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.

Starters

by Lissa Price

Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Aging, Siblings, Death, Social Class, Childhood & Youth, Community, Memory, Science & Technology, Future, The Past, Guilt, Family, Appearance & Reality, Trust & Doubt, Fear, Politics & Government, Power & Greed, Beauty, Truth & Lies, Good & Evil, Conflict

Tags Science Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Action & Adventure

Lissa Price’s Starters is a young adult science fiction novel set in the near future after the Spore Wars, during which biological weapons were used against the United States and wiped out much of the unvaccinated middle-aged population. As a result, many teens were left without families, and the elderly feared for their place in society. Starters without grandparents were barred from essentially every type of work. This led to teens being rounded up to... Read Starters Summary

Stepping on the Cracks

by Mary Downing Hahn

Publication year 1991

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Good & Evil, War, Friendship

Tags Historical Fiction, Bullying, World History, Relationships, World War II, Children`s Literature, Military & War, Realistic Fiction

Shy, 12-year-old Margaret and her high-spirited friend Elizabeth question their beliefs about WWII when they discover that the brother of their school nemesis is a deserter in Mary Downing Hahn’s middle grade historical fiction novel, Stepping on the Cracks (1991). The novel explores themes of moral ambiguity, war, friendship, and domestic abuse, drawing on Hahn’s childhood memories of growing up in College Park, Maryland. In a short biography at the end of the novel Hahn... Read Stepping on the Cracks Summary

Stone Blind

by Natalie Haynes

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Femininity, Family, Masculinity, Truth & Lies, Safety & Danger, Mothers, Power & Greed, Justice, Good & Evil, Equality, Shame & Pride

Tags Mythology, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Gender & Feminism, Trauma & Abuse, World History

... Read Stone Blind Summary

Stone Cold

by Robert Swindells

Publication year 1993

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Trust & Doubt, Equality, Apathy, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Loneliness, Memory, Regret, Shame & Pride, Mental Health, Death, Family, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Economics, Politics & Government, Good & Evil, Justice, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Action & Adventure

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Stone Cold Fox

by Rachel Koller Croft

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Guilt, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Mothers, Social Class, Good & Evil, Truth & Lies

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

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Suddenly, Last Summer

by Tennessee Williams

Publication year 1958

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Good & Evil, Power & Greed, Sexual Identity, Family, Art

Tags Southern Gothic, Drama, American Literature, Southern Literature, World History, Dramatic Literature, Classic Fiction

Suddenly Last Summer (1958) is a one-act play by American playwright Tennessee Williams. It was originally staged with another Williams drama (Something Unspoken) in a double bill known as Garden District and met with mixed reviews upon its Broadway premiere. This may have been due to the content of the play, which includes pedophilia, cannibalism, and relationships between men (considered scandalous at the time). Indeed, Williams reportedly modeled Suddenly Last Summer and its two-monologue structure... Read Suddenly, Last Summer Summary

Summa Theologica

by Thomas Aquinas

Publication year 1274

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Good & Evil

Tags Religion & Spirituality, Christian, Italian Literature, Medieval, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

Summa Theologica (originally Summa Theologiae) is the principal work of Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), an Italian friar, philosopher, and theologian and one of the central figures in medieval Christian thought. Aquinas wrote the Summa between 1265 and 1273, intending it to serve as a summation of all known theological learning for seminarians. He never finished the massive Latin work, but what he completed has influenced Roman Catholic theology and Western thought in general. Aquinas’ central... Read Summa Theologica Summary

Summerland

by Michael Chabon

Publication year 2002

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Childhood & Youth, Nature Versus Nurture, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Friendship, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

Tags Fantasy, Children`s Literature, Action & Adventure, Sports

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Summer of My German Soldier

by Bette Greene

Publication year 1973

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Race, War, Coming of Age, Good & Evil

Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, Coming of Age, World War II, Holocaust, Children`s Literature, Military & War, World History, Classic Fiction

Summer of My German Soldier (1973) is a young adult novel by American author Bette Greene. The book is heavily based on Greene’s own childhood in Arkansas and Tennessee during World War II and her experiences growing up Jewish in the conservative Christian South. A made-for-TV film adaptation starring Kristy McNichol was released in 1978. The sequel to the novel, Morning Is a Long Time Coming, was published in 1978. Summer of My German Soldier... Read Summer of My German Soldier Summary

Sundiata (Sunjata)

by Djibril Tamsir Niane (D.T. Niane), Transl. G. D. Pickett

Publication year 1200

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Literature, Fate, Good & Evil

Tags Mythology, Narrative Poem, History: African , African Literature

Sundiata (also known as Sunjata) is an epic poem of the West African Mandinka (or Malinke) people. There is no single definitive source or version of this story, which originated in oral traditions of the 13th century and was passed down by griots, Mandinka poet-historians and regal advisors. Sundiata is a quasi-mythological biography of King Sundiata Keita, who founded the Mali Empire, which lasted from 1235 to 1400. The poem is also a central cultural... Read Sundiata (Sunjata) Summary

Survivor Type

by Stephen King

Publication year 1982

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Loneliness, Memory, Death, Good & Evil

Tags Horror & Suspense, Psychological Fiction, Fantasy, Education, Education, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Action & Adventure

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Tenth of December

by George Saunders

Publication year 2013

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Science & Technology, Justice, Good & Evil, Community, Family, Death, Masculinity, Power & Greed

Tags Satirical Literature, Science Fiction, Relationships, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

Tenth of December: Stories (2013) is American author George Saunders’s fourth short story collection. Saunders is widely regarded as one of the modern masters of the short story form, and this collection features stories written between 1995 and 2012, some of which were previously published in various literary outlets. The book was a bestseller and was widely praised on release, winning both the Story Prize and the Folio Prize. This guide refers to the 2013... Read Tenth of December Summary

That Hideous Strength

by C. S. Lewis

Publication year 1945

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Good & Evil

Tags Science Fiction, Christian, Fantasy, Classic Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

That Hideous Strength (1945) is a science-fiction novel by writer C.S. Lewis. Lewis subtitled the book “a Modern Fairy-tale for Grown-ups.” The book is the third installment in the renowned Space Trilogy, which also includes Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra. Though characters and plot devices from the two previous books appear in That Hideous Strength, it’s written so that it can be read as a standalone book. Like Lewis’s other work, the novel... Read That Hideous Strength Summary