Memory

In many ways, who we are is shaped by what we remember, yet our recollections aren't always a reliable account of the past. This collection gathers texts that explore the ideas, theories, and challenges conjured by memory.

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

by Patrick Süskind

Publication year 1985

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Loneliness, Memory, Good & Evil

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, German Literature, World History, Classic Fiction

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer is a 1985 historical fiction novel by German author Patrick Suskind, originally published under the name Das Parfum. Patrick Suskind is an author and screenwriter who works primarily in the magical realism genre. He is best known for Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (published in English a year later in 1986), which is also his only full-length novel. He has published three novellas, a collection of short stories... Read Perfume: The Story of a Murderer Summary

Persimmons

by Li-Young Lee

Publication year 1986

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Fathers, Language, Immigration, Objects & Materials, Memory, Childhood & Youth, Love, Food

Tags Lyric Poem, Ekphrastic, Free Verse, Relationships, Immigration & Refugeeism, Arts & Culture, Confessional, Asian Literature

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Planetarium

by Adrienne Rich

Publication year 1974

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Space, Teamwork, Loyalty & Betrayal, Fame, Science & Technology, Order & Chaos, Justice, Conflict, Memory, Love, Perseverance, Femininity

Tags Lyric Poem, Gender & Feminism, Social Justice, Relationships

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Planet Earth Is Blue

by Nicole Panteleakos

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Siblings, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Joy, Memory, Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Death, Space, Family, Self Discovery, Community, Economics, Education, Beauty, Justice, Order & Chaos, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt

Tags Children`s Literature, World History, Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Disability

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Pop

by Gordon Korman

Publication year 2000

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Grief, Memory, Nostalgia, Disability, Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, The Past, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Community, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Realistic Fiction, Sports

... Read Pop Summary

Pretty Little Liars

by Sara Shepard

Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Loyalty & Betrayal, Community, Safety & Danger, Revenge, Memory, Guilt, The Past, Shame & Pride, Fear, Trust & Doubt, Grief, Coming of Age, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance, Coming of Age, Horror & Suspense

Pretty Little Liars is a young adult fiction novel written by Sara Shepard. It is the first book in the Pretty Little Liars series, which features 16 books, along with seven companion novels. The highly successful series was featured on The New York Times best-seller list and adapted into a television show in 2010. The popular show lasted seven seasons and aired on the Freeform Network. Although Shepard had only written eight books in the... Read Pretty Little Liars Summary

Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey Into the Afterlife

by Eben Alexander

Publication year 2012

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Fear, Love, Memory, Death, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Objects & Materials, Place, Space, Family, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Community, Education, Fate, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Science & Technology, Truth & Lies

Tags Religion & Spirituality, Health, Science & Nature, Biography

Dr. Eben Alexander’s 2012 memoir, Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey into the Afterlife, documents his near-death experience (NDE) while in a coma resulting from a rare bacterial infection. As an academic neurosurgeon with a materialist worldview, Alexander did not believe in an afterlife. The book details how his NDE forced him to reconcile his scientific training with what he now considered proof of a reality beyond the physical world. The memoir explores several themes:... Read Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey Into the Afterlife Summary

Properties of Thirst

by Marianne Wiggins

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Grief, Memory, Perseverance, Nation, Justice, Politics & Government

Tags Historical Fiction, World War II, Arts & Culture, Civil Rights & Jim Crow South, Food, Grief & Death, US History, World History, Immigration & Refugeeism, Incarceration, Military & War, Philosophy, Politics & Government, Love & Sexuality, Relationships, Social Justice

... Read Properties of Thirst Summary

Purple Heart

by Patricia McCormick

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Memory

Tags Realistic Fiction, Military & War, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Historical Fiction

Purple Heart is a young adult novel by National Book Award Finalist Patricia McCormick, first published in 2009. The novel begins as 18-year-old Army Private Matt Duffy wakes up in a medical ward in Iraq and discovers he has a traumatic brain injury, or TBI. Matt doesn’t remember how he ended up in the hospital and recalls only the image of an Iraqi boy in an alley, a boy who is lifted off the ground... Read Purple Heart Summary

Radio Golf

by August Wilson

Publication year 2005

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Memory, Race, Place, Social Class, Community, Economics, Politics & Government, Justice, Power & Greed

Tags Dramatic Literature, Race & Racism, Classic Fiction

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Ragged Company

by Richard Wagamese

Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Fate, Family, Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Hope, Love, Memory, Forgiveness, Guilt, Indigenous Identity, Justice, Community

Tags Poverty, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Grief & Death, Relationships, Modern Classic Fiction, Canadian Literature

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Rebecca

by Daphne du Maurier

Publication year 1938

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Death, Social Class, Coming of Age, Loyalty & Betrayal, The Past, Hate & Anger, Marriage, Fear, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Beauty, Appearance & Reality, Power & Greed, Grief, Conflict, Memory, Truth & Lies, Loneliness

Tags British Literature, Romance, Classic Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Coming of Age, Dramatic Literature, Gothic Literature, Modernism, Horror & Suspense, Historical Fiction

Rebecca, a bestselling novel by famed English writer Daphne du Maurier, was published in 1938, and has never gone out of print. The winner of the National Book Award for favorite novel of 1938, Rebecca has been adapted numerous times, including Alfred Hitchcock’s 1940 film version, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and a 1997 television miniseries. It was most recently adapted for a Netflix film in 2020 by the same name. Rebecca... Read Rebecca Summary

Rebel Witch

by Kristen Ciccarelli

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Love, Memory, Family, Friendship, Marriage, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Community, Politics & Government, War, Equality, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

Tags Fantasy, Romance

... Read Rebel Witch Summary