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 Song of Roland

by Anonymous

Publication year 1095

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Wins & Losses, Safety & Danger, Religion & Spirituality, Loyalty & Betrayal, Good & Evil, War, Nation, Emotions/Behavior: Courage

Tags Medieval, Narrative Poem, Military & War, European History, Trauma & Abuse, French Literature

Composed at the turn of the 12th century, La Chanson de Roland (translated as The Song of Roland) recounts the events surrounding the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in 778 CE. The Song of Roland is likely the oldest surviving poem in French and was immensely popular across Europe during the Middle Ages. The poem establishes many tropes and themes that have come to characterize medieval chivalric romances, but Roland is also an epic poem in... Read The Song of Roland Summary

The Son of Neptune

by Rick Riordan

Publication year 2011

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Death, Teamwork, Friendship, Fate, Safety & Danger, Coming of Age, Memory, Guilt, Objects & Materials, Good & Evil, Fathers, Perseverance

Tags Mythology, Fantasy, Children`s Literature, Action & Adventure

The Son of Neptune is the second novel in Rick Riordan’s The Heroes of Olympus series. Released in 2011, this novel continues the story begun in The Lost Hero, following Percy Jackson as he stumbles into the Roman demigod camp, Camp Jupiter, after losing his memory and eight months of his life. At the camp, Percy meets Hazel, daughter of Pluto, and Frank, son of Mars. Together, Percy, Hazel, and Frank are charged with a... Read The Son of Neptune Summary

The Spy and the Traitor

by Ben Macintyre

Publication year 2018

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Perseverance, Politics & Government, Loyalty & Betrayal, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Family, Teamwork, Good & Evil, Justice, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Nation

Tags European History, Politics & Government, Military & War, World History, Russian Literature, Horror & Suspense, Biography

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The Stationery Shop

by Marjan Kamali

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Forgiveness, Grief, Hope, Joy, Love, Memory, Nostalgia, Regret, Race, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Midlife, Death, Future, The Past, Family, Marriage, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Economics, Immigration, Politics & Government, War, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Middle Eastern Literature, Romance

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The Stolen Heir

by Holly Black

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Wins & Losses, Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt, Safety & Danger, Power & Greed, Loyalty & Betrayal, Family, Appearance & Reality, Love, Hate & Anger

Tags Romance, Fantasy, Fairy Tale & Folklore

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The Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor

by Gabriel García Márquez

Publication year 1955

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Fear, Grief, Order & Chaos, Safety & Danger

Tags Creative Nonfiction, Action & Adventure

Gabriel García Márquez’s The Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor was first published in Spain in 1970 under the title Relato de un naufrago (“story of a castaway”). The nonfiction work relates Luis Alejandro Velasco’s 10-day survival adrift on a raft in the Caribbean after being thrown overboard from his Colombian destroyer in rough seas. While there had been a censored, government-backed version of Velasco’s story that was publicized, the uncensored story was first published in... Read The Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor Summary

the sun and her flowers

by Rupi Kaur

Publication year 2017

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Love, Grief, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Beauty, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Forgiveness, Memory, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Shame & Pride, Fear, Perseverance, Conflict, Loneliness, Hope, Environment, Family, Immigration

Tags Lyric Poem, Gender & Feminism, Relationships, Love & Sexuality, Women`s Studies, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance, Mental Illness

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The Surgeon

by Leslie Wolfe

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Grief, Memory, Revenge, Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Death, The Past, Family, Siblings, Self Discovery, Social Class, Education, Politics & Government, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Health

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The Sweetness of Water

by Nathan Harris

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Guilt, Memory, Masculinity, Race, Sexual Identity, The Past, Marriage, Daughters & Sons, Community, War, Safety & Danger, Plants

Tags Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+, Race & Racism, American Civil War, African American Literature, Grief & Death, US History, Love & Sexuality, Post-War Era, Military & War, World History

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The Talisman

by Stephen King, Peter Straub

Publication year 1984

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Hate & Anger, Hope, Love, Memory, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Safety & Danger, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Fate, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Friendship, Mothers, Death, The Past, Future, Appearance & Reality, Animals, Space, War, Family

Tags Horror & Suspense, Fantasy, Coming of Age, Action & Adventure

The Talisman is a 1984 novel co-written by Stephen King and Peter Straub. It is a fantasy novel with horror elements and has connections to the works in King’s Dark Tower series. The Talisman is a road trip book that tells the story of Jack Sawyer and his quest to save his mother. The Talisman examines themes of lost innocence, coming of age, friendship, the corrupting nature of power, and more.The Talisman has a sequel... Read The Talisman Summary

The Teenage Brain

by Frances E. Jensen, Amy Ellis Nutt

Publication year 2014

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Childhood & Youth, Safety & Danger, Education, Daughters & Sons

Tags Psychology, Parenting, Science & Nature, Education, Education, Psychology, Self-Improvement, Health

The Teenage Brain: A Neuroscientist’s Survival Guide to Raising Adolescents and Young Adults (2014) is by American neurologist Frances E. Jensen with journalist Amy Ellis Nutt. A New York Times bestseller, the book was nominated for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Prize for Literary Science Writing. The Teenage Brain is a guide to the workings of the adolescent brain aimed at parents. Using scientific research data combined with real-life stories and anecdotes, the author explains the changes... Read The Teenage Brain Summary

The Terrible Two

by Mac Barnett, Jory John

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Conflict, Loneliness, Shame & Pride, Perseverance, Revenge, Forgiveness, Teamwork, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Wins & Losses, Family, Appearance & Reality, Animals, Hate & Anger, Childhood & Youth, Education

Tags Action & Adventure, Humor, Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Education, Education

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The Troop

by Nick Cutter

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Death, Science & Technology, Teamwork, Safety & Danger, Fear

Tags Horror & Suspense, Science Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Action & Adventure, Survival Fiction

The Troop (2014) is a horror novel by Nick Cutter. Troop 52, consisting of five teenage boy scouts and their Scoutmaster, Dr. Tim Riggs, goes on an annual camping trip to a remote, uninhabited island in the province of Prince Edward Island, Canada. There, a strange, sick man approaches their cabin and introduces them to a deadly, bioengineered virus. Just as dangerous as the virus itself are the crumbling group dynamics and morality once the... Read The Troop Summary

The Truth About Forever

by Sarah Dessen

Publication year 2004

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Shame & Pride, Regret, Nostalgia, Appearance & Reality, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Death, Coming of Age, Daughters & Sons, Family, Mothers, Fathers, Self Discovery

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Romance, Grief & Death

The Truth About Forever (2004) is a young adult contemporary romance by Sarah Dessen. The novel follows Macy Queen, a teen girl struggling to heal from the tragic death of her father, only to find that the answers lie not in chasing perfection and control but embracing the unpredictable and chaotic joys of life. The Truth About Forever is Sarah Dessen’s sixth published novel and won the 2004 Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award for Urban... Read The Truth About Forever Summary