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.

Before the Fall

by Noah Hawley

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Art, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies, Gender Identity

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

Before the Fall (2016) by Noah Hawley details the effects of a plane crash on its survivors. Part mystery, part procedural, and part character study, the narrative examines the lives of the victims—their relationships, their flaws, and their histories—giving the tragedy a human face beyond the sensational headlines. Along the way, it explores themes of celebrity, invasion of privacy, and the difficulty of reconstructing traumatic memories. Hawley, a screenwriter as well as a novelist, is... Read Before the Fall Summary

Begin Again

by Eddie S. Glaude Jr.

Publication year 2020

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Race, Loyalty & Betrayal, Truth & Lies

Tags Race & Racism, Arts & Culture, US History, Philosophy, Post-War Era, World History, Biography, Social Justice, Politics & Government

Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own is a non-fiction book by Eddie S. Glaude Jr., a Princeton University professor specializing in race and religion in the US. The title gestures to a passage in James Baldwin’s last novel, Just Above My Head (1979), which stresses the importance of new beginnings in the quest to rebuild the US as a truly multiracial democracy. A New York Times bestseller, Begin Again... Read Begin Again Summary

Behind the Bedroom Wall

by Laura E. Williams

Publication year 1996

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Equality, Good & Evil, Justice, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Hope, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Safety & Danger, Race, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Historical Fiction, World War II, Holocaust, Coming of Age, European History, World History, Children`s Literature, Military & War

Behind the Bedroom Wall is a 1996 Young Adult historical fiction novel by Korean American author Laura E. Williams. The novel won the 1997 Jane Addams’ Children’s Book Award. Williams has written several other novels, including The Mystic Lighthouse series, Up a Creek, The Ghost Stallion, The Executioner’s Daughter, The Can Man, and Unexpected.Set in 1942 Germany, Behind the Bedroom Wall follows a 13-year-old Aryan German girl named Korinna Rehme, who is an active member... Read Behind the Bedroom Wall Summary

Being Henry David

by Cal Armistead

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Forgiveness, Loneliness, Regret, Mental Health, Coming of Age, Environment, Place, Family, Friendship, Self Discovery, Literature, Music, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance, Action & Adventure

... Read Being Henry David Summary

Being Wrong

by Kathryn Schulz

Publication year 2010

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Fear, Guilt, Shame & Pride, Conflict, Trust & Doubt, Education, Truth & Lies

Tags Psychology, Philosophy, Relationships, Science & Nature, Business & Economics, Sociology, World History, Psychology, Philosophy, Self-Improvement

Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error (2010) is a nonfiction book written by Kathryn Schulz, a journalist who has written for publications such as the New York Times Magazine, the Nation, and the Boston Globe. The book explores the nature of error from a psychological, philosophical, and personal point of view, drawing from philosophical thought, psychology studies, and personal anecdotes. Some themes of the book include the fallibility of the human mind, the... Read Being Wrong Summary

Belonging

by Nora Krug

Publication year 2018

Genre Graphic Memoir , Nonfiction

Themes Family, Guilt, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Forgiveness, Gratitude, Grief, Hate & Anger, Hope, Loneliness, Memory, Shame & Pride, Mental Health, Race, Death, The Past, Place, Self Discovery, Community, Politics & Government, War, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags European History, Holocaust, World War II

... Read Belonging Summary

Be More Chill

by Ned Vizzini

Publication year 2004

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Appearance & Reality, Friendship, Truth & Lies, Science & Technology

Tags Science Fiction, Humor, Romance, Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy

Be More Chill (2004) by Ned Vizzini is a young adult novel about a teenage boy trying to increase his social status in high school. The work employs humor and a science fiction premise to satirize the absurdity of social norms in contemporary youth culture. The main character, Jeremy Heere, is a socially awkward high school student who ingests a pill that contains a quantum supercomputer that advises him on how to modify his behavior... Read Be More Chill Summary

