Publication year 2025
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Environment, Community, Future, Nation, Politics & Government
Tags Politics & Government, Business/Economics
Jewish American Literature
Including Pulitzer Prize winners like Art Spiegelman's groundbreaking Maus and Michael Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, the texts in this collection celebrate the literary contributions and stories of Jewish Americans.
Abundance
A Deadly Education
Against Interpretation
All My Sons
All That Is Solid Melts Into Air
A Lucky Child
A Memory Called Empire
American Buffalo
American Pastoral
Amusing Ourselves to Death
An Atlas of the Difficult World
Angels in America
An Inside Job
Annie John
Anthem
A People’s History of the United States
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret
Atlas Shrugged
At the Bottom of the River
Authentic Happiness
Publication year 2025
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Environment, Community, Future, Nation, Politics & Government
Tags Politics & Government, Business/Economics
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Friendship, Teamwork, Fate, Safety & Danger, Fear, Equality, Power & Greed, Good & Evil, Loneliness, Wins & Losses, Appearance & Reality
Tags Horror & Suspense, Romance, Religion & Spirituality, Fantasy, Coming of Age, Social Class
Publication year 1966
Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction
Themes Art, Literature, Beauty
Tags Arts & Culture
Publication year 1947
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Grief, Guilt, Family, War, Truth & Lies
Tags Tragedy, Classic Fiction, American Literature, Military & War, Education, Education, World History, Dramatic Literature
All My Sons is a play by Arthur Miller, first performed in 1947. Based on a true story, All My Sons tells the story of a munitions factory owner who is accused of producing defective engines for aircraft. The play received many awards, ran for 328 shows on Broadway, and has been twice adapted as a film. This guide is based on the 2015 Penguin Classics edition of Miller’s Collected Plays. Plot SummaryJoe Keller is... Read All My Sons Summary
Publication year 1982
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Art, Community, Politics & Government, Science & Technology
Tags Literary Criticism, Philosophy, Arts & Culture, Philosophy, World History, Sociology, Politics & Government, Modernism
Publication year 2007
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Tags Coming of Age, World History, World War II, Holocaust, Military & War, Biography
A Lucky Child: A Memoir of Surviving Auschwitz as a Young Boy, first published in Germany 2007, is author Thomas Buergenthal's account of his childhood during the Nazi Occupation. Buergenthal was 6 years old when forced to abandon his home and spend the rest of his childhood running from Nazis and struggling to survive the Holocaust. Buergenthal’s horrific journey took him through bombings, labor camps, concentration camps, and “death marches.” He lost most of his... Read A Lucky Child Summary
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Space, Memory, Science & Technology, Community, Safety & Danger, Power & Greed, War
Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, LGBTQ+, Mystery & Crime Fiction
Publication year 1975
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Friendship
Tags US History, World History, Classic Fiction, Drama, American Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Dramatic Literature
American Buffalo is a 1975 off-Broadway play written by American playwright David Mamet. It first premiered in Chicago’s Goodman Theater in 1975, reaching Broadway in 1977. Along with two other plays, The Duck Variations (1971) and Sexual Perversity in Chicago (1974), American Buffalo established Mamet as a reputable writer. The play explores friendship and greed among the working classes. The 1976 publication from Grove Press (New York) serves as the basis for this guide.The play... Read American Buffalo Summary
Publication year 1997
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Fathers, Daughters & Sons, Justice, Fate
Tags Historical Fiction, American Literature, Relationships, US History, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction
American Pastoral (1997) by Philip Roth examines in detail one man’s quest for the American dream and the fragility of the entire enterprise. Roth, one of the most critically acclaimed novelists of the 20th century, focuses his narrative microscope through the eyes of Nathan Zuckerman, his literary alter ego from whose perspective he has written 10 other novels, including Zuckerman Unbound (1981), The Anatomy Lesson (1983), The Human Stain (2000), and The Plot Against America... Read American Pastoral Summary
Publication year 1985
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Community, Education, Science & Technology, Politics & Government, Religion & Spirituality
Tags Sociology, Education, Science & Nature, World History, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Arts & Culture, Politics & Government, Philosophy, Technology, Information Age, Education
Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business is a nonfiction book by Neil Postman, published in 1985. Postman was a professor of education and communication at New York University with a special interest in the role of technology and media in society. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York in Fredonia and a master’s degree and doctorate from the Teachers College of Columbia University. In... Read Amusing Ourselves to Death Summary
