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.

Firestarter

by Stephen King

Publication year 1980

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Safety & Danger, Power & Greed, Love, Family, Fathers

Tags Science Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Fantasy, Trauma & Abuse, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Relationships, Religion & Spirituality

... Read Firestarter Summary

First Confession

by Frank O'Connor

Publication year 1951

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Fear, Religion & Spirituality, Guilt

Tags Classic Fiction, Irish Literature, Education, Education, British Literature, Religion & Spirituality

Drawing on the author’s hardscrabble childhood in early-20th-century Ireland, Frank O’Connor’s “First Confession” chronicles the experience of seven-year-old Jackie, who must ready himself for the emotional and spiritual challenge of his first confession in the Catholic Church. The story was first published as “Repentance” in 1935 but heavily revised in later editions. This guide follows the version most reprinted today from O’Connor’s 1951 collection Traveller's Samples: Stories and Tales. O’Connor (1903-1966), who published more than... Read First Confession Summary

Fledgling

by Octavia E. Butler

Publication year 2005

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Science & Technology, Hate & Anger, Coming of Age, Family, Self Discovery, Memory

Tags Fantasy, Horror & Suspense, Coming of Age, African American Literature, Science Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

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Full Tilt

by Neal Shusterman

Publication year 2003

Genre Novel, Fiction

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

Full Tilt is a young adult psychological horror novel written by author Neal Shusterman. Shusterman has written over 30 books, many of which have won literary awards. He was born in New York City but moved to Mexico City as a teenager. From there, he studied psychology and theater at the University of California in Irvine. He is also a screenwriter for both television and film. Full Tilt earned over 20 literary awards after its... Read Full Tilt Summary

Future Home of the Living God

by Louise Erdrich

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Race, Mothers, Future

Tags Science Fiction, Gender & Feminism, Religion & Spirituality, Science & Nature, Race & Racism, Fantasy

Future Home of the Living God is a 2017 speculative fiction novel by American author Louise Erdrich. Told by Cedar Hawk Songmaker, a pregnant Native American woman in her mid-twenties living in Minneapolis, the story consists of her reflections as she waits to give birth. In the novel’s pre-apocalyptic America, human evolution has reversed, meaning that the species has begun to biologically regress into an infertile state. Meanwhile, the United States government has undermined citizens’... Read Future Home of the Living God Summary

Ghosts

by Henrik Ibsen

Publication year 1881

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Truth & Lies, Religion & Spirituality, Family, Regret, Guilt, Shame & Pride, Femininity

Tags Drama, Psychological Fiction, Scandinavian Literature, Realism, Victorian Period, Dramatic Literature, Health, Religion & Spirituality, Finance, Love & Sexuality, Education, Education, World History, Classic Fiction

The play Ghosts (1881) by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen chronicles the complicated relationship between Helen Alving and her son, Oswald. Ghosts documents a day in the life at the Alving estate as Helen prepares to open an orphanage in honor of her late husband. A three-act play, Ghosts explores the complex social issues of sexually transmitted infections, incest, and euthanasia—topics that made the play highly controversial when it was first produced.Ghosts followed the success of... Read Ghosts Summary

Ghosts

by Raina Telgemeier

Publication year 2016

Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction

Themes Family, Religion & Spirituality, Siblings, Childhood & Youth

Tags Fantasy, Grief & Death, Science Fiction, Children`s Literature, Religion & Spirituality

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Ghost Squad

by Claribel A. Ortega

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Grandparents

Tags Fantasy, Horror & Suspense, Action & Adventure, Science Fiction, Children`s Literature, Religion & Spirituality

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Ghost Story

by Peter Straub

Publication year 1979

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Apathy, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Memory, Regret, Shame & Pride, Revenge, Aging, Death, The Past, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Beauty, Fate, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Music, Art, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Femininity, Sexual Identity, Friendship, Marriage, Mothers, Siblings, Teamwork, Order & Chaos, Justice, Equality

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

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Gifted Hands

by Ben Carson, Cecil Murphey

Publication year 1990

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Tags Health, Inspirational, Biography, Religion & Spirituality

Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story (1990) is a memoir written by Ben Carson, a former neurosurgeon turned politician, and coauthor Cecil Murphey. Born Benjamin Solomon Carson Sr., Carson served as secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development under President Donald Trump. The book explores how Carson’s gifts from God, his mother and older brother’s influence, and his faith in God and himself allowed him to escape the Detroit ghetto and become a... Read Gifted Hands Summary

Gift From The Sea

by Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Publication year 1955

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Marriage, Midlife, Femininity

Tags Inspirational, Philosophy, Women`s Studies, Gender & Feminism, Philosophy, Biography, Self-Improvement, Classic Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

Gift from the Sea is a 1955 work of inspirational nonfiction literature by American author Anne Morrow Lindbergh. While vacationing on Captiva Island, Florida, Lindbergh explores the questions of how to find a new, more natural rhythm of life and how to gain a deeper relationship with herself and others. To gain inspiration for this, she discusses various shells that she finds on the beach. The first two shells she finds symbolize the importance of... Read Gift From The Sea Summary

God Is Not Great

by Christopher Hitchens

Publication year 2007

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Good & Evil, Religion & Spirituality, Politics & Government

Tags Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Sociology, Science & Nature, World History, Philosophy, Politics & Government

God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything (2007) is a polemical text by English writer Christopher Hitchens. The author argues that religion is a cultural construct that represses people more than it liberates them. He examines religion’s role in sexuality, science, and human dignity and posits that organized religion rarely (if ever) benefits humanity at large. Hitchens was a noted columnist and contributing editor to Vanity Fair magazine.Its themes include mass delusions, the misogyny... Read God Is Not Great Summary

God Is Red

by Vine Deloria Jr.

Publication year 1972

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Indigenous Identity, Race, Environment, Place, Politics & Government, Justice, Power & Greed

Tags Religion & Spirituality, World History, Philosophy, Race & Racism

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God Sees the Truth, but Waits

by Leo Tolstoy

Publication year 1872

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Forgiveness, Justice, Family, Hate & Anger

Tags Russian Literature, Classic Fiction, World History, Philosophy, Philosophy, Religion & Spirituality

“God Sees the Truth, but Waits” is a short story by Leo Tolstoy originally published in 1872. The story, a parable about forgiveness that explores religious and spiritual themes, tells of a man sent to prison in Siberia for a murder he did not commit. The story has been adapted for various media, including films and radio programs. This guide refers to the 1990 Norton Critical Edition.Set in Tolstoy’s contemporary Russia, the story is narrated... Read God Sees the Truth, but Waits Summary