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.

Penpal

by Dathan Auerbach

Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Guilt, Hope, Love, Memory, Childhood & Youth, Daughters & Sons, Family, Mothers, Community, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense

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Pieces of Her

by Karin Slaughter

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mothers, Self Discovery, Safety & Danger, Justice, Good & Evil, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Modern Classic Fiction

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Planet Earth Is Blue

by Nicole Panteleakos

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Siblings, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Joy, Memory, Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Death, Space, Family, Self Discovery, Community, Economics, Education, Beauty, Justice, Order & Chaos, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt

Tags Children`s Literature, World History, Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Disability

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Powerful

by Lauren Roberts

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Hope, Love, Friendship, Social Class, Politics & Government, Equality, Justice, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger

Tags Fantasy, Romance

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Prayers for the Stolen

by Jennifer Clement

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Gender Identity, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Femininity, Hope, Fear, Safety & Danger, Sexual Identity

Tags Latin American Literature, Coming of Age, Trauma & Abuse, Women`s Studies, Gender & Feminism, Modern Classic Fiction

Prayers for the Stolen is a 2012 coming-of-age novel by American Mexican author Jennifer Clement, who resides in Mexico City. Clement formerly served as president of PEN Mexico, part of a worldwide association of playwrights, poets, editors, essayists, and novelists that advocates for freedom of expression. Clement took up this role at a time when Mexico was among the most dangerous countries in the world in which to work in journalism. The narrator and protagonist... Read Prayers for the Stolen Summary

Prepared

by Mike Glover

Publication year 2023

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Safety & Danger, Perseverance, Community, Order & Chaos

Tags Self-Improvement, Action & Adventure, Military & War

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Pretty Little Liars

by Sara Shepard

Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Loyalty & Betrayal, Community, Safety & Danger, Revenge, Memory, Guilt, The Past, Shame & Pride, Fear, Trust & Doubt, Grief, Coming of Age, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance, Coming of Age, Horror & Suspense

Pretty Little Liars is a young adult fiction novel written by Sara Shepard. It is the first book in the Pretty Little Liars series, which features 16 books, along with seven companion novels. The highly successful series was featured on The New York Times best-seller list and adapted into a television show in 2010. The popular show lasted seven seasons and aired on the Freeform Network. Although Shepard had only written eight books in the... Read Pretty Little Liars Summary

Prisoner of Tehran

by Marina Nemat

Publication year 2007

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Globalization, Nation, Safety & Danger

Tags Middle Eastern History, Incarceration, Trauma & Abuse, World History, Religion & Spirituality, Politics & Government, Biography

Prisoner of Tehran is a memoir by Marina Nemat that recounts her harrowing experiences in an Iranian prison post-1979 revolution, highlighting The Impact of Political and Ideological Repression. Through her narrative, Nemat explores The Challenges Faced by Women Under Authoritarian Regimes, illustrating the severe constraints and injustices they endured. Despite these adversities, her story is a testament to The Resilience of the Human Spirit, which showcases her journey of survival and defiance against oppressive forces.This... Read Prisoner of Tehran Summary

Prodigy

by Marie Lu

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Politics & Government, Love, Friendship, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Perseverance

Tags Science Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Action & Adventure

Prodigy (2013) is the second installment in the Legend trilogy by Marie Lu. In this young adult series set in a dystopian future, the United States is divided into two warring nations, the Republic and the Colonies. Prodigy follows the first-person perspectives of two teen protagonists first introduced in Legend (2011), June and Day, as they join a rebel group called the Patriots in hopes of overthrowing the corrupt government. As they work to take... Read Prodigy Summary

Purity and Danger

by Mary Douglas

Publication year 1966

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Community, Safety & Danger

Tags Anthropology, Education, Education, Anthropology, Social Science, Sociology, World History, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Religion & Spirituality

Originally published in 1966, Purity and Danger, by Mary Douglas, is a treatise on the concepts of purity and uncleanness in various societies and cultures. It is widely considered a classic in the field of cultural anthropology. Douglas (1921-2007), a British anthropologist with an interest in comparative religion, pursues the idea that dirt is abhorrent to us because it is “matter out of place.” She examines dietary rules, religious rituals, and social and sexual taboos... Read Purity and Danger Summary

Quitters Inc.

by Stephen King

Publication year 1978

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Love, Family, Safety & Danger, Apathy

Tags Addiction & Substance Abuse, Science Fiction, Horror & Suspense, American Literature, World History, Fantasy

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Race

by Elizabeth Alexander

Publication year 2001

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Equality, Race, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Hate & Anger, Love, Shame & Pride, Nation, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Truth & Lies, Safety & Danger

Tags Narrative Poem, Race & Racism

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Rain, Rain, Go Away

by Isaac Asimov

Publication year 1959

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Fear, Social Class, Community, Economics, Education, Immigration, Nation, Good & Evil, Order & Chaos, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt

Tags Fantasy, Science Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Education, Education

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Rape Fantasies

by Margaret Atwood

Publication year 1977

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Fear, Hate & Anger, Hope, Loneliness, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Gender Identity, Sexual Identity, Appearance & Reality, Friendship, Self Discovery, Politics & Government, Equality, Justice, Safety & Danger

Tags Gender & Feminism, Trauma & Abuse, Humor

Margaret Atwood’s “Rape Fantasies” (1977) is a short story written from the first-person point of view of the protagonist Estelle. The short story revolves around Estelle’s attempts to understand why recent magazine articles feature frequent discussions of rape. After she and her office coworkers share their rape fantasies, Estelle delves into her own sexual imaginings. Rooted in the cultural context of the 1970s Women’s Movement, “Rape Fantasies” explores themes including the Conflation of Fantasy and... Read Rape Fantasies Summary

Rappaccini's Daughter

by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Publication year 1844

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Fate, Safety & Danger, Loneliness, Love

Tags Historical Fiction, Gothic Literature, Love & Sexuality, Science Fiction, Horror & Suspense, World History, Fantasy, Romance, Classic Fiction

“Rappaccini’s Daughter” (1844) is a Gothic short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) first published in The United States Magazines and Democratic Review. In 1846, it was republished in a collection of stories and sketches, Mosses from an Old Manse. Hawthorne was a leader of the Dark Romantic or Gothic movement in American literature. His close friends included fellow Massachusetts writers Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Ralph Waldo Emerson.The work is prefaced by Hawthorne, who claims to... Read Rappaccini's Daughter Summary

Rebecca

by Daphne du Maurier

Publication year 1938

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Death, Social Class, Coming of Age, Loyalty & Betrayal, The Past, Hate & Anger, Marriage, Fear, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Beauty, Appearance & Reality, Power & Greed, Grief, Conflict, Memory, Truth & Lies, Loneliness

Tags British Literature, Romance, Classic Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Coming of Age, Dramatic Literature, Gothic Literature, Modernism, Horror & Suspense, Historical Fiction

Rebecca, a bestselling novel by famed English writer Daphne du Maurier, was published in 1938, and has never gone out of print. The winner of the National Book Award for favorite novel of 1938, Rebecca has been adapted numerous times, including Alfred Hitchcock’s 1940 film version, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and a 1997 television miniseries. It was most recently adapted for a Netflix film in 2020 by the same name. Rebecca... Read Rebecca Summary