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 Whale Rider

by Witi Ihimaera

Publication year 1987

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Community, Animals, Childhood & Youth, Fate

Tags Mythology, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Animals, Magical Realism, Fantasy

The Whale Rider is a 1987 novel by New Zealand author Witi Ihimaera. A film adaptation was made in 2002 that would go on to win several awards. Throughout the novel, Ihimaera juxtaposes the migration of a herd of whales with the Maori tribe’s search for a male heir. The Whale Rider comprises four major sections, as well as a prologue, epilogue, and glossary. Each section of text is named after one of the seasons... Read The Whale Rider Summary

The Widow

by John Grisham

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Loneliness, Shame & Pride, Midlife, Death, Appearance & Reality, Friendship, Teamwork, Social Class, Community, Economics, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense

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The Wild Robot Protects

by Peter Brown

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Environment, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Future, Animals, Nature Versus Nurture, Family, Community, Science & Technology

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

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The Wisdom of Crowds

by James Surowiecki

Publication year 2004

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Perseverance, Language, Mental Health, The Past, Teamwork, Community, Economics, Education, Politics & Government, Order & Chaos, Science & Technology

Tags Business & Economics, Psychology, Sociology, Science & Nature, Politics & Government

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The Witch Collector

by Charissa Weaks

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Forgiveness, Guilt, Hope, Love, Memory, Revenge, Disability, Language, Coming of Age, Future, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Place, Family, Friendship, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Community, Politics & Government, War, Fate, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Fantasy

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The Witch of Edmonton

by Thomas Dekker, John Ford, William Rowley

Publication year 1621

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Femininity, Community, Good & Evil

Tags Classic Fiction, Tragedy, Comedy & Satire, British Literature, Education, Education, World History, Dramatic Literature

The Witch of Edmonton is an English Jacobean play. It was written in 1621 by William Rowley, Thomas Dekker, and John Ford, who were all established playwrights of this period. Other playwrights may have also contributed, including John Webster, who was working closely at the time with the play’s credited writers. The play was first performed by Prince Charles’s Men (a theatrical company patronized by Prince Charles’s estate) at the Cockpit Theater in 1621. It... Read The Witch of Edmonton Summary

The Woman in Suite 11

by Ruth Ware

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Memory, Mental Health, Midlife, Death, Future, The Past, Family, Friendship, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Politics & Government, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

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

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The Women of Brewster Place

by Gloria Naylor

Publication year 1982

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Race, Community, Femininity, Justice

Tags Historical Fiction, Relationships, African American Literature, Women`s Studies, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Classic Fiction

First published in 1982, The Women of Brewster Place is Gloria Naylor’s debut novel and remains the African American author’s best-known work. The Women of Brewster Place was awarded the National Book Award for Best First Novel and was adapted into a miniseries in 1989 and a television show in 1990. Described as “a novel in seven stories,” the text consists of seven chapters that act as short stories, each one detailing the life of a Black woman living... Read The Women of Brewster Place Summary

The Wrong Daughter

by Dandy Smith

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Love, Memory, Revenge, Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Midlife, Death, The Past, Place, Family, Siblings, Self Discovery, Community, Beauty, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Dramatic Literature

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The Yellow House

by Sarah M. Broom

Publication year 2019

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Community, Memory

Tags Race & Racism, US History, Social Class, World History, Biography

The Yellow House is a nonfiction memoir published in 2019 by the American author Sarah M. Broom. In a narrative centered around her childhood home, “The Yellow House,” Broom chronicles the history of New Orleans through three generations of her family. The Yellow House won the 2019 National Book Award for Nonfiction and the National Book Critics Circle’s John Leonard Prize for best debut book.Plot SummaryIn 1961, Broom's mother, Ivory Mae, becomes a widow at the... Read The Yellow House Summary

The Yiddish Policemen's Union

by Michael Chabon

Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Grief, Guilt, Community, Immigration, Nation, Fate, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Science Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Fantasy

The Yiddish Policemen’s Union (2007) is a literary detective novel by American author Michael Chabon. It is set in an alternate history where the United States government created the District of Sitka in Alaska as a temporary refugee settlement for European Jews after the State of Israel was destroyed in 1948. In the novel’s present timeline, Detective Meyer Landsman investigates the murder of his neighbor, Emanuel Lasker, against the backdrop of Sitka’s imminent Reversion to... Read The Yiddish Policemen's Union Summary

The Young Landlords

by Walter Dean Myers

Publication year 1979

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Perseverance, Race, Coming of Age, Fathers, Social Class, Community, Justice

Tags Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age, Children`s Literature

Walter Dean Myers first published his middle grade novel, The Young Landlords, in 1979. Like most of the 100 books Myers penned before his death in 2014, the story centers on Black youth. The Young Landlords is particularly personal to Myers, however, because he writes about the neighborhood in Harlem, New York, where he grew up, describing the sort of activities and individuals he encountered as a youth. The main character, 15-year-old Paul Williams, pays... Read The Young Landlords Summary

Thicker than Water

by Kerry Washington

Publication year 2023

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Perseverance, Forgiveness, Gratitude, Hope, Love, Memory, Shame & Pride, Race, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, The Past, Family, Fathers, Mothers, Self Discovery, Community, Politics & Government, Art, Fame, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Emotions/Behavior: Courage

Tags Biography, Arts & Culture

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Things We Lost to the Water

by Eric Nguyen

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Self Discovery, Family, Immigration, Fathers, Mothers, Daughters & Sons, Perseverance, Memory, Community, Race, Sexual Identity, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+, Immigration & Refugeeism, Coming of Age, Bullying, Love & Sexuality, Grief & Death, Asian History, Natural Disaster, Parenting, Military & War, Race & Racism, Religion & Spirituality, Relationships, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

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