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.

Thyestes

by Seneca

Publication year 65

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Revenge, Siblings, Fate, Good & Evil, Power & Greed, Order & Chaos

Tags Tragedy, Ancient Rome, Classical Period, Trauma & Abuse

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Tom's Crossing

by Mark Z. Danielewski

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Hope, Love, Revenge, Indigenous Identity, Masculinity, Coming of Age, Death, Future, The Past, Animals, Nature Versus Nurture, Friendship, Teamwork, Colonialism, Good & Evil, Justice, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tom’s Crossing: A Western (2025) is a novel by Mark Z. Danielewski. Set in 1982 in a fictionalized version of Provo, Utah, where the author grew up, the story follows the friendship between two teenage boys, Tom Gatestone and Kalin March. When Tom dies, Kalin honors his deathbed promise to Tom to rescue two horses from a slaughter paddock and guide them to a remote mountain sanctuary known as “the Crossing.” This act ignites a... Read Tom's Crossing Summary

Tricks

by Ellen Hopkins

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Self Discovery, Good & Evil, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger

Tags Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, LGBTQ+

Tricks is a 2009 young adult novel by Ellen Hopkins. Hopkins is the best-selling author of novels such as Crank, Impulse, and Traffick, the sequel to Tricks. Like many of Hopkins’s novels, the novel is written in free verse and has been banned in several states because of its graphic content and subject matter. The novel follows the lives of five different teenage narrators—Eden, Seth, Whitney, Ginger, and Cody—as they experience the traumas of the... Read Tricks Summary

Tunes for Bears to Dance To

by Robert Cormier

Publication year 1992

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Race, Good & Evil, Grief, The Past

Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, World War II, Realistic Fiction

Tunes for Bears to Dance To by pioneering young adult writer Robert Cormier (1925-2000) is a young adult novella that explores themes of The Inadequacy of Language, The Everyday Nature of Evil, and The Inescapability of the Past. First published in 1992, the story follows 11-year-old Henry, who, while grappling with the recent loss of his brother, becomes entangled in a sinister plot devised by Mr. Hairston, the manipulative manager of the grocery store where... Read Tunes for Bears to Dance To Summary

Twisted

by Laurie Halse Anderson

Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Childhood & Youth, Good & Evil, Family

Tags Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance

Twisted, by Laurie Halse Anderson, tells the story of Tyler Miller and his family as Tyler is about to begin his senior year of high school. Tyler has recently been punished with probation and community service after vandalizing school property. As part of his community service, he works with his high school’s maintenance crew to repair the very building he defaced. Due to the physical labor he’s been doing over the summer, Tyler’s put on... Read Twisted Summary

Twisted

by Emily McIntire

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Hate & Anger, Love, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Family, Self Discovery, Beauty, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger

Tags Romance, New Adult, Fairy Tale & Folklore, Horror & Suspense, Fantasy

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Two or Three Things I Know for Sure

by Dorothy Allison

Publication year 1995

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Sexual Identity, Family, Gender Identity, Femininity, Masculinity, Race, Good & Evil, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Self Discovery

Tags LGBTQ+, Gender & Feminism, Trauma & Abuse, Women`s Studies, Love & Sexuality, Biography

Two or Three Things I Know for Sure is a 1995 memoir by American author and activist Dorothy Allison, a native of Greenville, South Carolina. A coming-of-age story that examines feminism and lesbian identity in the context of the patriarchal norms of the South, the book uses both narrative and photographs to tell the stories of the women in Allison’s family and their complex relationships with the men who both loved and abused them. Her... Read Two or Three Things I Know for Sure Summary

Two Wolves

by Tristan Bancks

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fathers, Daughters & Sons, Family, Self Discovery, Justice, Good & Evil

Tags Realistic Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction

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Upgrade

by Blake Crouch

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Death, Future, Family, Good & Evil, Science & Technology, Politics & Government, Truth & Lies

Tags Science Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Fantasy, Climate Change, Politics & Government, Technology

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Valentine

by Elizabeth Wetmore

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Community, Safety & Danger, Coming of Age, Forgiveness, Revenge, Love, Mothers, Family, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Fear, Justice, Equality, Good & Evil, Marriage, Truth & Lies, Perseverance, Conflict, Loneliness, Hope, Gratitude

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Coming of Age, Relationships, Race & Racism, Trauma & Abuse, Love & Sexuality, Social Justice, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

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V for Vendetta

by Alan Moore

Publication year 1990

Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Politics & Government, Order & Chaos, Justice, Good & Evil, Nation

Tags Science Fiction

IntroductionV for Vendetta is a graphic novel written by Alan Moore and illustrated by David Lloyd. Moore also wrote the acclaimed graphic novel Watchmen and is considered one of the greatest living graphic novel authors, while Lloyd created Marvel’s Night Raven and has done illustrations for many Marvel and DC properties. V for Vendetta was initially serialized in the British anthology Warrior between 1982 and 1984. In the late 80s, it was reprinted in color... Read V for Vendetta Summary

Vicious

by V. E. Schwab

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Revenge, Good & Evil

Tags Fantasy, Horror & Suspense, Science & Nature, Religion & Spirituality, American Literature, Science Fiction

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Victorian Psycho

by Virginia Feito

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Apathy, Hate & Anger, Revenge, Mental Health, Death, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Place, Daughters & Sons, Family, Social Class, Colonialism, Good & Evil, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense, Historical Fiction

Virginia Feito’s 2025 novel, Victorian Psycho, is a work of satirical historical fiction and femgore horror. The novel was a national bestseller and was named a best book of the year by The New Yorker, NPR, and Time. Presented as a pastiche of 19th-century literature, the narrative follows Winifred Notty, a governess whose prim exterior conceals a deeply psychopathic worldview. She arrives at the grim estate of Ensor House to tutor the children of the... Read Victorian Psycho Summary