Literary theme analysis, by a book like {foo}
Books about Reflectional
Go Down, Moses
by William Faulkner
A collection of interconnected stories about the McCaslin family and their relationship with the land and African Americans in the South.
“I believe that man will not merely endure: he will prevail. He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion ... (Goodreads)
Homegoing
by Yaa Gyasi
Spanning centuries, the intertwining stories of two African sisters, their descendants, and the legacy of slavery.
Effia is raised by her mother, Baaba, who is cruel to her. Nevertheless she works hard to please her mother. Known as a beauty, Effia is intended to be married to the future chief of her village, but ... (Wikipedia)
Cold Mountain
by Charles Frazier
A Confederate soldier's homecoming journey, filled with danger and adventure.
The novel opens in a Confederate military hospital near Raleigh, North Carolina , where Inman is recovering from battle wounds during the American Civil War . The soldier is tired of fighting for a ... (Wikipedia)
Exit West
by Mohsin Hamid
Reflection on displacement and immigration as two refugees traverse the world in search of a new life.
Nadia and Saeed meet when they are working students in an unnamed city. Saeed is more conservative and still lives at home, as custom generally requires, but the more independent Nadia has chosen to ... (Wikipedia)
Pedro Páramo
by Juan Rulfo
A man returns to his hometown in search of his father, discovering the ghostly inhabitants.
A classic of Mexican modern literature about a haunted village. As one enters Juan Rulfo's legendary novel, one follows a dusty road to a town of death. Time shifts from one consciousness to another ... (Goodreads)
Watchmen
by Alan Moore
A group of vigilante superheroes face a looming danger, exposing the darkness of the world.
This Hugo Award-winning graphic novel chronicles the fall from grace of a group of super-heroes plagued by all-too-human failings. Along the way, the concept of the super-hero is dissected as the ... (Goodreads)
The Communist Manifesto
by Karl Marx
A treatise on the fundamental principles of communism, and its role in society.
A rousing call to arms whose influence is still felt today Originally published on the eve of the 1848 European revolutions, The Communist Manifesto is a condensed and incisive account of the ... (Goodreads)
The Origins of Totalitarianism
by Hannah Arendt
Analysis of the rise of totalitarian regimes in Europe, and their consequences for the modern world.
Hannah Arendt's definitive work on totalitarianism and an essential component of any study of twentieth-century political history The Origins of Totalitarianism begins with the rise of anti-Semitism ... (Goodreads)
The Dream of a Ridiculous Man
by Fyodor Dostoevsky
A man's quest for happiness and meaning, resulting in a journey of self-realization.
The story opens with the narrator wandering the streets of St. Petersburg . He is contemplating the ridiculousness of his own life, and his recent realization that nothing matters to him any more. It ... (Wikipedia)
The Illustrated Man
by Ray Bradbury
A collection of short stories about the human condition and its connection to the universe.
That The Illustrated Man has remained in print since being published in 1951 is fair testimony to the universal appeal of Ray Bradbury's work. Only his second collection (the first was Dark Carnival ... (Goodreads)
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
by Marjane Satrapi
Autobiographical account of a young girl's experience of the Iranian Revolution.
Note: The summary of the English editions of the novel is divided into two sections, one for each book. Persepolis 1 begins by introducing Marji, the ten-year-old protagonist. Set in 1980, the novel ... (Wikipedia)
Tuck Everlasting
by Natalie Babbitt
A young girl discovers the secret of a family that has found the key to eternal life.
12-year-old Winifred "Winnie" Foster is frustrated with her family because they keep her cooped up in the house, and considers running away from her home in rural Treegap. One day, while in a wooded ... (Wikipedia)
Notes of a Native Son
by James Baldwin
A collection of essays exploring the complexities of race, identity, and society in America through the lens of Baldwin's personal experiences.
Since its original publication in 1955, this first nonfiction collection of essays by James Baldwin remains an American classic. His impassioned essays on life in Harlem, the protest novel, movies, ... (Goodreads)
Fugitive Pieces
by Anne Michaels
A poetic exploration of the trauma of displacement and the power of memory.
