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.

Born to Rock

by Gordon Korman

Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Fathers, Self Discovery, Fame, Music, Truth & Lies, Family

Tags Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Music, Humor

Gordan Korman’s 2006 young adult coming-of-age novel Born to Rock follows teenager Leo Caraway as he sets out to get to know his biological father—the frontman of a legendary punk rock band—hoping to fund his college tuition while navigating the foreign world of punk rock and gets to know his roots. The novel, which was written for and dedicated to Korman’s son, also named Leo, explores themes of genetics, identity, self-expression, and lying.Korman is a... Read Born to Rock Summary

Born to Run

by Bruce Springsteen

Publication year 2016

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Perseverance, Hope, Joy, Memory, Love, Coming of Age, Midlife, Childhood & Youth, Family, Friendship, Self Discovery, Community, Politics & Government, Fate, Art, Fame, Justice, Music, Equality, Loyalty & Betrayal, Trust & Doubt, Religion & Spirituality, Truth & Lies

Tags Music, Arts & Culture, Mental Illness, Social Justice, US History, Biography

... Read Born to Run Summary

Bound

by Donna Jo Napoli

Publication year 2004

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Grief, Hope, Animals, Place, Family, Social Class, Truth & Lies

Tags Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Romance, Fairy Tale & Folklore

... Read Bound Summary

Boy, Snow, Bird

by Helen Oyeyemi

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Truth & Lies

Tags Fairy Tale & Folklore, Fantasy, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Magical Realism

Boy, Snow, Bird is a novel about race in mid-20th-century America. The novel’s central protagonist is Boy Novak, though the book employs two participant narrators: Boy, in Part I; Boy’s daughter, Bird, in Part II; then Boy once more, in Part III. The novel takes place almost entirely in Flax Hill, Massachusetts, except for the first chapter; however, it jumps in time, with the first portion set in the 1950s, while the latter portion is... Read Boy, Snow, Bird Summary

Brain Damage

by Freida McFadden

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Memory, Shame & Pride, Disability, Femininity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Midlife, Appearance & Reality, Objects & Materials, Friendship, Marriage, Self Discovery, Community, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense, Psychological Fiction

... Read Brain Damage Summary

Breakfast at Tiffany’s

by Truman Capote

Publication year 1958

Genre Novella, Fiction

Themes Love, Memory, Femininity, Truth & Lies

Tags Classic Fiction, American Literature, World History, Romance

Breakfast at Tiffany's is a 1958 novella by Truman Capote. In the story, an unnamed narrator is introduced to a young woman named Holly Golightly and the unique New York world she inhabits. The novella is one of Capote’s most popular works and has been adapted as a musical, a play, and most famously as an Academy Award–winning film in 1961 starring Audrey Hepburn. This guide refers to the eBook version of the 2000 Penguin... Read Breakfast at Tiffany’s Summary

Bright Young Women

by Jessica Knoll

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Friendship, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Good & Evil, Femininity, Perseverance, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Gender & Feminism, US History, Incarceration, Internet & Social Media, Journalism, LGBTQ+, Love & Sexuality, Politics & Government, Psychology, Relationships, Social Justice, Trauma & Abuse, Crime & Law, World History

... Read Bright Young Women Summary

Bring Up The Bodies

by Hilary Mantel

Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Loyalty & Betrayal, The Past, Marriage, Truth & Lies

Tags World History, European History, Historical Fiction, British Literature, Elizabethan Era

Bring Up the Bodies (2012) is a Tudor-era historical novel by British writer Hilary Mantel. It is the second novel in a trilogy depicting the life and career of Thomas Cromwell, a 16th-century English politician and advisor to King Henry VIII. Bring Up the Bodies followed Wolf Hall (2009) and preceded The Mirror and The Light (2020). It received significant critical acclaim and was awarded the 2012 Man Booker Prize. BBC produced a television adaptation... Read Bring Up The Bodies Summary

