Nation & Nationalism

These texts explore the concept of the nation, an idea of community that inspires patriotism and nostalgia. What makes a nation? And why are people willing to die—or to kill—to protect it? These are just a couple of the questions examined in the texts in this collection.

A Bottle in the Gaza Sea

by Valérie Zenatti

Publication year 2005

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Forgiveness, Hate & Anger, Mental Health, Race, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Family, Social Class, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Justice, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt

Tags Realistic Fiction, Historical Fiction

A Bottle in the Gaza Sea (2005) is a young adult novel by French author and translator Valérie Zenatti. It was first published in French as Une bouteille dans la mer de Gaza. The novel begins when 17-year-old Israeli Tal Levine learns about a bombing at a neighborhood café. She is moved to send a letter in a bottle, which reaches 20-year-old Palestinian Naïm Al-Farjouk. Tal included her email address, and they begin corresponding. Initially... Read A Bottle in the Gaza Sea Summary

A Brief History of Seven Killings

by Marlon James

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Memory, Revenge, Language, Race, Sexual Identity, Death, The Past, Place, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Immigration, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Equality, Fame, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Wins & Losses

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Colonialism & Postcolonialism, Afro-Caribbean Literature, Trauma & Abuse, Politics & Government

Published in 2014, A Brief History of Seven Killings is a literary crime novel by Jamaican writer Marlon James. To serve as the foundation for his novel, James builds the narrative around a singular historical event: the 1976 assassination attempt on Jamaican reggae singer Bob Marley, whom he fictionalizes as the Singer for thematic effect. James draws on his experiences growing up in Kingston, Jamaica, in the 1970s, and on his parents’ careers in law... Read A Brief History of Seven Killings Summary

Absalom, Absalom

by William Faulkner

Publication year 1936

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Memory, Race, Nation, War, Justice

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Southern Gothic, American Civil War, Southern Literature, American Literature, World History

William Faulkner’s Absalom, Absalom! (1936) is one of the many texts in Faulkner’s oeuvre that is set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi. Faulkner is considered one of the greatest writers of the 20th century, a designation earned due to his innovative and stylistic modernist techniques, which he uses to investigate the history and identity of the American South. Faulkner, who grew up in Mississippi and spent the majority of his life there, was deeply... Read Absalom, Absalom Summary

A Century of Dishonor

by Helen Hunt Jackson

Publication year 1881

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Race, Place, Colonialism, Politics & Government, Nation, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Indigenous Identity

Tags US History, Race & Racism, Colonial America, Grief & Death, Military & War, Politics & Government, Social Justice, World History

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A Column of Fire

by Ken Follett

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Family, Marriage, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Power & Greed

Tags Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, British Literature

Written in 2017 by Ken Follett, A Column of Fire is a historical fiction/historical romance novel and the third book in his Kingsbridge series, following The Pillars of the Earth (1989) and World Without End (2007). This novel is a loose sequel to the previous two books and is set against the backdrop of 16th-century Europe. Spanning both decades and continents, it follows the lives of a cast of characters who are caught in the... Read A Column of Fire Summary

A Different Kind of Power

by Jacinda Ardern

Publication year 2025

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Perseverance, Grief, Guilt, Hope, Love, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Midlife, Future, Place, Family, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Education, Nation, Politics & Government, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Truth & Lies

Tags Memoir & Autobiography

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A Fable

by William Faulkner

Publication year 1955

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Hate & Anger, Grief, Death, Fate, Social Class, Colonialism, Politics & Government, War, Nation, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Order & Chaos, Appearance & Reality, Conflict

Tags Symbolic Narrative, Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, World War I, Military & War, American Literature, World History

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Ahimsa

by Supriya Kelkar

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Politics & Government, Social Class, Community, Nation, Equality, Justice, Good & Evil, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies, Colonialism, Education, Family

Tags Historical Fiction, Social Justice, Social Class, Education, World History, Asian History, European History, Incarceration, Politics & Government, Children`s Literature, Indian Literature, Arts & Culture

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A History of the World in Seven Cheap Things

by Raj Patel

Publication year 2017

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Economics, Environment, Femininity, Race, Social Class, Colonialism, Globalization, Nation, Politics & Government, Power & Greed, Community

Tags Business & Economics, World History, Politics & Government, Social Justice, Education, Education, Science & Nature

A History of the World in Seven Cheap Things: A Guide to Capitalism, Nature, and the Future of the Planet (2017) is a nonfiction book written by Raj Patel, a political economist and professor at the University of Texas at Austin, also known for Stuffed and Starved (2007), and Jason W. Moore, an environmental historian and associate professor at Binghamton University. The authors’ expertise in political economy and environmental history provides a unique perspective on... Read A History of the World in Seven Cheap Things Summary