The novel is split into two sections: Book I and Book II. Jakob Beer is a 7-year-old child of a Jewish family living in Poland . His house is stormed by Nazis; he escapes the fate of his parents and ... (Wikipedia)
Replay
by Ken Grimwood
A man relives his life multiple times, each time making different choices.
Jeff Winston was 43 and trapped in a tepid marriage and a dead-end job, waiting for that time when he could be truly happy, when he died. And when he woke and he was 18 again, with all his memories ... (Goodreads)
Sarah's Key
by Tatiana de Rosnay
A French journalist unravels an untold story of the Holocaust, uncovering hidden secrets.
From beloved international sensation and #1, New York Times, bestselling author Tatiana de Rosnay come's her most celebrated novel, Sarah's Key,—now in mass market paperback!, Paris, July 1942: ... (Barnes & Noble)
Brown Girl Dreaming
by Jacqueline Woodson
A poetic memoir of a young girl's coming-of-age in the Civil Rights era.
Jacqueline Woodson, one of today's finest writers, tells the moving story of her childhood in mesmerizing verse. Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. ... (Goodreads)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
A man's journey through life in reverse, exploring the meaning of life and death.
In 1860 Baltimore , Benjamin is born with the physical appearance of a 70-year-old man, already capable of speech. His father Roger invites neighborhood boys to play with him and orders him to play ... (Wikipedia)
Thirteen Reasons Why
by Jay Asher
A teenage girl's posthumous account of her life and the events that lead to her death.
High school student Clay Jensen receives a mysterious package in the mail with seven cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, a classmate who recently died by suicide. The tapes had also been sent to ... (Wikipedia)
Roots: The Saga of an American Family
by Alex Haley
A multigenerational saga tracing the journey of an African American family in the U.S.
Roots tells the story of Kunta Kinte —a young man taken from the Gambia when he was seventeen and sold as a slave—and seven generations of his descendants in the United States. Kunta, a Mandinka ... (Wikipedia)
Skim
by Mariko Tamaki
A teenage girl discovers her identity and sexuality through the struggles of self-discovery and acceptance.
Skim is a "not slim" sixteen-year-old Japanese-Canadian who is a student at an all-girls Catholic school. She is known as a Goth , and practices Wicca . When popular girl Katie Matthews gets dumped ... (Wikipedia)
Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books
by Azar Nafisi
Memoir of a professor's struggle in Iran, using literature to find freedom.
The book consists of a memoir of the author's experiences about returning to Iran during the revolution (1978–1981) and living under the Islamic Republic of Iran government until her departure in ... (Wikipedia)
Go, Went, Gone
by Jenny Erpenbeck
A retired professor befriends African refugees in Berlin, exploring the complexities of migration and identity in modern Europe.
One of the great contemporary European writers takes on Europe's biggest issue. Richard has spent his life as a university professor, immersed in the world of books and ideas, but now he is retired, ... (Goodreads)
The Buried Giant
by Kazuo Ishiguro
An elderly couple's journey through a mythical land, confronting the forgotten secrets of the past.
Following the death of King Arthur , Saxons and Britons live in harmony. Along with everyone else in their community, Axl and Beatrice, an elderly Briton couple, suffer from severe selective amnesia ... (Wikipedia)
Scar Tissue
by Anthony Kiedis
Autobiographical account of the highs and lows of a rock star's career.
Now in paperback, the New York Times bestseller by one of rock's most provocative figures Scar Tissue is Anthony Kiedis's searingly honest memoir of a life spent in the fast lane. In 1983, four ... (Goodreads)
The Time of My Life
by Cecelia Ahern
Lucy Silchester's life is a mess until she meets her life. Literally. A humorous and heartwarming story about self-discovery and love.
Lucy Silchester has an appointment with her life – and she’s going to have to keep it. Lying on Lucy Silchester’s carpet one day when she returns from work is a gold envelope. Inside is an invitation ... (Goodreads)
The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances
by Matthew Inman
A humorous and insightful graphic novel about the author's personal journey of long-distance running and the reasons behind it.
