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 True Believer

by Eric Hoffer

Publication year 1951

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Community, Power & Greed, Politics & Government, Wins & Losses, Hate & Anger

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

The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements (1951), by Eric Hoffer, is a philosophical treatise that explores the question of why ordinary people join mass movements and become fanatical devotees of what they perceive as a holy cause. Hoffer argues that prospective fanatics—the soon-to-be true believers—experience personal frustration so intense that their strongest desire is to lose their individuality altogether by surrendering to something greater than themselves. Mass movements exploit this frustration... Read The True Believer Summary

The Turn of the Screw

by Henry James

Publication year 1898

Genre Novella, Fiction

Themes Appearance & Reality, Sexual Identity, Gender Identity

Tags Horror & Suspense, Fantasy, Love & Sexuality, Gothic Literature, Science Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, World History, Classic Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

... Read The Turn of the Screw Summary

The Untethered Soul

by Michael A. Singer

Publication year 2007

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Mental Health, Religion & Spirituality, Self Discovery

Tags Self-Improvement, Religion & Spirituality, Inspirational, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Mental Illness, Health

Michael A. Singer’s The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself, originally published in 2007, is a spiritual self-help book about living life from the point of view of centered consciousness. Identifying with the nonstop chaos of thinking, emotion, and stimulus in our minds causes most of our problems, and Singer offers insight about how to identify as pure awareness and simply notice our experiences pass by without identifying with them. He discusses how our levels... Read The Untethered Soul Summary

The Varieties of Religious Experience

by William James

Publication year 1902

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Conflict, Appearance & Reality, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality

Tags World History, Psychology, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Philosophy, Religion & Spirituality, Psychology, Science & Nature

The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Nature (1902) by William James is a philosophical examination of how religious revelations function in individuals’ lives and minds. This renowned work applies James’s theoretical framework of pragmatism to the study of the functionality of religion. James utilizes radical empiricism to examine both the subjective and objective experiences of religion. James argues that individual experiences, not major religious institutions, form the spiritual shape of the world. He... Read The Varieties of Religious Experience Summary

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

by Sangu Mandanna

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Perseverance, Truth & Lies, Conflict, Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Loyalty & Betrayal, Community

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Magical Realism, Education, Love & Sexuality, Relationships, Parenting, Science Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

... Read The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches Summary

The Violent Bear It Away

by Flannery O'Connor

Publication year 1960

Genre Novel, Fiction

Tags Southern Gothic, Christian, Religion & Spirituality, American Literature, Southern Literature, Gothic Literature, Classic Fiction

The Violent Bear It Away is a fiction novel published in 1960 by the American author Flannery O’Connor. Written in O’Connor’s trademark Southern Gothic style, the book chronicles the inner turmoil of a 14-year-old boy from rural Tennessee as he struggles against his destiny of becoming a prophet. It is an expansion of O’Connor’s 1955 short story, “You Can’t Be Any Poorer Than Dead,” which is presented here as the book’s first chapter.Other works by... Read The Violent Bear It Away Summary

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

by C. S. Lewis

Publication year 1952

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Fate, Self Discovery, Friendship

Tags Fantasy, Children`s Literature, Religion & Spirituality, Classic Fiction, Action & Adventure, Christian

C. S. Lewis’s The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a fantasy novel for children originally published in 1952 as the third installment of The Chronicles of Narnia series. However, because recent editions of the series tend to number the books in chronological order of storytelling rather than the original order of publication, it is most often counted as the fifth volume in modern printings. The Chronicles of Narnia includes seven novels: The Lion, the... Read The Voyage of the Dawn Treader Summary

The War for Kindness

by Jamil Zaki

Publication year 2019

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Apathy, Science & Technology, Mental Health

Tags Psychology, Science & Nature, Self-Improvement, Sociology, Arts & Culture, Technology, Business & Economics, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Religion & Spirituality

... Read The War for Kindness Summary

The War Prayer

by Mark Twain

Publication year 1905

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes War, Religion & Spirituality, Nation

Tags Classic Fiction, Religion & Spirituality, American Literature, Education, Education, Military & War, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics & Government

... Read The War Prayer Summary

The Wayfinders

by Wade Davis

Publication year 2009

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Community

Tags Anthropology, Science & Nature, Technology, Anthropology, Sociology, World History, Philosophy, Philosophy, Travel Literature, Religion & Spirituality

This study guide refers to the 2009 House of Anansi Press edition of Wade Davis’s The Wayfinders: Why Ancient Wisdom Matters in the Modern World. The Wayfinders collects a series of five Massey Lectures that Davis delivered in Canada in 2009. Davis is a Colombian-Canadian anthropologist and ethnobotanist, and the Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society. This position, as well as his long anthropological career, has allowed Davis to spend time with many of the... Read The Wayfinders Summary

The Way of Integrity

by Martha Beck

Publication year 2021

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Mental Health, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Conflict

Tags Self-Improvement, Religion & Spirituality, Psychology, Inspirational, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Mental Illness

... Read The Way of Integrity Summary

The Way of Kings

by Brandon Sanderson

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Good & Evil

Tags Fantasy, Religion & Spirituality, Social Class, Narrative Poem, Action & Adventure

The Way of Kings (2010) is the first book in Brandon Sanderson’s ongoing epic fantasy series, The Stormlight Archive. The Way of Kings won Best Novel at the 2011 David Gemmell Legend Awards for fantasy literature and is considered an exemplary and influential entry to the epic fantasy genre. DMG Entertainment purchased the rights to a film adaptation of The Stormlight Archive in 2016, and Arcturus VR released a videogame adaptation of the novel in... Read The Way of Kings Summary