Community

A community can come together for the common good or be torn apart by disagreement and strife. This collection explores what makes a community and how individuals struggle or succeed in finding their place within it.

The Boxcar Librarian

by Brianna Labuskes

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Gender Identity, Power & Greed, Perseverance, Grief, Revenge, Coming of Age, The Past, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Economics, Politics & Government, Literature

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Social Justice

Brianna Labuskes’s 2025 historical novel, The Boxcar Librarian, continues her focus on book-centric narratives, following titles such as The Librarian of Burned Books and The Lost Book of Bonn. Labuskes is a USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post bestselling author of historical fiction and psychological thrillers. The Boxcar Librarian unfolds across three distinct timelines, weaving together the stories of three women whose lives become connected by a mobile library in Montana. In 1936... Read The Boxcar Librarian Summary

The Break

by Katherena Vermette

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Indigenous Identity, Community, Colonialism, Self Discovery

Tags Gender & Feminism, Trauma & Abuse, Modern Classic Fiction, Canadian Literature

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The Broken Ladder

by Keith Payne

Publication year 2017

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Economics, Community

Tags Business & Economics, Social Science, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, Social Justice, Politics & Government

The Broken Ladder: How Inequality Affects the Way We Think, Live, and Die (2017) is a nonfiction popular-psychology book written by Keith Payne, an American professor of psychology and neuroscience. In it, he examines the physical, physiological, psychological, and moral effects of present-day inequality, particularly within the United States. Payne broadly argues that inequality has massively widened over the last 50 years, and that this has had profound implications because inequality harms everyone in society... Read The Broken Ladder Summary

The Brooklyn Nine

by Alan Gratz

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Guilt, Hope, Loneliness, Memory, Daughters & Sons, Friendship, Grandparents, Fathers, Mothers, Teamwork, Disability, Indigenous Identity, Gender Identity, Race, Immigration, Social Class, Community, Education, War, Nation, Self Discovery, Politics & Government, Place, Equality, Fate, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Wins & Losses, Truth & Lies, Aging, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, The Past, Midlife, Death

Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Sports, Realistic Fiction, World History

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The Call of the Wild

by Jack London

Publication year 1903

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Animals, Community, Power & Greed

Tags Action & Adventure, American Literature, Animals, Naturalism, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

Originally serialized in 1903, Jack London’s The Call of the Wild is an adventure story about Buck, a dog from the Santa Clara Valley who finds himself living the life of a sled dog in the Arctic wilderness. Through Buck’s adventure, the novel addresses what it takes to survive in the natural world, contemplates the connection between life and death, and demonstrates the power of respect and love. The Call of the Wild was immediately... Read The Call of the Wild Summary

The Cancer Journals

by Audre Lorde

Publication year 1980

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Death, Community

Tags Health, Gender & Feminism, LGBTQ+, Women`s Studies, Disability, Biography

Audre Lorde was a poet, essayist, activist, and memoirist whose writings on lesbian feminism and race were integral to second-wave feminism. Lorde was born in New York City on February 18, 1934 to Grenadian immigrant parents. She attended Hunter High School, where she edited the school’s literary magazine. She published her first poem, which had been rejected by an English teacher, in Seventeen magazine. She later attended Hunter College, where she trained to become a... Read The Cancer Journals Summary

The Caretaker

by Ron Rash

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes War, Family, Power & Greed, Grief, Loneliness, Love, Disability, Coming of Age, Death, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Southern Literature, Southern Gothic, Korean War

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The Cat Who Saved Books

by Sōsuke Natsukawa, Transl. Louise Heal Kawai

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Animals, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Hope, Joy, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Coming of Age, Death, Future, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Friendship, Grandparents, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Community, Economics, Education, Art, Beauty, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Science & Technology, Truth & Lies

Tags Fantasy, Magical Realism, Japanese Literature, Contemporary Literature

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The Children's Blizzard

by David Laskin

Publication year 2004

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Family, Community, Economics, Nation, Social Class

Tags US History, World History, Historical Fiction, Action & Adventure

The Children’s Blizzard by David Laskin is an account of a devastating natural disaster that took place in 1888. Affecting multiple Midwestern states, the blizzard claimed the lives of many people, including children. The loss of lives to the blizzard laid bare the vulnerabilities of isolated immigrant communities in the Great Plains and marked a watershed moment in American history regarding disaster prediction and mitigation. The author, David Laskin, is a well-known historian who has... Read The Children's Blizzard Summary

The Chosen

by Chaim Potok

Publication year 1967

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Fathers, Community, Coming of Age, Hate & Anger, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Religion & Spirituality, Jewish Literature, Education, Education

Rabbi Chaim Potok published The Chosen in 1967, and the book became a National Book Award finalist and established Potok as an influential Jewish writer. Born in Brooklyn and raised by Hasidic parents, Potok’s historical novel arguably links to parts of his personal life, as it follows two Jewish best friends, Reuven and Danny, and emphasizes Danny’s rocky relationship with his Hasidic father. The book centers on themes like Judaism and the Quest for Knowledge... Read The Chosen Summary

The Chrysalids

by John Wyndham

Publication year 1955

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Community, War, Fear

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Symbolic Narrative, Cold War, Post-War Era, Education, Education, Classic Fiction

The Chrysalids is a young-adult science fiction novel, written by John Wyndham and first published in 1955. Wyndham was a renowned science fiction author of the post-World War II era, and many of his works are thus inspired by a potential nuclear apocalypse. The Chrysalids was well-received by critics and is considered one of Wyndham’s best novels. It was adapted into a BBC radio play in 1982 and a play in 1999.This guide utilizes the... Read The Chrysalids Summary