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.

The Black Death

by Philip Ziegler

Publication year 1969

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Community, Nation, Economics, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Order & Chaos, Politics & Government

Tags European History, Health, Science & Nature, Religion & Spirituality, Politics & Government, Urban Development, Leadership, Medieval, World History

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The Black Stallion

by Walter Farley

Publication year 1941

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Death, Loyalty & Betrayal, Animals, Safety & Danger, Childhood & Youth, Fear, Trust & Doubt, Perseverance

Tags Classic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Action & Adventure, Realism, Animals, Historical Fiction

Walter Farley was only 26 years old when he published The Black Stallion, the fictional adventure story of the friendship between a boy and a majestic, powerful horse. Farley’s book, first available in 1941, was an instant bestseller. The Black Stallion and its 20 sequels have sold more than 12 million copies. The novel won the 1944 Young Reader’s Choice Award and inspired three Black Stallion movies and a TV series. At the heart of... Read The Black Stallion Summary

The Body in the Woods

by April Henry

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Death, Friendship, Place, Safety & Danger, Teamwork, Mental Health, Fear, Trust & Doubt

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Poverty, Mental Illness, Trauma & Abuse, Social Class, Psychology, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

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The Book of Lost Names

by Kristin Harmel

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes War, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Justice, Truth & Lies, Guilt, Perseverance, Conflict

Tags Historical Fiction, World War II, Love & Sexuality, European History, Holocaust, Military & War, World History, Romance

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The Book of Margery Kempe

by Margery Kempe

Publication year 1436

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Femininity, Conflict, Perseverance, Safety & Danger

Tags Medieval, Religion & Spirituality, World History, Travel Literature, Education, Education, Classic Fiction, Biography

The Book of Margery Kempe is a 15th-century autobiography of an English mystic, wife, and mother who devoted much of her life to Christian spirituality. Kempe (b. ca. 1373) was a semi-literate member of the upper-middle class from King’s Lynn, a mercantile town in Norfolk, a county in eastern England. She gave birth over a dozen times before she convinced her husband to embrace a chaste marriage. Kempe claimed to have divine revelations in which... Read The Book of Margery Kempe Summary

The Borrowers

by Mary Norton

Publication year 1952

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Safety & Danger, Social Class, Family

Tags Classic Fiction, Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature, British Literature

Introduction Written by British author Mary Norton in 1952, The Borrowers is the first in a five-part series along with The Borrowers Afield (1955), The Borrowers Afloat (1959), The Borrowers Aloft (1961), and The Borrowers Avenged (1982). The book follows the story of the Clock family, a trio of tiny people who live beneath the kitchen floorboards in a large house in the British countryside. Norton was born in London in 1903 and grew up... Read The Borrowers Summary

The Bourne Identity

by Robert Ludlum

Publication year 1980

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Memory, Mental Health, The Past, Self Discovery, Globalization, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Justice, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense

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The Breakdown

by B.A. Paris

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Guilt, Trust & Doubt, Memory, Perseverance, Fear, Revenge, Mental Health, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense, Psychological Fiction, Relationships, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

The Breakdown (2017) is a psychological thriller and B. A. Paris’s follow-up to her internationally bestselling debut, Behind Closed Doors. The Breakdown was a Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Best Mystery and Thriller in 2017. It has been adapted into a film titled Blackwater Lane, released in 2024 and starring Minka Kelly, Maggie Grace, and Dermot Mulroney. The novel portrays Cass Anderson’s battle with guilt and fear after a woman is murdered near her home... Read The Breakdown Summary

The Brooklyn Nine

by Alan Gratz

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Guilt, Hope, Loneliness, Memory, Daughters & Sons, Friendship, Grandparents, Fathers, Mothers, Teamwork, Disability, Indigenous Identity, Gender Identity, Race, Immigration, Social Class, Community, Education, War, Nation, Self Discovery, Politics & Government, Place, Equality, Fate, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Wins & Losses, Truth & Lies, Aging, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, The Past, Midlife, Death

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

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The Bully

by Paul Langan

Publication year 2002

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Loneliness, Shame & Pride, Masculinity, Coming of Age, Place, Fathers, Self Discovery, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger

Tags Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Realistic Fiction, Sports, Urban Development, Dramatic Literature

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The Burning Bridge

by John Flanagan

Publication year 2005

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Loyalty & Betrayal, Friendship, Perseverance, Fear, Hope, Gender Identity, Coming of Age, Death, Appearance & Reality, Teamwork, Self Discovery, War, Good & Evil, Safety & Danger

Tags Fantasy, Action & Adventure

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The Butcher Game

by Alaina Urquhart

Publication year 2024

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Fear, Hate & Anger, Love, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Mental Health, Death, Environment, Plants, Good & Evil, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction

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