Trust & Doubt

Believing in people, institutions, or the spiritual world requires an act of trust. What happens when that trust is shaken, either by our own wavering commitments or an act of betrayal? Can trust ever be regained once it is lost? These are some of the ideas explored in this thematic collection.

Publication year 1993

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Friendship, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Equality, Emotions/Behavior: Apathy, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Family, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Action / Adventure


Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Siblings, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Objects, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Teams, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt

Tags Action / Adventure, Survival Fiction, Realistic Fiction


Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Nurture v. Nature, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Siblings, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Irish Literature


Publication year 1968

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Education, Education


Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt

Tags Action / Adventure, Children's Literature, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Humor

Swindle is a middle-grade novel published in 2008 by Canadian American author Gordon Korman. In the story, 6th-grader Griffin Bing enlists a group of his classmates to retrieve a rare Babe Ruth baseball card from an unscrupulous collector known as Swindle, who has conned Griffin out of the card. The book is the first of eight books, as of 2019, in the popular Swindle series. Nickelodeon made a film of the same name based on the novel in... Read Swindle Summary


Publication year 2014

Genre Reference/Text Book, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Self Discovery, Identity: Language

Tags Business / Economics, Self Help, Leadership/Organization/Management, Psychology, Education, Education, Psychology


Publication year 1664

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Relationships: Family

Tags Play: Comedy / Satire, Relationships, Arts / Culture, French Literature, Education, Education, Humor, Classic Fiction

Tartuffe, also known as The Imposter or The Hypocrite, is a Neoclassical comedy written by French playwright, actor, writer, and director Molière, born as Jean-Baptiste Poquelin. It was first produced in 1664 in France. While King Louis XIV and the public enjoyed the play, religious groups, including the Catholic Church and members of the upper class, condemned it for its display of a seemingly religious character who preys on those around on him for his... Read Tartuffe Summary


Publication year 1998

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Relationships: Teams, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance

Tags Self Help, Psychology, Business / Economics, Philosophy, History: World, Psychology, Philosophy, Politics / Government

Robert Greene (1959) is an American self-help book author with a focus on strategy and power. After training in Classical Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, Greene worked numerous jobs before pitching The 48 Laws of Power to book packager Joost Elffers in 1995. The book was inspired by Greene’s time as a writer in Hollywood, where he learned that today’s powerful people share common traits with historic princes, leaders, and tyrants. As he... Read The 48 Laws Of Power Summary


Publication year 1936

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Relationships, Class, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, British Literature, Classic Fiction


Publication year 1610

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Class, Society: Community, Relationships: Teams

Tags British Literature, Play: Historical, Play: Comedy / Satire, Satire, Class, Finance / Money / Wealth, Renaissance, Education, Education, History: World, Drama / Tragedy, Humor, Classic Fiction


Publication year 2021

Genre Essay Collection, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Identity: Mental Health

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Biography, Inspirational, Science / Nature, History: World, Health / Medicine, Climate Change, Relationships, Sociology


Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Self Discovery, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt

Tags Fantasy, Romance


Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Equality, Relationships: Friendship, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Values/Ideas: New Age, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil

Tags Fantasy, LGBTQ, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Relationships, Science / Nature, Social Justice, Education, Philosophy


Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Relationships: Teams, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Music, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Religion / Spirituality, Arts / Culture

The Beautiful Mystery, published in 2012, is the eighth book in former Canadian journalist Louise Penny’s Chief Inspector Gamache series. The Gamache series is known for its recurring cast of characters, psychological depth, and long-term story arcs. Gamache is a longtime member of Québec’s provincial police force, most often known by its French name, the Sûreté du Québec. Gamache’s struggles with police corruption form the main plot of several books, including A Fatal Grace and... Read The Beautiful Mystery Summary


Publication year 2010

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Society: Economics

Tags Business / Economics, Journalism, History: World, Finance / Money / Wealth, Politics / Government, Biography

The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine, published in 2010, examines the causes of the 2008 financial crisis, one of the greatest debacles in American economic history. Like many of financial journalist and author Michael Lewis’s other works, including Liar’s Poker and Moneyball, The Big Short is a bestseller. It becomes a sourcebook during Congressional hearings into the disaster.The crash results from years of financial malfeasance and incompetence among the top salesmen and executives at... Read The Big Short Summary


Publication year 1941

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Natural World: Animals, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance

Tags Classic Fiction, Children's Literature, Action / Adventure, Realism, Animals, Historical Fiction

Walter Farley was only 26 years old when he published The Black Stallion, the fictional adventure story of the friendship between a boy and a majestic, powerful horse. Farley’s book, first available in 1941, was an instant bestseller. The Black Stallion and its 20 sequels have sold more than 12 million copies. The novel won the 1944 Young Reader’s Choice Award and inspired three Black Stallion movies and a TV series. At the heart of... Read The Black Stallion Summary


Publication year 1851

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Siblings, Society: Community, Society: Colonialism, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Relationships, Education, Education, American Literature, History: World


Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt

Tags Romance, Humor, Realistic Fiction, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Friendship, Natural World: Place, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Relationships: Teams, Identity: Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Poverty, Mental Illness, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Class, Psychology, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Society: Politics & Government

Tags Fantasy, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Romance, Religion / Spirituality