Loyalty & Betrayal

The texts in this thematic collection organized around the idea of Loyalty & Betrayal range from Dennis Lehane's Mystic River to Lynn Nottage's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Sweat. But each book explores the idea in its own way, revealing the intricate ways we may maintain loyalty at all costs — or test the bonds of family and friend relationships through deep betrayal.

Ironwood

by Michael Connelly

Publication year 2026

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Loneliness, Love, Femininity, Indigenous Identity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Death, Future, Climate, Environment, Plants, Place, Friendship, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Immigration, Politics & Government, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

Tags Horror & Suspense

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I Will Find You

by Harlan Coben

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Guilt, Regret, Masculinity, Daughters & Sons, Family, Fathers, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Trust & Doubt

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction

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Jade City

by Fonda Lee

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Shame & Pride, Masculinity, Objects & Materials, Siblings, Teamwork, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed

Tags Fantasy, Science Fiction, Action & Adventure, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Gender & Feminism, Leadership, Trauma & Abuse, Mystery & Crime Fiction

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Jade Legacy

by Fonda Lee

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Loyalty & Betrayal, Conflict, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Family, Marriage, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Economics, Globalization, Nation

Tags Fantasy, LGBTQ+, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Science Fiction, Dramatic Literature

The third and final installment of the Green Bone Saga trilogy spans over two decades in the struggle between the No Peak and Mountain clans, two powerful organizations on the island nation of Kekon whose members, known as Green Bones, possess superhuman abilities granted by the bioenergetic mineral jade. The novel traces the Kaul family's fight for survival against Ayt Mada, the Pillar (ruling head) of the rival Mountain clan, while navigating international politics, generational... Read Jade Legacy Summary

Jade War

by Fonda Lee

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes War, Guilt, Revenge, Race, Family, Globalization, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed

Tags Fantasy, Action & Adventure

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Japanese Gothic

by Kylie Lee Baker

Publication year 2026

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Grief, Guilt, Shame & Pride, Masculinity, Death, The Past, Nature Versus Nurture, Daughters & Sons, Colonialism, War, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Magical Realism, Contemporary Literature

Kylie Lee Baker’s Japanese Gothic (2026) is a psychological horror novel that blends Western Gothic traditions with Japanese folklore. The story follows Lee Turner, a university student who flees to an old family home in Japan, believing he has murdered his roommate. Haunted by suppressed trauma, Lee discovers the house is a portal connecting his present to the year 1877. There, he meets Sen, a young female samurai whose family is hiding after a failed... Read Japanese Gothic Summary

Jesus and John Wayne

by Kristin Kobes Du Mez

Publication year 2020

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Fear, Nostalgia, Masculinity, Race, Sexual Identity, Family, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

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Johnny Tremain

by Esther Forbes

Publication year 1943

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Safety & Danger, Loyalty & Betrayal, Justice, War, Politics & Government, Self Discovery, Coming of Age, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage

Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Action & Adventure, American Revolution, Education, Education, Military & War, World History, Classic Fiction

Originally published in 1943, Esther Forbes’s Johnny Tremain is a classic middle-grade historical fiction/adventure novel. After a prideful accident ends 14-year-old Johnny Tremain’s promising career as a silversmith, his search for a new trade leads to his direct involvement in the early events of the American Revolution. The novel won a Newbery Medal and explores themes of self-sacrifice, humility, and change. Citations in this study guide refer to the 2018 eBook edition released by Houghton... Read Johnny Tremain Summary

John & Paul

by Ian Leslie

Publication year 2025

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Joy, Love, Memory, Mental Health, Coming of Age, Future, The Past, Place, Family, Friendship, Mothers, Teamwork, Community, Art, Fame, Loyalty & Betrayal, Music, Order & Chaos

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July's People

by Nadine Gordimer

Publication year 1981

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Equality, Conflict, Fear, Guilt, Memory, Regret, Race, Family, Marriage, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Fate, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Race & Racism, Military & War, African Literature

July’s People, a 1981 dystopian novel by South African author Nadine Gordimer, imagines the aftermath of a bloody uprising that topples South Africa’s notorious, white-ruled apartheid regime. Her novel, which follows a white family’s desperate flight from Johannesburg, traces the complex interdependencies of white and Black South Africans, revealing the insidiousness of the regime’s racial disparities and mindsets, even among liberal, well-meaning white people. Through the lens of this hypothetical future, Gordimer’s novel explores racial... Read July's People Summary

Kingdom of Ash

by Sarah J. Maas

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Hope, Love, Race, Coming of Age, Plants, Place, Teamwork, Social Class, War, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Action & Adventure

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