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.

Richard III

by William Shakespeare

Publication year 1597

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Truth & Lies, Fate, Order & Chaos, Appearance & Reality, Family

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Drama, British Literature, Education, Education, World History, Dramatic Literature, Historical Fiction

Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare written between 1592 and 1594. It is one of Shakespeare’s earliest plays and his second longest. The play depicts the rise of King Richard III of England, also known as Richard, Duke of Gloucester. Shakespeare portrays Richard as a Machiavellian tyrant who uses lies and violence to unjustly seize the throne during a politically turbulent period of England’s history known as the Wars of the Roses... Read Richard III Summary

Riders of the Purple Sage

by Zane Grey

Publication year 1912

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Gender Identity, Femininity, Masculinity, Justice, Safety & Danger, Loyalty & Betrayal, Good & Evil, Religion & Spirituality, Power & Greed, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Revenge, Regret, Shame & Pride, Fathers, Friendship

Tags Classic Fiction, Western, Historical Fiction, Gender & Feminism, Religion & Spirituality, American Literature, World History, Romance, Action & Adventure

Riders of the Purple Sage is a novel by western writer Zane Grey. Set in 1871, the novel follows the story of Jane Withersteen, a Mormon woman being persecuted by her church leaders for refusing to become the third wife of church leader, Elder Tull, as well as her fondness for non-Mormons, or gentile, settlers in the area. The novel first appeared as a 19-part series in the magazine, Field and Stream, in January of... Read Riders of the Purple Sage Summary

Rise To Rebellion

by Jeff Shaara

Publication year 2001

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Hate & Anger, Hope, Revenge, Mental Health, Death, The Past, Place, Family, Fathers, Marriage, Teamwork, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Economics, Globalization, Politics & Government, War, Equality, Power & Greed

Tags World History, American Revolution, Historical Fiction, Military & War, US History

... Read Rise To Rebellion Summary

Rodrick Rules

by Jeff Kinney

Publication year 2008

Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Conflict, Apathy, Fear, Hate & Anger, Shame & Pride, Regret, Childhood & Youth, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt, Masculinity, Appearance & Reality, Education, Family, Siblings, Mothers, Fathers, Daughters & Sons

Tags Humor, Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read Rodrick Rules Summary

Rogue Protocol

by Martha Wells

Publication year 2018

Genre Novella, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Appearance & Reality, Nature Versus Nurture, Friendship, Teamwork, Economics, Politics & Government, Power & Greed, Science & Technology

Tags Science Fiction, Action & Adventure

... Read Rogue Protocol Summary

Rogues

by Patrick Radden Keefe

Publication year 2022

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Power & Greed, Justice, Siblings, Place, Perseverance, Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt

Tags Crime & Law, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Journalism, Business & Economics, Social Class, Finance, Trauma & Abuse, Leadership, World History, Biography

... Read Rogues Summary

Roots

by Alex Haley

Publication year 1976

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Perseverance, Race, Power & Greed

Tags Historical Fiction, Race & Racism, African American Literature, World History, Classic Fiction

Roots is a 1976 historical fiction novel by Alex Haley. Haley served in the United States Coast Guard during World War II and as a military journalist after the war. Prior to writing Roots, Haley interviewed famous Black Americans and ghostwrote The Autobiography of Malcolm X, which has remained a bestselling work since its publication in 1965. In Roots, Haley combines his journalistic experience with Black America and his family’s oral history, bolstered with research... Read Roots Summary

Rubicon

by Tom Holland

Publication year 2003

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Nation, Politics & Government, Power & Greed

Tags World History, Politics & Government, Classical Period, Classic Fiction

... Read Rubicon Summary

Runaway: Stories

by Alice Munro

Publication year 2004

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Love, Loyalty & Betrayal, Nostalgia, Loneliness, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Guilt, Memory, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, The Past, Daughters & Sons, Family, Fathers, Marriage, Mothers, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Fate, Good & Evil, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger

Tags Canadian Literature, Literary Fiction, Relationships

... Read Runaway: Stories Summary

Run, Rose, Run

by Dolly Parton, James Patterson

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Shame & Pride, Love, Revenge, Justice, Fame, Good & Evil, Music, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Music, Trauma & Abuse, Relationships, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance

... Read Run, Rose, Run Summary

Runt

by Marion Dane Bauer

Publication year 2002

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Coming of Age, Death, Environment, Family, Fathers, Self Discovery, Power & Greed

Tags Animals, Action & Adventure, Fantasy

... Read Runt Summary

Safe Haven

by Nicholas Sparks

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Safety & Danger, Power & Greed, Love

Tags Romance, Love & Sexuality, Trauma & Abuse, Relationships, Addiction & Substance Abuse, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Dramatic Literature

Safe Haven is a novel by New York Times bestselling author Nicholas Sparks. Written in 2010, Safe Haven was adapted into a movie of the same name in 2013. Like most of Sparks’s novels, the setting of this story is North Carolina. The author often uses his home state as a backdrop to his romances, incorporating the beauty and history of the state as a central motif. In this novel, Sparks contrasts the beauty and... Read Safe Haven Summary

Sanditon

by Jane Austen

Publication year 1925

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Colonialism, Social Class, Marriage, Gender Identity

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, British Literature, Colonialism & Postcolonialism, Regency Era, World History

... Read Sanditon Summary

Scar Island

by Dan Gemeinhart

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Fear, Guilt, Conflict, Shame & Pride, Safety & Danger, Childhood & Youth, Community

Tags Children`s Literature, Action & Adventure, Horror & Suspense, Realistic Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction

... Read Scar Island Summary

Schindler's List

by Thomas Keneally

Publication year 1982

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Good & Evil, Guilt, Justice, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Hate & Anger, Race, War

Tags Historical Fiction, Holocaust, World War II, Life-Inspired Fiction, Race & Racism, World History, Immigration & Refugeeism, Incarceration, Military & War, Politics & Government, Social Justice, Sociology, Trauma & Abuse, Classic Fiction, Biography

Schindler’s List (originally titled Schindler’s Ark) is a 1982 historical novel by Australian author Thomas Keneally. It tells the story of Oskar Schindler, a member of the Nazi party who used his position as a German industrialist to save more than 1,200 people’s lives during the war. In protecting as many people as he could from the genocidal Nazi regime, Schindler risked being sent to a concentration camp himself. Keneally wrote the novel with the... Read Schindler's List Summary