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 2011
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Society: Community
Tags Technology
Publication year 1978
Genre Reference/Text Book, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Community, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Identity: Gender, Identity: Mental Health, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: Mothers
Tags Education, Education, Psychology, Psychology, Relationships, Mental Illness, Self Help
Publication year 1991
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: Community, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Mothers, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Magical Realism, Fantasy, African Literature, Poverty, Colonialism / Postcolonialism, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, African American Literature, Classic Fiction
Written in a style that evokes the oral tradition of storytelling, The Famished Road, by Nigerian writer Ben Okri, follows the peripatetic adventures of Azaro, a young boy who is finding his way amid the poverty and political passions of a newly independent nation. Winner of the prestigious Booker Prize in 1991, the novel presents an allegorical tale of both the pitfalls and the promise latent in the post-colonial moment. Nigeria was one of the... Read The Famished Road Summary
Publication year 1993
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: War, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Identity: Gender, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Friendship, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Historical Fiction, Children's Literature, American Revolution
Publication year 1961
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Community
Tags Anthropology, Action / Adventure, Education, Education, Anthropology, Science / Nature, History: World, Travel Literature
In The Forest People, anthropologist Colin M. Turnbull describes his experiences while living as a friend and observer with the BaMbuti (Pygmies) of the Ituri Forest. He shares the everyday lives of the Pygmies located in the Epulu River region and their interactions with each other and with him. The setting is the Belgian Congo, which Turnbull describes as located in the center of Africa. Turnbull had visited the Epulu BaMbuti in 1951. This narrative... Read The Forest People Summary
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Gender, Identity: Indigenous, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Birth, Natural World: Animals, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Mothers, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Gender / Feminism
Publication year 2009
Genre Reference/Text Book, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Philosophy, Education, Education, Philosophy
Publication year 2020
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Natural World: Environment, Society: Politics & Government, Natural World: Climate, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Society: Community
Tags Science / Nature, Climate Change, Politics / Government
Publication year 1923
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride
Tags Anthropology, Sociology, Philosophy, Business / Economics, Education, Education, Anthropology, French Literature, History: World, Philosophy, Classic Fiction
Publication year 2001
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Community, Identity: Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt
Tags Education, Education, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Mental Illness, Health / Medicine, Psychology, Self Help
Publication year 2016
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Siblings, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Gender, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Marriage, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Southern Literature, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Fate
Tags Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Romance, Mythology, Fairy Tale / Folklore, Asian Literature, History: World
Publication year 2014
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Grief / Death, Science / Nature, Relationships, British Literature, Fantasy
M.R. Carey’s The Girl with All the Gifts began as a short story (“Iphigenia in Aulis”) and was adapted into a 2016 film for which Carey also wrote the screenplay. The novel, which Carey wrote concurrently, was published in 2014. It is a post-apocalyptic horror tale that fits uneasily into the zombie/science fiction literary genre. While The Girl with All the Gifts incorporates plenty of genre tropes—cannibalism, disease, high-speed chases, feeding frenzies—the core of the... Read The Girl with All the Gifts Summary
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Femininity, Relationships: Marriage, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Art
Tags History: World, Arts / Culture, Magical Realism
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 2013
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Race, Self Discovery, Society: Community, Society: Immigration, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Tags Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, History: World
Published in 2013, The Golem and the Jinni is Helene Wecker’s debut novel. As its title implies, the novel follows the story of a Golem named Chava and a Jinni named Ahmad as they navigate the chaotic realities of New York City in 1899 and 1900. Even as they both struggle to hide their true natures and blend into their local communities, they learn to trust each other on the difficult path to reconciling their... Read The Golem and the Jinni 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 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 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Identity: Femininity, Society: Community
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Romance, Gender / Feminism