From the Trojan War to World War II to the Iraq War, history has been shaped by humanity's tragic capacity to wage war. In this thematic collection, we have gathered fiction and nonfiction texts that investigate both the lessons and the senselessness crystallized in the aftermath of military conflict.
Publication year 2015
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Self Discovery, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags History: U.S., Military / War, Politics / Government, Vietnam War, Children's Literature, History: World, Biography
Publication year 1939
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Society: War, Relationships: Mothers, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Play: Drama, German Literature, Education, Education, History: World, Drama / Tragedy, Classic Fiction
Mother Courage and Her Children (1939) is a play by German author Bertolt Brecht (1898-1980). It tells the story of Anna Fierling, nicknamed Mother Courage, a peddler who travels across Europe during the Thirty Years’ War. It is a drama that questions the justification of warfare, revealing the hypocrisy of a war fought on religious grounds. As the war unfolds, Mother Courage struggles to keep her business afloat and her three children safe. The play... Read Mother Courage and Her Children Summary
Publication year 1961
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Humor, American Literature, Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Satire, Military / War, WWII / World War II, Post Modernism
Mother Night, by Kurt Vonnegut, is a World War II novel first published in 1961. Vonnegut’s third novel, it garnered little recognition when it was first released, and it wasn’t until Vonnegut’s success with Cat’s Cradle in 1963 and his breakout fifth novel, Slaughterhouse-Five (1969), that Mother Night was revaluated as a powerful work of moral exploration by an author who would go on to become America’s leading satirist and who is now recognized as... Read Mother Night Summary
Publication year 1939
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Society: War, Values/Ideas: Art
Tags Lyric Poem, Education, Education, Classic Fiction
Publication year 1974
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal
Tags Historical Fiction, American Revolution, Military / War, Children's Literature, Education, Education, History: World, Classic Fiction
My Brother Sam Is Dead tells the story of the Tim Meeker and his family during the years of the American Revolutionary War. Published in 1974, the novel won many awards, including a Newbery Honor, an American Library Association Notable Children’s Book designation, and National Book Award nomination. James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier, the authors, are brothers who together wrote a series of historical novels for young adults. James, a journalist, wrote most of... Read My Brother Sam Is Dead Summary
Publication year 1951
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Society: War, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger
Tags Romance, Allegory / Fable / Parable, Latin American Literature, Surrealism
“My Life with the Wave” is a surrealist prose poem written by Mexican poet and author Octavio Paz, first published in 1951 as part of Paz’s collection ¿Águila o sol?. The English translation (Eagle or Sun?) by Eliot Weinberger was published in 1976. Paz’s poetry, essays, and prose frequently underscore Mexican identity, culture, and politics, especially during his time as a Mexican diplomat and ambassador. His travels exposed him to surrealism and existentialism, which had... Read My Life With the Wave Summary
Publication year 2016
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Indigenous, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Place, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Globalization, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Philosophy, Social Science, Politics / Government, Sociology
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Society: War
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Military / War, Politics / Government, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2012
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: War, Emotions/Behavior: Grief
Tags Military / War, Realistic Fiction, History: World, Historical Fiction, Action / Adventure
The 2012 novel Never Fall Down is based on the true story of Arn Chorn-Pond, an eleven-year-old Cambodian boy who is taken from his town and becomes a child soldier for the Khmer Rouge, a radical Communist regime that ruled Cambodia from 1975-1979.Arn’s journey takes him from his hometown of Battambang, Cambodia, through four years of forced labor and fighting for the Khmer Rouge as a child soldier, to a refugee camp in Thailand, and... Read Never Fall Down Summary
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Mothers, Society: War
Tags History: World, Mental Illness, Historical Fiction, Military / War, American Civil War
Publication year 1985
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Place, Identity: Language, Values/Ideas: Literature, Society: War
Tags Lyric Poem, Irish Literature, History: European, Education, Education, History: World, Classic Fiction
Publication year 1916
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Beauty
Tags Mythology
Publication year 2024
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Science / Nature, History: World, Politics / Government, Military / War
Publication year 2002
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Siblings, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: War, Relationships: Fathers
Tags Historical Fiction, Children's Literature, Auto/Biographical Fiction, American Civil War, Race / Racism, History: U.S., Military / War, History: World
Publication year 1830
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Society: Nation, Society: War, Life/Time: Mortality & Death
Tags Military / War, History: U.S.
Publication year 1938
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Aging, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Society: War, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Tags American Literature
Publication year 1967
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Siblings, Relationships: Family, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Fate
Tags Magical Realism, Latin American Literature, Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Fantasy
One Hundred Years of Solitude, first published in Spanish in 1967 as Cien años de soledad, is an internationally renowned and classic work of literature by Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez. The most highly regarded English version of the book is Gregory Rabassa’s translation, which was first published in 1970. This guide uses citations from the HarperPerennial Modern Classics Edition, which was released in 2006. García Márquez became the fourth Latin American winner of the... Read One Hundred Years of Solitude Summary
Publication year 1874
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Society: War, Society: Politics & Government
Tags Ancient Greece, Philosophy, Military / War, Social Justice, History: World, Politics / Government
Publication year 1995
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Society: War, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Society: Community
Tags Psychology, Military / War, Sociology, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Science / Nature, History: World, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics / Government
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Mental Health, Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Relationships: Family
Tags Historical Fiction, WWII / World War II, Military / War, History: World, Mental Illness