Religion & Spirituality

In this collection we've gathered fiction and nonfiction texts that address humanity's age-old search for meaning and purpose within a higher power.

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Religion / Spirituality


Publication year 1932

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Colonialism

Tags Lyric Poem, Modernism, Philosophy, Grief / Death, Love / Sexuality, History: European, Religion / Spirituality


Publication year 2023

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Language

Tags Psychology, Religion / Spirituality, Crime / Legal, Sociology, History: World, Psychology


Publication year 422

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Identity: Masculinity, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Natural World: Place, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge

Tags Mythology, Ancient Greece, Classical Period, Play: Comedy / Satire, Drama / Tragedy, Arts / Culture, Religion / Spirituality


Publication year 1583

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness

Tags Free verse, Allegory / Fable / Parable, Christian literature, Classic Fiction, Religion / Spirituality


Publication year 1993

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Society: Politics & Government

Tags Social Justice, Crime / Legal, Incarceration, Mystery / Crime Fiction, History: World, Religion / Spirituality, Politics / Government, Biography

Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States is a memoir originally published in 1993 by Sister Helen Prejean. In the book, Prejean, a Catholic nun with the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Medaille (now the Congregation of Saint Joseph), describes her ministry to death-row inmates Elmo Patrick Sonnier and Robert Lee Willie in Louisiana in the early 1980s. Her experience with Sonnier, who was ultimately put to death... Read Dead Man Walking Summary


Publication year 1842

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Society: Class, Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Classic Fiction, Satire, Class, History: European, Politics / Government, Religion / Spirituality, Russian Literature, Victorian Period, History: World, Historical Fiction, Humor

Nikolai Gogol called his 1842 work Dead Souls an “epic poem in prose,” though most critics and scholars now refer to it as a novel. Structured in part as an analog to Dante’s Inferno, Dead Souls is an absurdist social satire of imperial Russia before the emancipation of the serfs, especially the foibles and customs of the Russian nobility. Though Gogol is not interested in strict realism, his portraits of nobles who speak French more... Read Dead Souls Summary


Publication year 1633

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose

Tags Lyric Poem, Grief / Death, Education, Education, British Literature, History: World, Classic Fiction, Religion / Spirituality


Publication year 1927

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Indigenous, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Friendship, Self Discovery, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Western, American Literature, Religion / Spirituality, History: World, Classic Fiction

Death Comes for the Archbishop (1927) is a novel by American author Willa Cather. The story is loosely based on the experiences of Priests Jean-Baptiste Lamy and Joseph Projectus Machebeuf as they sought to establish a Catholic diocese (an ecclesiastical district under the control of one particular bishop) in the newly acquired territory of New Mexico.A major figure in American literature, Cather is best known for the novels O Pioneers! (1913), The Song of the... Read Death Comes for the Archbishop Summary


Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Life/Time: Mortality & Death

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Relationships, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Children's Literature, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Religion / Spirituality

Mary Downing Hahn’s Deep and Dark and Dangerous, published in 2007 by Clarion Books, is one of numerous stories in the American artist and former librarian’s extensive catalogue. Hahn has published in the historical fiction, fantasy, and contemporary fiction genres, but some of her most acclaimed novels are ghost stories—including this one. Deep and Dark and Dangerous was well received by critics and was awarded Missouri’s 2010 Mark Twain Award for the best book for... Read Deep and Dark and Dangerous Summary


Publication year 1919

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Friendship, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality

Tags Auto/Biographical Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Philosophy, Religion / Spirituality, German Literature

Hermann Hesse’s Demian (1919) explores the coming-of-age journey of Emil Sinclair as he develops his sense of self and understanding of the duality of humanity. The novel is set in Germany in the early 20th century between World War I and World War II, and it adheres to the Bildungsroman genre. Hesse also utilizes philosophical thought, including Jungian psychology, Gnostic Christianity, and Nietzsche, to shape Sinclair’s self-discovery journey. The novel explores themes regarding the importance... Read Demian Summary


Publication year 1905

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice

Tags LGBTQ, Philosophy, Religion / Spirituality


Publication year 2009

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Globalization, Society: Nation, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality

Tags History: World, Religion / Spirituality, Politics / Government, Philosophy, Philosophy, Arts / Culture


Publication year 1637

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags Philosophy, French Literature, Education, Education, Science / Nature, History: World, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Religion / Spirituality

French philosopher Rene Descartes’s Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy constitute two halves of a single unified project. The former was first published in 1637, while the latter was first published in 1641. The full title of Discourse on Method is Discourse on the Method of Rightly Conducting One's Reason and of Seeking Truth in the Sciences. The full title of Mediations on First Philosophy is Meditations on First Philosophy in which the... Read Discourse on Method Summary


Publication year 2012

Genre Play, Fiction

Tags Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Drama / Tragedy, Religion / Spirituality

Disgraced, by Ayad Akhtar, premiered in Chicago in 2012. Later that year, the play opened Off-Broadway at Lincoln Center. Disgraced won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2013, opened on the West End in 2014, and made its Broadway premiere in 2015. Like the main character, Amir Akhtar is the son of Pakistani-American immigrants and was born in the United States. His work addresses the experience of being Muslim in America and the way Islamophobia... Read Disgraced Summary


Publication year 1838

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Natural World: Environment, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality

Tags Philosophy, Transcendentalism, Religion / Spirituality, American Literature, Philosophy, Classic Fiction


Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Apathy, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Teams, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Self Discovery, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Identity: Mental Health

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Fantasy, Addiction / Substance Abuse, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Religion / Spirituality

Doctor Sleep is a 2013 horror novel by Stephen King. It is a sequel to the events that occurred in King’s popular novel The Shining and features the return of Danny Torrance. Decades after the horrors at the Overlook Hotel, Dan Torrance must now reckon with the renewed threat of the spirits. When the novel begins, the dead woman from the Overlook’s Room 217 has returned and threatens Danny in his bathroom. King uses this... Read Doctor Sleep Summary


Publication year 2005

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt

Tags Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Religion / Spirituality

Does My Head Look Big in This? is a young adult debut novel by Randa Abdel-Fattah, an Australian writer of Palestinian and Egyptian origin, published in Australia in 2005. It is a story set in 2002, telling of 16-year-old Melbourne-born Amal, who decides to start wearing a hijab (religious veil) as a representation of her Muslim faith, and the reactions and repercussions that stem from her decision. The novel, which covers topics of Islamophobia (fear... Read Does My Head Look Big In This? Summary


Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Friendship, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth

Tags Fantasy, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Children's Literature, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Action / Adventure, Religion / Spirituality

Doll Bones (2013) is a middle grade novel written by Holly Black and illustrated by Eliza Wheeler. It blends gothic, horror, and fantasy elements. The novel follows three friends, Zach, Poppy, and Alice, as their make-believe games take a turn for the supernatural, sending them on an eerie quest to return a haunted doll to a gravesite before it wreaks havoc on their lives. The novel explores the challenges of growing up and the strain... Read Doll Bones Summary


Publication year 1930

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality

Tags Lyric Poem, Grief / Death, Religion / Spirituality, American Literature