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.

The Decameron

by Giovanni Boccaccio

Publication year 1353

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fate, Religion & Spirituality, Literature, Sexual Identity, Gender Identity

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Medieval, Italian Literature, Gender & Feminism, Religion & Spirituality, Social Class, Education, Education, World History

The Decameron is a collection of short stories by Italian author Giovanni Boccaccio, completed in 1353. The book was published in the wake of the Black Death, a bubonic plague which swept through Europe in the 14th century. The plague killed a large percentage of the population of Boccaccio’s native Florence. Boccaccio uses the epidemic as a key part of the book’s framing narrative, as in the book, a group of young Florentine men and... Read The Decameron Summary

The Demon-Haunted World

by Carl Sagan

Publication year 1996

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt, Science & Technology, Religion & Spirituality, Education, Nation, Space, Appearance & Reality

Tags Science & Nature, Education, Religion & Spirituality, World History, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy

... Read The Demon-Haunted World Summary

The Denial of Death

by Ernest Becker

Publication year 1973

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Death, Religion & Spirituality, Fear, Art

Tags Psychology, Philosophy, Religion & Spirituality, Grief & Death, Anthropology, Anthropology, Science & Nature, Sociology, Psychology, Philosophy, Self-Improvement

The Denial of Death was written by the American cultural anthropologist Ernest Becker and published in 1973. The work explores the fear of death and the ways in which rituals and beliefs have helped humans to cope with it throughout history. It was inspired by the fact that Becker had been diagnosed with terminal colon cancer. Over the course of his life, he taught at several prestigious universities, including Syracuse University, UC Berkeley, and, by... Read The Denial of Death Summary

The Discarded Image

by C. S. Lewis

Publication year 1964

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Appearance & Reality, Environment, Objects & Materials, Space, Colonialism, Art, Literature, Religion & Spirituality

Tags World History, Medieval, Philosophy, Arts & Culture, Literary Criticism, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

Written by C. S. Lewis (1898-1963), The Discarded Image is a 1964 nonfiction book that explores the literary landscape of Europe during the Medieval Era. Lewis, who is best known for his children’s book series The Chronicles of Narnia, was also a literature professor at Oxford and Cambridge, as well as one of the most widely celebrated Christian apologists of his time. Published shortly after his death, The Discarded Image explores how medieval writers and... Read The Discarded Image Summary

The Dollhouse Murders

by Betty Ren Wright

Publication year 1983

Genre Novel, Fiction

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Children`s Literature, Science Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Fantasy, Religion & Spirituality

The Dollhouse Murders by Betty Ren Wright is a juvenile mystery novel with supernatural elements published by Holiday House in 1983. The story follows the emotional growth of Amy Treloar and her Aunt Clare while they uncover the mystery revolving around two family murders from 30 years ago. The book won several awards, including the 1986 Bluebonnet Award and the 1987 Iowa Children’s Choice Award. It was nominated for the 1984 Edgar Allen Poe Award... Read The Dollhouse Murders Summary

The Doors of Perception, and Heaven and Hell

by Aldous Huxley

Publication year 1954

Genre Essay Collection, Nonfiction

Themes Art, Religion & Spirituality, Fear, Joy, Memory, Indigenous Identity, Language, Mental Health, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Objects & Materials, Place, Self Discovery, Community, Politics & Government, Beauty, Good & Evil, Literature, Music, Order & Chaos, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Philosophy, Psychology, Religion & Spirituality, Science & Nature, Health

... Read The Doors of Perception, and Heaven and Hell Summary

The Dream of the Rood

by Anonymous

Publication year 1996

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Wins & Losses, Self Discovery, Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Death

Tags Christian, Religion & Spirituality, Medieval, British Literature, Education, Education, European History, Classic Fiction

... Read The Dream of the Rood Summary

The Everlasting Man

by G. K. Chesterton

Publication year 1925

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Art, The Past

Tags Religion & Spirituality, Christian, Philosophy, World History, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

IntroductionThe Everlasting Man is a work of philosophical history, written by G. K. Chesterton in 1925. In The Everlasting Man, Chesterton seeks to demonstrate the providential ordering of history and the uniqueness of human beings in general and of the person of Jesus Christ in particular. Ever since its publication, the book has been widely influential, even contributing to the intellectual conversion of C. S. Lewis, who called it the best popular apologetic he knew.A... Read The Everlasting Man Summary

The Ex Hex

by Erin Sterling

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Forgiveness, Love, Family, Friendship, Self Discovery, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Romance, Fantasy, Love & Sexuality, Relationships, Special Occasions, Science Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

... Read The Ex Hex Summary

The Exorcist

by William Peter Blatty

Publication year 1971

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family

Tags Horror & Suspense, Religion & Spirituality, Fantasy, Classic Fiction

The Exorcist is a 1971 novel in the horror genre by William Peter Blatty. It tells the story of the possession of a young girl named Regan MacNeil. In 1973, the book was turned into a critically acclaimed film that spawned a number of sequels. Plot SummaryIn northern Iraq, an elderly priest named Lankester Merrin finishes an archeological excavation of a tomb and returns to America, shaken by a premonition. While finishing a film shoot with the... Read The Exorcist Summary

The First Seven Years

by Bernard Malamud

Publication year 1950

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Marriage, Love

Tags Immigration & Refugeeism, Religion & Spirituality, Holocaust

“The First Seven Years” is a short story that Bernard Malamud originally published in 1950. The story subsequently appeared in several collections, including The Magic Barrel, which won the 1959 National Book Award for fiction. Malamud’s exploration of the complications of the American Dream for immigrants and the aftermath of the Holocaust make the story an important contribution to American Jewish literature of the twentieth century. This guide is based on the short story as... Read The First Seven Years Summary

The Five People You Meet In Heaven

by Mitch Albom

Publication year 2003

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Death, Religion & Spirituality, Aging, Fate, Friendship, Forgiveness, Memory, Childhood & Youth, The Past, Family, Hate & Anger, Love, War, Grief, Marriage, Fathers, Nostalgia, Hope, Mothers

Tags Inspirational, Magical Realism, Religion & Spirituality, Grief & Death, Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

The Five People You Meet in Heaven is a novel by best-selling writer Mitch Albom. Published in 2003, it sold more than 10 million copies and appeared on the New York Times bestseller list. In 2004, the story was adapted into a made-for-television movie starring Jon Voight. In 2018, Albom penned a follow-up called The Next Person You Meet in Heaven. The novel follows the story of Eddie, a man who believes his life was... Read The Five People You Meet In Heaven Summary