Bud, Not Buddy

by Christopher Paul Curtis

Publication year 1999

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Childhood & Youth, Truth & Lies, Colonialism

Tags Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Race & Racism, Poverty, African American Literature, Education, Education, World History, Classic Fiction

Bud, Not Buddy is a 1999 children’s realistic historical novel by American author Christopher Paul Curtis. Ten-year-old protagonist Bud Caldwell is an orphan living in Flint, Michigan in 1936. Four years after the death of his mother and after a series of abusive and neglectful foster homes, Bud sets out to find his father, whom he believes is the locally famous jazz musician Herman E. Calloway of Grand Rapids. Bud encounters a host of characters... Read Bud, Not Buddy Summary

Bullet Points

by Jericho Brown

Publication year 2019

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Race, Death, Mothers, Community, Nation, Equality, Justice, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Trauma & Abuse, Race & Racism, Social Justice

... Read Bullet Points Summary

Burial Rites

by Hannah Kent

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, World History, Historical Fiction

Burial Rites is a 2013 novel by Australian author Hannah Kent. Based on the true story of the last woman to be publicly executed in Iceland, Burial Rites tells the story of Agnes Magnusdottir, a servant who is sentenced to death for the murder of two men, one of whom was her employer and lover. Two teenagers, Fridrik Sigurdsson and Sigridir Gudmundsdottir, are accused of aiding in the murders. While awaiting execution, she is placed... Read Burial Rites Summary

Butcher's Crossing

by John Edward Williams

Publication year 1960

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Nature Versus Nurture, Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Hope, Loneliness, Memory, Indigenous Identity, Masculinity, Coming of Age, Death, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Food, Place, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Economics, Globalization, Nation, Beauty, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Literature, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

Tags Western, American Literature, Historical Fiction

Published in 1960, Butcher’s Crossing is a revisionist Western novel by American author John Williams. The book follows a young Harvard dropout who ventures into the Kansas wilderness in the 1870s on a buffalo-hunting expedition, confronting the brutal realities of the American frontier and the destruction of the natural world. The novel explores themes that include The Deconstruction of the American Frontier Myth, Human Arrogance Versus Nature’s Indifference, and Disillusionment and the Loss of Idealism.Williams... Read Butcher's Crossing Summary

Bye, Baby

by Carola Lovering

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Social Class, Loyalty & Betrayal, Truth & Lies

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

... Read Bye, Baby Summary

Camino Ghosts

by John Grisham

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Hope, Memory, Shame & Pride, Race, The Past, Environment, Place, Family, Community, Politics & Government, Equality, Justice, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Historical Fiction, Crime & Law

... Read Camino Ghosts Summary

Camino Island

by John Grisham

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Literature, Place, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense

Camino Island, by John Grisham, is the first book in his new Camino series, published in 2017 by Anchor. The novel is a departure from the legal thrillers that Grisham is known for, and he did his first book tour in years in order to promote it. Grisham’s career began in 1989 with his debut novel, A Time to Kill, and since then, his novels have been translated into nearly 50 languages. He boasts 47... Read Camino Island Summary

Cannery Row

by John Steinbeck

Publication year 1945

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Community, Place, Good & Evil, Truth & Lies, Beauty, Environment, Friendship

Tags American Literature, World History, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction, Arts & Culture, Anthropology, Animals, Social Class, Education, Philosophy, Poverty, Relationships, Science & Nature

Cannery Row by John Steinbeck was originally published in 1945. A Nobel Prize-winning writer, Steinbeck grew up in Salinas, California, which is near Monterey—the location of Cannery Row. Aside from a few years in Palo Alto, New York, and Los Angeles, Steinbeck spent most of his adult life living in Monterey County, and he drew on his personal experiences to write Cannery Row.Considered literary fiction or classic literature, Cannery Row is realistic and was written... Read Cannery Row Summary