"The art of losing isn't hard to master," wrote poet Elizabeth Bishop. Perhaps she meant that we will all face loss at some point in our lives. In this collection, we have brought together texts that take up the universal experience of grief.
Publication year 1968
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Literature
Tags Lyric Poem
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Place, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Magical Realism, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction
Publication year 2011
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Action / Adventure
The novel begins at the Vogel Medical Research Campus in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with the news of Dr. Anders Eckman’s death. This news is delivered in the form of a cryptic Aerogram sent by Dr. Annick Swenson, the Vogel Corporations’ lead scientist on a research mission in the Amazon Rainforest of Brazil. Eckman’s colleagues, including fellow pharmacologist and former lab partner, Dr. Marina Singh, and her boss and covert lover, Vogel CEO Jim Fox, struggle to... Read State of Wonder Summary
Publication year 2022
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Relationships: Friendship, Values/Ideas: Art, Society: Immigration
Tags Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Race / Racism, Asian Literature, Music, Biography
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Marriage, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Values/Ideas: Music, Natural World: Space & The Universe, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Life/Time: Mortality & Death
Tags Historical Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Mental Illness, Philosophy, Mystery / Crime Fiction, American Literature, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy
Publication year 2005
Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief
Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Magical Realism, Fantasy
St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves (2006) is a collection of 10 short stories by Karen Russell. The book, released when Russell was just 25, resulted in the National Book Foundation naming her one of its “5 Under 35” in 2009. Russell is also the recipient of the MacArthur Genius Grant, and her later novel, Swamplandia!, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Swamplandia! is based on the first short story... Read St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves Summary
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Identity: Gender, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Midlife, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Natural World: Climate, Natural World: Environment, Relationships: Mothers, Self Discovery, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Tags Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Apathy, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Joy, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Midlife, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: Mothers, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos
Tags Romance, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Family, Society: Class, Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed
Tags Romance, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Regret
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Fate, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: Friendship
Tags Historical Fiction, Southern Literature, Survival Fiction, American Civil War
Publication year 1997
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Relationships: Friendship, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Children's Literature, Education, Education, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2011
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Natural World: Environment
Tags Magical Realism, Fantasy, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Southern Gothic, Modern Classic Fiction
Swamplandia! is a 2011 novel by the American author Karen Russell. It is an adaptation of her short story “Ava Wrestles the Alligator,” first published in the Summer 2006 issue of the literary magazine Zoetrope: All-Story and later collected in her 2006 book of short stories, St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves. It was longlisted for the Orange Prize and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.A Miami native, Russell uses magical realism... Read Swamplandia Summary
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Mental Health, Relationships: Family
Tags Romance
Publication year 1827
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Values/Ideas: Fame, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Regret
Tags Narrative / Epic Poem, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Classic Fiction
Publication year 1997
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Teams
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Drama / Tragedy, Sports, Gothic Literature, Natural Disaster, Children's Literature, Education, Education, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
In Edward Bloor’s 1997 debut novel, Tangerine, Paul Fisher navigates the treacherous waters of attending middle school in a new town. In this young adult novel, the coming-of-age tale is complicated by the mystery of why Paul lost so much of his sight—the apocryphal story is that he looked at an eclipse too long—and by the presence of his violent older brother, Erik.Included in the ALA Top Ten Best Books of the Year, Tangerine teams... Read Tangerine Summary
Publication year 2016
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Emotions/Behavior: Grief
Tags Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance
Tell Me Three Things is Julie Buxbaum's first young adult novel, published in 2017. Sixteen-year-old Jessie Holmes narrates this contemporary story in real-time over the course of two months, as she navigates the daunting halls of a new high school, a life without her mother, and anonymous messages from a classmate. Buxbaum intersperses Jessie's narration with digital conversations in the forms of text messages, emails, and instant messages (IMs), adding a modern epistolary element to... Read Tell Me Three Things Summary
Publication year 2025
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Identity: Mental Health, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction
Publication year 2012
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Siblings, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, LGBTQ
Tell the Wolves I’m Home is the 2012 debut novel of author Carol Rifka Brunt. In it, 14-year-old narrator June Elbus wrestles with her grief over the death of her uncle Finn Weiss, who died of AIDS. Set in 1987 New York at the height of the AIDS crisis, the novel confronts the stigmas surrounding the disease through June’s parents and sister, who blame Finn’s long-term partner, Toby Aldshaw, for transmitting AIDS to Finn. As... Read Tell the Wolves I'm Home Summary