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.

Cryptonomicon

by Neal Stephenson

Publication year 1999

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes War, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology

Tags Science Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Historical Fiction, World War II

Cryptonomicon (1999) is a science fiction novel by Neal Stephenson. Describing events in two different time periods—World War II and an unspecified period in the 1990s—the novel tells the interconnected stories of a large cast of characters. One timeline follows Lawrence Pritchard Waterhouse, a mathematician and naval captain who is assigned to a 1942 secret, anti-Nazi cryptographic mission, and the other follows his grandson, Randy, a crypto-hacker uncovering a decades-old conspiracy in the present day... Read Cryptonomicon Summary

Culture and Imperialism

by Edward Said

Publication year 1993

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Colonialism, Power & Greed, Literature

Tags Colonialism & Postcolonialism, World History, Philosophy, Politics & Government, European History, Middle Eastern History, Asian History, Literary Criticism, Sociology, Philosophy, Arts & Culture

Culture and Imperialism is a nonfiction book published in 1993 by the Palestinian American author and academic Edward Said. Originating from a series of lectures that Said delivered in 1985 and 1986, Culture and Imperialism is an expansion of the ideas set out in his groundbreaking earlier work, Orientalism (1978). Considered one of the founders of the field of post-colonial studies, Said looks at how the formerly colonized margins influence the metropolitan centers, and vice... Read Culture and Imperialism Summary

Dangerous Liaisons

by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos

Publication year 1782

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Marriage, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Femininity, Love, Revenge, Sexual Identity

Tags Classic Fiction, French Literature, Historical Fiction, Romance, Love & Sexuality

Dangerous Liaisons is an epistolary novel (i.e., a story told through a series of letters) first published in 1782, seven years before the start of the French Revolution, by Pierre-Ambroise-François Choderlos de Laclos. The story revolves around the scheming and manipulative activities of two aristocrats, the Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont. They take pleasure in seducing and ruining the reputations of others, using their wit and charm to manipulate those around them... Read Dangerous Liaisons Summary

Das Kapital

by Karl Marx

Publication year 1867

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Economics, Power & Greed, Social Class, Wins & Losses, Colonialism

Tags Philosophy, Business & Economics, Politics & Government, Poverty, German Literature

Capital: A Critique of Political Economy (also popularly known in the English-speaking world by its original German title, Das Kapital) by Karl Marx is an influential critique of capitalism that sought to define the economic system’s functions. The first volume—which is the only volume fully written by Karl Marx himself—was published in 1867. Two further volumes were written by Marx’s long-time collaborator, Friedrich Engels, based on Marx’s notes, and were published in 1885 and 1894... Read Das Kapital Summary

Daughters of the Bamboo Grove

by Barbara Demick

Publication year 2025

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Perseverance, Forgiveness, Grief, Memory, Femininity, Language, Race, Birth, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Environment, Nature Versus Nurture, Place, Daughters & Sons, Family, Siblings, Community, Economics, Globalization, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed

Tags Biography, US History, Asian History, Immigration & Refugeeism

Daughters of the Bamboo Grove (2025) is a work of narrative nonfiction by journalist Barbara Demick. The book chronicles the true story of identical twin sisters separated in infancy as the result of China’s one-child policy. After family-planning officials confiscated one of the twins, she was adopted by a family in Texas, while her sister remained with their birth family in rural Hunan Province. The narrative follows Demick’s investigation into their case and her role... Read Daughters of the Bamboo Grove Summary

D'Aulaires Book of Greek Myths

by Edgar Parin d'Aulaire, Ingri d'Aulaire

Publication year 1962

Genre Anthology/Varied Collection, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Language, Appearance & Reality, Nature Versus Nurture, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Marriage, Siblings, Colonialism, Community, Education, Politics & Government, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Literature, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Fantasy, Mythology, Children`s Literature

... Read D'Aulaires Book of Greek Myths Summary

Dead Lions

by Mick Herron

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Fear, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Revenge, Death, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Grandparents, Teamwork, Politics & Government, War, Good & Evil, Justice, Power & Greed

Tags Horror & Suspense

... Read Dead Lions Summary

Death Comes for the Archbishop

by Willa Cather

Publication year 1927

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Indigenous Identity, Race, Death, Future, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Place, Friendship, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Community, Beauty, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Western, American Literature, Religion & Spirituality, World History, Classic Fiction

Death Comes for the Archbishop (1927) is a novel by American author Willa Cather. The story is loosely based on the experiences of Priests Jean-Baptiste Lamy and Joseph Projectus Machebeuf as they sought to establish a Catholic diocese (an ecclesiastical district under the control of one particular bishop) in the newly acquired territory of New Mexico.A major figure in American literature, Cather is best known for the novels O Pioneers! (1913), The Song of the... Read Death Comes for the Archbishop Summary

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

... Read Death's End Summary

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