last is a work of speculative fiction released in 2015. The novel is a reworking of her Positron series for the website Byliner: four interconnected stories that were digitally released as episodes over the course of a year, starting in March 2012. The project aimed to recapture the literary tradition of serialization, but the final installment was never released, and the novel is intended to bring things together and provide... Read The Heart Goes Last Summary


Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Food, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Mothers, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, History: U.S.

The Heretic’s Daughter (2008) is the debut novel of author Kathleen Kent. Upon publication, it immediately made the New York Times bestseller list. Kent followed this title with two other best-selling historical fiction works: The Traitor’s Wife (2010) and The Outcasts (2013). She also wrote a crime fiction trilogy that was nominated for an Edgar Award. A resident of Texas, Kent was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters in 2020 for her contribution to... Read The Heretic's Daughter Summary


Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Relationships: Fathers, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness

Tags Mythology, Fantasy, Children's Literature, LGBTQ, Action / Adventure

The Hidden Oracle (2016) is the first installment in Rick Riordan’s The Trials of Apollo, a five-book fantasy series for young readers. Inspired by Greek and Roman mythology and history, the books follow the fallen god Apollo on a quest to rescue the five Oracles from a group of foes. The Trials of Apollo series takes place in the same universe as Riordan’s popular Percy Jackson oeuvre. Praised for its humor, The Hidden Oracle earned... Read The Hidden Oracle Summary


Publication year 2005

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Family, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Gothic Literature, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, History: World, Religion / Spirituality

The Historian (2005), Elizabeth Kostova’s best-selling novel, blends fact and fiction to reinvent the myth of the iconic vampire Dracula, or Vlad Ţepeş. In this retelling, the unnamed narrator accompanies her ambassador father, Paul, across Europe in the early 1970s as he tells her the story of his near encounter with the vampire. He tells her the Prince of Wallachia lives, 500 years after his death. Paul’s mentor, Dr. Rossi, was conducting research on Dracula... Read The Historian Summary


Publication year 590

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Politics & Government, Society: Nation, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed

Tags History: European, Medieval Literature / Middle Ages, French Literature, Religion / Spirituality


Publication year 1937

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Relationships: Teams, Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance

Tags Fantasy, Action / Adventure, Military / War, Children's Literature, Classic Fiction

J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit is a classic high fantasy adventure novel first published in 1937. Tolkien (1892-1973) was an English writer, philologist, and professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford University, as well as a close friend of fellow writer C. S. Lewis. The Hobbit is the first published work recounting tales from Middle Earth, Tolkien’s fantasy world with fictional races of hobbits, elves, dwarves, and more. After fighting in World War I, Tolkien worked... Read The Hobbit Summary