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.

Year of Wonders

by Geraldine Brooks

Publication year 2001

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Femininity, Fear, Perseverance, Self Discovery, Community, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt, Friendship

Tags Historical Fiction, Health, British Literature, World History

Year of Wonders (2001) is a historical fiction novel by Geraldine Brooks, tracing the 1666 outbreak of the bubonic plague in the English town of Eyam. When the town’s zealous rector, Michael Mompellion, and the community submit to a voluntary quarantine, young widow Anna Frith serves with the rector and his wife Elinor to minister to the townsfolk as the plague wreaks havoc. Through the eyes of 18-year-old Anna, the novel explores what happens when... Read Year of Wonders Summary

Year of Yes

by Shonda Rhimes

Publication year 2015

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Hope, Regret, Femininity, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Race, Mothers, Siblings, Self Discovery, Community, Equality, Fame

Tags Self-Improvement, Gender & Feminism, Memoir & Autobiography

Year of Yes: How to Dance it Out, Stand in the Sun and Be Your Own Person (2015) is a memoir by television writer and producer Shonda Rhimes. The book recounts the life changes that Rhimes made in 2014 when she committed herself to saying “yes” to opportunities and invitations. In 2013, Rhimes was immersed in both a successful career and a busy life, parenting three daughters. An off-hand comment by her older sister complaining... Read Year of Yes Summary

You Like It Darker

by Stephen King

Publication year 2024

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Gratitude, Grief, Hate & Anger, Hope, Love, Memory, Mental Health, Aging, Death, Animals, Daughters & Sons, Family, Fathers, Grandparents, Community, War, Fame, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Order & Chaos, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies, Self Discovery

... Read You Like It Darker Summary

Young Goodman Brown

by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Publication year 1835

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Environment, Conflict, Good & Evil, Community

Tags Classic Fiction, Symbolic Narrative, American Literature, Education, Education, Horror & Suspense, Gothic Literature, Historical Fiction

“Young Goodman Brown” is a short story written by Nathaniel Hawthorne published in 1835 in The New-England Magazine. The story was later included in Hawthorne’s 1846 collection Mosses from an Old Manse. Most of Hawthorne’s fiction is set in New England and focuses on themes of morality, inherent sin of human beings, and anti-Puritan sentiment. In addition to “Young Goodman Brown,” some of his most famous short fiction works include “The Minister’s Black Veil” (1836)... Read Young Goodman Brown Summary

Zora and Me

by T.R. Simon, Victoria Bond

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Race, Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Community, Literature, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Children`s Literature, World History, Arts & Culture

Zora and Me (2010) is a middle grade novel by Victoria Bond and T.R. Simon. Both authors held a strong interest in 20th-century Black American writer Zora Neale Hurston, and they wanted to introduce her to younger readers. Bond has an MFA in poetry, while Simon has an MA in anthropology; Hurston was both a writer and an anthropologist. Inspired by real details from Hurston’s childhood as illustrated in her short stories, Bond and Simon... Read Zora and Me Summary