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.

Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Revenge, Art, Safety & Danger, Good & Evil

Tags Historical Fiction, Action & Adventure, Survival Fiction, Holocaust, World War II, Military & War, Trauma & Abuse, Children`s Literature, World History

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Love, Memory, Regret, Sexual Identity, Death, Siblings, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Politics & Government, Fate, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger

Tags Fantasy

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Love, Memory, Regret, Revenge, Gender Identity, Friendship, Marriage, Social Class, Community, Art, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Religion & Spirituality, Psychological Fiction, Horror & Suspense

Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Truth & Lies, Safety & Danger, Fear

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

The Night She Disappeared is a young-adult thriller by American author April Henry. Published in 2012 by Henry Holt, The Night She Disappeared tells the story of Kayla Cutler, a high-school senior kidnapped while on a pizza delivery, and Gabie Klug, her coworker, who discovers that she was the perpetrator’s intended target. As Gabie races to uncover the truth before it’s too late, The Night She Disappeared tackles themes of class-based prejudice and the fallibility... Read The Night She Disappeared Summary

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Grief, Mothers, Justice, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Finance, LGBTQ+, Love & Sexuality, Parenting, Relationships, Trauma & Abuse, Grief & Death, Social Class, Modern Classic Fiction

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Mental Health, The Past, Family, Safety & Danger

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

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Family, Appearance & Reality, Truth & Lies, Safety & Danger, Good & Evil, Memory

Tags Fantasy, Magical Realism, Horror & Suspense, Religion & Spirituality

In The Ocean at the End of the Lane (2013), a dark fantasy novel by Neil Gaiman, a young boy accidentally brings an evil entity from another reality into his world, and he needs the help of three mysterious women to try to get rid of the threat. A number-one New York Times bestseller, the novel won several honors, including the British Book Awards Book of the Year and the Locus Award for best fantasy... Read The Ocean at the End of the Lane Summary

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fate, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Good & Evil, Wins & Losses, Love, Fear, Perseverance, Conflict, Siblings

Tags Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Gender & Feminism, LGBTQ+, Fairy Tale & Folklore, Science Fiction, World History, Religion & Spirituality

Publication year 2019

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Race, Death, Family, Teamwork, Globalization, Nation, Politics & Government, Fate, Good & Evil, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger

Tags US History, Crime & Law, 9/11, World History, Biography, Politics & Government

Publication year 2020

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Race, Death, Social Class, Community, Education, Nation, Politics & Government, Equality, Justice, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Truth & Lies

Tags World History, US History, Science & Nature, Health, Race & Racism, Crime & Law

Publication year 2016

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Colonialism, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Justice, Equality, Truth & Lies, Perseverance, Conflict

Tags World History, US History, Race & Racism, Social Justice, Politics & Government, European History, Colonial America

The Other Slavery: The Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in America (First Mariners Books edition 2017) by Andrés Reséndez, a Mexican historian working at the University of California Davis, won the 2017 Bancroft Prize and was a finalist for the National Book Award. In this book, Reséndez dispels the myth that only African slaves faced enslavement in the Americas. He focuses on Indigenous slaves in the Caribbean, central and northern Mexico, and the American Southwest... Read The Other Slavery Summary

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mothers, Nature Versus Nurture, Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt, Forgiveness, Safety & Danger

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

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Hate & Anger, Love, Memory, Revenge, Mental Health, Death, Future, Environment, Teamwork, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Economics, Education, Globalization, Immigration, Nation, Politics & Government, Equality, Fame, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies