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.

Bamboo People

by Mitali Perkins

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Education, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Good & Evil, Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Conflict, Hope, Coming of Age

Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, Military & War, Asian Literature, Trauma & Abuse, Social Class, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, World History, Action & Adventure, Arts & Culture

Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins is a young adult, coming-of-age, historical fiction novel about two boys—one Burmese, the other Karenni—growing up during an intense period of violence between the Burmese military and the Karenni people. The book was named an “ALA APALA Honor Book, Indies Choice Honor Book of the Year for Young Adults, ALA Top Ten Book in Best Fiction for Young Adults, [and] International Reading Association Notable Book for a Global Society [and... Read Bamboo People Summary

Ban This Book

by Alan Gratz

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Literature, Friendship, Community, Siblings, Childhood & Youth, Family, Education, Guilt, Fear, Trust & Doubt, Politics & Government, Perseverance, Conflict

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

... Read Ban This Book Summary

Barakah Beats

by Maleeha Siddiqui

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Music, Religion & Spirituality, Family, Coming of Age, Friendship

Tags Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Music, Religion & Spirituality

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Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life

by William Finnegan

Publication year 2015

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Coming of Age, Friendship, Perseverance, Self Discovery, Environment, Appearance & Reality, Social Class, Politics & Government, Safety & Danger, Community, Literature

Tags Sports, Travel Literature, Action & Adventure, Bullying, Arts & Culture, Social Class, Race & Racism, Relationships, Poverty, Politics & Government, Science & Nature, Social Justice, World History, Biography

Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life is a 2015 memoir by William Finnegan, a writer for The New Yorker and the author of several social journalism books such as A Complicated War: The Harrowing of Mozambique and Dateline Soweto: Travels with Black South African Reporters. In Barbarian Days, Finnegan reflects on his upbringing in California and Hawaii, as well as his coming of age in the late 1960s. He relays his experience of the surfing counterculture... Read Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life Summary

Bear

by Julia Phillips

Publication year 2002

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Hope, Joy, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Nostalgia, Death, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Place, Family, Friendship, Mothers, Community, Economics, Beauty, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy, Animals, Romance, Canadian Literature, Classic Fiction

... Read Bear Summary

Becket

by Jean Anouilh

Publication year 1959

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Friendship, Power & Greed

Tags Historical Fiction, Tragedy, Religion & Spirituality, European History, Politics & Government, French Literature, Modernism, Medieval, World History, Dramatic Literature, Classic Fiction

Becket or The Honor of God is a 1959 play by the French dramatist Jean Anouilh. It portrays a fictionalized version of the conflict that took place between King Henry II of England and the archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket, in the 12th century. The English translation of the play premiered on Broadway in 1960 to great acclaim and was adapted into an Academy Award-winning film in 1964.The central conflict of Becket, which ended in... Read Becket Summary

Being Henry David

by Cal Armistead

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Forgiveness, Loneliness, Regret, Mental Health, Coming of Age, Environment, Place, Family, Friendship, Self Discovery, Literature, Music, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance, Action & Adventure

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Be More Chill

by Ned Vizzini

Publication year 2004

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Appearance & Reality, Friendship, Truth & Lies, Science & Technology

Tags Science Fiction, Humor, Romance, Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy

Be More Chill (2004) by Ned Vizzini is a young adult novel about a teenage boy trying to increase his social status in high school. The work employs humor and a science fiction premise to satirize the absurdity of social norms in contemporary youth culture. The main character, Jeremy Heere, is a socially awkward high school student who ingests a pill that contains a quantum supercomputer that advises him on how to modify his behavior... Read Be More Chill Summary

Be Prepared

by Vera Brosgol

Publication year 2018

Genre Graphic Memoir , Nonfiction

Themes Friendship, Loneliness, Childhood & Youth, Self Discovery, Social Class, Immigration, Religion & Spirituality, Coming of Age

Tags Humor, Action & Adventure, Coming of Age, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction

... Read Be Prepared Summary

Beyond That, the Sea

by Laura Spence-Ash

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Love, Truth & Lies, Conflict, Nostalgia, Self Discovery, Mothers, Daughters & Sons, Siblings, Friendship, Memory, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Hope

Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, Romance, World War II, Social Class, Education, Finance, Love & Sexuality, Relationships, Military & War, Grief & Death, World History, Parenting

... Read Beyond That, the Sea Summary