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 Outcasts of Poker Flat

by Bret Harte

Publication year 1869

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Fate, Justice, Community

Tags Western, Naturalism, Classic Fiction, Education, Education, American Literature, World History, Historical Fiction

“The Outcasts of Poker Flat,” a short story by American author Bret Harte, showcases the customs and dialect of American Western Regionalism. As one of the first American writers to popularize Regionalism, Harte paved the way for other writers in this movement. Originally written in 1869 and published in The Overland Monthly, the literary magazine of which Harte was the pioneering editor, the story thematically employs gambling terminology to depict the choices humans face when... Read The Outcasts of Poker Flat Summary

The Passengers

by John Marrs

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Hate & Anger, Love, Memory, Revenge, Mental Health, Death, Future, Environment, Teamwork, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Economics, Education, Globalization, Immigration, Nation, Politics & Government, Equality, Fame, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

... Read The Passengers Summary

The People of Sparks

by Jeanne DuPrau

Publication year 2004

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Teamwork, Community, Conflict

Tags Science Fiction, Children`s Literature, Fantasy, Action & Adventure

The People of Sparks is the second of four science fiction novels in the highly lauded Book of Ember series, written by Jeanne DuPrau. Published in 2004, The People of Sparks follows Lina and Doon, the protagonists of The City of Ember, as they attempt to help the people of Ember navigate the post-apocalyptic surface world. This middle grade novel explores ideas of communities, the cyclical nature of violence and war, and the importance of... Read The People of Sparks Summary

The Piano Lesson

by August Wilson

Publication year 1987

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Family, Race, Community, Music, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Drama, Historical Fiction, African American Literature, Education, Education, World History, Dramatic Literature, Classic Fiction

IntroductionAugust Wilson’s play The Piano Lesson premiered in 1987 at Yale Repertory Theatre starring a young, unknown Samuel L. Jackson as Boy Willie. The play opened on Broadway in 1990 with Charles S. Dutton (Boy Willie), S. Epatha Merkerson (Berniece), and Jackson in his Broadway debut as Dutton’s understudy; it earned five Tony nominations, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play, and the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Best Play award. It also won the... Read The Piano Lesson Summary

The Pilgrim's Progress

by John Bunyan

Publication year 1678

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Perseverance, Community

Tags Classic Fiction, Christian, Symbolic Narrative, Religion & Spirituality

The Pilgrim’s Progress was written by John Bunyan and published in 1678. The work is a religious allegory that is among the most famous works of English literature; many critics also consider it the first English example of the novel genre. Like Christian, the main character in Part 1, Bunyan’s path to Christianity was a journey. After rejecting religion early in his life, Bunyan devoted himself to God and became a Puritan. He believed the... Read The Pilgrim's Progress Summary

The Plague

by Albert Camus

Publication year 1947

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Justice, Community, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Classic Fiction, Philosophy, Health, Absurdism, French Literature, World History, Historical Fiction, Philosophy

The Plague, a philosophical novel by French author Albert Camus, was first published in 1947 and immediately won the prix des Critiques, a literary prize awarded to Francophone authors by the French publishing industry. Having also published The Stranger, The Myth of Sisyphus, and The Fall, Camus, an absurdist writer who wrote extensively in support of the French Resistance against Nazi Germany’s occupation of France, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1957. In... Read The Plague Summary

The Playboy of the Western World

by John Millington Synge

Publication year 1907

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Community, Fathers, Loneliness, Marriage, Masculinity

Tags Drama, Classic Fiction, Irish Literature, Trauma & Abuse, Comedy & Satire

The Playboy of the Western World is a comedy written by Irish playwright John M. Synge. The play was first produced in 1907 at the Abbey Theatre, or the National Theatre of Ireland. Although his work was largely criticized during his lifetime, Synge is one of Ireland’s most famous 20th-century playwrights. He wrote only six plays during his relatively short career; the most notable among his works are The Playboy of the Western World and... Read The Playboy of the Western World Summary

The Postcard

by Anne Berest

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Memory, Regret, Mental Health, Race, Death, The Past, Mothers, Siblings, Community, Immigration, Good & Evil

Tags Historical Fiction, World War II, Holocaust, Jewish Literature, French Literature, Military & War, World History

... Read The Postcard Summary

The Power and the Glory

by Graham Greene

Publication year 1940

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Power & Greed, Fate, Community, Politics & Government, Colonialism

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Religion & Spirituality, Social Class, Politics & Government, Poverty, British Literature, Christian, World History

Graham Greene’s The Power and the Glory (originally published in 1940) recounts the tragic story of the whisky priest. His religion has been outlawed, his faith shattered, and his history—like his name—all but erased. He’s relentlessly pursued by the lieutenant, whose secular beliefs are as passionate as others’ spiritual beliefs. The priest’s mere presence endangers those he once served, and he constantly struggles to fulfill his duty to bring comfort and absolution to others at... Read The Power and the Glory Summary

The Power of Myth

by Joseph Campbell

Publication year 1991

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Language, Literature, Religion & Spirituality, Community

Tags Anthropology, Anthropology, Philosophy, Sociology, World History, Psychology, Psychology, Fantasy, Classic Fiction, Religion & Spirituality, Mythology, Philosophy

The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell with Bill Moyers, published in 1988, is a nonfiction companion to a six-episode PBS documentary series by the same name. The main text of the book is a transcript of an extensive conversation between comparative mythology expert Joseph Campbell and journalist Bill Moyers. Using mythological stories, psychoanalytic theories, and personal anecdotes, Campbell and Moyers examine how world mythologies illuminate the mysteries of human life through shared symbols as... Read The Power of Myth Summary

The Presentation Of Self In Everyday Life

by Erving Goffman

Publication year 1959

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Community

Tags Education, Education, Anthropology, Anthropology, Science & Nature, Social Science, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy

The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life is a sociological study of the ways individuals encounter each other. Published in 1956 by Erving Goffman, it focuses on the relationship between an individual carrying out a particular role in society (what Goffman calls a “performance”) and those who are present but not participant (whom he calls “observers”) in the activity. While the text begins with a general introduction to Goffman’s methodology, with Chapter 1 solely an... Read The Presentation Of Self In Everyday Life Summary

The Price of Inequality

by Joseph E. Stiglitz

Publication year 2012

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Economics, Community

Tags Business & Economics, Sociology, World History, Social Justice, Politics & Government

In 2007 the United States experienced an economic downturn that caused the standard for living for millions of Americans to plummet. While the share of national income dropped for 99 percent of Americans, the top 1 percent of Americans saw their wealth increase, in some cases considerably. Joseph E. Stiglitz published The Price of Inequality: How Today’s Divided Society Endangers Our Future in 2012 to explain this income gap and offer some hope that it... Read The Price of Inequality Summary