Publication year 1955
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Coming of Age, Loneliness, Good & Evil, Future, Fear, Hope
Tags Holocaust, Drama, World War II, Grief & Death, European History, Military & War, Love & Sexuality
The Future
Nobel Prize-winning poet Wislawa Szymborska writes, “When I pronounce the word Future, / the first syllable already belongs to the past." How does our vision of the future impact the way we live now? Do we have any control over what the future holds, or is the future inherently unknowable? In this thematic collection we've gathered texts that address these questions and others as they imagine the future.
The Diary of Anne Frank: A Play
The Dream Hotel
The Drowned World
The End of Science Fiction
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August
The First State of Being
The Fourth Turning
The Future
The Future of Life
The Game of Silence
The Garden of Forking Paths
The Golden Bowl
The Good Part
The Harbinger
The Heretic's Daughter
The Immigrant's Song
The Institute
The Juvie Three
The Last Cuentista
The Last Man
Publication year 1955
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Coming of Age, Loneliness, Good & Evil, Future, Fear, Hope
Tags Holocaust, Drama, World War II, Grief & Death, European History, Military & War, Love & Sexuality
Publication year 2025
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Grief, Guilt, Loneliness, Memory, Nostalgia, Regret, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Race, Future, Appearance & Reality, Marriage, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Immigration, Politics & Government, Justice, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Science & Technology
Tags Science Fiction
Publication year 1962
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Climate, Death, Future, The Past, Environment, Place, Social Class, Politics & Government, Art, Beauty, Order & Chaos
Tags Science Fiction, Climate Change, British Literature
The Drowned World is a 1962 post-apocalyptic science fiction novel by British author J.G. Ballard. Set in a future London that has been completely submerged in the ocean due to climate change-induced flooding, it follows a group of scientists who embark on a mission to study its unique, rapidly evolving flora and fauna. The novel is an extension of a shorter story published in Science Fiction Adventures. The novel is one of the first works... Read The Drowned World Summary
Publication year 2016
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Science & Technology, Future
Tags Lyric Poem, Technology, Health, Arts & Culture
Publication year 2014
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Memory, Future, Power & Greed
Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Horror & Suspense
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August (2014) is a science fiction thriller by British author Claire North, a pseudonym for Catherine Webb. The novel centers on Harry August, a man who is reborn in the same time and place each time he dies, retaining all his memories. When he learns that the end of the world is accelerating with each life cycle, he must use his unique position in time to uncover the cause... Read The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August Summary
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Coming of Age, Future, The Past, Friendship, Self Discovery, Science & Technology
Tags Science Fiction, Children`s Literature, World History, Historical Fiction
Publication year 1996
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Nation, Future, Safety & Danger
Tags US History, Sociology, Politics & Government, Business & Economics, World History, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Future, Appearance & Reality, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Science & Technology
Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror & Suspense, LGBTQ+
Publication year 2001
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Future, Environment
Tags Science & Nature, Climate Change, Philosophy, Philosophy
The Future of Life is a 2002 non-fiction book of popular science by the two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and biologist Edward O. Wilson. In the book, Wilson draws on his decades of experience as a biologist of invertebrates, as well as his years spent advocating for conservation causes, to paint a picture of the threat people pose to the world’s biodiversity and to suggest ways that humanity can change course. The book is structured as... Read The Future of Life Summary
Publication year 2005
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family, Hope, Indigenous Identity, Coming of Age, Future, Animals, Self Discovery, Colonialism
Tags Historical Fiction, American Literature, Children`s Literature, World History
The Game of Silence is work of middle-grade historical fiction by contemporary American author Louise Erdrich. Published in 2005, it is the second novel in Erdrich’s Birchbark House series. The first novel in this series, The Birchbark House (1999), is set in 1847 and introduces Omakayas and her family. The Birchbark House was a finalist for the prestigious National Book Award. With The Game of Silence, Erdrich continues the saga of Omakayas’s family, and this... Read The Game of Silence Summary
