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.

Land

by Maggie O'Farrell

Publication year 2026

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Indigenous Identity, Coming of Age, Death, The Past, Environment, Nature Versus Nurture, Place, Daughters & Sons, Family, Colonialism, Immigration, Music

Tags Historical Fiction, Irish Literature

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Last Night in Brooklyn

by Xochitl Gonzalez

Publication year 2026

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Nostalgia, Regret, Race, The Past, Nature Versus Nurture, Place, Friendship, Marriage, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Economics, Equality, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies

Tags Literary Fiction, Contemporary Literature

The novel opens in 2010 as narrator Alicia Forten receives word that Freddy's, a beloved Brooklyn bar, will close to make way for a stadium development. The regulars plan one last party, and Alicia attends, half hoping to see La Garza, a fashion designer and local legend she lost years earlier. Standing on the street at dawn, she invokes her grandmother's saying, El mono sabe en qué palo trepa (The monkey knows the tree it... Read Last Night in Brooklyn Summary

Letters to Malcolm

by C. S. Lewis

Publication year 1964

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Guilt, Joy, Love, Memory, Language, Death, Future, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Nature Versus Nurture, Objects & Materials, Place, Family, Friendship, Self Discovery, Fate, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt

Tags Christian, Theology

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Love, Mom

by Iliana Xander

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, The Past, Nature Versus Nurture, Daughters & Sons, Family, Mothers

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

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Masterminds

by Gordon Korman

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Self Discovery, Science & Technology, Truth & Lies, Nature Versus Nurture, Appearance & Reality, Safety & Danger

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Action & Adventure, Horror & Suspense, Science & Nature, Education, Technology, Science Fiction, Children`s Literature

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Men Who Hate Women

by Laura Bates

Publication year 2020

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Hate & Anger, Femininity, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Nature Versus Nurture, Community, Equality, Science & Technology

Tags Gender & Feminism, Women`s Studies, Social Justice, Trauma & Abuse

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Mont Blanc

by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Publication year 1817

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Nature Versus Nurture, Objects & Materials, Place, Environment

Tags Philosophy, Science & Nature, Romanticism, Education, Education, British Literature, Classic Fiction

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My Friend Dahmer

by Derf Backderf

Publication year 2012

Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Nonfiction

Themes Mental Health, Economics, Nature Versus Nurture

Tags Crime & Law, Trauma & Abuse, Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Biography

My Friend Dahmer is a graphic novel/memoir by American cartoonist and writer Derf Backderf, known for utilizing darkness and shading in his comic strips and graphic novels. Evolving from a 24-page cartoon created in 2002, My Friend Dahmer (2012) depicts the author’s memories of his high school friend, notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, in novelistic form—exploring the ways Dahmer himself could have been helped and his 17 murders prevented. The graphic novel was adapted into... Read My Friend Dahmer Summary

My Sister, the Serial Killer

by Oyinkan Braithwaite

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Nature Versus Nurture, Beauty

Tags Satirical Literature, Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

My Sister, the Serial Killer, is a novel by Nigerian-born British writer Oyinkan Braithwaite, originally published in the UK in 2019. Set in Nigeria’s largest city, Lagos, this darkly satirical, structurally experimental crime story about the extremes of family bonds bears an unusually revealing and literal title, and it has been longlisted for the prestigious Booker Prize. The novel was also shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction and the 2019 Amazon Publishing Readers’ Awards... Read My Sister, the Serial Killer Summary

Next of Kin

by Hannah Bonam-Young

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Love, Disability, The Past, Nature Versus Nurture, Family, Fathers, Friendship, Mothers, Siblings, Teamwork

Tags Romance, Modern Classic Fiction

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Night

by William Blake

Publication year 1789

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Nature Versus Nurture, Religion & Spirituality, Appearance & Reality, Animals

Tags Romanticism, Religion & Spirituality, World History, Arts & Culture

... Read Night Summary