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 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

... Read The Brooklyn Nine Summary

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

... Read The Bully Summary

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

... Read The Burning Bridge Summary

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

... Read The Butcher Game Summary

The Call of Cthulhu

by H. P. Lovecraft

Publication year 1928

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Mental Health, Race, Religion & Spirituality, Fate, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Order & Chaos, Good & Evil, Fear, Conflict

Tags Science Fiction, Gothic Literature, Fantasy, Classic Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Race & Racism

... Read The Call of Cthulhu Summary

The Canyon's Edge

by Dusti Bowling

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction

Themes Family, Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Good & Evil, Safety & Danger, Self Discovery

Tags Survival Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Action & Adventure, Animals, Grief & Death, Mental Illness, Parenting, Natural Disaster, Science & Nature, Trauma & Abuse, Children`s Literature

... Read The Canyon's Edge Summary

The Castle in the Attic

by Elizabeth Winthrop

Publication year 1985

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hope, Joy, Love, Loneliness, Regret, Shame & Pride, Family, Friendship, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Good & Evil, Fate, Justice, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

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

... Read The Castle in the Attic Summary

The Cellar

by Natasha Preston

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Good & Evil, Safety & Danger

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

... Read The Cellar Summary

The Chain

by Adrian McKinty

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Science & Technology, Safety & Danger, Power & Greed, Good & Evil, Family, Appearance & Reality

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

... Read The Chain Summary

The Chestnut Man

by Søren Sveistrup

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Equality, Family, Apathy, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Regret, Revenge, Death, The Past, Nature Versus Nurture, Place, Mothers, Politics & Government, Justice, Order & Chaos, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Trauma & Abuse

In 1989, police officer Marius Larsen drives to a remote farm on the Danish island of Møn. Inside, he finds the farmer Ørum's two teenage children shot dead and Ørum's wife hacked to death with an axe. In the bathroom, Larsen discovers a young boy barely alive beneath a shower curtain. Remembering the boy has a twin sister, he descends to the basement and finds the girl cowering in a room used as a prison... Read The Chestnut Man Summary

The Children

by Melissa Albert

Publication year 2026

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Revenge, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Childhood & Youth, Death, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Mothers, Siblings, Self Discovery, Art, Fate, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger

Tags Fantasy

The narrative alternates between the adult life of Guinevere "Guin" Sharpe and her childhood at a remote Vermont house called the Farmhouse. Guin is the daughter of Edith Sharpe, author of the popular Ninth City children's fantasy series, and Llewellyn Sharpe, a deceased stage actor. The series follows two child protagonists, named after Edith's real children, who travel to the Ninth City, a magical realm overseen by the Architect, an elusive figure who steals visitors'... Read The Children Summary

The Christie Affair

by Nina de Gramont

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Forgiveness, Revenge, Hate & Anger, Love, Conflict, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Literature, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, World History, Romance

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The Client

by John Grisham

Publication year 1993

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Justice, Safety & Danger, Fear, Conflict, Perseverance

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Trauma & Abuse, Depression & Suicide, Incarceration

The Client is a legal thriller written by John Grisham. Published in 1993, it is Grisham’s fourth novel. An international best-selling author, Grisham was a lawyer himself for nine years and even served in the Mississippi House of Representatives for six years. His legal and political expertise lend especially well to The Client’s subject matter involving legal ethics, notions of justice, the power of government over its citizens, and political careerism. The Client was adapted... Read The Client Summary

The Cliffs

by J. Courtney Sullivan

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Guilt, Joy, Memory, Femininity, Indigenous Identity, Mental Health, Midlife, The Past, Place, Friendship, Mothers, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Community, Education, Nation, Politics & Government, Equality, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Literary Fiction, Gothic Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

... Read The Cliffs Summary

The Coddling of the American Mind

by Greg Lukianoff, Jonathan Haidt

Publication year 2018

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Community, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Anthropology, Education, Education, Sociology, Parenting, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Arts & Culture, Politics & Government

The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting Up a Generation for Failure is a psychology book written by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt and published in 2018. The nonfiction work, which expounds upon an essay the authors wrote for The Atlantic in 2015, became a bestseller and National Book Critics Circle Award nominee. The book argues that parents and schools, in an overabundance of caution, have taught children... Read The Coddling of the American Mind Summary