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.

Consolation Of Philosophy

by Boethius

Publication year 524

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Fate

Tags Self-Improvement, Italian Literature, Ancient Rome, Education, Education, Medieval, World History, Classic Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

The Consolation of Philosophy by Roman senator and philosopher Boethius is considered the last great philosophical work of the classical era and one of the foundational texts of medieval Christian thought. Anicius Boethius (c. 477-524 CE) was a philosopher and statesman in late Roman times, acting as advisor to the Gothic king Theodoric. Around 523, he was convicted of conspiracy and treason and sentenced to death. While in prison, and prior to his trial, he... Read Consolation Of Philosophy Summary

Coraline

by Neil Gaiman

Publication year 2002

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mothers, Safety & Danger, Childhood & Youth, Family, Gratitude, Loneliness, Perseverance, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses, Appearance & Reality

Tags Fantasy, Horror & Suspense, Relationships, Food, Children`s Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Classic Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

Neil Gaiman’s Coraline is a 2002 middle-grade horror novel that follows the titular character through a strange world of wonder and fear. Coraline must use her wit, her bravery, and the help of her allies to survive and escape the strange world. As the story unfolds, it examines What It Means to Be Brave, The Drawbacks of Always Getting What You Want, and The Importance of Having Allies. Coraline is a New York Times bestseller... Read Coraline Summary

Crave

by Tracy Wolff

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Grief, Safety & Danger

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Coming of Age, Science Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

... Read Crave Summary

Cyclops

by Euripides

Publication year 422

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Masculinity, Religion & Spirituality, Wins & Losses, Truth & Lies, Place, Revenge

Tags Mythology, Ancient Greece, Classical Period, Comedy & Satire, Dramatic Literature, Arts & Culture, Religion & Spirituality

... Read Cyclops Summary

Dead Man Walking

by Helen Prejean

Publication year 1993

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Justice, Religion & Spirituality, Death, Politics & Government

Tags Social Justice, Crime & Law, Incarceration, Mystery & Crime Fiction, World History, Religion & Spirituality, Politics & Government, Biography

Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States is a memoir originally published in 1993 by Sister Helen Prejean. In the book, Prejean, a Catholic nun with the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Medaille (now the Congregation of Saint Joseph), describes her ministry to death-row inmates Elmo Patrick Sonnier and Robert Lee Willie in Louisiana in the early 1980s. Her experience with Sonnier, who was ultimately put to death... Read Dead Man Walking Summary

Dead Souls

by Nikolai Gogol

Publication year 1842

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Economics, Truth & Lies

Tags Classic Fiction, Satirical Literature, Social Class, European History, Politics & Government, Religion & Spirituality, Russian Literature, Victorian Period, World History, Historical Fiction, Humor

Nikolai Gogol called his 1842 work Dead Souls an “epic poem in prose,” though most critics and scholars now refer to it as a novel. Structured in part as an analog to Dante’s Inferno, Dead Souls is an absurdist social satire of imperial Russia before the emancipation of the serfs, especially the foibles and customs of the Russian nobility. Though Gogol is not interested in strict realism, his portraits of nobles who speak French more... Read Dead Souls Summary

Death Be Not Proud

by John Donne

Publication year 1633

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Hope, Wins & Losses

Tags Lyric Poem, Grief & Death, Education, Education, British Literature, World History, Classic Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

... Read Death Be Not Proud Summary

Death Comes for the Archbishop

by Willa Cather

Publication year 1927

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Indigenous Identity, Race, Death, Future, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Place, Friendship, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Community, Beauty, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Western, American Literature, Religion & Spirituality, World History, Classic Fiction

Death Comes for the Archbishop (1927) is a novel by American author Willa Cather. The story is loosely based on the experiences of Priests Jean-Baptiste Lamy and Joseph Projectus Machebeuf as they sought to establish a Catholic diocese (an ecclesiastical district under the control of one particular bishop) in the newly acquired territory of New Mexico.A major figure in American literature, Cather is best known for the novels O Pioneers! (1913), The Song of the... Read Death Comes for the Archbishop Summary

Deep and Dark and Dangerous

by Mary Downing Hahn

Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Guilt, Memory, Death

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

Mary Downing Hahn’s Deep and Dark and Dangerous, published in 2007 by Clarion Books, is one of numerous stories in the American artist and former librarian’s extensive catalogue. Hahn has published in the historical fiction, fantasy, and contemporary fiction genres, but some of her most acclaimed novels are ghost stories—including this one. Deep and Dark and Dangerous was well received by critics and was awarded Missouri’s 2010 Mark Twain Award for the best book for... Read Deep and Dark and Dangerous Summary

Demian

by Hermann Hesse

Publication year 1919

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Friendship, Self Discovery, Good & Evil, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Life-Inspired Fiction, Coming of Age, Philosophy, Religion & Spirituality, German Literature

Hermann Hesse’s Demian (1919) explores the coming-of-age journey of Emil Sinclair as he develops his sense of self and understanding of the duality of humanity. The novel is set in Germany in the early 20th century between World War I and World War II, and it adheres to the Bildungsroman genre. Hesse also utilizes philosophical thought, including Jungian psychology, Gnostic Christianity, and Nietzsche, to shape Sinclair’s self-discovery journey. The novel explores themes regarding the importance... Read Demian Summary

Discourse on Method

by René Descartes

Publication year 1637

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags Philosophy, French Literature, Education, Education, Science & Nature, World History, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

French philosopher Rene Descartes’s Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy constitute two halves of a single unified project. The former was first published in 1637, while the latter was first published in 1641. The full title of Discourse on Method is Discourse on the Method of Rightly Conducting One's Reason and of Seeking Truth in the Sciences. The full title of Mediations on First Philosophy is Meditations on First Philosophy in which the... Read Discourse on Method Summary

Disgraced

by Ayad Akhtar

Publication year 2012

Genre Play, Fiction

Tags Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Dramatic Literature, Religion & Spirituality

Disgraced, by Ayad Akhtar, premiered in Chicago in 2012. Later that year, the play opened Off-Broadway at Lincoln Center. Disgraced won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2013, opened on the West End in 2014, and made its Broadway premiere in 2015. Like the main character, Amir Akhtar is the son of Pakistani-American immigrants and was born in the United States. His work addresses the experience of being Muslim in America and the way Islamophobia... Read Disgraced Summary