Forgiveness

"To err is human, to forgive divine," wrote poet Alexander Pope, suggesting that to forgive is sacred but also difficult—even impossible—for us mortals. This study guide collection gathers together texts with themes on the merits and challenges of forgiveness.

Message In A Bottle

by Nicholas Sparks

Publication year 1998

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Grief, Fate, Forgiveness, Guilt, Hope, Loneliness, Memory, Regret, Fathers, Friendship, Marriage, Self Discovery, Loyalty & Betrayal, Truth & Lies

Tags Romance, Southern Literature

Message in a Bottle (1998) is the second novel by Nicholas Sparks, the follow-up to his incredibly popular romance, The Notebook. It was inspired by Sparks’s father’s experience after the sudden and unexpected death of Sparks’s mother. They’d been married for 27 years when an accident on a horse led her to develop a cerebral hemorrhage. It was a fluke, a random accident, just like the one that claims Catherine’s life and that of her... Read Message In A Bottle Summary

Midnight At The Blackbird Cafe

by Heather Webber

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Regret, Death, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Food, Daughters & Sons, Family, Grandparents, Mothers, Social Class, Community, Economics, Justice, Religion & Spirituality, Truth & Lies

Tags Romance, Southern Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Magical Realism, Fantasy

... Read Midnight At The Blackbird Cafe Summary

Mind Games

by Nora Roberts

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Forgiveness, Grief, Love, Revenge, Mental Health, Coming of Age, Family, Self Discovery, Fame, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Music, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

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

... Read Mind Games Summary

Mind of My Mind

by Octavia E. Butler

Publication year 1977

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Loneliness, Love, Shame & Pride, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Race, Coming of Age, Future, Appearance & Reality, Family, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Politics & Government, Justice, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Gender & Feminism

... Read Mind of My Mind Summary

Miracle's Boys

by Jacqueline Woodson

Publication year 1996

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Coming of Age, Conflict, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Loneliness, Regret, Masculinity, Mental Health, Race, Death, The Past, Siblings, Social Class, Community, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Realistic Fiction, African American Literature

Miracle’s Boys (2000) is a young adult novel by Jaqueline Woodson. The novel tells the story of three brothers, ages 21, 15, and 12, coping with the sudden death of their mother a year before. The middle brother, Charlie, recently returned home from a juvenile detention facility, where he was serving a two-year sentence for attempting to rob a candy store at gun point. Set in a Puerto Rican neighborhood in New York City, Miracle’s... Read Miracle's Boys Summary

Mom & Me & Mom

by Maya Angelou

Publication year 2013

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Mothers, Daughters & Sons, Self Discovery, Family, Sexual Identity, Race, Coming of Age, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Guilt, Love

Tags Gender & Feminism, Race & Racism, Women`s Studies, Biography

... Read Mom & Me & Mom Summary

Monsieur Ibrahim and the Flowers of the Koran

by Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt

Publication year 2001

Genre Novella, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Friendship, Coming of Age, Forgiveness, Race, Fathers

Tags French Literature, Grief & Death, Coming of Age, Relationships, Realistic Fiction, Parenting, Love & Sexuality, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy

First published as a play in 2001, the novella Monsieur Ibrahim and the Flowers of the Koran is part of Franco-Belgian author Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt’s Cycle of the Invisible series consisting of unrelated stories on the themes of human connection, the transition from childhood to adulthood, and spirituality. Monsieur Ibrahim and the Flowers of the Koran has been performed on the stage and was adapted for the screen in 2003. This study guide refers to Marjolijn... Read Monsieur Ibrahim and the Flowers of the Koran Summary

Moo

by Sharon Creech

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction

Themes Family, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Forgiveness, Grief, Loneliness, Memory, Aging, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Animals, Environment, Siblings, Teamwork, Community, Fate, Safety & Danger, Self Discovery

Tags Realistic Fiction, Animals, Children`s Literature

... Read Moo Summary

Mortal Engines

by Philip Reeve

Publication year 2001

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Forgiveness, Memory, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Love, Revenge, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, War, Good & Evil, Justice, Fate, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Technology, Social Class

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Mr Stink

by David Walliams

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Forgiveness, Loneliness, Coming of Age, Appearance & Reality, Family, Marriage, Mothers, Siblings, Social Class, Community, Justice

... Read Mr Stink Summary

New from Here

by Kelly Yang

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Forgiveness, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Hope, Love, Shame & Pride, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Place, Equality, Justice, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Science & Technology, Safety & Danger, Race, Mothers, Siblings, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Friendship, Marriage, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Social Class, Community, Nation, Regret

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

... Read New from Here Summary

Night at the Fiestas

by Kirstin Valdez Quade

Publication year 2015

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Forgiveness, Femininity, Race, Coming of Age, Place, Family, Colonialism, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Latin American Literature, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

Night at the Fiestas is a 2015 story collection by New Mexican author Kirstin Valdez Quade. The collection won the National Book Critics Circle John Leonard Award, and after its publication, Valdez Quade was recognized as a “Top 5 Writer Under 35” by the National Book Foundation. In 2021, Valdez Quade revised one of the stories, “The Five Wounds” into an award-winning novel of the same title, establishing herself as an important new voice in... Read Night at the Fiestas Summary

Nine Perfect Strangers

by Liane Moriarty

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Truth & Lies, Loyalty & Betrayal, Grief, Forgiveness, Guilt, Love, Family, Community, Fear

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Religion & Spirituality, Relationships, Modern Classic Fiction

Nine Perfect Strangers is a 2018 novel by Liane Moriarty. Set in Sydney, Australia, the novel follows a group of strangers who gather at a wellness retreat to receive treatment from a mysterious health guru. The novel was adapted for a 2021 television series starring Nicole Kidman, Melissa McCarthy, and Michael Shannon.Other works by this author include Apples Never Fall, What Alice Forgot, and Here One Moment.This guide uses an eBook copy of the text... Read Nine Perfect Strangers Summary

No Future Without Forgiveness

by Desmond Tutu

Publication year 2009

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Forgiveness, Shame & Pride, Justice

Tags History: African , Politics & Government, Social Justice, Race & Racism, African Literature, Biography, World History, Religion & Spirituality

Originally published in 1999, No Future Without Forgiveness is the memoir of Desmond Mpilo Tutu. Tutu won the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1984 for his efforts to end apartheid in South Africa. He served as Archbishop of the Anglican Church in Cape Town and later chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which President Mandela established to help address the atrocities of apartheid.Although Tutu’s memoir focuses on his work with the TRC between 1995... Read No Future Without Forgiveness Summary