Good & Evil

How do we uphold goodness in a world where it can seem impossible? What are the consequences to the human heart when we fail to live up to the ideals of goodness? These are some of the questions posed by the texts in this collection which explores the theme of Good & Evil.

House Made of Dawn

by N. Scott Momaday

Publication year 1968

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Justice, Apathy, Perseverance, Loneliness, Love, Place, Animals, Religion & Spirituality, Equality, Fate, Good & Evil, Order & Chaos, Colonialism, Community, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Memory

Tags Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction, American Literature, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Social Justice, World History

The novel House Made of Dawn, by N. Scott Momaday, was first published in 1968. Heralded as a major landmark in the emergence of Indigenous American literature, the novel won the 1969 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. House Made of Dawn blends fictional and nonfictional elements to depict life on an Indigenous American reservation like the one where Momaday grew up.This guide uses an eBook version of the 2018 First Harper Perennial Modern Classics (50th Anniversary)... Read House Made of Dawn Summary

House of Flame and Shadow

by Sarah J. Maas

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Love, Race, Coming of Age, Environment, Place, Teamwork, Colonialism, War, Equality, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Action & Adventure, Fairy Tale & Folklore

... Read House of Flame and Shadow Summary

House of Glass

by Sarah Pekkanen

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Memory, Mental Health, Appearance & Reality, Family, Good & Evil, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

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

... Read House of Glass Summary

How Does It Feel?

by Jeneane O'Riley

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Love, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, The Past, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Plants, Family, Mothers, Self Discovery, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Horror & Suspense, Fairy Tale & Folklore, Religion & Spirituality

... Read How Does It Feel? Summary

How Much Land Does a Man Need

by Leo Tolstoy

Publication year 1886

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Good & Evil, Gratitude

Tags Classic Fiction, Russian Literature, World History, Historical Fiction, Philosophy, Philosophy

“How Much Land Does a Man Need?” is a short story by Leo Tolstoy, the great 19th-century Russian novelist and short story and essay writer best known for War and Peace (1867) and Anna Karenina (1879). Published in 1886, the story was translated into English in 1906 by Louise and Aylmer Maude in a collection of Tolstoy’s short fiction titled Twenty-Three Tales (1906). This translation has been reprinted many times and is the one this... Read How Much Land Does a Man Need Summary

How To Hang A Witch

by Adriana Mather

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Guilt, Loneliness, Shame & Pride, Coming of Age, Death, Appearance & Reality, Family, Mothers, Self Discovery, Community, Good & Evil, Justice, Safety & Danger

Tags Fantasy, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Science Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

... Read How To Hang A Witch Summary

Humankind

by Rutger Bregman

Publication year 2019

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Community, Politics & Government, Good & Evil

Tags World History, Psychology, Philosophy, Politics & Government, Sociology, Anthropology, Dutch Literature, Anthropology, Science & Nature, Psychology, Philosophy

... Read Humankind Summary

Hurt Locker

by Brian Turner

Publication year 2005

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Forgiveness, Memory, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Fear, Grief, Perseverance, Conflict, Safety & Danger, Good & Evil, Wins & Losses, Death

Tags Iraq War

... Read Hurt Locker Summary

I Am Number Four

by Pittacus Lore

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Memory, Good & Evil

Tags Science Fiction, Relationships, Science & Nature, Social Class, Fantasy, Romance, Action & Adventure, Religion & Spirituality

I Am Number Four (2010) is the first book in the modern young adult science fiction series Lorien Legacies by Pittacus Lore, the pseudonym of authors James Frey and Jobie Hughes. Despite the novel’s mixed reviews, I Am Number Four spent seven successive weeks at the top of the New York Times children’s bestseller list. The novel was adapted into a film of the same name in 2011 by DreamWorks Pictures.Other works by this author... Read I Am Number Four Summary

I Cheerfully Refuse

by Leif Enger

Publication year 2024

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Grief, Hate & Anger, Hope, Love, Memory, Revenge, Death, Future, Climate, Environment, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Economics, Nation, Politics & Government, Equality, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Music, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt

Tags Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Science Fiction

... Read I Cheerfully Refuse Summary

If It Bleeds

by Stephen King

Publication year 2020

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Fear, Coming of Age, Midlife, Appearance & Reality, Family, Self Discovery, Good & Evil, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Fantasy

