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.

The Children's Blizzard

by David Laskin

Publication year 2004

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Family, Community, Economics, Nation, Social Class

Tags US History, World History, Historical Fiction, Action & Adventure

The Children’s Blizzard by David Laskin is an account of a devastating natural disaster that took place in 1888. Affecting multiple Midwestern states, the blizzard claimed the lives of many people, including children. The loss of lives to the blizzard laid bare the vulnerabilities of isolated immigrant communities in the Great Plains and marked a watershed moment in American history regarding disaster prediction and mitigation. The author, David Laskin, is a well-known historian who has... Read The Children's Blizzard Summary

The City and the City

by China Miéville

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Appearance & Reality, Order & Chaos, Politics & Government, Justice, Nation, Fear

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Politics & Government, Horror & Suspense

China Miéville’s The City and the City, originally published in 2009, is a hybrid of two distinct genres—speculative fiction and detective fiction—that explores the human susceptibility to fear and the erection of borders as a response to that fear. Other themes examined in the novel are political corruption, violence inspired by far-right politics, and the allure of myths. The City and the City is the winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the World Fantasy... Read The City and the City Summary

The Cliffs

by J. Courtney Sullivan

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Guilt, Joy, Memory, Femininity, Indigenous Identity, Mental Health, Midlife, The Past, Place, Friendship, Mothers, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Community, Education, Nation, Politics & Government, Equality, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Literary Fiction, Gothic Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

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The Competitive Advantage Of Nations

by Michael E. Porter

Publication year 1990

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Economics, Colonialism, Community, Teamwork, Social Class, Immigration, Globalization, Science & Technology, Education, Order & Chaos, Nation, Future, War, The Past, Power & Greed, Equality, Politics & Government, Wins & Losses

Tags Business & Economics, Finance, Leadership, Social Science, World History, Politics & Government

The Competitive Advantage of Nations is a 1990 work of economics by American author Michael E. Porter, a Harvard Business School professor and expert in corporate competitive strategy whose influential works are frequently cited in business and economics. In this book, Porter dismantles traditional economic theories about how well a nation fares in global competition (factor costs and macro-economic policy) and proposes a model that focuses on active and malleable factors of business rather than... Read The Competitive Advantage Of Nations Summary

The Congo

by Vachel Lindsay

Publication year 1914

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Nation, Perseverance, Conflict, Religion & Spirituality, Music, Good & Evil

Tags Narrative Poem, Race & Racism, Music, Classic Fiction

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The Custom of the Country

by Edith Wharton

Publication year 1913

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Marriage, Social Class, Community, Family, Power & Greed, Nation

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

The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton is a tragicomedy of manners that explores themes of greed, ruthless ambition, progress, and gendered ideas. Wharton, who was herself a member of the New York City elite, was the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Literature, and her novels are pieces of classic American literature for their social commentary, multilayered characters, and analysis of American culture.Published in 1913, this novel can be read as... Read The Custom of the Country Summary

The Declaration of Independence

by Thomas Jefferson

Publication year 1776

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Politics & Government, Equality, Justice, Nation

Tags US History, Politics & Government, American Revolution, World History, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

The Declaration of Independence is one of the founding documents of the United States of America. The text was written primarily by Thomas Jefferson in June of 1776 after the Second Continental Congress appointed him the chair of the Committee of Five (the others were John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman), a group designated to draft a statement declaring the American colonies independent from Great Britain. Jefferson based his draft on existing... Read The Declaration of Independence Summary

The Demon-Haunted World

by Carl Sagan

Publication year 1996

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt, Science & Technology, Religion & Spirituality, Education, Nation, Space, Appearance & Reality

Tags Science & Nature, Education, Religion & Spirituality, World History, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy

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The Devil and Daniel Webster

by Stephen Vincent Benét

Publication year 1937

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Good & Evil, Nation, Justice

Tags Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Horror & Suspense, American Literature, Classic Fiction

Written by American author Stephen Vincent Benét, “The Devil and Daniel Webster” is a variation on the Faust myth. Benét’s story tackles themes such as The Devil in America, Patriotism and the Limits of Loyalty, and The Nature of Justice. The story first appeared in The Saturday Evening Post in 1936, though it was later republished in Benét’s collection of stories titled Thirteen O’Clock in 1937. The story subsequently received the O. Henry Award, earning... Read The Devil and Daniel Webster Summary

The Dispossessed

by Ursula K. Le Guin

Publication year 1974

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Nation

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics & Government

The Dispossessed tells the story of its protagonist Shevek’s journey from his home on a desolate, isolated moon to the abundant planet around which his society revolves. Shevek is an Odinian physicist from the planet of Urras, a socialist planet without a central government that follows the teachings of the revolutionary Odo. Upon settling Urras, Odinians refused contact with their former home, the planet Anarres: the only exchange between the planets occurs as mined goods... Read The Dispossessed Summary

The Door

by Magda Szabó

Publication year 1987

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Guilt, Love, Memory, Death, The Past, Place, Friendship, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Classic Fiction

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The Doorman

by Chris Pavone

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Love, Nostalgia, Revenge, Femininity, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Race, Sexual Identity, Aging, Childhood & Youth, Midlife, Death, The Past, Place, Family, Marriage, Mothers, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Economics, Nation, Politics & Government, Art, Beauty, Equality, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Safety & Danger

Tags Horror & Suspense

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