Beware of the Dog

by Roald Dahl

Publication year 1946

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes War, Fear, Truth & Lies, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Classic Fiction, Military & War, Historical Fiction, World War II, Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Fantasy

... Read Beware of the Dog Summary

Beyond That, the Sea

by Laura Spence-Ash

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Love, Truth & Lies, Conflict, Nostalgia, Self Discovery, Mothers, Daughters & Sons, Siblings, Friendship, Memory, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Hope

Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, Romance, World War II, Social Class, Education, Finance, Love & Sexuality, Relationships, Military & War, Grief & Death, World History, Parenting

... Read Beyond That, the Sea Summary

Big Little Lies

by Liane Moriarty

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Memory, Truth & Lies

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

Published in 2014, Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies is a work of contemporary fiction set in the Pirriwee Peninsula, located in the Northern Beaches area of Sydney, Australia. Through the perspective of multiple characters, Big Little Lies addresses subjects including bullying, lying, parenting, friendship, and domestic violence. Big Little Lies was adapted into an award-winning television drama of the same name.  Plot Summary The first chapter foreshadows a school trivia night gone awry. The details of... Read Big Little Lies Summary

Big Swiss

by Jen Beagin

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mental Health, Truth & Lies, Marriage, Sexual Identity

Tags LGBTQ+, Love & Sexuality, Romance, Humor, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read Big Swiss Summary

Bitter in the Mouth

by Monique Truong

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Truth & Lies, Family

Tags Southern Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Asian Literature, Parenting

Bitter in the Mouth, by Monique Truong, is a contemporary work of literary fiction first published in 2010. The novel is written in a stream-of-consciousness style in which the protagonist, Linda Hammerick, recounts her experience growing up as a Vietnamese American girl with synesthesia adopted by a white family in Boiling Springs, North Carolina in the 1970s. The novel explores issues of race, gender, sexuality, family, truth, and trauma.The novel is split into two parts... Read Bitter in the Mouth Summary

Black Leopard, Red Wolf

by Marlon James

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Truth & Lies

Tags LGBTQ+, Afro-Caribbean Literature, Fantasy

Marlon James’s Black Leopard, Red Wolf (2019) is a dark fantasy novel. It’s the first title in his Dark Star Trilogy, and a fusion of conventional epic storytelling, oral tradition, and creative folklore. A finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction, as well as one of Washington Post’s Top Ten Books of 2019, this novel had its film rights purchased only weeks after publication.Plot SummaryAn interrogation frames the story: Tracker, a mercenary, recounts his... Read Black Leopard, Red Wolf Summary

Blood Over Bright Haven

by M. L. Wang

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Hope, Regret, Revenge, Femininity, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Coming of Age, Death, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Place, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Equality, Justice, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Truth & Lies, Race

Tags Fantasy

... Read Blood Over Bright Haven Summary

Bluefish

by Pat Schmatz

Publication year 2011

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Apathy, Perseverance, Grief, Loneliness, Shame & Pride, Family, Grandparents, Mothers, Self Discovery, Education, Truth & Lies

Tags Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age, Grief & Death, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction

Bluefish (2011) is a young adult novel by Pat Schmatz. This text is also sometimes classified as middle grade. The novel centers around Travis, an eighth grader who has lost his parents and dog and recently moved to a new school. Travis befriends Velveeta, a charismatic girl who is grieving the loss of her stand-in father figure, Calvin. As Travis and Velveeta’s friendship develops, they explore the challenges of coping with loss and family trauma... Read Bluefish Summary

Bonk

by Mary Roach

Publication year 2008

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Fear, Gratitude, Love, Shame & Pride, Disability, Femininity, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Self Discovery, Community, Education, Politics & Government, Justice, Literature, Order & Chaos, Science & Technology, Truth & Lies

Tags Science & Nature, Love & Sexuality, Health, Psychology, Humor

... Read Bonk Summary