Fear

Should we heed our fears, or work to overcome them? Suppress and ignore them, or face them head-on? Do we fight—or should we flight? These books unpack the universal human emotion of fear.

Out of Darkness

by Ashley Hope Pérez

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Race, Social Class, Fear, Hate & Anger, Hope, Love, Family, Siblings, Community, Justice, Religion & Spirituality, Femininity, Masculinity

Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, Trauma & Abuse, Realistic Fiction, Gender & Feminism, Grief & Death, US History, Love & Sexuality, Race & Racism, Religion & Spirituality, American Literature, Social Class, World History

Out of Darkness is a young adult historical novel written by Ashley Hope Pérez and published in 2015 by Holiday House of New York. Pérez holds a PhD in Comparative Literature from Indiana University, where her research focused on Latin American literature. A professor of World Literatures at Ohio State University, she is also the author of What Can’t Wait (2011), The Knife and The Butterfly (2012), and Rural Voices: 15 Authors Challenge Assumptions about... Read Out of Darkness Summary

Out of My Heart

by Sharon M. Draper

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Joy, Loneliness, Memory, Disability, Coming of Age, Childhood & Youth, Music, Trust & Doubt, Safety & Danger, Art, Animals, Appearance & Reality

Tags Realistic Fiction, Disability, Coming of Age, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read Out of My Heart Summary

Parable of the Talents

by Octavia E. Butler

Publication year 1998

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Hate & Anger, Fear

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Religion & Spirituality, Trauma & Abuse, Afrofuturism

Parable of the Talents is a 1998 novel by Octavia Butler; it is the sequel to her 1995 novel Parable of the Sower. The novel is a dystopian, science fiction narrative set in a futuristic America ravaged by the climate crisis, violence, and racial and religious persecution. Unlike many science fiction authors, Butler focuses her novel mainly on the experiences of racially diverse characters, including many Black and Latinx characters. Parable of the Talents was... Read Parable of the Talents Summary

Paradise

by Toni Morrison

Publication year 1997

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Race, Gender Identity, Community, Fear

Tags Historical Fiction, African American Literature, Gender & Feminism, Magical Realism, Race & Racism, Love & Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction

Toni Morrison’s novel Paradise was published in 1997, just a few years after she won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993. According to Morrison, it is the last book of a trilogy that includes Beloved and Jazz. Morrison is an esteemed American novelist, having also received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (1998) and the Coretta Scott King Award for Authors (2005), among other awards. She was educated at Howard University and Cornell University, and... Read Paradise Summary

Penpal

by Dathan Auerbach

Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Guilt, Hope, Love, Memory, Childhood & Youth, Daughters & Sons, Family, Mothers, Community, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense

... Read Penpal Summary

Poppy

by Avi

Publication year 1995

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Power & Greed, Family, Friendship

Tags Children`s Literature, Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Animals, Education, Education

... Read Poppy Summary

Powers of Horror

by Julia Kristeva

Publication year 1980

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Literature, Fear, Hate & Anger, Art, Good & Evil

Tags Horror & Suspense, Literary Criticism, Psychology, Philosophy, Arts & Culture, Philosophy, Psychology, Gender & Feminism, French Literature

... Read Powers of Horror Summary

Prayers for the Stolen

by Jennifer Clement

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Gender Identity, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Femininity, Hope, Fear, Safety & Danger, Sexual Identity

Tags Latin American Literature, Coming of Age, Trauma & Abuse, Women`s Studies, Gender & Feminism, Modern Classic Fiction

Prayers for the Stolen is a 2012 coming-of-age novel by American Mexican author Jennifer Clement, who resides in Mexico City. Clement formerly served as president of PEN Mexico, part of a worldwide association of playwrights, poets, editors, essayists, and novelists that advocates for freedom of expression. Clement took up this role at a time when Mexico was among the most dangerous countries in the world in which to work in journalism. The narrator and protagonist... Read Prayers for the Stolen Summary

Presence

by Amy Cuddy

Publication year 2015

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Self Discovery, Power & Greed, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Language

Tags Psychology, Self-Improvement, Business & Economics, Leadership, Science & Nature, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy

... Read Presence Summary

Pretty Little Liars

by Sara Shepard

Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Loyalty & Betrayal, Community, Safety & Danger, Revenge, Memory, Guilt, The Past, Shame & Pride, Fear, Trust & Doubt, Grief, Coming of Age, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance, Coming of Age, Horror & Suspense

Pretty Little Liars is a young adult fiction novel written by Sara Shepard. It is the first book in the Pretty Little Liars series, which features 16 books, along with seven companion novels. The highly successful series was featured on The New York Times best-seller list and adapted into a television show in 2010. The popular show lasted seven seasons and aired on the Freeform Network. Although Shepard had only written eight books in the... Read Pretty Little Liars Summary

Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey Into the Afterlife

by Eben Alexander

Publication year 2012

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Fear, Love, Memory, Death, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Objects & Materials, Place, Space, Family, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Community, Education, Fate, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Science & Technology, Truth & Lies

Tags Religion & Spirituality, Health, Science & Nature, Biography

Dr. Eben Alexander’s 2012 memoir, Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey into the Afterlife, documents his near-death experience (NDE) while in a coma resulting from a rare bacterial infection. As an academic neurosurgeon with a materialist worldview, Alexander did not believe in an afterlife. The book details how his NDE forced him to reconcile his scientific training with what he now considered proof of a reality beyond the physical world. The memoir explores several themes:... Read Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey Into the Afterlife Summary

Psycho

by Robert Bloch

Publication year 1959

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Mothers, Good & Evil

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

Psycho (1959) is a horror novel by Robert Bloch and the inspiration for filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock’s film of the same name, which came out one year later. While Hitchcock’s adaptation has largely eclipsed Bloch’s original in the public eye, fans of the film will recognize the basic plot and the major twists in Bloch’s novel. However, Bloch’s Norman Bates is (physically) unrecognizable from the version Anthony Perkins played on screen. Psycho is a slasher thriller... Read Psycho Summary