... Read If It Bleeds Summary

I Know Who You Are

by Alice Feeney

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Hope, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Revenge, Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Midlife, Death, Future, The Past, Animals, Nature Versus Nurture, Place, Family, Marriage, Mothers, Siblings, Self Discovery, Social Class, Economics, Fame, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction

... Read I Know Who You Are Summary

Imagining Argentina

by Lawrence Thornton

Publication year 1987

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Hope, Memory, Politics & Government, Art, Good & Evil, Justice

Tags Magical Realism, Historical Fiction, Military & War, Education, Education, World History

Imagining Argentina (1987) is a fantasy novel by American author Lawrence Thornton. Set against the backdrop of Argentina’s Dirty War, Imagining Argentina centers Carlos Rueda, a Buenos Aires native whose supernatural abilities grant him insight into the fates of Argentina’s disappeared. The novel’s complicated consideration of power, memory, and authoritarianism has been critically acclaimed, earning a nomination for the PEN/Faulkner Award in Fiction. Thornton would later expand the story into two succeeding novels, Naming the... Read Imagining Argentina Summary

In Cold Blood

by Truman Capote

Publication year 1965

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Good & Evil

Tags American Literature, Education, Education, Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, World History, Classic Fiction

In Cold Blood is a nonfiction true crime novel published in 1966 by the American author Truman Capote. First published a year earlier as a serial in The New Yorker, In Cold Blood tells a broadly true account of the 1959 murders of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas. Scholars consider the book one of the earliest and most successful examples of the nonfiction novel, a genre that combines journalistic reportage with techniques typically associated... Read In Cold Blood Summary

Ind Aff

by Fay Weldon

Publication year 1989

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Good & Evil

Tags Love & Sexuality

“Ind Aff, or Out of Love in Sarajevo” (1988) is a short story by Fay Weldon, who also authored fiction, drama, and radio. The story is a work of literary fiction focusing on themes of Gendered Power Imbalances in Love and the importance of pivotal choices.The story is set in the city of Sarajevo in the 20th century when it was still part of the former country of Yugoslavia. It opens by describing a rainy... Read Ind Aff Summary

Inheritance

by Christopher Paolini

Publication year 2003

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Self Discovery, Politics & Government, War, Equality, Good & Evil, Justice

Tags Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Science Fiction

Inheritance is the final book in American author Christopher Paolini’s tetralogy, The Inheritance Cycle, which was published between 2002 and 2011. Inheritance is set in the fictional realm of Alagaësia, a typical epic fantasy setting populated with humans, Elves, Dwarves, and Dragons. The young protagonist, Eragon, finally reaches the climactic conclusion of his journey as a Dragon Rider. After traveling across the land, gathering allies, and learning how to wield magic with his Dragon, Saphira... Read Inheritance Summary

Inherit the Wind

by Jerome Lawrence, Robert E. Lee

Publication year 1955

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Justice, Good & Evil, Politics & Government

Tags Drama, Historical Fiction, Science & Nature, Religion & Spirituality, Education, Education, World History, Dramatic Literature, Classic Fiction

Inherit the Wind is a 1955 play by American playwrights Jerome Lawrence (1915-2004) and Robert E. Lee (1918-1994). It is based on the 1925 Scopes trial, where schoolteacher John T. Scopes was put on trial for teaching the theory of evolution at a time when doing so was illegal. Although Inherit the Wind draws from the events of the Scopes trial, it deviates significantly from the details of the case, as Lawrence and Lee were... Read Inherit the Wind Summary

In His Steps

by Charles Sheldon

Publication year 1896

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Community, Good & Evil

Tags Religion & Spirituality, Christian, Poverty, Inspirational, Classic Fiction

In His Steps: What Would Jesus Do by American Minister Charles Monroe Sheldon is a Christian novel that encourages readers to lead their lives according to the compassionate teachings of Jesus Christ. Published in 1896, it was an instant bestseller in the UK and the US. With more than 30 million copies sold, it was one of the best selling American novels of all time.The work is based on Sheldon’s lectures to his congregation in... Read In His Steps Summary

In Pieces

by Sally Field

Publication year 2018

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Family, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Hope, Joy, Love, Mental Health, Memory, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Midlife, Death, Marriage, Mothers, Self Discovery, Community, Art, Beauty, Fame, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Truth & Lies

Tags Trauma & Abuse, Gender & Feminism

... Read In Pieces Summary