Aging

"Nature abhors the old," said Ralph Waldo Emerson, and yet poet John Donne wrote, "No Spring nor Summer Beauty hath such grace / As I have seen in one Autumnal face." So, is aging a gift—or a curse? In this thematic collection, we present texts that reflect on this question.

I'll Give You the Sun

by Jandy Nelson

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Art, Family, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Shame & Pride, Aging, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Sexual Identity, The Past, Death, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Mothers, Siblings, Fate, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

Tags Coming of Age, Magical Realism, Romance, Realistic Fiction, LGBTQ+, Grief & Death, Love & Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction

I’ll Give You the Sun (2015) is an award-winning novel penned by Jandy Nelson about relationships, art, and destiny. It follows the story of twins Noah and Jude Sweetwine who once shared a close relationship but find themselves barely speaking to each other two years after their mother’s death.Jandy Nelson is an American author who writes young adult fiction. I’ll Give You the Sun is her second novel, which won numerous awards and honors, including... Read I'll Give You the Sun Summary

Jayber Crow

by Wendell Berry

Publication year 2000

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Aging, Self Discovery

Tags Historical Fiction, Relationships, Coming of Age, Agriculture, Grief & Death, Transcendentalism, Religion & Spirituality, Classic Fiction

Jayber Crow, published in 2000 by Counterpoint, is one of author Wendell Berry’s 80 novels and is set in the fictional town of Port William on the banks of the Kentucky River. The novel is often classified under transcendentalism, and Berry’s works focus on the agrarian lifestyle he practices in his personal life living and working a farm in rural Kentucky. Many of his novels share what he calls the “Port William membership” and have... Read Jayber Crow Summary

Leaf Storm

by Gabriel García Márquez

Publication year 1955

Genre Novella, Fiction

Themes Family, Conflict, Fear, Hope, Love, Memory, Femininity, Language, Masculinity, Mental Health, Aging, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Midlife, Death, Future, The Past, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Objects & Materials, Place, Daughters & Sons, Friendship, Marriage, Mothers, Self Discovery, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Beauty, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Magical Realism, Latin American Literature, Grief & Death

Leaf Storm and Other Stories is a collection of fiction by Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez. The collection includes the title novella, Leaf Storm (La Hojarasca), first published in its original Spanish-language text in 1955. When Gregory Rabassa produced the first English translation of the novella, it was published (originally in 1972) alongside six short stories representing García Márquez’s work between 1951 and 1968.The collection offers an early glimpse into the magical realism and rural... Read Leaf Storm Summary

Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk

by Kathleen Rooney

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Literature, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Aging

Tags Historical Fiction, Life-Inspired Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk is a 2017 picaresque novel by Kathleen Rooney. The narrative is loosely based on the life of the American writer Margaret Fishback, reputed to be the highest-paid advertising woman in the world in the 1930s, who published well-received poems and short stories from that time until the 1960s. The reflective novel unfolds in the span of a single night—New Year's Eve 1984—and follows 85-year-old Lillian Boxfish as she takes a... Read Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk Summary

Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook

by Christina Henry

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Loyalty & Betrayal, Aging, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies

Tags Fantasy, Horror & Suspense, Fairy Tale & Folklore, Action & Adventure

Written by American author Christina Henry, Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook is a 2017 dark fantasy retelling of J. M. Barrie’s original play, Peter Pan. Henry has written several dark retellings of fairy tales to date, including Alice, which is based on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll; The Girl in Red, which adapts the story of Little Red Riding Hood; and The Mermaid, which based on Hans Christian Andersen’s The... Read Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook Summary

Love in the Time of Cholera

by Gabriel García Márquez

Publication year 1985

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Aging, Marriage

Tags Classic Fiction, Romance, Postmodernism, Latin American Literature, World History, Historical Fiction, Magical Realism

Love in the Time of Cholera is a classic work of literary fiction by the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez. It was published in Spanish in 1985 and translated into English in 1988 by Edith Grossman. The novel was adapted into a film in 2007, which was nominated for several awards including an Oscar and a Golden Globe. Plot SummaryLove in the Time of Cholera is set in... Read Love in the Time of Cholera Summary

Mary

by Nat Cassidy

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Revenge, Femininity, Mental Health, Aging, Midlife, Death, Place, Teamwork, Community, Good & Evil, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Religion & Spirituality

... Read Mary Summary

Meg Merrilies

by John Keats

Publication year 1818

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Environment, Aging, Femininity

Tags Lyric Poem, British Literature, Science & Nature

“Meg Merrilies” (sometimes titled “Old Meg she was a gipsy” or simply “old Meg”) is a short, playful ballad by the English Romantic poet John Keats. It was written on Keats’s walking tour of northern England and Scotland in 1818. At the time, Keats was worried about the health of his brother, Tom, and about his own health; the tuberculosis that would soon kill Tom had already begun to manifest in Keats. While his doctor... Read Meg Merrilies Summary

Merci Suárez Changes Gears

by Meg Medina

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Aging, Gender Identity, Family

Tags Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Social Class, Coming of Age, Modern Classic Fiction, Arts & Culture

Merci Suárez Changes Gears (2018), a contemporary middle-grade novel by Meg Medina, centers on a young girl facing major changes to her family dynamics. The book won numerous awards, including the 2019 Newbery Medal. Medina, a founding member of the “We Need Diverse Books” movement, has written many picture books, young adult books, and middle-grade novels about strong girls who overcome adversity and step up to challenges.Plot SummaryEleven-year-old Merci Suárez is the child of Cuban... Read Merci Suárez Changes Gears Summary

Moo

by Sharon Creech

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction

Themes Family, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Forgiveness, Grief, Loneliness, Memory, Aging, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Animals, Environment, Siblings, Teamwork, Community, Fate, Safety & Danger, Self Discovery

Tags Realistic Fiction, Animals, Children`s Literature

... Read Moo Summary

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

by Robert C. O'Brien

Publication year 1971

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Community, Science & Technology, Grief, Aging, Death, Place, Friendship, Safety & Danger, Mothers, Animals, Family, The Past, Future, Education, Perseverance, Conflict, Hope

Tags Fantasy, Children`s Literature, Classic Fiction, Science Fiction, Action & Adventure, Animals, Technology, Grief & Death, Agriculture, Parenting, Science & Nature, Philosophy, Sociology

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH is a children’s science fiction novel written in 1971 by Robert C. O’Brien. It tells the story of a field mouse whose son becomes ill as moving day approaches, so she enlists the help of a group of highly intelligent experimental rats for help. Robert C. O’Brien was inspired to write the Rats of NIMH after a visit to the National Institute of Mental Health’s experimental rat compound... Read Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH Summary