Teams & Gangs

Anyone who has played a team sport knows the rush that comes from feeling like an integral piece of a well-oiled machine. Yet exhilaration and cooperation are only one aspect of team dynamics. This collection explores all facets of the team relationship, both positive and negative.

Friday Night Lights

by Buzz Bissinger

Publication year 1990

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Teamwork, Community, Friendship, Fathers

Tags Sports, Creative Nonfiction, Race & Racism, Sociology, Journalism, World History, Biography

Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream is a 1990 nonfiction book by H. G. Bissinger that explores the American phenomenon of high school football in the small Texan town of Odessa. Friday Night Lights is a New York Times bestseller and inspired a television show and film of the same name. Bissinger, who left his job as a journalist and editor to write the book, moved his family to Odessa for... Read Friday Night Lights Summary

Game Changer

by Tommy Greenwald

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Teamwork, Loyalty & Betrayal, Friendship, Community, Safety & Danger, Forgiveness, Guilt, Memory, Conflict, Hope, Mothers, Fathers, Childhood & Youth, Masculinity, Truth & Lies, Fear, Family

Tags Sports, Realistic Fiction, Disability, Children`s Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

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Ghost

by Jason Reynolds

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Teamwork, Childhood & Youth, Family

Tags Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Sports, Modern Classic Fiction

Ghost is a 2016 novel by American author Jason Reynolds. Reynolds began his writing career as a poet and published his first novel, When I Was the Greatest, in 2014. Reynolds has won several accolades, including a Kirkus Prize, an NAACP Image Award, a Schneider Family Book Award, a Newbery Medal, and a Carnegie Medal. From 2020 to 2022, he was the Library of Congress’s National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, and he won the... Read Ghost Summary

Ghost Story

by Peter Straub

Publication year 1979

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Apathy, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Memory, Regret, Shame & Pride, Revenge, Aging, Death, The Past, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Beauty, Fate, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Music, Art, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Femininity, Sexual Identity, Friendship, Marriage, Mothers, Siblings, Teamwork, Order & Chaos, Justice, Equality

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Religion & Spirituality

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Give and Take

by Adam Grant

Publication year 2013

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Teamwork, Power & Greed, Self Discovery

Tags Self-Improvement, Business & Economics, Psychology, Leadership, Psychology

Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success, by Adam Grant, explores the concept of reciprocity in the workplace and how it can lead to personal and professional success. First published in 2013, the book bridges the genres of business psychology and self-help, providing readers with actionable strategies to enhance their careers and professional relationships. Grant, an organizational psychologist and professor, draws on his extensive research and real-world examples to demonstrate the power of... Read Give and Take Summary

Giving Voice To Values

by Mary C. Gentile

Publication year 2010

Genre Reference/Text Book, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Teamwork, Community, Education, Justice, Power & Greed, Language

Tags Self-Improvement, Psychology, Education, Education, Leadership, Business & Economics, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy

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Glitch

by Laura Martin

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes The Past, Friendship, Teamwork, Good & Evil, Justice, Order & Chaos, Science & Technology

Tags Science Fiction, Action & Adventure, Fantasy, Children`s Literature, Historical Fiction

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Going Infinite

by Michael Lewis

Publication year 2023

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Wins & Losses, Trust & Doubt, Science & Technology, Power & Greed, Order & Chaos, Economics, Teamwork, Apathy

Tags Finance, US History, Leadership, Philosophy, Business & Economics, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Science & Nature, World History, Biography

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Good for a Girl

by Lauren Fleshman

Publication year 2023

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Perseverance, Hope, Joy, Femininity, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Fathers, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Equality, Wins & Losses, Emotions/Behavior: Courage

Tags Biography, Sports, Gender & Feminism, Health, Women`s Studies

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Good to Great

by Jim Collins

Publication year 2001

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Economics, Truth & Lies, Teamwork

Tags Business & Economics, Leadership, Self-Improvement

Good to Great, published in 2001, serves as both a follow-up and thematic prequel to author Jim Collins’s 1994 best seller, Built to Last. Comprehensive in the scope of its research, Good to Great is an examination of the defining qualities of greatness in companies that have made a pivotal transition from “good” (performing relatively consistently) to “great” (performing exceptionally). In making his arguments, Collins brings his expertise as a faculty member at the Stanford... Read Good to Great Summary

Great Big Beautiful Life

by Emily Henry

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Grief, Guilt, Love, Memory, Death, Future, The Past, Family, Friendship, Mothers, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Art, Fame, Fate, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

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Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane

by Suzanne Collins

Publication year 2004

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Joy, Love, Revenge, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Nature Versus Nurture, Place, Family, Friendship, Siblings, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Community, War, Equality, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt

Tags Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature, Animals, Science Fiction

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Ground Zero

by Alan Gratz

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Revenge, Teamwork, War

Tags 9/11, Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Military & War, Realistic Fiction, World History, Action & Adventure

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Half Brother

by Kenneth Oppel

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Forgiveness, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Language, Coming of Age, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Nature Versus Nurture, Fathers, Siblings, Teamwork, Justice, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology

Tags Historical Fiction, Animals, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

Half Brother (2010) is a young adult novel by Kenneth Oppel. In the novel, Oppel combines and fictionalizes several experiments in which chimpanzees learned sign language to communicate. The story follows the Tomlin family as they adopt a baby chimpanzee to see if it can learn and use language. Through this experiment and its effect on the characters, the text explores the themes of family, belonging, animal rights, communication, individuality, and growing up. The novel... Read Half Brother Summary

Half City

by Kate Golden

Publication year 2026

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Regret, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Sexual Identity, Death, Appearance & Reality, Fathers, Siblings, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Good & Evil

Tags Fantasy, Romance

Half City (2026) is a fantasy novel by Kate Golden and the first installment in the Harker Academy series. Golden is a USA Today bestselling author known for her popular romantasy trilogy, the Sacred Stones. Half City blends popular subgenres, combining the character-driven romance of romantasy with the gritty metropolitan setting of urban fantasy and the moody atmosphere of dark academia. The novel follows Vivienne “Viv” Abbot, a young museum assistant in the divided metropolis... Read Half City Summary

Heartbeat

by Sharon Creech

Publication year 2004

Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction

Themes Aging, Death, Teamwork, Siblings, Friendship, Coming of Age, Art, Birth, Memory, Childhood & Youth, Mothers, Family

Tags Relationships, Coming of Age, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

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Heaven Official's Blessing

by Mò Xiāng Tóng Xiù

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Grief, Loneliness, Love, Shame & Pride, Sexual Identity, Death, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Teamwork, Social Class, Good & Evil, Justice, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Truth & Lies

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+, Chinese Literature

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Her Soul for Revenge

by Harley Laroux

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Love, Memory, Revenge, Coming of Age, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Place, Family, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Community, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Horror & Suspense

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