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 Doorman

by Chris Pavone

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Love, Nostalgia, Revenge, Femininity, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Race, Sexual Identity, Aging, Childhood & Youth, Midlife, Death, The Past, Place, Family, Marriage, Mothers, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Economics, Nation, Politics & Government, Art, Beauty, Equality, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Safety & Danger

Tags Horror & Suspense

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The Door of No Return

by Kwame Alexander

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Place, Family, Siblings, Grandparents, Friendship, Mothers, Equality, Power & Greed, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Good & Evil, Literature, Safety & Danger, Order & Chaos, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses, Language, Masculinity, Race, Love, Coming of Age, Childhood & Youth, Colonialism, Community, Death, Nation, Education, Self Discovery, Fathers

Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Free Verse, Coming of Age, Race & Racism, History: African , African American Literature, World History

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The Doors of Perception, and Heaven and Hell

by Aldous Huxley

Publication year 1954

Genre Essay Collection, Nonfiction

Themes Art, Religion & Spirituality, Fear, Joy, Memory, Indigenous Identity, Language, Mental Health, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Objects & Materials, Place, Self Discovery, Community, Politics & Government, Beauty, Good & Evil, Literature, Music, Order & Chaos, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Philosophy, Psychology, Religion & Spirituality, Science & Nature, Health

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The Double

by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Publication year 1846

Genre Novella, Fiction

Themes Fear, Loneliness, Shame & Pride, Mental Health, Social Class, Community, Equality, Fate, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Safety & Danger

Tags Classic Fiction, Russian Literature, Psychology, World History, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy

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The Drawing of the Three

by Stephen King

Publication year 1987

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Love, Mental Health, Death, Friendship, Community, Fate, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt

Tags Fantasy, Horror & Suspense, Science Fiction, Western, Action & Adventure

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The Drowning Woman

by Robyn Harding

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Hope, Shame & Pride, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Friendship, Marriage, Mothers, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

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The Egypt Game

by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

Publication year 1967

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Coming of Age, Community

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, Classic Fiction, Fantasy, Coming of Age

The Egypt Game (1967) is a children’s book by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. It is the first title in a two-book set. The sequel is entitled The Gypsy Game (1997). Snyder was a prolific author of children’s and young adult adventure and fantasy novels. An elementary school teacher by profession, she wrote 46 books between 1964 and 2011, passing away at the age of 87 in 2014. Like her protagonists in The Egypt Game, Snyder lived... Read The Egypt Game Summary

The Elegance of the Hedgehog

by Muriel Barbery

Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Art, Beauty, Literature, Coming of Age, Midlife, Education, Loneliness, Death, Language, Community, Appearance & Reality, Family, Friendship, Self Discovery

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Philosophy, Philosophy, Social Class, Arts & Culture, Depression & Suicide, Relationships, French Literature

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery was published in 2006 and translated by Alison Anderson into English for publication in 2008. The novel has been translated into more than 40 languages and was a major bestseller in France. The novel was adapted into a film called The Hedgehog (Le Hérisson) in 2009 to critical acclaim. The Elegance of the Hedgehog follows the narrative point of view of two erudite narrators: Renée, a concierge... Read The Elegance of the Hedgehog Summary

The Elephant Man

by Bernard Pomerance

Publication year 1979

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Disability, Love, Community

Tags Drama, Life-Inspired Fiction, Disability, Health, Relationships, Victorian Period, Education, Education, World History, Dramatic Literature, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

The Elephant Man, a one-act play by American playwright Bernard Pomerance, was first produced in London at the Hampstead Theatre in 1977. The play transferred to New York and played Off-Broadway in 1979, moving to Broadway three months later, where it ran successfully for two years. The play won many awards with its Broadway debut, including a New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Play, a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding New Play, and... Read The Elephant Man Summary

The Elephant Whisperer

by Lawrence Anthony

Publication year 1999

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Animals, Teamwork, Perseverance, Community

Tags Animals, Science & Nature, Biography

The Elephant Whisperer: My Life With the Herd in the African Wild (2009) is a memoir by Lawrence Anthony, detailing his experiences with rehabilitating a traumatized herd of elephants on his game reserve in South Africa. The book explores themes of bonding and communicating with animals, the inherent interconnectedness of nature, and the challenges of conservation efforts.Anthony was an internationally renowned conservationist and environmentalist. He was the co-owner and head of conservation at the Thula... Read The Elephant Whisperer Summary

The Embassy of Cambodia

by Zadie Smith

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Hate & Anger, Shame & Pride, Race, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Globalization, Immigration, Politics & Government, Good & Evil, Justice, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Education, Education, British Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

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The Empathy Exams

by Leslie Jamison

Publication year 2014

Genre Essay Collection, Nonfiction

Themes Community, Mental Health

Tags Health, Gender & Feminism, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Biography, Psychology, Relationships, Trauma & Abuse, Addiction & Substance Abuse

The Empathy Exams: Essays by Leslie Jamison is a collection of nonfiction essays that are connected thematically by pain and caring. Jamison uses a combination of personal experiences and journalistic approaches to ponder essential questions about both physical and emotional wounds, tenderness, and how people connect through pain. First published in April 2014, this collection premiered at #11 on the New York Times bestseller list and has received considerable acclaim from reviewers across the world... Read The Empathy Exams Summary

The Endless Steppe

by Esther Hautzig

Publication year 1968

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Community, Coming of Age, Family

Tags World History, World War II, Relationships, Russian Literature, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Military & War, Historical Fiction

The Endless Steppe is a young adult memoir in which Esther Hautzig, the author, details her five-year exile in Siberia, from June 1941 to March 1946. When the American politician and diplomat Adlai E. Stevenson visited the village of Rubtsovsk and wrote about it, Esther Hautzig wrote to him to tell him about her time living there. Stevenson suggested that Esther write about her experience. Published in 1968, during the Cold War, the book resonated... Read The Endless Steppe Summary

The End of Poverty

by Jeffrey Sachs

Publication year 2005

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Race, Justice, Community

Tags Race & Racism, Social Science, Business & Economics, World History, Sociology, Social Justice, Poverty, Politics & Government

In The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time (2005), leading economist Jeffrey D. Sachs draws on his extensive global experience to identify a path to end extreme poverty within 20 years. This work is inspired by, and in some ways modeled after, the classic John Maynard Keynes essay Economic Possibilities for Our Grandchildren (1930). In the depths of the Great Depression, Keynes outlined a pathway to ending poverty in the industrialized countries near... Read The End of Poverty Summary