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 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Identity: Gender, Relationships: Fathers
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Western, Modern Classic Fiction, Irish Literature
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Society: Class, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Society: Community
Tags Historical Fiction, Health / Medicine, Roaring Twenties, History: World, Drama / Tragedy, Romance
Publication year 2019
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Life/Time: Midlife, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Marriage, Self Discovery, Society: Community
Tags Philosophy, Self Help, Psychology, Religion / Spirituality, Sociology, Psychology, Philosophy
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Self Discovery, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Society: Community, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Colonialism, Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Asian Literature, History: World, Indian Literature, Arts / Culture
Publication year 1930
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Self Discovery, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Action / Adventure, Gender / Feminism, Class, Children's Literature, Classic Fiction
Publication year 2001
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: Education, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Relationships: Friendship
Tags Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Children's Literature, Education, Education, History: World
Publication year 1888
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil
Tags Children's Literature, Fantasy, Fairy Tale / Folklore
Publication year 2015
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Identity: Race
Tags Satire, Humor, Race / Racism, African American Literature, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction
Paul Beatty is the author of the 2015 novel The Sellout—a satire that makes fun of contemporary norms around race and identity. In the novel, Beatty applies his no-holds-barred idea of comedy to segregation, slavery, police brutality, and countless tragic and fraught issues that people typically treat with extreme seriousness and sensitivity. Through the main character, Me, the book provides an ironic and unexpected take on themes like Racial and Personal Identity and Capitalism’s Power... Read The Sellout Summary
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Race, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: Community, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship
Tags Magical Realism, Fantasy, Social Justice, Historical Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2021
Genre Essay Collection, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Literature, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Family, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Self Discovery, Society: Community, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Language
Tags Grief / Death, Biography
Publication year 1980
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Literature
Tags Historical Fiction
Publication year 1988
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Equality, Identity: Gender, Society: Community
Tags Philosophy, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Sociology, History: World, Philosophy, Politics / Government
The Sexual Contract, published in 1988 by Polity Press, is an examination of social contract theory through a radical feminist lens. While acknowledging that the original contract itself is a political fiction, Carole Pateman claims that the original contract is a sexual-social contract that secures patriarchy and relations of sexually differentiated domination and subordination in modern civil society. However, dominant interpretations repress the sexual contract so that civil society appears to be post- or anti-patriarchal... Read The Sexual Contract Summary
Publication year 1986
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Identity: Race, Life/Time: The Future, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Tags Education, Education, Christian literature, History: World, Historical Fiction, Religion / Spirituality
Publication year 2001
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Society: Community, Identity: Indigenous
Tags Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Politics / Government
Publication year 2014
Genre Biography, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Class, Identity: Race, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Society: Community, Society: Education
Tags Race / Racism, Crime / Legal, Sociology
The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace (2014) by Jeff Hobbs is a biography that chronicles the life of Rob Peace, a brilliant young Black man. Raised in East Orange, a crime-ridden suburb of Newark, New Jersey, Rob overcame numerous barriers to study biochemistry and molecular biophysics at Yale University. Despite academic success and a seemingly bright future, his life was tragically cut short when he was killed in a drug-related shooting at the... Read The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace Summary
Publication year 2025
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Self Discovery, Society: Community, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology
Tags Self Help, Psychology
Publication year 1904
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil
Tags Classic Fiction, Irish Literature, Religion / Spirituality, British Literature, Arts / Culture, History: World
Publication year 2011
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Masculinity, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Society: Community
Tags Historical Fiction, Satire, Western, Allegory / Fable / Parable, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, History: U.S., Addiction / Substance Abuse, Gender / Feminism, American Literature, American Civil War, Mystery / Crime Fiction, History: World, Action / Adventure, Humor
The Sisters Brothers is a 2011 novel by Canadian writer Patrick DeWitt. Set in 1851, it traces the journey of Charlie and Eli Sisters, two hired killers traveling from Oregon to San Francisco to find a man called Warm, who allegedly stole something from their boss, the Commodore. The darkly comic Western is in the picaresque genre, as the brothers’ episodic misadventures explore different communities populating the American West.The Sisters Brothers is divided into 64... Read The Sisters Brothers Summary
Publication year 1979
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Race, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags History: U.S., Race / Racism, Social Justice, African American Literature, Education, Education, American Literature, Sociology, History: World
Publication year 1967
Genre Reference/Text Book, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Community
Tags Philosophy, Sociology, French Literature, History: World, Philosophy, Arts / Culture, Politics / Government
Guy Debord’s 1967 philosophy text, The Society of the Spectacle, analyzes the phenomena of alienation and argues that alienation’s root cause is located within the economic, political, and cultural spheres of modern society. While previous periods of capitalist development saw the hyper-exploitation of workers, the period of capitalism after WWII saw an improvement in labor conditions for greater numbers of workers in society. However, for Debord, this improvement in work conditions did not translate to... Read The Society of the Spectacle Summary