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.

Under the Dome

by Stephen King

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Politics & Government, Order & Chaos, Fear

Tags Science Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Horror & Suspense

Book Details & Major ThemesProlific horror author Stephen King published his 58th book, Under the Dome, in 2009. Like many of his books, it is set in a small town in Maine and follows the town's residents after a mysterious Dome—invisible, electrified, and impenetrable—descends over it. As they struggle to cope with this situation, the themes of Corruption and Control, Prophecy and Premonition, and The Dissolution of Democracy emerge.Film AdaptationIn 2013, Under the Dome was... Read Under the Dome Summary

Under the Never Sky

by Veronica Rossi

Publication year 2011

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Fear, Guilt, Love, Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Community, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Truth & Lies

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Action & Adventure, Religion & Spirituality

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Unorthodox

by Deborah Feldman

Publication year 2012

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Community, Religion & Spirituality, Fear, Self Discovery

Tags Religion & Spirituality, Gender & Feminism, Jewish Literature, Biography

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Unsinkable

by Gordon Korman

Publication year 2011

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Loneliness, Shame & Pride, Gender Identity, Childhood & Youth, Death, Fathers, Mothers, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Equality, Justice, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology

Tags World History, Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature

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UnWholly

by Neal Shusterman

Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Coming of Age, Science & Technology

Tags Science Fiction, Politics & Government, Psychology, Technology, Religion & Spirituality, American Literature, Horror & Suspense, Fantasy, Romance

UnWholly (2012) by Neal Shusterman is Book 2 in the Unwind Dystology. Shusterman originally planned the series to be a dystopia trilogy, but the third book, UnSouled, was split into two for publication due to length. While it was nominated for several awards in Young Adult literature, it did not win any, in contrast to the first book of the series, Unwind, which won nearly a dozen awards and prizes.UnWholly is science fiction, specifically YA... Read UnWholly Summary

Uzumaki

by Junji Ito, Transl. Yuji Oniki

Publication year 2000

Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction

Themes Death, Fear, Order & Chaos, Fate, Community, Safety & Danger

Tags Horror & Suspense, Fantasy, Japanese Literature, Psychology, Science & Nature, Natural Disaster

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Valentine

by Elizabeth Wetmore

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Community, Safety & Danger, Coming of Age, Forgiveness, Revenge, Love, Mothers, Family, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Fear, Justice, Equality, Good & Evil, Marriage, Truth & Lies, Perseverance, Conflict, Loneliness, Hope, Gratitude

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Coming of Age, Relationships, Race & Racism, Trauma & Abuse, Love & Sexuality, Social Justice, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

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Waiting on the Moon

by Peter Wolf

Publication year 2025

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Love, Fame, Aging, Conflict, Fear, Gratitude, Hope, Family, Friendship, Marriage, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Art, Beauty, Loyalty & Betrayal, Music, Order & Chaos

Tags Memoir & Autobiography, Music, Grief & Death

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Wandering Stars

by Tommy Orange

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Literature, Family, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Hope, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Nostalgia, Regret, Shame & Pride, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Race, Coming of Age, Death, The Past, Grandparents, Mothers, Siblings, Colonialism, Community, Globalization, Politics & Government, Religion & Spirituality, Indigenous Identity

Tags Historical Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

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War

by Sebastian Junger

Publication year 2010

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes War, Teamwork, Death, Fear

Tags Military & War, Middle Eastern History, Journalism, Iraq War, Creative Nonfiction, World History, Psychology, Psychology, Politics & Government

War, a battle journal by best-selling reporter and filmmaker Sebastian Junger, describes a year in the rugged highlands of Afghanistan with a platoon of American soldiers who face the worst fighting and toughest conditions of any unit in the US military. Published in 2010, the book describes months of mind-numbing danger, multiple firefights per day, injuries and deaths, and matter-of-fact heroism. The men display extreme toughness, gallows humor, and intense mutual loyalty despite the nearly... Read War Summary

War Brothers

by Sharon McKay

Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Fear, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Friendship, War, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Military & War, Historical Fiction, Survival Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Realistic Fiction, World History

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Ward D

by Freida McFadden

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mental Health, Fear, Truth & Lies, Guilt, Trust & Doubt, Safety & Danger, Friendship

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Mental Illness

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War Horse

by Michael Morpurgo

Publication year 1982

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Friendship, Fear, Loneliness, Death, Coming of Age

Tags Military & War, Historical Fiction, Animals, Social Class, Children`s Literature, World History, Classic Fiction

War Horse is a children’s historical fiction novel by Michael Morpurgo. The book was first published in Great Britain in 1982 by Kaye & Ward and was a runner-up for the Whitbread Book Award in the same year. The book is told from the point of view of a young horse named Joey and chronicles his journey and the relationships he builds with his various owners during World War I. The beloved novel is a... Read War Horse Summary

Warlight

by Michael Ondaatje

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Memory, Fear, Grief, Loneliness, Gender Identity, Family, Mothers, Self Discovery, Social Class, Nation, War, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, World War II, Coming of Age, Post-War Era

Warlight (2018) is a historical fiction novel by Sri Lankan-born Canadian writer Michael Ondaatje. Ondaatje is best known for his Booker Prize winning novel, The English Patient (1992). Part spy thriller and coming-of-age story, Warlight follows 14-year-old Nathaniel Williams and his older sister, Rachel, in post-World War II London. When their parents depart for a year-long work assignment in Singapore, the siblings are left in the care of an enigmatic guardian named The Moth. Nathaniel... Read Warlight Summary

Warriors Don't Cry

by Melba Pattillo Beals

Publication year 1994

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Education, Equality, Perseverance, Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Hate & Anger, Grandparents, Mothers

Tags Race & Racism, US History, African American Literature, Trauma & Abuse, Education, Education, World History, Biography

Originally published in 1994, Warriors Don’t Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals primarily focuses on the 1957-58 school year at Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, during which Beals was a member of the Little Rock Nine—the first group of Black students to attend the formerly all-white high school of 2,000 white students. Beals’s book, written for young-adult readers, speaks of her early life and her many adult accomplishments. Encouraged by school administrators and local... Read Warriors Don't Cry Summary

Water Moon

by Samantha Sotto Yambao

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Hope, Joy, Love, Memory, Regret, Sexual Identity, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Future, The Past, Family, Fathers, Friendship, Mothers, Self Discovery, Community, Fate, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt

Tags Fantasy, Romance

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We Are Displaced

by Malala Yousafzai

Publication year 2018

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Immigration, War, Community, Safety & Danger, Femininity, Politics & Government, Family, Education, Gender Identity, Fear, Grief, Memory, Perseverance, Conflict

Tags Politics & Government, Social Justice, World History, Immigration & Refugeeism, Gender & Feminism, Education, Biography

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