Friendship

The solace and comfort of true friendship — and the pain of its loss — can rival any romantic or familial relationship. In this collection, we present texts that examine the unique qualities and costs of deep friendships.

All Fours

by Miranda July

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Love, Sexual Identity, Aging, Midlife, Future, The Past, Friendship, Marriage, Self Discovery, Community, Education, Art, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Truth & Lies, Family

Tags Gender & Feminism, Modern Classic Fiction, LGBTQ+, Humor

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All My Rage

by Sabaa Tahir

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Truth & Lies, Friendship, Immigration, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance

Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, Realistic Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Modern Classic Fiction

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All Quiet on the Western Front

by Erich Maria Remarque

Publication year 1929

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes War, Safety & Danger, Justice, Friendship, Death

Tags Military & War, Historical Fiction, World War I, Education, Education, World History, Classic Fiction

All Quiet on the Western Front is a 1929 novel by Erich Maria Remarque which details the experiences of German soldiers at the frontlines of World War I. At the heart of the novel are graphic portrayals of trench warfare and the psychological trauma inflicted on the soldiers as a result. The novel presents a realistic portrait of a horrific war and provides unflattering accounts of the elite classes responsible for such mass destruction. The... Read All Quiet on the Western Front Summary

All the Glimmering Stars

by Mark Sullivan

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Forgiveness, Guilt, Hope, Joy, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Shame & Pride, Mental Health, Coming of Age, Future, The Past, Food, Place, Family, Friendship, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Community, Globalization, Nation, War, Fate, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

Tags Historical Fiction

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American Buffalo

by David Mamet

Publication year 1975

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Friendship

Tags US History, World History, Classic Fiction, Drama, American Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Dramatic Literature

American Buffalo is a 1975 off-Broadway play written by American playwright David Mamet. It first premiered in Chicago’s Goodman Theater in 1975, reaching Broadway in 1977. Along with two other plays, The Duck Variations (1971) and Sexual Perversity in Chicago (1974), American Buffalo established Mamet as a reputable writer. The play explores friendship and greed among the working classes. The 1976 publication from Grove Press (New York) serves as the basis for this guide.The play... Read American Buffalo Summary

Amerika

by Franz Kafka, Transl. Willa Muir

Publication year 1927

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Immigration, Friendship, Coming of Age, Family, Loyalty & Betrayal, Social Class

Tags Classic Fiction, Immigration & Refugeeism, Coming of Age, Action & Adventure, Satirical Literature, Social Class

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A Moveable Feast

by Ernest Hemingway

Publication year 1964

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Literature, Friendship

Tags Travel Literature, American Literature, French Literature, Classic Fiction, Biography

A Moveable Feast was written by Ernest Hemingway and published posthumously in 1964, three years after his death. The title, A Moveable Feast, is a play on the term used for holy days that do not consistently fall on the same date every year. The memoir’s structure mirrors this concept, featuring 20 separate yet related stories that make up Hemingway’s own collection of inconsistent holy days. The memoir blends fact with fiction as Hemingway recalls... Read A Moveable Feast Summary

Amsterdam

by Ian McEwan

Publication year 1998

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Good & Evil, Friendship, Revenge, Art, Power & Greed

Tags Historical Fiction, Horror & Suspense

Ian McEwan’s Amsterdam, a satirical novel published in 1998, won the prestigious Booker Prize. McEwan is a highly regarded British author, known for acclaimed works such as Atonement, The Children Act, and Saturday. Set in London during the late 1990s, Amsterdam captures the cynical atmosphere of post-Thatcherite Britain, particularly the codependent relationship between politics and the press. The novel follows two successful middle-aged friends, a composer and a newspaper editor, who make a fateful euthanasia... Read Amsterdam Summary

An Ember in the Ashes

by Sabaa Tahir

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Friendship, Power & Greed, Loyalty & Betrayal, Good & Evil, War

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Science Fiction

Book DetailAn Ember in the Ashes, published by Razorbill in 2015, is the first in Sabaa Tahir's An Ember in the Ashes series. The novel debuted at number two on the young adult New York Times best seller list and was also a USA Today and international bestselling book. In addition, TIME magazine named it one of the 100 Best Fantasy Books of all Time. It won the People’s Choice Award for favorite fantasy in... Read An Ember in the Ashes Summary

Angel Of Greenwood

by Randi Pink

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Love, Race, Family, Friendship, Community, Equality, Good & Evil, Justice, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger

Tags Race & Racism, Social Justice, World History, Historical Fiction, Romance

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Anne of Avonlea

by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Publication year 1909

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Community, Friendship, Love, Education, Hope

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction

Anne of Avonlea, the second novel in the Anne of Green Gables series, is the heralded sequel that brings readers back to the second chapter in Anne Shirley’s life from age 16 to 18. First published in 1909 by Canadian author L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Avonlea is set in the latter part of the 19th century in fictional Avonlea, a small town on Prince Edward Island, Canada. Filled with many familiar characters from the first... Read Anne of Avonlea Summary

Anne Of Green Gables

by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Publication year 1908

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Friendship

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Coming of Age

Anne of Green Gables is a world-renowned classic children’s novel first published in 1908 by Canadian author L. M. Montgomery. Set in the latter part of the 19th century in fictional Avonlea, a small town on Prince Edward Island, Canada, the story follows the accidental arrival of a precocious 11-year-old orphan girl, Anne Shirley, at Green Gables, the family homestead of middle-aged siblings Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert. Many mishaps, adventures, and ultimate successes follow Anne... Read Anne Of Green Gables Summary

Another Brooklyn

by Jacqueline Woodson

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Music, Grief, Memory, Friendship

Tags Race & Racism, Historical Fiction

Another Brooklyn is a 2016 novel by Jacqueline Woodson. After the narrator, August, returns home to care for her dying father, she runs into her former friend Sylvia. This encounter leads her to reflect on her childhood in Brooklyn in the 1970s and the way she coped with her mother’s death. The novel unfolds in fragments: each chapter moves between August’s girlhood memories and adult life as an ivy-league educated anthropologist who studies cultural rituals... Read Another Brooklyn Summary

Another Country

by James Baldwin

Publication year 1962

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Sexual Identity, Race, Love

Tags LGBTQ+, Race & Racism, Love & Sexuality, Depression & Suicide, Relationships, Grief & Death, Trauma & Abuse, Social Justice, American Literature, Classic Fiction

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