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.

Brothers

by Alex Van Halen

Publication year 2024

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Love, Memory, Language, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Siblings, Teamwork, Fame, Loyalty & Betrayal, Music

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Buddenbrooks

by Thomas Mann

Publication year 1901

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Conflict, Loneliness, Regret, Masculinity, Mental Health, Death, Appearance & Reality, Marriage, Economics, Art, Power & Greed

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, German Literature, World History, Classical Period

Thomas Mann’s novel Buddenbrooks: The Decline of a Family was first published in 1901 and came to be recognized as a monumental work in the canon of modern literature. Thomas Mann (1875­–1955) was a German novelist and recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1929 for his novels, Buddenbrooks and The Magic Mountain. Mann draws on his own family history to craft Buddenbrooks’ narrative, demonstrating profound understanding of societal and familial dynamics in the... Read Buddenbrooks Summary

Bullet Points

by Jericho Brown

Publication year 2019

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Race, Death, Mothers, Community, Nation, Equality, Justice, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Trauma & Abuse, Race & Racism, Social Justice

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Burn

by Peter Heller

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Forgiveness, Guilt, Memory, Regret, Death, Environment, Fathers, Friendship, Politics & Government, War, Safety & Danger

Tags Science Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Action & Adventure

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Butcher's Crossing

by John Edward Williams

Publication year 1960

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Nature Versus Nurture, Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Hope, Loneliness, Memory, Indigenous Identity, Masculinity, Coming of Age, Death, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Food, Place, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Economics, Globalization, Nation, Beauty, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Literature, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

Tags Western, American Literature, Historical Fiction

Published in 1960, Butcher’s Crossing is a revisionist Western novel by American author John Williams. The book follows a young Harvard dropout who ventures into the Kansas wilderness in the 1870s on a buffalo-hunting expedition, confronting the brutal realities of the American frontier and the destruction of the natural world. The novel explores themes that include The Deconstruction of the American Frontier Myth, Human Arrogance Versus Nature’s Indifference, and Disillusionment and the Loss of Idealism.Williams... Read Butcher's Crossing Summary

By the Waters of Babylon

by Stephen Vincent Benét

Publication year 1937

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Death, Science & Technology, War

Tags Science Fiction, Technology, Education, Education, American Literature, World History, Classic Fiction

Stephen Vincent Benét lived from 1898 to 1943. Much of his writing examines subjects from American history, including his highly acclaimed narrative poem John Brown’s Body. Benét won four Pulitzer Prizes, including one for “By the Waters of Babylon.” First published in 1937 in The Saturday Evening Post as “The Place of the Gods,” the postapocalyptic story follows a young man’s journey for truth and explores the themes of The Destruction of War, Coming of... Read By the Waters of Babylon Summary

Cannibalism: A Perfectly Natural History

by Bill Schutt

Publication year 2017

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Shame & Pride, Indigenous Identity, Mental Health, Death, Future, The Past, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Climate, Nature Versus Nurture, Colonialism, Community, Globalization, Politics & Government, War, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Science & Nature, World History, Anthropology, Psychology, Biology, Animals

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Canyons

by Gary Paulsen

Publication year 1990

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Indigenous Identity, Race, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Colonialism, Nation, Equality, Justice, Religion & Spirituality, Self Discovery

Tags Historical Fiction, Action & Adventure, Realistic Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Survival Fiction, Children`s Literature

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Career of Evil

by Robert Galbraith

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Hate & Anger, Disability, Femininity, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Death, The Past, Place, Friendship, Mothers, Equality, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense

Career of Evil (2015) is the third novel in the Cormoran Strike detective series by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling’s pseudonym). The story begins when Strike’s assistant, Robin Ellacott, receives a package containing a woman’s severed leg. The gruesome delivery sparks the investigative duo’s pursuit of a sadistic killer of women. As Strike and Robin investigate suspects from Strike’s troubled past, the story delves into themes of trauma, misogyny, and the lasting effects of violence. A... Read Career of Evil Summary

Cat's Cradle

by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

Publication year 1963

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Trust & Doubt, Science & Technology, Safety & Danger, Religion & Spirituality, Art, Death

Tags Satirical Literature, Science Fiction, Postmodernism, Humor, American Literature, Fantasy, Classic Fiction

Cat’s Cradle is a satirical science fiction novel by Kurt Vonnegut, published in 1963. The novel, which explores themes related to science, technology, and religion against the backdrop of the Cold War arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union, won critical acclaim for Vonnegut and was nominated for a Hugo Award. This guide refers to the 2010 Dial Trade Press edition.Content Warning: This guide references death by suicide and sexual assault found... Read Cat's Cradle Summary

Chain-Gang All-Stars

by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Wins & Losses, Power & Greed, Justice, Fame, Community, Teamwork, Death, Future, Race, Gender Identity, Mental Health

Tags Science Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Satirical Literature, LGBTQ+, Black Lives Matter, Business & Economics, Grief & Death, US History, Incarceration, Race & Racism, Trauma & Abuse, Social Justice, Fantasy

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Chances Are . . .

by Richard Russo

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Memory, Regret, Masculinity, Mental Health, Death, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Family, Friendship, Social Class, Music, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Horror & Suspense

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Chapterhouse: Dune

by Frank Herbert

Publication year 1985

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Space, Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Hate & Anger, Hope, Memory, Regret, Revenge, Femininity, Race, Sexual Identity, Death, Future, Appearance & Reality, Climate, Self Discovery, Politics & Government, War, Justice, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy

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