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 Third Man

by Graham Greene

Publication year 1949

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Politics & Government, Religion & Spirituality, Justice

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Classic Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Religion & Spirituality, Social Justice, Politics & Government, Relationships, British Literature

English writer Graham Greene penned his novella The Third Man to work out the finer details of the plot and setting for the screenplay of Carol Reed’s 1949 film of the same name. (In writing screenplays, Greene preferred to work from source material in story format.) Although publication of the novella wasn’t originally planned, the film was such a huge commercial and critical success that the novella was published in 1950.The film The Third Man... Read The Third Man Summary

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