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.

Paint the Wind

by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Grief, Memory, Coming of Age, Death, The Past, Animals, Environment

Tags Animals, Realistic Fiction, Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature, Contemporary Literature

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Pale Fire

by Vladimir Nabokov

Publication year 1962

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Literature, Death, Art

Tags Classic Fiction, Russian Literature, Postmodernism, American Literature, World History

Pale Fire is a 1962 experimental novel by Vladimir Nabokov, the author of seminal novels like Lolita and Pnin. The novel consists of a 999-line poem by a fictional poet and the accompanying notations by a fictional editor. Rather than analyze the poem, however, the notations create a new narrative. Pale Fire has been heralded as a landmark example of metafiction and one of the most important novels of the 20th century.This guide is written... Read Pale Fire Summary

Pale Horse, Pale Rider

by Katherine Anne Porter

Publication year 1939

Genre Novella, Fiction

Themes Death, Justice, Fate, War, Nation

Tags Historical Fiction, Health, US History, American Literature, World History, Classic Fiction

Pale Horse, Pale Rider is a novella written by Katherine Anne Porter. It was published in 1939, along with two other short novellas, Old Mortality and Noon Wine, under the collective title Pale Horse, Pale Rider. The story portrays two young lovers who are tragically affected by the 1918 influenza epidemic, or Spanish Flu.Other works by this author include The Jilting of Granny Weatherall and Flowering Judas.This guide uses an eBook version of the 2008... Read Pale Horse, Pale Rider Summary

Paradiso

by Dante Alighieri

Publication year 1320

Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Death, Beauty, Justice, Self Discovery

Tags Narrative Poem, Symbolic Narrative, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Medieval, Italian Literature, Fantasy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

Paradiso is the third and concluding part of The Divine Comedy, Dante Alighieri’s three-part epic narrative poem. It completes the allegorical journey initiated by the first two parts, Inferno (Hell) and Purgatorio (Purgatory). Beatrice, who symbolizes Dante’s ideal woman and who had previously accompanied him through the past part of Purgatory, here accompanies him as he journeys through the nine levels or spheres of Heaven, which are represented by various celestial bodies. In each sphere... Read Paradiso Summary

Parallel Journeys

by Eleanor H. Ayer

Publication year 1995

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Power & Greed, Hate & Anger, Death, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance

Tags European History, World War II, Holocaust, Education, Education, Military & War, World History, Biography

Parallel Journeys (1995) is a nonfiction book by Eleanor Ayer. It won several awards, including the American Library Association’s Best Book for Young Adults. An author of many nonfiction books about the Holocaust, Ayer pairs the stories of Alfons Heck (a former Hitler Youth member) and Helen Waterford (a Holocaust survivor) to show how Nazism impacts the people it empowered and targeted. Ayer didn’t choose Alfons and Helen randomly. They formed a partnership in the... Read Parallel Journeys Summary

Parallel Myths

by J. F. Bierlein

Publication year 1994

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Death, Order & Chaos

Tags Mythology, Religion & Spirituality, Fairy Tale & Folklore, Education, Education, Philosophy, Philosophy, World History, Fantasy

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Pensées

by Blaise Pascal

Publication year 1670

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt, Order & Chaos, Apathy, Death

Tags Philosophy, Religion & Spirituality, Christian, French Literature, World History, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

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Phineas Gage

by John Fleischman

Publication year 2002

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Disability, Death, The Past, Science & Technology

Tags Children`s Literature, Science & Nature, World History, Psychology, Health

John Fleischman’s Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science (2002) is a children’s narrative nonfiction book. It features biography, historical medicine, and introductory neuroscience. Fleischman tells the story of an 1848 railroad accident in which a man, Phineas Gage, survived after a large tamping iron went through his skull. Fleischman explains how physicians and researchers have used the case to debate how the brain functions. He illustrates the way evidence, myths, and... Read Phineas Gage Summary

Pincher Martin

by William Golding

Publication year 1956

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Death, Appearance & Reality

Tags Classic Fiction, Symbolic Narrative, Existentialism, British Literature, World History, Fantasy

Pincher Martin is a novel by British author William Golding, first published in 1956. Set during World War II, it tells the story of a Royal Navy lieutenant named Christopher Hadley Martin who washes up on an inhospitable islet after his ship sinks. Though nominally a survival story, the book primarily concerns Martin’s spiritual and metaphysical journey as he struggles to maintain his sanity while awaiting rescue.This study guide refers to the 2013 edition published... Read Pincher Martin Summary

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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Playground

by Richard Powers

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Environment, Conflict, Perseverance, Masculinity, Death, Fathers, Friendship, Marriage, Siblings, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Community, Education, Fate, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Science & Technology, Wins & Losses

Tags Science Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

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Please Look After Mom

by Kyung-Sook Shin

Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Guilt, Death

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Magical Realism, Health, Asian History, Gender & Feminism, Parenting, Asian Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Asian Literature

Translated from the Korean by Chi-young Kim, Please Look After Mom (2008) by Kyung-sook Shin is an international work of best-selling fiction. When 69-year-old So-nyo Park goes missing one Saturday outside Seoul Station, her disappearance sets in motion a desperate search not only for where So-nyo might be but for who So-nyo was to her shocked and confused family members. One by one, So-nyo’s family comes to terms with the fact that they didn’t know... Read Please Look After Mom Summary

Pony

by R. J. Palacio

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Death, The Past, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Family, Colonialism, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Children`s Literature, World History, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Animals, Action & Adventure

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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

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