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.

Neo-Colonialism

by Kwame Nkrumah

Publication year 1965

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Economics, Colonialism, Race, Globalization, Nation, Politics & Government, Equality, Power & Greed

Tags Politics & Government, History: African , Philosophy, African Literature

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Never Split the Difference

by Chris Voss

Publication year 2016

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Economics, Power & Greed, Teamwork, Language

Tags Business & Economics, Self-Improvement, Leadership, Psychology, Psychology

Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as If Your Life Depended on It is a 2016 nonfiction book cowritten by Chris Voss, an international hostage negotiator turned business consultant and professor, and journalist Tahl Raz. In this book, which straddles the line between the business and self-help genres, Voss shares principles gleaned from decades of experience in high-stakes negotiations. Citations in this guide correspond with the first edition published by Harper Collins. Although Raz is credited... Read Never Split the Difference Summary

New from Here

by Kelly Yang

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Forgiveness, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Hope, Love, Shame & Pride, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Place, Equality, Justice, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Science & Technology, Safety & Danger, Race, Mothers, Siblings, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Friendship, Marriage, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Social Class, Community, Nation, Regret

Tags Race & Racism, Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

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Nexus

by Yuval Noah Harari

Publication year 2024

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Politics & Government, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Science & Technology

Tags World History, Science & Nature, Philosophy

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Nibelungenlied

by Anonymous

Publication year 1200

Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction

Themes Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Power & Greed, Good & Evil, Wins & Losses, Revenge, Hate & Anger, Love, Perseverance, Conflict, Family

Tags Classic Fiction, Medieval, Narrative Poem, Mythology

Sometimes referred to as the “German Iliad,” Nibelungenlied is a 13th-century German epic poem that combines historical events with German heroic legend. The epic’s poet is unknown—though some clues within the text suggest that he was from Passau, Germany. The epic, which literally translates to “The Song of the Nibelungs” in English, portrays the Burgundians’ historic defeat by the Huns in the 5th century—the tragic result of the mythical queen Kriemhild’s desire to avenge her... Read Nibelungenlied Summary

Nicholas Nickleby

by Charles Dickens

Publication year 1839

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Justice, Power & Greed

Tags Classic Fiction, Victorian Period, Historical Fiction, British Literature, World History, Victorian Era

Nicholas Nickleby is Victorian writer Charles Dickens’s third novel. Published through serialization in 1838, it first appeared in its novel form in 1839. The novel has been adapted for the stage and for the screen several times, the first theatrical version appearing in 1838, before the novel was even finished. Dickens wrote Nicholas Nickleby with the intention of exposing the abuses of for-profit boarding schools in England. In focusing on the titular hero, Nicholas, Dickens’s... Read Nicholas Nickleby Summary

Nightbane

by Alex Aster

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Love, Memory, Appearance & Reality, Fate, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

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Noli Me Tángere

by José Rizal

Publication year 1887

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Colonialism, Social Class, Power & Greed, Politics & Government

Tags Satirical Literature, Historical Fiction, Asian Literature, Asian History, Politics & Government, Asian Literature, World History, Romance, Classic Fiction

Noli Me Tángere (1887)—which translates to “Touch Me Not” in Latin—is a novel written by Filipino writer José Rizal. The novel tells the story of Don Crisóstomo Ibarra, a young man of Filipino and Spanish descent who returns to the Philippines after a seven-year trip to Europe. Upon his return, and because he is now old enough to better understand the world, Ibarra sees the oppression wrought on the Indigenous population by Spanish colonialism. As... Read Noli Me Tángere Summary

North Woods

by Daniel Mason

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Environment, Memory, Fate, Death, Future, The Past, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Plants, Objects & Materials, Place, Self Discovery, Community, Beauty, Good & Evil, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger

Tags Historical Fiction, Science & Nature, World History, Magical Realism

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Nostromo

by Joseph Conrad

Publication year 1904

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Colonialism, Community, Economics, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags British Literature, Historical Fiction, Action & Adventure

Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard is a 1904 modernist novel by Polish British author Joseph Conrad. Originally published as a two-volume serial in T.P.’s Weekly, Nostromo is the story of an Italian dockworker who becomes swept up in the political turmoil of a fictional Latin American country in the late 19th Century. An example of modernist literature, Nostromo has been heralded as one of Conrad’s greatest works and has been adapted for film, television... Read Nostromo Summary

No Sweetness Here

by Ama Ata Aidoo

Publication year 1969

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Mothers, Community, Family, Power & Greed

Tags African Literature, Colonialism & Postcolonialism, Gender & Feminism, Race & Racism, African American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

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Nothing to See Here

by Kevin Wilson

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Power & Greed, Politics & Government, Friendship

Tags Humor, Magical Realism, Parenting, Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy

Nothing to See Here is a 2019 novel by New York Times best-selling author and short story writer Kevin Wilson. The novel, which is set in Tennessee, includes a dedication to fellow Tennessean writer Ann Patchett. This is not Wilson’s first work about unusual characters and their families. He achieved success with his first novel, The Family Fang, and another called Perfect Little World. In these works, Wilson developed the prototype for the unique brand... Read Nothing to See Here Summary