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.

The Art of War

by Sun Tzu

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes War, Power & Greed, Teamwork

Tags World History, Philosophy, Philosophy, Self-Improvement, Classic Fiction, Military & War, Business & Economics, Politics & Government, Asian History, Chinese Literature

The Art of War, written in China during the fifth century BCE by military expert Sun Tzu, has been favored reading among soldiers and strategists for two millennia. Its concise 13 chapters, studied to this day by world leaders and generals from Chinese revolutionary Mao Zedong to US Joint Chiefs Chairman Colin Powell, teach victory through studying the opponent, building impregnable defenses, confusing the enemy with diversions, and attacking forcefully its weak spots. The book... Read The Art of War Summary

The Atlas Paradox

by Olivie Blake

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Equality, Friendship, Death, Future, The Past, Appearance & Reality, New Age, Religion & Spirituality, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Trust & Doubt, Loyalty & Betrayal, Fate, Good & Evil

Tags Fantasy, LGBTQ+, Science Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Relationships, Science & Nature, Social Justice, Education, Philosophy

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The Autumn of the Patriarch

by Gabriel García Márquez, Transl. Gregory Rabassa

Publication year 1975

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Death, Politics & Government, Justice

Tags Magical Realism, Latin American Literature, World History, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

The Autumn of the Patriarch by Gabriel García Márquez debuted in Spain in 1975. The English translation published in 1976. Márquez’s most notable work, One Hundred Years of Solitude, earned him a Nobel Prize in Literature in 1982 and reflects his distinct magical realist style, an artistic genre first recognized in literature in predominantly Latin American writing during the 1940s. The Autumn of the Patriarch, published seven years later, also features Márquez’s magical style and... Read The Autumn of the Patriarch Summary

The Back of the Turtle

by Thomas King

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Environment, Fate, Community, Power & Greed, Climate

Tags Fantasy, Modern Classic Fiction, Canadian Literature

The Back of the Turtle (2014) is a bestselling novel by Canadian American author Thomas King. King is of Cherokee Greek descent and has garnered acclaim for his novels about Indigenous Canadian experiences, including The Inconvenient Indian and Green Grass Running Water. The Back of the Turtle won King the Governor General’s literary award.The narrative follows Gabriel Quinn, a member of the First Nations community of Lethbridge, Alberta, as he returns to his family’s home... Read The Back of the Turtle Summary

The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born

by Ayi Kwei Armah

Publication year 1969

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Colonialism, Power & Greed, Politics & Government

Tags Heinemann African Writers, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction, Satirical Literature, Poverty, Colonialism & Postcolonialism, African American Literature, World History

The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born, published in 1968, is a debut novel by Ayi Kwei Armah, one of the most noteworthy writers of postcolonial Ghana. Armah was born in Takoradi, Ghana, in 1939. He was educated at schools in Ghana and private institutions in America, including Harvard University. He has also worked as a translator, scriptwriter, and a university lecturer.The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born focuses on life in post-independence Ghana and... Read The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born Summary

The Bewitching

by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Indigenous Identity, Death, Animals, Place, Family, Grandparents, Self Discovery, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Good & Evil, Power & Greed

Tags Horror & Suspense, Gothic Literature, Fantasy

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The Big Sleep

by Raymond Chandler

Publication year 1939

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Truth & Lies, Safety & Danger, Power & Greed, Loyalty & Betrayal, Siblings, Place, Revenge, Perseverance

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Classic Fiction, American Literature, Trauma & Abuse, Finance, Grief & Death, Love & Sexuality

Published in 1939, The Big Sleep by novelist and screenwriter Raymond Chandler is a murder mystery widely regarded as one of the greatest hard-boiled detective stories of the 20th century. The work introduces Philip Marlowe, a fictional private eye with a jaundiced view of humanity but a strong sense of fairness, who appears in seven other novels by Chandler. Hired by a super-rich family to negotiate with a blackmailer, Marlowe encounters murder, mayhem, and a... Read The Big Sleep Summary

The Birds

by Aristophanes

Publication year -1

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Community, Religion & Spirituality, Power & Greed, Animals

Tags Animals, Comedy & Satire, Politics & Government, Ancient Greece, Classical Period, Fantasy

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The Bone Clocks

by David Mitchell

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Good & Evil, Hope, Memory, Gender Identity, Indigenous Identity, Death, Future, Appearance & Reality, Climate, Social Class, War, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed

Tags Fantasy, Science Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Magical Realism

The Bone Clocks (2014) is a work of literary fantasy and the sixth novel by English author David Mitchell. It was longlisted for the 2014 Man Booker Prize, and also received the 2015 World Fantasy Award.Spanning nearly 60 years and featuring five different narrators, The Bone Clocks follows Holly Sykes, a young woman from Kent, England, who becomes embroiled in a secret war between two groups of immortal beings called the Horologists and the Anchorites... Read The Bone Clocks Summary

The Bonfire of the Vanities

by Tom Wolfe

Publication year 1987

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Masculinity, Race, Social Class, Truth & Lies

Tags Satirical Literature, Social Class, Race & Racism, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Humor, Classic Fiction

Tom Wolfe’s The Bonfire of the Vanities, published in 1987, is a critically acclaimed, sprawling saga of the vivid world of New York City in the 1980s. Modeled after Charles Dickens’s socially realistic novels, the book is a satire on the excesses and disparities of New York society. Powered by diverse, opinionated characters and iconic locations, the plot follows the wealthy, married Manhattan investment broker Sherman McCoy as his American Dream begins to unravel. Sherman’s... Read The Bonfire of the Vanities Summary