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.

Brian's Hunt

by Gary Paulsen

Publication year 2003

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Animals, Environment, Safety & Danger

Tags Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature, Survival Fiction, Realistic Fiction

Brian’s Hunt (2003) by Gary Paulsen is the fifth and final book in the middle grade coming-of-age survival series, Brian’s Saga. It is preceded by Hatchet, The River, Brian’s Winter, and Brian’s Return. In Brian’s Hunt, Brian returns to the woods two years after his first wilderness survival experience. Paulsen, an experienced outdoorsman, highlights Brian’s preference for a simple life in nature over the hustle of the civilized world. The novel is praised for its... Read Brian's Hunt Summary

Brian's Return

by Gary Paulsen

Publication year 1999

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Environment, Animals, Perseverance, Safety & Danger, Beauty, Trust & Doubt

Tags Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age, Science & Nature, Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature, Classic Fiction

Brian's Return (1999) is a young adult fiction novel and the fourth book in author Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet series. Paulsen draws on his personal experiences from the wilderness to create Brian’s outdoor adventure and survival narrative throughout the series, stating in the author note, “Virtually all that happens to Brian in these books has happened to me at some point in my life” (112). Paulsen was awarded the Newberry Honor in 1988 for Hatchet, the first... Read Brian's Return Summary

Bright Young Women

by Jessica Knoll

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Friendship, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Good & Evil, Femininity, Perseverance, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Gender & Feminism, US History, Incarceration, Internet & Social Media, Journalism, LGBTQ+, Love & Sexuality, Politics & Government, Psychology, Relationships, Social Justice, Trauma & Abuse, Crime & Law, World History

... Read Bright Young Women Summary

Brimstone

by Callie Hart

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Hope, Love, Memory, Revenge, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Death, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Community, Politics & Government, War, Fate, Good & Evil, Safety & Danger

Tags Fantasy, Romance

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Bullet Points

by Jericho Brown

Publication year 2019

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Race, Death, Mothers, Community, Nation, Equality, Justice, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Trauma & Abuse, Race & Racism, Social Justice

... Read Bullet Points Summary

Burn

by Peter Heller

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Forgiveness, Guilt, Memory, Regret, Death, Environment, Fathers, Friendship, Politics & Government, War, Safety & Danger

Tags Science Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Action & Adventure

... Read Burn Summary

Butcher's Crossing

by John Edward Williams

Publication year 1960

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Nature Versus Nurture, Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Hope, Loneliness, Memory, Indigenous Identity, Masculinity, Coming of Age, Death, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Food, Place, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Economics, Globalization, Nation, Beauty, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Literature, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

Tags Western, American Literature, Historical Fiction

Published in 1960, Butcher’s Crossing is a revisionist Western novel by American author John Williams. The book follows a young Harvard dropout who ventures into the Kansas wilderness in the 1870s on a buffalo-hunting expedition, confronting the brutal realities of the American frontier and the destruction of the natural world. The novel explores themes that include The Deconstruction of the American Frontier Myth, Human Arrogance Versus Nature’s Indifference, and Disillusionment and the Loss of Idealism.Williams... Read Butcher's Crossing Summary

Caligula

by Albert Camus

Publication year 1944

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Loyalty & Betrayal, Fate, Safety & Danger, Order & Chaos, Good & Evil, Revenge, Conflict

Tags French Literature, Philosophy, Drama, Existentialism, Absurdism

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Cane River

by Lalita Tademy

Publication year 2001

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Fear, Race, The Past, Daughters & Sons, Social Class, Politics & Government, War, Justice, Safety & Danger

Tags Historical Fiction, Race & Racism, Southern Literature, African American Literature

Cane River (2001) by Lalita Tademy is a story about four generations of women from Tademy’s family. Set in the United States, the novel progresses from the era of enslavement to Post-Reconstruction. In retelling her family’s history, Tademy chooses to pen a work of historical metafiction, blurring the boundary between recorded events and imaginative stories in order to capture the essence of who the women in her family truly were. In the final reckoning, the... Read Cane River Summary

Cannibalism: A Perfectly Natural History

by Bill Schutt

Publication year 2017

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Shame & Pride, Indigenous Identity, Mental Health, Death, Future, The Past, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Climate, Nature Versus Nurture, Colonialism, Community, Globalization, Politics & Government, War, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Science & Nature, World History, Anthropology, Psychology, Biology, Animals

... Read Cannibalism: A Perfectly Natural History Summary

Captive Prince

by C. S. Pacat

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Hate & Anger, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Future, The Past, Family, Friendship, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Beauty, Fate, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Wins & Losses, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Fantasy, Love & Sexuality, Romance

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Career of Evil

by Robert Galbraith

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Hate & Anger, Disability, Femininity, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Childhood & Youth, Death, The Past, Place, Friendship, Mothers, Equality, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense

Career of Evil (2015) is the third novel in the Cormoran Strike detective series by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling’s pseudonym). The story begins when Strike’s assistant, Robin Ellacott, receives a package containing a woman’s severed leg. The gruesome delivery sparks the investigative duo’s pursuit of a sadistic killer of women. As Strike and Robin investigate suspects from Strike’s troubled past, the story delves into themes of trauma, misogyny, and the lasting effects of violence. A... Read Career of Evil Summary

Catch-22

by Joseph Heller

Publication year 1961

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mental Health, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Order & Chaos, Good & Evil, Memory, Fear, Conflict

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Military & War, Trauma & Abuse, American Literature, World History, Humor

Catch-22 is a 1961 satirical novel by Joseph Heller, whose experiences in the US Air Force during World War II inspired the narrative. The novel is set during World War II and portrays the absurd experiences of a group of Army pilots stationed in Italy. In addition to being hailed as one of the most seminal novels of the 20th century, Catch-22 has become an idiomatic expression for a certain kind of conundrum, a paradoxical... Read Catch-22 Summary

Cat's Cradle

by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

Publication year 1963

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Trust & Doubt, Science & Technology, Safety & Danger, Religion & Spirituality, Art, Death

Tags Satirical Literature, Science Fiction, Postmodernism, Humor, American Literature, Fantasy, Classic Fiction

Cat’s Cradle is a satirical science fiction novel by Kurt Vonnegut, published in 1963. The novel, which explores themes related to science, technology, and religion against the backdrop of the Cold War arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union, won critical acclaim for Vonnegut and was nominated for a Hugo Award. This guide refers to the 2010 Dial Trade Press edition.Content Warning: This guide references death by suicide and sexual assault found... Read Cat's Cradle Summary

Chapterhouse: Dune

by Frank Herbert

Publication year 1985

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Space, Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Hate & Anger, Hope, Memory, Regret, Revenge, Femininity, Race, Sexual Identity, Death, Future, Appearance & Reality, Climate, Self Discovery, Politics & Government, War, Justice, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy

... Read Chapterhouse: Dune Summary