Truth & Lies

Whether exploring the consequences of concealing the truth or excavating the mysterious nature of truth itself, the titles in this collection discuss the intersections among honesty, factualness, legitimacy, deception, falsehood, and lies.

A Land More Kind than Home

by Wiley Cash

Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Justice, Truth & Lies, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Religion & Spirituality, Southern Gothic

Wiley Cash’s novel A Land More Kind Than Home (2012) is set in rural tobacco country in North Carolina. It focuses on the events that unfold over just a few days involving a charismatic church and its leader, Pastor Carson Chambliss. The story is told in alternating points of view from the perspectives of three characters, each of whom witnesses the events that unfold from a different angle. The story speaks to themes of The... Read A Land More Kind than Home Summary

Al Capone Does My Homework

by Gennifer Choldenko

Publication year 2004

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Disability, Coming of Age, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Children`s Literature, Disability, World History

Al Capone Does My Homework, Gennifer Choldenko’s 2013 novel about a boy living on Alcatraz Island with his family, is the third book in Choldenko’s young adult series, Tales from Alcatraz, which follows the adventures of Moose Murphy and his teenage sister, Natalie. The series combines 1930s history with elements of humor, mystery, and suspense while exploring issues of morality, sociology, and developmental health. Natalie, for instance, has a developmental disability, which complicates the family’s... Read Al Capone Does My Homework Summary

Alias Grace

by Margaret Atwood

Publication year 1996

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Memory, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, World History, Classic Fiction

Is Grace Marks a murderess or an innocent pawn? Is she an evil fiend or mentally ill? Margaret Atwood’s Alias Grace (1996) retells the story of Canada’s notorious nineteenth-century convicted murderess Grace Marks. Grounded in the historical record where available, Atwood’s historical fiction novel probes issues of gender and class roles, identity, truth, and the nature of memory.Thomas Kinnear, a wealthy landowner, and Nancy Montgomery, his housekeeper and mistress, are murdered in July 1843. Grace... Read Alias Grace Summary

Ali Cross

by James Patterson

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Fathers, Daughters & Sons, Community, Truth & Lies, Perseverance

Tags Children`s Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Action & Adventure

... Read Ali Cross Summary

All Fours

by Miranda July

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Love, Sexual Identity, Aging, Midlife, Future, The Past, Friendship, Marriage, Self Discovery, Community, Education, Art, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Truth & Lies, Family

Tags Gender & Feminism, Modern Classic Fiction, LGBTQ+, Humor

... Read All Fours Summary

All Her Fault

by Andrea Mara

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Guilt, Appearance & Reality, Mothers, Social Class, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Domestic Fiction, Psychological Fiction

... Read All Her Fault Summary

All Her Little Secrets

by Wanda M. Morris

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Equality, Justice, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Appearance & Reality, Femininity, Race, Mental Health, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Revenge, Shame & Pride

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Race & Racism, Trauma & Abuse, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read All Her Little Secrets Summary

All My Rage

by Sabaa Tahir

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Truth & Lies, Friendship, Immigration, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance

Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, Realistic Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read All My Rage Summary

All My Sons

by Arthur Miller

Publication year 1947

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Grief, Guilt, Family, War, Truth & Lies

Tags Tragedy, Classic Fiction, American Literature, Military & War, Education, Education, World History, Dramatic Literature

All My Sons is a play by Arthur Miller, first performed in 1947. Based on a true story, All My Sons tells the story of a munitions factory owner who is accused of producing defective engines for aircraft. The play received many awards, ran for 328 shows on Broadway, and has been twice adapted as a film. This guide is based on the 2015 Penguin Classics edition of Miller’s Collected Plays. Plot SummaryJoe Keller is... Read All My Sons Summary

All's Well That Ends Well

by William Shakespeare

Publication year 1602

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Love, Shame & Pride, Gender Identity, Marriage, Truth & Lies

Tags Classic Fiction, Drama, Comedy & Satire, British Literature, Humor, Dramatic Literature, Romance

All’s Well That Ends Well is a play by William Shakespeare (1582-1616), one of the most influential writers in the English language. The date of composition is not known, but All’s Well That Ends Well was first performed between 1598 and 1608. It was published in 1623, in the First Folio. Shakespeare’s work is part of Early Modern English literature, alongside playwrights like Ben Jonson and Christopher Marlowe, during which time the play and theater... Read All's Well That Ends Well Summary

All the Glimmering Stars

by Mark Sullivan

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Forgiveness, Guilt, Hope, Joy, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Shame & Pride, Mental Health, Coming of Age, Future, The Past, Food, Place, Family, Friendship, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Community, Globalization, Nation, War, Fate, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

Tags Historical Fiction

... Read All the Glimmering Stars Summary

All the President's Men

by Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein

Publication year 1974

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Politics & Government, Truth & Lies, Appearance & Reality

Tags Crime & Law, Politics & Government, Journalism, US History, Mystery & Crime Fiction, World History, Classic Fiction

All the President’s Men (1974) is the story of the most famous American political scandal of the 20th century. Written by Washington Post reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward (also known for War), the book follows in exacting detail their investigation into the Watergate Hotel break-in and subsequent coverup of that crime. The case began with a story on an unusual burglary attempt at the Democratic National Headquarters in the summer of 1972. It eventually... Read All the President's Men Summary

Along Came a Spider

by James Patterson

Publication year 1993

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt, Safety & Danger, Power & Greed, Justice, Politics & Government, Mental Health, Race, Perseverance

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

Along Came a Spider (1992) is the first novel in the Alex Cross psychological thriller series by James Patterson. Alex Cross is a Black psychologist and police detective working in Washington, DC, with his partner and childhood friend, John Sampson. In this novel, Alex and John are part of a hostage-rescue team investigating the kidnapping of two children by their teacher, Gary Soneji. As of 2023, there are 32 novels in the Alex Cross series... Read Along Came a Spider Summary

A Long Way from Chicago

by Richard Peck

Publication year 1998

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grandparents, Memory, Truth & Lies, Nostalgia

Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, Great Depression, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, World History, Humor

Written by Richard Peck in 1998 and told as a series of related short stories, A Long Way From Chicago is a novel about two siblings and their adventures with their grandmother over the span of six summers from 1929 to 1935. The work was a Newbery Honor book in 1999, and its sequel, A Year Down Yonder, won the Newbery Medal for children’s literature in 2001. Richard Peck (1934-2018) was the award-winning American novelist... Read A Long Way from Chicago Summary