Safety & Danger

This collection, spanning books like Nadine Gordimer's Jump and Other Stories and Lois Lowry's Number the Stars, gathers fiction and nonfiction examining how our human craving for safety is compromised, questioned, and challenged by an unpredictable and sometimes dangerous world.

Insomnia

by Stephen King

Publication year 1994

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Grief, Death, Appearance & Reality, Fate, Safety & Danger

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

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In the Heat of the Night

by John Dudley Ball

Publication year 1965

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Race, Safety & Danger, Community

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Realistic Fiction, Race & Racism, Civil Rights & Jim Crow South, Diversity, Social Class, American Literature, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

Published in 1965, John Ball’s In the Heat of the Night is a crime novel set in Wells, South Carolina. The story focuses on the police department’s numerous struggles to solve a recent murder. Virgil Tibbs, a Black detective from Pasadena, California, lends a helping hand, but his interactions with the locals reveal the deep-seated racism of Wells. Through this murder mystery, the novel addresses issues of systemic racism and offers hope for a better... Read In the Heat of the Night Summary

Into Thin Air

by Jon Krakauer

Publication year 1997

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Safety & Danger, Perseverance, Place, Guilt, Death

Tags Travel Literature, Action & Adventure, Sports, Dramatic Literature, Natural Disaster, World History, Biography

Into Thin Air is American is authored by professional mountain climber Jon Krakauer. It is a personal account of attempting to ascend Mount Everest, prompted by an assignment from Outside magazine to cover the commercial development of the communities at the mountain’s base. Krakauer’s climbing attempt, which was fatal for several, became the deadliest expedition ever on the mountain. In the book, he reflects on his experience, reporting it as truthfully as possible.Krakauer recalls being... Read Into Thin Air Summary

Invisible Women

by Caroline Criado Perez

Publication year 2019

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Love, The Past, Art, Safety & Danger, Economics, Science & Technology, Gender Identity, Politics & Government, Equality

Tags Gender & Feminism, Science & Nature, Social Justice, Finance, Sociology, Business & Economics, Technology, Health, Politics & Government, Women`s Studies

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I, Robot

by Isaac Asimov

Publication year 1950

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Science & Technology, Justice, Safety & Danger

Tags Science Fiction, Classic Fiction, Fantasy

I, Robot, a science fiction novel by Isaac Asimov, is a set of stories about the first robotic machines and the problems and pitfalls of living with and working alongside them. The book is the first in a series of several novels about robots; it is famous for its Three Laws of Robotics that govern machine behavior, and for its device, the positronic brain, which contains a robot’s conscious intelligence.Asimov (1920-1992) is one of the... Read I, Robot Summary

Island of the Blue Dolphins

by Scott O'Dell

Publication year 1960

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Safety & Danger, Self Discovery, Place, Animals, Environment, Coming of Age, Loneliness, Perseverance

Tags Historical Fiction, Action & Adventure, Survival Fiction, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, World History, Classic Fiction

Originally published in 1960, Scott O’Dell’s Island of the Blue Dolphins is a middle grade historical fiction/adventure novel. Karana, the protagonist and narrator, is only 12 when hunters land on her peaceful island home and kill many of her people, including her father. When the remaining villagers leave the island in search of a safe place to rebuild their lives, she stays behind and must learn to survive on her own. O’Dell drew inspiration from... Read Island of the Blue Dolphins Summary

Iveliz Explains It All

by Andrea Beatriz Arango

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction

Themes Mental Health, Family, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Race, Coming of Age, Death, Fathers, Grandparents, Mothers, Self Discovery, Safety & Danger

Tags Realistic Fiction, Mental Illness

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James And The Giant Peach

by Roald Dahl

Publication year 1961

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Community, Safety & Danger, Childhood & Youth, Family, Love, Fear, Loneliness, Grief, Death, Hope, Perseverance

Tags Fantasy, Classic Fiction, Humor, Children`s Literature, Magical Realism, Animals, Action & Adventure

James and the Giant Peach by British author Roald Dahl was first published in 1961. This critically acclaimed children’s novel was made into an award-winning film in 1996. It tells the story of a giant peach that magically grows in a young boy, James’s, back garden—big enough for him to enter the center of the peach and have adventures with the insects who live in there. Dahl is known as one of the 20th century’s greatest... Read James And The Giant Peach Summary

jasper texas 1998

by Lucille Clifton

Publication year 1998

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Death, Safety & Danger, Forgiveness, Hate & Anger, Race, Justice, Good & Evil, Hope

Tags Lyric Poem, Poetry: Dramatic Poem, Race & Racism, Trauma & Abuse, Black Lives Matter, US History, African American Literature

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Jesus' Son

by Denis Johnson

Publication year 1992

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Apathy, Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Hope, Loneliness, Regret, Shame & Pride, Masculinity, Mental Health, Death, Future, The Past, Friendship, Self Discovery, Community, Safety & Danger

Tags Addiction & Substance Abuse, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Classic Fiction

Jesus’ Son (1992) is a collection of short fiction by American writer Denis Johnson, published by Farrar, Strauss, & Giroux. It explores themes of The Slipperiness of Time, Substance Use Disorder, and Violence as Inevitability. In the form of a short story cycle, each of the 11 stories of Jesus’ Son is narrated by the same protagonist, who has a substance use disorder and is referred to in the narrative as “Fuckhead”. The book takes... Read Jesus' Son Summary

Johnny Tremain

by Esther Forbes

Publication year 1943

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Safety & Danger, Loyalty & Betrayal, Justice, War, Politics & Government, Self Discovery, Coming of Age, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage

Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Action & Adventure, American Revolution, Education, Education, Military & War, World History, Classic Fiction

Originally published in 1943, Esther Forbes’s Johnny Tremain is a classic middle-grade historical fiction/adventure novel. After a prideful accident ends 14-year-old Johnny Tremain’s promising career as a silversmith, his search for a new trade leads to his direct involvement in the early events of the American Revolution. The novel won a Newbery Medal and explores themes of self-sacrifice, humility, and change. Citations in this study guide refer to the 2018 eBook edition released by Houghton... Read Johnny Tremain Summary

Julie Of The Wolves

by Jean Craighead George

Publication year 1972

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Environment, Fathers, Safety & Danger

Tags Action & Adventure, Animals, Science & Nature, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

Jean Craighead George’s children’s novel Julie of the Wolves (1972), set in 20th-century Alaska, tells the story of a 13-year-old Inuit girl named Miyax who is lost in the wilderness after escaping a violent husband and a life that does not suit her. Miyax struggles to survive in a harsh environment as she attempts to make her way to San Francisco. A pack of wolves helps her, and she learns to deepen her appreciation of... Read Julie Of The Wolves Summary