Publication year 1941
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Fate, Future, The Past
Tags World War I, Latin American Literature, Science Fiction, Science & Nature, Fantasy, World History, Magical Realism, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction
In his short story “The Garden of Forking Paths,” Jorge Luis Borges uses the metaphor of the labyrinth to suggest the presence of infinite possible realities. First published in 1941 under the Spanish title “El jardín de senderos que se bifurcan,” the story reflects new modes of thought and expression, ranging from developments in quantum mechanics to the advent of detective thrillers. A spy mystery, a philosophical puzzle, and a mythic history all in one... Read The Garden of Forking Paths Summary
Publication year 1904
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Marriage, Loyalty & Betrayal, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Loneliness, Love, Shame & Pride, Midlife, Future, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Fathers, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Power & Greed, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies
Tags Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction, American Literature, US History, World History
The Golden Bowl is a 1904 novel by Henry James. The novel explores the intricacies of marriage and affairs in the early 19th century through the affair of Amerigo and Charlotte, who were once in love but too poor to marry. Amerigo instead marries Maggie, and Charlotte marries Maggie’s father, a wealthy American museum curator. While Amerigo is at first happy with his new wife, the time she spends with her father creates an opportunity... Read The Golden Bowl Summary
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Gratitude, Future, Family
Tags Romance, Modern Classic Fiction, Magical Realism
Publication year 2011
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Religion & Spirituality, Future, Globalization
Tags Christian, Religion & Spirituality, Mystery & Crime Fiction
The Harbinger, by Jonathan Cahn, a Messianic Jewish rabbi and author, is Cahn’s debut novel. The Harbinger is described as a Christian novel; it uses and relies on themes, concepts, and scripture that are prevalent in the Old Testament. It was initially published in September 2011 by FrontLine, an imprint of Charisma House, which is a religious publishing group dedicated to spreading religious messages. FrontLine is the imprint of Charisma House used for discussing cultural... Read The Harbinger Summary
Publication year 2008
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Fear, Death, Future, The Past, Food, Family, Mothers, Colonialism, Community, Politics & Government, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Truth & Lies
Tags Historical Fiction, US History
The Heretic’s Daughter (2008) is the debut novel of author Kathleen Kent. Upon publication, it immediately made the New York Times bestseller list. Kent followed this title with two other best-selling historical fiction works: The Traitor’s Wife (2010) and The Outcasts (2013). She also wrote a crime fiction trilogy that was nominated for an Edgar Award. A resident of Texas, Kent was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters in 2020 for her contribution to... Read The Heretic's Daughter Summary
Publication year 2012
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Future
Tags Immigration & Refugeeism, Indian Literature
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Friendship, Community, Safety & Danger, Family, Future, Truth & Lies, Power & Greed, Perseverance
Tags Horror & Suspense, Science Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Religion & Spirituality
Critically acclaimed, The Institute (2019) is the 60th entry in Stephen King’s body of more than 100 works. While best known as a horror writer (and one of the most popular writers since the 1970s in general), King dabbles in many genres, including fantasy, mystery, and science fiction—often blurring the boundaries between them. The Institute is more sci-fi thriller than horror, sharing story beats and themes with King’s earlier novels Firestarter and It: It follows... Read The Institute Summary
Publication year 2008
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family, The Past, Future, Coming of Age
Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Action & Adventure, Humor
The Juvie Three (2008) is a young adult novel by Gordon Korman. It is a unique coming-of-age story about personal transformation and found family, and a commentary on the stigmas that often burden those held back by their pasts. Korman challenges these societal perceptions and shows that we all have the power to change. This study guide references the 2008 paperback edition from Hyperion Books.Plot SummaryGraham Fosse, known as “Gecko,” drives a stolen getaway car... Read The Juvie Three Summary
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Family, Future, Community
Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Children`s Literature, Diversity, Action & Adventure
Publication year 1826
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Order & Chaos, Nature Versus Nurture, Death, Loneliness, Future
Tags Classic Fiction, Science Fiction, Gothic Literature, Horror & Suspense, World History