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.

The Butterfly Lion

by Michael Morpurgo

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Coming of Age, Death, Animals, Friendship, War, Loyalty & Betrayal

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

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The Cancer Journals

by Audre Lorde

Publication year 1980

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Death, Community

Tags Health, Gender & Feminism, LGBTQ+, Women`s Studies, Disability, Biography

Audre Lorde was a poet, essayist, activist, and memoirist whose writings on lesbian feminism and race were integral to second-wave feminism. Lorde was born in New York City on February 18, 1934 to Grenadian immigrant parents. She attended Hunter High School, where she edited the school’s literary magazine. She published her first poem, which had been rejected by an English teacher, in Seventeen magazine. She later attended Hunter College, where she trained to become a... Read The Cancer Journals Summary

The Caretaker

by Ron Rash

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes War, Family, Power & Greed, Grief, Loneliness, Love, Disability, Coming of Age, Death, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Southern Literature, Southern Gothic, Korean War

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The Cat Who Saved Books

by Sōsuke Natsukawa, Transl. Louise Heal Kawai

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Animals, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Hope, Joy, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Coming of Age, Death, Future, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Friendship, Grandparents, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Community, Economics, Education, Art, Beauty, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Science & Technology, Truth & Lies

Tags Fantasy, Magical Realism, Japanese Literature, Contemporary Literature

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The Chamber

by John Grisham

Publication year 1994

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Guilt, Death, Justice

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Dramatic Literature, Crime & Law

John Grisham’s 1994 legal thriller, The Chamber, follows Adam Hall, a young associate at a prestigious Chicago law firm who risks his career to take on a last-chance death-penalty case. His client is Sam Cayhall, an unrepentant former Klansman sentenced to die in Mississippi’s gas chamber for a fatal bombing he committed in 1967. With the execution just weeks away, Adam’s desperate legal battle is complicated by a deep personal secret: Sam is his estranged... Read The Chamber Summary

The Comfort of Crows

by Margaret Renkl

Publication year 2023

Genre Essay Collection, Nonfiction

Themes Grief, Memory, Aging, Death, Future, The Past, Animals, Climate, Environment, Plants, Food, Nature Versus Nurture, Objects & Materials, Place, Family, Self Discovery, Community, Education, Globalization, Beauty, Equality, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Order & Chaos, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Animals, Science & Nature

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The Confession

by John Grisham

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Justice, Race, Politics & Government, Mothers, Death

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Crime & Law, Social Justice, Incarceration, Grief & Death, Trauma & Abuse, Realistic Fiction, Race & Racism

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The Correspondent

by Virginia Evans

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hope, Loneliness, Memory, Regret, Disability, Gender Identity, Indigenous Identity, Mental Health, Death, Marriage, Mothers, Siblings, Community, Beauty, Literature

Tags Epistolary Fiction, Domestic Fiction

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The Cost of Knowing

by Brittney Morris

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mental Health, Siblings, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Gratitude, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Joy, Love, Memory, Regret, Shame & Pride, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Future, The Past, Fathers, Equality, Fate, Justice, Safety & Danger, Music, Appearance & Reality

Tags Magical Realism, Coming of Age, Race & Racism, Science Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness, Fantasy

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