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.

The Talisman

by Stephen King, Peter Straub

Publication year 1984

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Hate & Anger, Hope, Love, Memory, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Safety & Danger, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Fate, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Friendship, Mothers, Death, The Past, Future, Appearance & Reality, Animals, Space, War, Family

Tags Horror & Suspense, Fantasy, Coming of Age, Action & Adventure

The Talisman is a 1984 novel co-written by Stephen King and Peter Straub. It is a fantasy novel with horror elements and has connections to the works in King’s Dark Tower series. The Talisman is a road trip book that tells the story of Jack Sawyer and his quest to save his mother. The Talisman examines themes of lost innocence, coming of age, friendship, the corrupting nature of power, and more.The Talisman has a sequel... Read The Talisman Summary

The Tennis Partner

by Abraham Verghese

Publication year 1998

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Friendship, Mental Health, Grief, Loneliness

Tags Health, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Sports, Mental Illness, Biography

The Tennis Partner: A Story of Friendship and Loss (1998) is a memoir by physician Abraham Verghese. It follows his friendship with David Smith, a medical student recovering from drug addiction, and the regular games of tennis that lie at the heart of their relationship. The book explores the themes The Disease of Addiction, The Power of Ritual, and Navigating Loneliness and Conflict in Relationships.Verghese is a physician, professor, and best-selling author. His first book... Read The Tennis Partner Summary

The Tequila Worm

by Viola Canales

Publication year 2005

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Education, Coming of Age, Family

Tags Poverty, Diversity, Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Arts & Culture

The Tequila Worm, published in 2005 by Random House, (first edition) is a middle grade novel about a young Mexican American girl, Sofia, who comes from a family of storytellers. The tales Sofia hears strengthen her ties to her family and their traditions in the Texas barrio where they live. Though poor, the family does not struggle, finding riches in the practice of making Easter cascarones, (colored eggs) celebrating Dia de los Muertos, (Day of... Read The Tequila Worm Summary

The Terrible Two

by Mac Barnett, Jory John

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Conflict, Loneliness, Shame & Pride, Perseverance, Revenge, Forgiveness, Teamwork, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Wins & Losses, Family, Appearance & Reality, Animals, Hate & Anger, Childhood & Youth, Education

Tags Action & Adventure, Humor, Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Education, Education

... Read The Terrible Two Summary

The Thief Lord

by Cornelia Funke

Publication year 2000

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Siblings, Friendship, Coming of Age, Family

Tags Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Historical Fiction, German Literature, Children`s Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Italian Literature

The Thief Lord is a middle-grade fantasy novel originally written and published in German by Cornelia Funke in 2000. Its English translation by Oliver Latsch was reprinted in 2002. The story won many national and international awards, including the Mildred L. Batchelder Award for Outstanding Translated Book, the Zurich Children’s Book Award, the Swiss Youth Literature Award, and the Book Award from the Vienna House of Literature. It’s also a New York Times Notable Book... Read The Thief Lord Summary

The Tiger Rising

by Kate DiCamillo

Publication year 2001

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Realistic Fiction, Animals, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy

The Tiger Rising is a children’s novel by two-time Newbery Award-medalist, Kate DiCamillo. Published in 2001, The Tiger Rising is DiCamillo’s second book and was a National Book Award Finalist. Following the death of his mother, 12-year-old Rob Horton packs away his grief the way he packs his clothes when he and his father move to Lister, Florida. However, Rob’s discovery of a caged tiger in the woods and the friendship of an angry girl... Read The Tiger Rising Summary

The Truth About The Harry Quebert Affair

by Joel Dicker

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Memory, Friendship, Truth & Lies

The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair (in French La Vérité sur l'affaire Harry Quebert), is a novel by Swiss writer Joël Dicker, published originally in 2012 in France and Switzerland, and in 2014 in English translation by Sam Taylor. The edition used in this guide is by MacLehose Press, published in London in 2014, in ebook format. The novel is a postmodern crime fiction story, belonging to the amateur detective subgenre. Set in the... Read The Truth About The Harry Quebert Affair Summary

The Tryout

by Christina Soontornvat, Illustr. Joanna Cacao

Publication year 2022

Genre Graphic Memoir , Nonfiction

Themes Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Teamwork, Perseverance, Memory, Nostalgia, Race, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Religion & Spirituality, Wins & Losses, Family

Tags Children`s Literature, Sports, Race & Racism, Bullying, Realistic Fiction, Biography

... Read The Tryout Summary

The Two Towers

by J. R. R. Tolkien

Publication year 1954

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Hope, Friendship, Good & Evil, Self Discovery, Perseverance, War, Appearance & Reality

Tags Fantasy, Classic Fiction, Science Fiction, Action & Adventure

The Two Towers (1954) is the second book of the Lord of the Rings trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien. The Two Towers is a work of fantasy fiction set in the world of Middle-earth, the setting that Tolkien also used in his earlier 1937 novel, The Hobbit. It continues the quest of Frodo and his companions to destroy the One Ring that they set out on in The Fellowship of the Ring, interweaving the... Read The Two Towers Summary

The Undoing Project

by Michael Lewis

Publication year 2016

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Friendship

Tags World History, Science & Nature, Business & Economics, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Biography

A powerful dichotomy lies at the heart of The Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds (2016), Michael Lewis’s account of how the friendship between two Israeli psychologists—Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky—essentially created the field of behavioral economics and shifted paradigms about human decision making. This dichotomy is the tension between intuition and algorithms, between gut feelings and empirical data. In the Introduction, Lewis explains that The Undoing Project exists largely as a complement... Read The Undoing Project Summary

The Unteachables

by Gordon Korman

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Shame & Pride, Education

Tags Humor, Realistic Fiction, Education, Diversity, Bullying, Relationships, American Literature, Children`s Literature, Education, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read The Unteachables Summary

The Unwedding

by Ally Condie

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Guilt, Loneliness, Place, Friendship, Marriage, Social Class, Art, Trust & Doubt

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

... Read The Unwedding Summary