Mortality & Death

"Nothing can be said to be certain," wrote Ben Franklin, "except death and taxes." And yet, death is often ignored, dismissed, or delayed as an experience worth contemplating—until we are forced to reckon with it head-on. The books in this collection do their own reckoning.

Do You Remember?

by Freida McFadden

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Memory, Mental Health, Death, Friendship, Marriage, Self Discovery, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Psychological Fiction, Horror & Suspense

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Dragonfly in Amber

by Diana Gabaldon

Publication year 1992

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Love, Perseverance, Shame & Pride, Revenge, Nostalgia, Memory, Hope, Masculinity, Gender Identity, Femininity, Sexual Identity, Death, The Past, Future, Place, Marriage, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Fate, Justice, Social Class, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Action & Adventure, European History, Health, World History

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Dream State

by Eric Puchner

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Nostalgia, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Aging, Coming of Age, Death, Environment, Loyalty & Betrayal

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Dubliners

by James Joyce

Publication year 1914

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Loneliness, Love, Memory, Regret, Shame & Pride, Masculinity, Mental Health, Coming of Age, Death, Fathers, Social Class, Colonialism, Nation, Politics & Government, Power & Greed

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Irish Literature, Education, Education, World History

Dubliners is a collection of 15 short stories by Irish writer James Joyce. Originally published in 1914, the collection met resistance from publishers and critics due to its controversial themes and unusual portrayal of the everyday. Dubliners follows a range of people living in the titular city, often seeking some form of social or emotional transcendence without ever truly achieving it.This study guide is for the 1965 paperback edition from Penguin Modern Classics.Content Warning: This... Read Dubliners Summary

Duma Key

by Stephen King

Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Memory, Revenge, Disability, Language, Race, Death, Environment, Place, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Teamwork, Social Class, Art, Beauty, Good & Evil, Power & Greed

Tags Horror & Suspense, Fantasy, Psychological Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

Duma Key by Stephen King is a novel in the literary-horror genre, praised for its eerie, spooky atmosphere and suspenseful build-up. Published in 2008, Duma Key is the first novel by King to be set in Florida. The book follows Edgar Freemantle as he moves from Minnesota to the island of Duma (one of the Florida Keys, or small islands) after a life-changing accident. Tormented by phantom-limb pain from his amputation and unable to remember... Read Duma Key Summary

Edge

by Sylvia Plath

Publication year 1965

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Grief, Loneliness, Love, Femininity, Mental Health, Death, Daughters & Sons, Marriage, Art, Literature

Tags Depression & Suicide, Confessional, Free Verse, Grief & Death

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Eggs

by Jerry Spinelli

Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Death, Fear, Grief, Memory, The Past, Friendship, Grandparents, Mothers, Social Class

Tags Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Coming of Age

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Electra

by Sophocles

Publication year 450

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Death, Fate, Siblings, Revenge, Family, Justice, Grief, Truth & Lies, Perseverance, Appearance & Reality

Tags Tragedy, Mythology, Grief & Death, Ancient Greece, Dramatic Literature, Classical Period, Fantasy, Classic Fiction

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Elevation

by Stephen King

Publication year 2018

Genre Novella, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Joy, Sexual Identity, Death, Appearance & Reality, Friendship, Equality, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Horror & Suspense, Fantasy, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Science Fiction

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Ellen Foster

by Kaye Gibbons

Publication year 1987

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Hate & Anger, Memory, Loneliness, Shame & Pride, Revenge, Love, Gratitude, Hope, Childhood & Youth, Death, The Past, Equality, Good & Evil, Literature, Art, Beauty, Trust & Doubt, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses, Power & Greed, Daughters & Sons, Friendship, Family, Fathers, Grandparents, Mothers, Nature Versus Nurture, Appearance & Reality

Tags Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction, Southern Literature, Life-Inspired Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Race & Racism

Ellen Foster is a work of adult fiction by US novelist Kaye Gibbons, first published by Algonquin Books in 1987. The novel was Gibbons’s debut, and it won the Sue Kaufman Prize for literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and a notable citation from the Ernest Hemingway Foundation. Critics praised the novel for its unsentimental outlook and the wry, distinct voice of its protagonist. Ellen, a young girl living in the American... Read Ellen Foster Summary

Elsewhere

by Gabrielle Zevin

Publication year 2005

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Death, Grief

Tags Magical Realism, Grief & Death, Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Religion & Spirituality

Elsewhere is a coming-of-age story and work of magical realism—a genre in which fantastical elements (e.g. talking animals) are woven into an otherwise ordinary setting. First published in 2005, it was writer Gabrielle Zevin’s first novel for a YA audience, and was a 2006 Bank Street Best Children’s Book; it is also an American Library Association Notable Children’s Book. All page numbers in this guide refer to the Farrar, Straus, and Giroux edition. Plot SummaryElsewhere begins... Read Elsewhere Summary

Emako Blue

by Brenda Woods

Publication year 2005

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Coming of Age, Grief, Safety & Danger, Race, Justice, Community, Death

Tags Realistic Fiction, Poverty, Trauma & Abuse, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Grief & Death, Urban Development, Arts & Culture

Emako Blue is a novel for young adults written by Brenda Woods. Set in Los Angeles, California, Emako's friends and schoolmates relay the events leading up to Emako Blue’s gang-related murder in alternating first-person narration, primarily through flashbacks. The text explores the effects of poverty, gang violence, guns, and how these issues have far-reaching impacts on each member of a community. As the events of the story unfold, each narrator must consider what they want... Read Emako Blue Summary