Publication year 2014
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Self Discovery, Death, Science & Technology
Tags Self-Improvement, Business & Economics, Psychology, Health, Psychology, Biography
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.
Thrive
Time for Andrew: A Ghost Story
Tinkers
Tin Man
To an Athlete Dying Young
To Autumn
To Cage a Wild Bird
To Hell with Dying
To His Coy Mistress
Tom's Midnight Garden
Torpedoed
To S.M., a Young African Painter, on Seeing His Works
Total Eclipse
Touching the Void
To Waken An Old Lady
Tracker
Traveling through the Dark
Triptych
Tristan
Tuck Everlasting
Publication year 2014
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Self Discovery, Death, Science & Technology
Tags Self-Improvement, Business & Economics, Psychology, Health, Psychology, Biography
Publication year 1994
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Perseverance, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Family, Fathers, Grandparents, Self Discovery
Tags Horror & Suspense, Children`s Literature, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Religion & Spirituality
Time for Andrew: A Ghost Story is a gothic middle grade novel written by Mary Downing Hahn and published in 1994. Hahn is known for incorporating elements of the thriller and gothic genres into stories for young readers. This novel follows 12-year-old Drew as he spends the summer with his Aunt Blythe and an irritable great-grandfather in their creaky, shadowy ancestral home. When a dying boy who looks strikingly similar to Drew mysteriously appears in... Read Time for Andrew: A Ghost Story Summary
Publication year 2009
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Memory, Aging, Death, Family
Tags Psychological Fiction, Historical Fiction, Relationships, Grief & Death, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction
Tinkers (2009) is Paul Harding’s debut novel. It delves into the life of a dying man, George Washington Crosby, as he reflects on his past and his family history. The narrative weaves together George’s memories with stories from his father’s life, and it explores the themes of mortality, memory, and the interconnectedness of generations. The novel, which is considered literary fiction, won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the 2010 PEN/ Robert W. Bingham... Read Tinkers Summary
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Fear, Love, Memory, Regret, Sexual Identity, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, The Past
Tags LGBTQ+, Romance, Historical Fiction
Publication year 1896
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Fear, Death, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Gratitude, Grief, Memory, Beauty, Fame
Tags Grief & Death
Publication year 1820
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Death
Tags Science & Nature, Romanticism, Education, Education, British Literature, World History, Classic Fiction
Publication year 2026
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Forgiveness, Guilt, Love, Regret, Revenge, Death, Siblings, Teamwork, Social Class, Economics, Justice
Tags Science Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Love & Sexuality
Publication year 1988
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Death, Community, Love, Nostalgia, Race, Aging
Tags African American Literature
Alice Walker published her first short story, “To Hell with Dying,” in 1968 and republished it as a children’s book with illustrations by Catherine Deeter in 1988. While suitable for children, its depth, themes, and writing style resonate with readers of all ages with an interest in African American literature.Alice Walker is a prominent author of novels, essays, and poems and was the first African American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in... Read To Hell with Dying Summary
Publication year 1681
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Love, Death
Tags Lyric Poem, Love & Sexuality, Grief & Death, British Literature, Restoration, Education, Education, World History, Romance, Classic Fiction
“To His Coy Mistress” by Andrew Marvell was posthumously published in 1681 as part of the collection Miscellaneous Poems. Marvell, a metaphysical poet, wrote this piece in Restoration England, probably after the English Civil War. Marvell’s canonical lyric works are well-known today but were unheard of during his lifetime. Like Emily Dickinson, none of Marvell's poems were published until after his death. However, some of his satirical and other prose works were published during his... Read To His Coy Mistress Summary
Publication year 1958
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Friendship, Aging, Loneliness, Memory, Coming of Age, Death
Tags Fantasy, Children`s Literature
Tom’s Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce is a children’s fantasy novel that follows Tom Long, a boy who discovers a magical garden that appears only at midnight. In this garden, Tom meets Hatty, a girl from the past. Through their friendship, the novel explores the themes of The Impact of History on the Present, The Contrast Between Childhood and Adulthood, and The Transformative Power of Friendship. Tom’s Midnight Garden has been in print continuously since... Read Tom's Midnight Garden Summary
Publication year 2019
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Hope, Childhood & Youth, Death, The Past, Nation, War, Safety & Danger
Tags World History, Military & War, Children`s Literature
Publication year 1773
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Art, Religion & Spirituality, Death
Tags Lyric Poem, Arts & Culture, Grief & Death, Religion & Spirituality, Neoclassicism, African American Literature, Colonial America
Publication year 1982
Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction
Themes Space, Death, Place
Publication year 1988
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Perseverance, Fear, Death, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Food, Place, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Fate, Safety & Danger
Tags Action & Adventure, Travel Literature, Sports, Science & Nature, Biography
Touching the Void is a 1988 memoir by British author Joe Simpson. The book recounts the disastrous, near-fatal attempt of Simpson and his climbing partner, Simon Yates, to ascend the West Face of Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes. The book details Simpson’s harrowing ordeal, in which he broke his leg and fell into a crevasse, and how he survived against seemingly insurmountable odds.Simpson’s narrative highlights the resilience of the human spirit and explores the... Read Touching the Void Summary
Publication year 1917
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Aging, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Perseverance, Death
Tags Imagist Poetry
Publication year 1978
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Nature Versus Nurture, Death, Animals
Tags Action & Adventure, Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Animals, Science & Nature
Publication year 1962
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Grief, Guilt, Hope, Regret, Death, Animals, Environment, Place
Published in 1962 in an America just beginning to grapple with the responsibilities of environmental stewardship and the catastrophic cost of technology’s impact on nature, William Stafford’s deceptively simple poem “Traveling Through the Dark” raises difficult—often unanswerable—questions about humanity’s responsibility for the future of nature. Driving a mountain road one night, the speaker comes upon a dead doe, hit by a car and left by the side of the road. While clearing the deer off... Read Traveling through the Dark Summary
Publication year 2006
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Hate & Anger, Disability, Death, Appearance & Reality, Family, Social Class, Economics, Justice, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies
Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense
Publication year 1209
Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction
Themes Love, Death, Truth & Lies
Tags Narrative Poem, Classic Fiction, Romance, Mythology, Medieval, German Literature, Fantasy
Publication year 1975
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Aging, Death, Friendship, Coming of Age, Family
Tags Fantasy, Classic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Coming of Age, American Literature, Education, Education, Historical Fiction, Romance
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt follows the journey of a young girl’s decision to live forever or remain mortal. The book received many honors and awards, including the Janusz Korczak Medal and the 1976 Christopher Award as best book for young people, among others, and it was named an ALA Notable Book. Tuck Everlasting was adapted twice into a full-length feature film (1981 and 2002), and it appeared on Broadway as a stage musical in... Read Tuck Everlasting Summary