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.

Bad Mormon

by Heather Gay

Publication year 2023

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Gender Identity, Marriage, Mothers, Self Discovery, Equality, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Biography, Religion & Spirituality

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Barakah Beats

by Maleeha Siddiqui

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Music, Religion & Spirituality, Family, Coming of Age, Friendship

Tags Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Music, Religion & Spirituality

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Barking to the Choir

by Gregory Boyle

Publication year 2017

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Good & Evil

Tags Sociology, Social Justice, Religion & Spirituality

Friar Gregory Boyle is the founder of Homeboy Industries, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization known for being the largest gang intervention and re-entry program in the world. Boyle is also a Jesuit priest and the author of the bestselling Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion, a memoir and religious text presenting his work with Homeboy Industries as a set of parables. Boyle received much acclaim for this first work and followed it... Read Barking to the Choir Summary

Becket

by Jean Anouilh

Publication year 1959

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Friendship, Power & Greed

Tags Historical Fiction, Tragedy, Religion & Spirituality, European History, Politics & Government, French Literature, Modernism, Medieval, World History, Dramatic Literature, Classic Fiction

Becket or The Honor of God is a 1959 play by the French dramatist Jean Anouilh. It portrays a fictionalized version of the conflict that took place between King Henry II of England and the archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket, in the 12th century. The English translation of the play premiered on Broadway in 1960 to great acclaim and was adapted into an Academy Award-winning film in 1964.The central conflict of Becket, which ended in... Read Becket Summary

Becoming Supernatural

by Joe Dispenza

Publication year 2017

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Mental Health, Self Discovery, Globalization, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Science & Technology

Tags Science & Nature, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Self-Improvement, Health, Religion & Spirituality

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Before I Fall

by Lauren Oliver

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fate

Tags Bullying, Grief & Death, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Religion & Spirituality

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver is a young adult novel about redemption, written in 2010. Following her death in a car accident, high school senior Sam Kingston wakes the next morning to find that she’s reliving the same day—February 12, or Cupid Day. She juggles the complexities of bullying, blossoming sexuality, self-confidence, and self-sacrifice after reliving the same day seven times. Through this experience, she reconnects with her family and friends, but mostly with... Read Before I Fall Summary

Be Here Now

by Ram Dass

Publication year 1971

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes New Age, Space, Self Discovery, Religion & Spirituality, Gender Identity

Tags Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Self-Improvement, Psychology

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Belladonna

by Adalyn Grace

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Femininity, Coming of Age, Death, The Past, Self Discovery

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Gothic Literature, Religion & Spirituality

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Ben-Hur

by Lew Wallace

Publication year 1880

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Revenge

Tags Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction, Christian, World History, Action & Adventure, Religion & Spirituality

One of the most influential Christian novels of the 19th century, Lew Wallace’s Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ is a classic historical fiction story of redemption and forgiveness, reimagining the stories of peripheral biblical figures, from Roman tax collectors and charioteers, to people with leprosy, fishermen, Pharisees, shepherds, John the Baptist, and Pontius Pilate. The story traces the life of the fictional main character Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish nobleman from Jerusalem whose future is... Read Ben-Hur Summary

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

by Aron Ralston

Publication year 2004

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Fate, Safety & Danger, Self Discovery, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Hope, Death

Tags Inspirational, Action & Adventure, Travel Literature, Animals, Arts & Culture, Philosophy, Relationships, Religion & Spirituality, Science & Nature, Music, Sports, Biography

Between a Rock and a Hard Place is a 2004 adventure and survival memoir by American mountain climber Aron Ralston. The narrative focuses on Ralston’s near-death experience when his arm became stuck under a boulder in a canyon in Utah, where he remained trapped for five days until he amputated his arm. Dealing with profound existential themes, the book garnered critical acclaim and became a New York Times bestseller. A 2010 film adaptation titled 127... Read Between a Rock and a Hard Place Summary

Beyond Good And Evil

by Friedrich Nietzsche

Publication year 1886

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Good & Evil, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Philosophy, Victorian Period, World History, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

Beyond Good and Evil: Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future is a classic philosophical text composed by one of modernity’s greatest thinkers, Friedrich Nietzsche, and first published in 1886, just a few years after the arguably more infamous Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Published first in Nietzsche’s native German, the book was translated into English 20 years later in 1906, making the work even more widely known to an international audience. A more polemical text than... Read Beyond Good And Evil Summary

Beyond Order

by Jordan B. Peterson

Publication year 2021

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Conflict, Love, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Marriage, Self Discovery, Art

Tags Psychology, Self-Improvement, Philosophy, Politics & Government, Science & Nature, Religion & Spirituality, Leadership

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Bhagavad Gita

by Swami Prabhavananda, Transl. Christopher Isherwood

Publication year 1972

Genre Scripture, Nonfiction

Tags Religion & Spirituality

The Bhagavad Gita is a religious text written by an unknown author in the 1st or 2nd century BCE. The title translates as The Song of God, and the text contains 700 verses that explore the nature of the Hindu religion. The Gita comprises part of the Mahabharata, one of two ancient Indian epics, but it is often regarded and studied as an independent work. The narrative portrays a conversation between a prince named Arjuna... Read Bhagavad Gita Summary

Black Beauty

by Anna Sewell

Publication year 1877

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Social Class, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Animals

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Action & Adventure, Animals, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Social Class, European History, Poverty, Religion & Spirituality, Social Justice, Trauma & Abuse, Urban Development, Victorian Period, Coming of Age, Children`s Literature, World History

Black Beauty was written by English novelist Anna Sewell, and published in 1877. It quickly became extremely popular, and led to increased activism and public concern for the humane treatment of horses and other animals. It went on to become one of best-selling novels of all time, and has been adapted numerous times into films and theatre productions. Sewell used her novel to explore themes such as kindness and responsibility, and to critique social problems... Read Black Beauty Summary

Black Elk Speaks

by John Neihardt

Publication year 1932

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Tags US History, Philosophy, Philosophy, World History, Biography, Religion & Spirituality

Black Elk Speaks (1932) is a book written by John G. Neihardt that relates the life of Black Elk, a member of the Ogalala band of the Lakota Native Americans. Though Neihardt is the book’s author, the book is based on a conversation between Black Elk and Neihardt and is presented as a transcript of Black Elk’s words, though Neihardt made some edits to the transcript. The book follows Black Elk from his boyhood to... Read Black Elk Speaks Summary