This is not just a book about running. It's a book about cupcakes. It's a book about suffering. It's a book about gluttony, vanity, bliss, electrical storms, ranch dressing, and Godzilla. It's a book ... (Barnes & Noble)
My Life with the Saints
by James Martin
A memoir of a Jesuit priest's spiritual journey, exploring the lives of various saints and their impact on his life.
One of Publishers Weekly’s Best Books of the Year — Winner of a Christopher Award — Winner of a Catholic Press Association Book Award Meet some surprising friends of God in this warm and wonderful ... (Goodreads)
A Work in Progress
by Connor Franta
A memoir of self-discovery and personal growth, chronicling the author's journey from childhood to YouTube stardom.
In this intimate memoir of life beyond the camera, Connor Franta shares the lessons he has learned on his journey from small-town boy to Internet sensation so far. Here, Connor offers a look at his ... (Goodreads)
Tar Beach
by Faith Ringgold
A young girl dreams of flying over the city from the rooftop of her family's apartment building, claiming it as her own "tar beach".
Ringgold recounts the dream adventure of eight-year-old Cassie Louise Lightfoot, who flies above her apartment-building rooftop, the 'tar beach' of the title, looking down on 1939 Harlem. Part ... (Goodreads)
Lost December
by Richard Paul Evans
Wealthy businessman experiences a life-changing journey after losing everything in a single night.
"It has been said that sometimes the greatest hope in our lives is just a second chance to do what we should have done right in the first place. This is the story of my second chance." —Prologue of ... (Goodreads)
Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling
by John Taylor Gatto
Critique of the modern education system, arguing that it stifles creativity and critical thinking. Proposes alternative methods of learning.
A highly praised best-seller for over a decade, this is a radical treatise on public education that concludes that compulsory government schooling does little but teach young people to follow orders ... (Goodreads)
The Incarnations
by Susan Barker
A Beijing taxi driver receives anonymous letters detailing his past lives and the people he has loved and wronged throughout history.
Who are you? You must be wondering. I am your soulmate, your old friend, and I have come back to this city of sixteen million in search of you. So begins the first letter that falls into Wang’s lap ... (Goodreads)
Loose Girl: A Memoir of Promiscuity
by Kerry Cohen
A candid memoir of a woman's journey through promiscuity, exploring the emotional and psychological effects of her experiences.
For everyone who was that girl., For everyone who knew that girl., For everyone who wondered who that girl was. Kerry Cohen is eleven years old when she recognizes the power of her body in the leer ... (Barnes & Noble)
Profit Over People: Neoliberalism and Global Order
by Noam Chomsky
Chomsky critiques neoliberalism, arguing that it prioritizes profit over human welfare and perpetuates global inequality and oppression.
In Profit Over People , Noam Chomsky takes on neoliberalism: the pro-corporate system of economic and political policies presently waging a form of class war worldwide. By examining the ... (Goodreads)
The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil
by Philip G. Zimbardo
An inquiry into the psychological forces that drive individuals to act immorally.
Renowned social psychologist and creator of the "Stanford Prison Experiment," Philip Zimbardo explores the mechanisms that make good people do bad things, how moral people can be seduced into acting ... (Goodreads)
Everything I Don't Remember
by Jonas Hassen Khemiri
"Folk säger att Samuel och Laide var själsfränder, att deras kärlekshistoria var helt jävla magisk, att dom var menade för varandra. Folk säger att Samuel gjorde det för att hämnas, för att han var ... (Goodreads)
Excuses Begone!: How to Change Lifelong, Self-Defeating Thinking Habits
by Wayne W. Dyer
A self-help book that teaches readers how to identify and overcome negative thinking patterns that hold them back from success and happiness.
Within the pages of this transformational book, Dr. Wayne W. Dyer reveals how to change the self-defeating thinking patterns that have prevented you from living at the highest levels of success, ... (Barnes & Noble)
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