Power

This curated selection of titles examines the concept of power and its role in shaping society. The texts in the Power Collection draw upon a wide range of literary traditions and genres to explore concepts related to power and its pursuit, such as equality and injustice, colonialism, authority, and conflict.

Death's End

by Liu Cixin

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Hope, Death, Future, Objects & Materials, Space, Teamwork, Colonialism, Politics & Government, War, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Chinese Literature

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Deathwatch

by Robb White

Publication year 1972

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Death, Coming of Age, Power & Greed

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Action & Adventure, Education, Education, Horror & Suspense, Realistic Fiction

Deathwatch is a novel by Robb White. It is a work of fiction with elements of mystery, adventure, and survival. The novel follows Ben, a college student and hunting guide whose client, Madec, turns on him after Ben witnesses an accidental shooting. Published in 1972, Deathwatch was named an Outstanding Book of the Year by The New York Times, received the Edgar Award (named for American author Edgar Allen Poe) for Best Juvenile Mystery from... Read Deathwatch Summary

Deception Point

by Dan Brown

Publication year 2001

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Politics & Government, Truth & Lies, Power & Greed

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Science Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Science & Nature

Published in 2001, Dan Brown’s techno-thriller Deception Point is a standalone novel that blends high-stakes conspiracy with cutting-edge science. The narrative follows Rachel Sexton, an intelligence analyst for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) whose estranged father, Senator Sedgewick Sexton, is challenging the incumbent President Zachary Herney for the presidency. When President Herney announces that a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) satellite has discovered a meteorite in the Arctic containing fossilized proof of extraterrestrial life... Read Deception Point Summary

Devil on the Cross

by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o

Publication year 1980

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Politics & Government, Social Class, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Community, Justice, Power & Greed

Tags African Literature, Colonialism & Postcolonialism, Symbolic Narrative, Education, Education, African American Literature, Classic Fiction, Politics & Government

Published in 1980, Devil on the Cross by Kenyan author Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o explores themes of Exploitation and Theft Under Capitalism, The Treatment of Women in the Workforce, and The Legacy of Colonialism through its complex, nested narrative and ironic exaggeration. The story centers on the female protagonist Jacinta Warĩĩnga as she leaves her complicated and abusive life behind to return home. On her journey, she experiences self-discovery and newfound autonomy, as well as the... Read Devil on the Cross Summary

Devolution

by Max Brooks

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Apathy, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Forgiveness, Gratitude, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Hope, Revenge, Mental Health, Midlife, Death, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Food, Nature Versus Nurture, Objects & Materials, Place, Family, Friendship, Marriage, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Economics, Fate, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense, Science Fiction

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Diary of a Madman

by Lu Xun

Publication year 1918

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Politics & Government, Community, Appearance & Reality, Fear, Mental Health, Apathy, Nation, Power & Greed, Order & Chaos

Tags Classic Fiction, Symbolic Narrative, Mental Illness, Chinese Literature, World History

Lu Xun's "Diary of a Madman" was first published in China in 1918, during a period of significant cultural and political upheaval in the country. The Qin dynasty, in power since 1644, had recently collapsed from internal and external pressures in the 1912 Xinhai Revolution, marking a dramatic break from the past. New ideas about government, philosophy, and science prompted many Chinese intellectuals to reflect on long-held traditions and look toward a rebirth of the... Read Diary of a Madman Summary

Dire bound

by Sable Sorensen

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Hope, Love, Memory, Femininity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Death, Future, The Past, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Family, Friendship, Mothers, Siblings, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Politics & Government, War, Beauty, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Romance, Love & Sexuality, Fantasy

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Discipline And Punish

by Michel Foucault

Publication year 1975

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Power & Greed, Politics & Government, Social Class

Tags Philosophy, Incarceration, World History, Sociology, Psychology, French Literature, Education, Education, Psychology, Philosophy, Classic Fiction, Politics & Government

Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison by Michel Foucault is a socio-political study of how power manifests in the Western penal system throughout history. Considered to be Foucault’s masterpiece, Discipline and Punish traces the history of how punishment and control were applied in Western society and how penal systems evolved to match changes in social sensibilities. Michel Foucault was a French historical philosopher and literary critic in the 20th century. Foucault’s work has... Read Discipline And Punish Summary

Doctor Faustus

by Christopher Marlowe

Publication year 1589

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Death

Tags Classic Fiction, Elizabethan Era, Tragedy

In the play Doctor Faustus, an ambitious scholar sells his soul to the devil in exchange for knowledge and power. Written by Christopher Marlowe, the work was first produced in 1592 in London, where it caused a sensation, influenced Shakespeare’s plays, and launched a cottage industry in books, music, and other arts about the man who risked eternal damnation for the chance to control reality.Christopher Marlowe was born in Canterbury, England, in 1564 and died... Read Doctor Faustus Summary

Doctor Sleep

by Stephen King

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Apathy, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Regret, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Death, Family, Fathers, Teamwork, Good & Evil, Justice, Religion & Spirituality, Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt, Safety & Danger, Order & Chaos, Community, Power & Greed, Self Discovery, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Mental Health

Tags Horror & Suspense, Fantasy, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

Doctor Sleep is a 2013 horror novel by Stephen King. It is a sequel to the events that occurred in King’s popular novel The Shining and features the return of Danny Torrance. Decades after the horrors at the Overlook Hotel, Dan Torrance must now reckon with the renewed threat of the spirits. When the novel begins, the dead woman from the Overlook’s Room 217 has returned and threatens Danny in his bathroom. King uses this... Read Doctor Sleep Summary

Dominion

by Addie E. Citchens

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Marriage, Power & Greed

Tags Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Religion & Spirituality, African American Literature

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Dopesick

by Beth Macy

Publication year 2018

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Power & Greed, Economics, Politics & Government, Race

Tags US History, Politics & Government, Science & Nature, Health, Crime & Law, Sociology, World History

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Dorothy Must Die

by Danielle Paige

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Self Discovery, Science & Technology, Power & Greed, Loneliness

Tags Fantasy, Fairy Tale & Folklore, Action & Adventure, Science Fiction

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige (Harper Collins, 2014) is the first installment in the 4-book Dorothy Must Die series, followed by The Wicked Will Rise. The story follows a girl from Kansas through a dystopian land of Oz in which Dorothy rules with an iron will and unforgiving hand. Dorothy Must Die is set in the world of the Oz books by L. Frank Baum and was a New York Times bestseller. Danielle Paige... Read Dorothy Must Die Summary