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 Muqaddimah

by Ibn Khaldun

Publication year 1377

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Politics & Government, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Race, Religion & Spirituality, Community

Tags World History, Medieval, Middle Eastern History, Middle Eastern Literature, Sociology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics & Government, Religion & Spirituality

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The Murders in the Rue Morgue

by Edgar Allan Poe

Publication year 1841

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Community, Language

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Classic Fiction, Gothic Literature

Edgar Allan Poe, known as the “father” of modern detective fiction, debuted what’s considered one of the first detective stories with “The Murders in the Rue Morgue.” The short story was originally published in Graham’s Magazine in 1841. From its pages spring the hallmarks of any crime novel: the mystifying brilliance of the detective, the doting investigative partner, the enigmatic puzzle, the trail of clue misdirection, and the host of failed conjectures posed by those... Read The Murders in the Rue Morgue Summary

The Music of Bees

by Eileen Garvin

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Community, Friendship, Environment, Perseverance, Mental Health, Self Discovery, Animals, Plants, Beauty, Politics & Government, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Hope

Tags Animals, Science & Nature, Disability, Coming of Age, Agriculture, Education, Health, Grief & Death, Depression & Suicide, Mental Illness, Social Justice, Modern Classic Fiction

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The Mysterious Island

by Jules Verne

Publication year 1875

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Friendship, Community, Safety & Danger, Order & Chaos, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Animals, Place

Tags Classic Fiction, Science Fiction, Action & Adventure, Fantasy, Survival Fiction, French Literature

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The New Couple in 5B

by Lisa Unger

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Love, Memory, Regret, Revenge, Gender Identity, Friendship, Marriage, Social Class, Community, Art, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Religion & Spirituality, Psychological Fiction, Horror & Suspense

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The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

by Alexander McCall Smith

Publication year 1998

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Community, Femininity

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Humor

The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency (1998) is the first novel in the series of the same name written by British author Alexander McCall Smith. It follows the career of Precious Ramotswe, the fictionalized first female private detective in Botswana, as she solves mysteries for her friends and neighbors. Throughout the novel, McCall Smith draws on his childhood in Zimbabwe (bordering Botswana); he was born into a family of white British administrators under the British... Read The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Summary

The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot

by Marianne Cronin

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Community, Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Gratitude, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Hope, Joy, Death, Self Discovery, Art, Truth & Lies, Guilt

Tags LGBTQ+, Romance, Arts & Culture, Grief & Death, Health, Love & Sexuality, Mental Illness, Parenting, Relationships, Religion & Spirituality, Modern Classic Fiction

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The Only One Left

by Riley Sager

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt, Power & Greed, Loyalty & Betrayal, Social Class, Siblings, Community, Fathers, Place, The Past, Guilt, Revenge, Disability, Femininity

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Gothic Literature, Realistic Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Depression & Suicide, Disability, Grief & Death, Social Class

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Theo of Golden

by Allen Levi

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Community, Forgiveness, Gratitude, Love, Memory, Mental Health, Race, Aging, Death, The Past, Family, Fathers, Art, Beauty, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Literary Fiction, Christian, Contemporary Literature

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The Open Boat

by Stephen Crane

Publication year 1897

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Environment, Community, Fate

Tags Classic Fiction, Life-Inspired Fiction, Naturalism

The prolific American writer, poet, and journalist Stephen Crane is the author of “The Open Boat.” He published his short story in 1897 after surviving a shipwreck earlier in the year. To cover the brewing war between Cuba and its colonizer, Spain, Crane boarded the Commodore as 1896 turned into 1897. The ship sank, and Crane and others endured a day and a half on a tiny lifeboat. Before publishing his fictional account of the... Read The Open Boat Summary

The Orchid Thief

by Susan Orlean

Publication year 1998

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Environment, Plants, Beauty, Community

Tags Journalism, Crime & Law, Science & Nature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, World History, Biography

The Orchid Thief is a nonfiction book by Susan Orlean, originally published in 1998. It is a narrative nonfiction account of the crimes and trial of John Laroche, accused of stealing endangered orchid species from the Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve in Florida. The basic story of Laroche and his crimes originally ran as an article in The New Yorker, entitled “Orchid Fever” and published in 1995. The book expands the story and also details Orlean’s... Read The Orchid Thief Summary

The Organ Thieves

by Chip Jones

Publication year 2020

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Race, Death, Social Class, Community, Education, Nation, Politics & Government, Equality, Justice, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Truth & Lies

Tags World History, US History, Science & Nature, Health, Race & Racism, Crime & Law

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