Nature Versus Nurture

How much of our identity is shaped by our environments? How much is intrinsic to who we are and beyond the control of external forces? These are ancient questions with complex answers. In this collection we've gathered texts that explore the issue of nature versus nurture from a variety of angles.

Americanah

by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Nature Versus Nurture

Tags Race & Racism, African Literature, Gender & Feminism, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance

Ifemelu, a Nigerian woman who has lived in the US for thirteen years, goes to a hair braiding salon in Trenton, New Jersey to have her hair braided in preparation for her return to Nigeria. The narrative flashes back and forth between her afternoon in the braiding salon, her childhood and adolescence in Nigeria, and her adult years in America. Ifemelu grows up in Lagos, Nigeria with a religious mother and a patient, occasionally unemployed father... Read Americanah Summary

A Million Little Pieces

by James Frey

Publication year 2003

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mental Health, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Love, Nature Versus Nurture, Family, Self Discovery

Tags Life-Inspired Fiction, Addiction & Substance Abuse

A Million Little Pieces (2003) is a controversial memoir-style novel by American author James Frey. Characterized by its raw, stream-of-consciousness prose, the book recounts a young man’s experience in drug and alcohol rehabilitation. The narrative graphically explores the nature of addiction and the painful challenges of overcoming it. Initially marketed as a memoir, A Million Little Pieces was selected for Oprah Winfrey’s Book Club and became a New York Times bestseller. However, the book became... Read A Million Little Pieces Summary

An Essay Concerning Human Understanding

by John Locke

Publication year 1690

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Nature Versus Nurture, Language, Science & Technology, Religion & Spirituality, Order & Chaos

Tags Philosophy, Religion & Spirituality, Education, Science & Nature, Age of Enlightenment, World History, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics & Government

An Essay Concerning Human Understanding by John Locke is a study of how humans think, learn, and retain knowledge. Scholars often focus first on Locke’s philosophical treatises, but his work on epistemology complements and shapes his political thought. Born in 1632, the English philosopher ushered in the Age of Enlightenment and is considered one of the greatest Western philosophers in history. An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, first published in 1690, explores the origin and nature... Read An Essay Concerning Human Understanding Summary

Arcadia

by Lauren Groff

Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Community, Apathy, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Gratitude, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Midlife, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Nature Versus Nurture, Family, Self Discovery, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger

Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

... Read Arcadia Summary

Arsenic and Old Lace

by Joseph Kesselring

Publication year 1941

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Loyalty & Betrayal, Nature Versus Nurture

Tags Comedy & Satire, Mystery & Crime Fiction, World History, Dramatic Literature, Humor, Classic Fiction

Arsenic and Old Lace is a three-act, farcical dark comedy by American playwright Joseph Kesselring. It made its Broadway debut in 1941 and enjoyed a successful three-year run. The play was made famous by the 1944 film adaptation directed by Frank Capra and starring Cary Grant as Mortimer Brewster. It is still commonly read and performed today. This guide correlates to the official script published by Dramatists Play Service Inc.Page numbers in your edition may... Read Arsenic and Old Lace Summary

As Nature Made Him

by John Colapinto

Publication year 2000

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Nature Versus Nurture, Trust & Doubt

Tags Health, Gender & Feminism, Science & Nature, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, LGBTQ+, Biography

John Colapinto’s 1999 book As Nature Made Him is an expansion of his award-winning 1997 Rolling Stone article on the medical scandal surrounding David Reimer. David, raised as Brenda under the auspices of famous sexologist and child psychiatrist Dr. John Money, transitions back to a male gender identity during his teenage years. After Dr. Milton Diamond reveals the failure of Money’s theory of gender neutrality at birth, David’s story raises serious questions in the medical... Read As Nature Made Him Summary

Bad Blood

by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Coming of Age, Nature Versus Nurture, Family, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense

... Read Bad Blood Summary

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

by Amy Chua

Publication year 2011

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Family, Childhood & Youth, Education, Nature Versus Nurture

Tags Parenting, Asian Literature, Symbolic Narrative, Education, Education, Chinese Literature, Biography

Amy Chua’s memoir, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother (2011), depicts Chua’s experience raising two American daughters according to Chinese cultural standards. Chua is a Yale law professor specializing in globalization and ethnic conflict. She is also a second-generation Chinese American, and her husband is Jewish. Chua’s strict approach is influenced by the parenting methods used by her own parents, which clash with those of her husband. Chua’s memoir was a New York Times bestseller... Read Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother Summary

Book of Night

by Holly Black

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Loneliness, Love, Appearance & Reality, Nature Versus Nurture, Daughters & Sons, Social Class, Fame, Good & Evil, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Fantasy, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Romance

... Read Book of Night Summary

Bringing Up Bébé

by Pamela Druckerman

Publication year 2012

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Family, Mothers, Gratitude, Hope, Love, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Language, Childhood & Youth, Midlife, Food, Nature Versus Nurture, Daughters & Sons, Marriage, Social Class, Immigration, Nation

Tags Memoir & Autobiography, Parenting

... Read Bringing Up Bébé Summary

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

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

... Read Cannibalism: A Perfectly Natural History Summary

Cosmic

by Frank Cottrell Boyce

Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Space, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Coming of Age, Future, Environment, Nature Versus Nurture, Place, Fathers, Friendship, Self Discovery, Community, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt

Tags Science Fiction, Action & Adventure, Humor, Fantasy

... Read Cosmic Summary

Crooked House

by Agatha Christie

Publication year 1949

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Good & Evil, Appearance & Reality, Family, Social Class, Siblings, Nature Versus Nurture

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, British Literature, Classic Fiction

Crooked House is a crime fiction novel by mystery writer Agatha Christie, and its title was inspired by the house in the nursery rhyme, “There Was a Crooked Man.” The novel was first published in the US in 1949 by Dodd, Mead, and Company, and in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in the same year. Crooked House is one of Christie’s favorites among her own work. The novel takes place in post-World War... Read Crooked House Summary