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.

The Grandest Game

by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Memory, Revenge, Death, The Past, Fathers, Siblings, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Fate, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Horror & Suspense

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The Great Divorce

by C. S. Lewis

Publication year 1945

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Forgiveness, Love, Grief, Good & Evil, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt, Order & Chaos

Tags Symbolic Narrative, Christian, Religion & Spirituality, Fantasy, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

C.S. Lewis’s The Great Divorce, first published in serial form in 1945 and as a novel the following year, explores an unnamed narrator’s experiences in Heaven and Hell. Although Lewis is best known for his contribution to children’s literature in The Chronicles of Narnia series, he also wrote many works of adult fiction and nonfiction. Almost all of his published work is either explicitly or implicitly religious in nature; many of his nonfiction works are... Read The Great Divorce Summary

The Great Greene Heist

by Varian Johnson

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Forgiveness, Revenge, Childhood & Youth, Friendship, Teamwork, Politics & Government, Equality, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt, Science & Technology

Tags Realistic Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Humor, Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature, Arts & Culture, Modern Classic Fiction

The Great Greene Heist is a middle grade novel by Varian Johnson that follows Jackson Greene, a middle school boy and nearly reformed prankster, who tries to win his crush through hijinks. The novel was named Publisher’s Best Summer Book of 2014, ALA ALSC Notable Children’s Book in 2015, and received a Kirkus Star Review. Johnson published the sequel To Catch a Cheat in 2016. Johnson is also the author of The Parker Inheritance, which... Read The Great Greene Heist Summary

The Great Transformation

by Karl Polanyi

Publication year 1944

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Trust & Doubt

Tags World History, Education, Education, Anthropology, Anthropology, Business & Economics, Sociology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Politics & Government

The Great Transformation, by Karl Polanyi, was first published in 1944 and is a nonfiction work of economic history. The most recent 2001 edition features a Foreword by renowned economist Joseph Stiglitz as well as an Introduction by sociology professor Fred Block, both of which tout the continued relevance of Polanyi’s work. Throughout the work itself, Polanyi discusses the social and economic changes—what he terms “the great transformation”—that occurred as a result of the Industrial... Read The Great Transformation Summary

The Grey Wolf

by Louise Penny

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Guilt, Environment, Family, Teamwork, Community, Economics, Politics & Government, Good & Evil, Justice, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense

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The Hour of the Star

by Clarice Lispector

Publication year 1977

Genre Novella, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Femininity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Economics, Politics & Government, Art, Fate, Justice, Literature, Order & Chaos, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Latin American Literature, Poverty, Gender & Feminism, Existentialism, World History, Classic Fiction

Clarice Lispector’s novel The Hour of the Star was originally published in Portuguese as A hora da estrela, by The Heirs in 1977. New Directions Paperbook published the original English translation of the novel in 1992. The novel is Lispector’s final publication during her life; her novel A Breath of Life was published posthumously. The Hour of the Star is set in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and follows the first-person narrator, Rodrigo S. M., as... Read The Hour of the Star Summary

The Housemaid

by Freida McFadden

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Guilt, Fear, Revenge, Mothers, Family, Marriage, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

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The House of God

by Samuel Shem

Publication year 1978

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Trust & Doubt

Tags Satirical Literature, Humor, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction, Health

The House of God is a novel written by American author and doctor Samuel Bergman under the pseudonym Samuel Shem and originally published in 1978. The book is heavily based on Bergman’s own experiences as a medical intern in the early 1970s, and the fictional hospital “the House of God” is a thinly veiled fictional version of the Beth Israel teaching hospital associated with Harvard Medical School. The novel is a satire in the vein... Read The House of God Summary

The House of Mirth

by Edith Wharton

Publication year 1905

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Community, Friendship, Economics, Shame & Pride, Nature Versus Nurture, Power & Greed, Beauty, Marriage, Trust & Doubt, Equality, Gender Identity, Appearance & Reality, Truth & Lies, Love, Femininity, Art, Perseverance, Hope

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Satirical Literature, Social Class, Gilded Age, Naturalism, American Literature, World History

Set in New York’s high society at the turn of the 20th century, The House of Mirth (1905), was the second novel by renowned American writer Edith Wharton. Wharton drew upon her own privileged upbringing in a wealthy, long-established New York family for her astute observations of this social milieu during the Gilded Age, a period marked by economic disparities and ostentatious materialism. Prior to the novel’s publication in October 1905, The House of Mirth... Read The House of Mirth Summary

The Hunchback of Notre-Dame

by Victor Hugo

Publication year 1831

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Gratitude, Hate & Anger, Love, Regret, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Disability, Language, Sexual Identity, Death, Family, Friendship, Social Class, Community, Education, Nation, Politics & Government, Art, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Gothic Literature, French Literature, World History

The Hunchback of Notre-Dame is an 1831 gothic novel by French author Victor Hugo, originally published under the title Notre-Dame de Paris. Set in 15th-century France, the novel concerns the intertwined stories of Quasimodo, Esmeralda, and Archdeacon Claude Frollo. The story has been adapted many times for theater, television, and film, including an animated film by Disney released in 1996.This guide refers to the 2009 Oxford Classics edition of the novel, translated from French to... Read The Hunchback of Notre-Dame Summary

The Hunting Party

by Lucy Foley

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Revenge, Fear, Conflict, Forgiveness, Loneliness, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Friendship

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Psychological Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

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The Ideal Team Player

by Patrick M. Lencioni

Publication year 2016

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Teamwork, Conflict, Trust & Doubt

Tags Business & Economics, Leadership, Psychology

The Ideal Team Player is a 2016 book by leadership development expert Patrick Lencioni. The book provides an extension of the work Lencioni performed for his 2011 book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. Lencioni employs a two-part structure for the book, as it begins with a third-person fictional narrative before shifting to a first-person, instructional point of view. In both sections, Lencioni examines the significance of being able to identify three essential characteristics of... Read The Ideal Team Player Summary

The Inmate

by Freida McFadden

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Memory, Trust & Doubt, Mothers

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Love & Sexuality, Romance

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The It Girl

by Ruth Ware

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Self Discovery, Guilt, Friendship, Loyalty & Betrayal, Trust & Doubt

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Psychological Fiction, Social Class, Grief & Death, Education, Love & Sexuality, Relationships, Modern Classic Fiction

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