Fate

We can call it destiny; we can call it providence; we can even call it the will of the gods. Whatever words we use, the idea that the events in our lives are beyond our control is powerful — which explains why so many authors, past and present, have used the ever-relevant idea of fate to communicate rich lessons about humanity.

Romiette and Julio

by Sharon M. Draper

Publication year 1999

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Safety & Danger, Justice, Fate, Self Discovery, Friendship, Race, Love, Hate & Anger, Hope

Tags Realistic Fiction, Romance, Race & Racism, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction

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Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

by Tom Stoppard

Publication year 1966

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Fate, Appearance & Reality, Order & Chaos

Tags Comedy & Satire, Tragedy, British Literature, Absurdism, Education, Education, Dramatic Literature, Humor, Classic Fiction

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is a three-act play by the English playwright Tom Stoppard. It is an existentialist, absurdist satire featuring characters and events from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. First performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1966, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead enjoyed critical success, winning The New York Drama Critics’ Circle’s Award for Best Play and four Tony Awards in 1968. Since then, the play has been adapted into several radio plays and a... Read Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead Summary

Runaway: Stories

by Alice Munro

Publication year 2004

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Love, Loyalty & Betrayal, Nostalgia, Loneliness, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Guilt, Memory, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, The Past, Daughters & Sons, Family, Fathers, Marriage, Mothers, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Fate, Good & Evil, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger

Tags Canadian Literature, Literary Fiction, Relationships

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Seven Against Thebes

by Aeschylus

Publication year 467

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes War, Fate, Family, Siblings, Justice, Hate & Anger

Tags Classic Fiction, Ancient Greece, Tragedy, Classical Period, Dramatic Literature, Fantasy

Seven Against Thebes is a tragedy composed by Aeschylus and performed for the first time at the City Dionysia festival in 467 BCE. It was the final play of a connected trilogy based on the myths of Oedipus and his family, but the first two plays—Laius and Oedipus—are now lost, as is the satyr play Sphinx that would have been performed following the trilogy. This set of plays won first prize the year it was... Read Seven Against Thebes Summary

Seveneves

by Neal Stephenson

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Space, Order & Chaos, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Memory, Death, Future, The Past, Teamwork, Community, Politics & Government, Fate, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Truth & Lies

Tags Science Fiction, Survival Fiction

Neal Stephenson’s Seveneves (2015) is a work of speculative fiction that blends hard science fiction with political and social commentary. Known for his meticulous research and technical expertise, Stephenson crafts a narrative that begins with the sudden destruction of the moon and follows humanity’s desperate attempts to survive the ensuing Hard Rain: a millennia-long bombardment of debris that renders Earth’s surface uninhabitable. Divided into three parts spanning thousands of years, Seveneves traces both the immediate... Read Seveneves Summary

Shadow Divers

by Robert Kurson

Publication year 2004

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Appearance & Reality, Objects & Materials, Place, War, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags World History, World War II, Action & Adventure, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Military & War, Science & Nature, Biography

Shadow Divers: The True Story of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II (2004) by Robert Kurson is a celebrated nonfiction adventure book. Kurson, an adventure journalist whose stories have been featured in Rolling Stone, Esquire, and The New York Times Magazine, is known for his immersive and entertaining style. His first book-length work, Shadow Divers was a New York Times Best Seller and won the... Read Shadow Divers Summary

Shanghai Girls

by Lisa See

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Siblings, Fate, Race, Family, Emotions/Behavior: Courage

Tags Asian Literature, World History, Chinese Literature, Arts & Culture, Historical Fiction, Immigration & Refugeeism, Asian Literature

Shanghai Girls (May 2009) is a New York Times bestselling historical novel by Lisa See. It is the first of a two-book series that concludes with Dreams of Joy (2011). The author’s paternal great-grandfather emigrated from China, and many of See’s books examine the Chinese immigrant experience in America. Other titles that cover similar subject matter are Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (2005), Peony in Love (2007), China Dolls (2014), The Tea Girl of... Read Shanghai Girls Summary

Shift

by Hugh Howey

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Truth & Lies, Power & Greed, Fate, Science & Technology, Safety & Danger, Appearance & Reality, Future, The Past, Death, Community, Politics & Government, Order & Chaos, Trust & Doubt, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Good & Evil

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Survival Fiction, Health, Education, Food, Technology, Horror & Suspense

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Ship Breaker

by Paolo Bacigalupi

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Loyalty & Betrayal, Fate

Tags Science Fiction, Action & Adventure, Fantasy

Paolo Bacigalupi’s young adult dystopian novel Ship Breaker (2010) was a finalist for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature and the recipient of both the Locus Award for Best Young Adult Book and the Michael L. Printz Award for young adult fiction. The story takes place in a postapocalyptic future in the United States, somewhere west of old New Orleans. The human race is facing economic and environmental devastation due to climate change... Read Ship Breaker Summary

Slaughterhouse-Five

by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

Publication year 1969

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Good & Evil, Fate

Tags Science Fiction, Satirical Literature, Military & War, Surrealism, American Literature, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Classic Fiction

Slaughterhouse-Five is a 1969 science fiction novel written by the American author Kurt Vonnegut Jr. The novel deals with anti-war themes and time travel while centering its narrative around the bombing of Dresden, Germany during World War II. Slaughterhouse-Five is considered one of the most important anti-war and science fiction novels of the 20th century and has been adapted into films, theatre productions, and radio plays. Plot SummaryThe narrative of Slaughterhouse-Five is told in a... Read Slaughterhouse-Five Summary

Snapdragon

by Kat Leyh

Publication year 2020

Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Hope, Joy, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Shame & Pride, Regret, Forgiveness, Femininity, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Race, Sexual Identity, Fate, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Animals, Appearance & Reality

Tags Fantasy, Magical Realism, LGBTQ+, Children`s Literature

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Sophie's World

by Jostein Gaarder

Publication year 1991

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Education, Fate, Coming of Age, Literature, The Past, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Perseverance

Tags Philosophy, Scandinavian Literature, Magical Realism, Science & Nature, Sociology, Religion & Spirituality, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy, Classic Fiction

Sophie's World is a young adult book by Norwegian author Jostein Gaarder. The book follows main character Sophie, a young girl who is fourteen years old and living with her parents in Norway. Sophie's life changes dramatically when she receives a series of strange postcards, which ask her large, existential questions about the world around her. Each day, Sophie receives a postcard, and in the evenings she receives a package from a man named Alberto... Read Sophie's World Summary

Soul Surfer

by Bethany Hamilton

Publication year 2004

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Fate, Community

Tags Christian, Inspirational, Sports, Religion & Spirituality, American Literature, Biography

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Storm Runners

by Roland Smith

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Environment, Fate, Teamwork

Tags Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, Natural Disaster

In Roland Smith’s 2011 adventure novel, Storm Runners, three middle-grade students struggle to survive and find shelter during a hurricane after their school bus crashes. While a team of rescuers drives toward the disaster in search of the missing kids, the three students use all their skills and brainpower simply to stay alive.Award-winning author Smith spent decades working as a zookeeper and world-traveling animal rescuer. He has turned his experiences into award-winning novels and non-fiction... Read Storm Runners Summary

Stranded

by Jeff Probst, Chris Tebbetts

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Siblings, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Childhood & Youth, Appearance & Reality, Objects & Materials, Place, Family, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Fate, Order & Chaos, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt

Tags Action & Adventure, Survival Fiction, Realistic Fiction

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