Publication year 1991
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Grief, Hope, Loneliness, Love, Shame & Pride, Gender Identity, Indigenous Identity, Race, Sexual Identity, Future, The Past, Environment, Place, Colonialism, Community, Immigration, Nation, War, Justice, Literature
Tags Narrative Poem, American Literature
Publication year 1993
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Sexual Identity, Mental Health, Religion & Spirituality
Tags Drama, LGBTQ+, US History
Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes by the American playwright Tony Kushner is an epic story that spans two plays – Millennium Approaches, first produced in 1991, and Perestroika, which debuted in 1992. The entire two-part work premiered on Broadway in 1993. Angels in America is Kushner’s most well-known work and is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most significant American plays of the 20th century. Angels in America... Read Angels in America Summary
Publication year 2025
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Power & Greed, Appearance & Reality, Art, Religion & Spirituality, Truth & Lies
Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Action & Adventure
Publication year 1985
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Femininity, Coming of Age, Family, Mothers, Colonialism
Tags Classic Fiction, Coming of Age, Education, Education, World History, Historical Fiction
Annie John, published in 1985, is the second book by the Antiguan American author Jamaica Kincaid (née Elaine Cynthia Potter Richardson). Annie John is a coming-of-age novel that follows the life of a young girl from age 10 to 17, until she leaves her home in Antigua, bound for nursing school in England. In the novel, Annie describes her most important relationships, and the bond with her mother is chief among them. Life is heaven... Read Annie John Summary
Publication year 1938
Genre Novella, Fiction
Themes Good & Evil, Equality, Politics & Government, Community, Self Discovery
Tags Science Fiction, Classic Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Philosophy, Education, Education, Philosophy, Politics & Government
Anthem is a short novella written by Ayn Rand and published in 1938. Rand is known for her polarizing fiction, which includes the well-known novels Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead. She is also known as the founder of a controversial philosophy known as Objectivism. In 1987, Anthem won the Libertarian Futurist Society’s Hall of Fame Award. Since its publication, the novella has been met with mixed reviews due to the controversy around its Objectivist themes... Read Anthem Summary
Publication year 1980
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Colonialism, Social Class, Immigration, Community, Economics, Hate & Anger, Perseverance, Conflict, Safety & Danger, Justice, Equality, Power & Greed
Tags US History, Politics & Government, Social Justice, Race & Racism, American Literature, World History, Classic Fiction
Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States is one of the most famous American history books published in recent decades. It has sold over two million copies. First published in 1980, the book was nominated for the American Book Award and has gone through at least six major revisions. Although controversial when first published, the book has become comfortably mainstream. It is mentioned by name in the film Good Will Hunting and the... Read A People’s History of the United States Summary
Publication year 1970
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Coming of Age, Religion & Spirituality, Self Discovery, Community, Mothers, Grandparents, Friendship
Tags Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret is a 1970 middle-grade novel by bestselling American author Judy Blume (Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Tiger Eyes). The story focuses on 11-year-old Margaret Ann Simon and her family’s move to New Jersey at the beginning of her sixth-grade year. As Margaret navigates her new public school and new friend dynamics, she struggles to form a positive self-image about her changing body and starts exploring her religious... Read Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret Summary
Publication year 1957
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Economics, Politics & Government, Power & Greed
Tags Science Fiction, Classic Fiction, Philosophy, Business & Economics, Philosophy, Politics & Government
The novel Atlas Shrugged (1957) was written by Russian American author Ayn Rand. Widely considered to be the author’s magnum opus, Atlas Shrugged is a divisive text that has remained popular in the public consciousness despite harsh criticism from academics and philosophers across the political spectrum. Set in a dystopian US wherein the collectivist government bureaucracy has a stranglehold on industry, the narrative follows protagonist Dagny Taggart as she fights to defend her family’s transcontinental... Read Atlas Shrugged Summary
Publication year 1983
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Mothers, Daughters & Sons, Death, Self Discovery, Art
Tags Prose, Postmodernism, Women`s Studies, Gender & Feminism, Classic Fiction
Publication year 2002
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Mental Health, Joy, Perseverance, Self Discovery
Tags Psychology, Self-Improvement, Science & Nature, Philosophy