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.

Publication year 1997

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Economics, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Natural World: Environment

Tags History: European, Journalism, Natural Disaster, Science / Nature, Agriculture, Business / Economics, Food, Education, Grief / Death, History: World, Military / War, Poverty, Politics / Government, Social Justice, Russian Literature, Biography

Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster by Svetlana Alexievich is a collection of 35 first-person oral accounts of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster in the former Soviet Union. Originally published in Russian in 1997, the book was translated into English by Keith Gessen in 2005; it has been translated into almost every European language. Alexievich, a Belarusian investigative journalist, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for Voices from Chernobyl in... Read Voices from Chernobyl Summary


Publication year 1606

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Identity: Gender, Life/Time: Aging, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags British Literature, Classic Fiction, Play: Comedy / Satire, Jacobean Era, Play: Drama, Classical Period

Volpone is a comedic play by English playwright Ben Jonson, written in 1605-06 and first performed by the King’s Men at the Globe Theatre the same year. The play was first published in a quarto in 1607 and then in an official folio, The Workes of Benjamin Jonson, in 1616. Volpone, like Jonson’s other popular works, is a satire that comments on The Corrupting Power of Greed,     The Moral Impact of Performance, and Seeking Justice... Read Volpone Summary


Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Action / Adventure


Publication year 1980

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags African Literature, Colonialism / Postcolonialism, Historical Fiction

Waiting for the Barbarians is a 1980 novel written by John Maxwell Coetzee, a South African and Australian novelist who was winner of the 2003 Nobel Prize for Literature. Penguin chose the book for its Great Books of the 20th Century series, and the novel won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize for fiction. Waiting for the Barbarians was influenced by the 1904 poem of the same name written by... Read Waiting for the Barbarians Summary


Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Relationships: Friendship

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Mental Illness


Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Indigenous, Society: Community, Society: Colonialism, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Realistic Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Fantasy, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Relationships: Family

Tags Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Military / War, WWII / World War II, Children's Literature, History: World


Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Mental Health, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Internet Culture / Social Media, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 1921

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Life/Time: The Future, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Russian Literature, History: World, Fantasy, Classic Fiction

We is a 1921 science fiction novel by Russian writer Yevgeny Zamyatin. In the future authoritarian society of the One State, the novel’s protagonist D-503 is the chief builder of a new rocket, the Integral, which is designed to integrate other planets into the One State’s mathematically perfect happiness. However, this plan is subverted when D-503 meets I-330, a woman who encourages him to break the One State’s rules.This guide uses a 2022 independently published... Read We Summary


Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Relationships: Siblings

Tags Romance, Modern Classic Fiction, Drama / Tragedy, Irish Literature


Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Fathers

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Grief / Death, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 1966

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Natural World: Space & The Universe, Identity: Masculinity

Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Action / Adventure, Psychology, Technology, Philosophy, American Literature, Cold War, Fantasy, Classic Fiction

We Can Remember It for You Wholesale is a short story by renowned sci-fi author Philip K. Dick, first published in April 1966 in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. The story is about a man named Douglas Quail, who visits a medical facility which promises to implant fake memories about visiting Mars in his head. The story has twice been adapted into film, though both movie adaptations change the title to Total Recall... Read We Can Remember It for You Wholesale Summary


Publication year 1992

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Self Discovery

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Fantasy, Children's Literature, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Religion / Spirituality


Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Life/Time: Midlife, Natural World: Nurture v. Nature, Relationships: Marriage, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Relationships: Family

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance


Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Natural World: Space & The Universe

Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Humor, Action / Adventure, Children's Literature


Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Objects, Natural World: Place, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, LGBTQ, Religion / Spirituality, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction


Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance

We Were Liars is a 2014 young-adult novel by E. Lockhart, a pen name of writer Emily Jenkins. The book tells the story of Cady (short for Cadence), who is nearly 18, as she recounts the story of her life. She is a member of the wealthy New England Sinclair family whose patriarch and matriarch, Harris and Tipper, still dominate the family as the story begins. The Sinclair family is so wealthy that it owns... Read We Were Liars Summary


Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Midlife, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Nurture v. Nature, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Mothers, Self Discovery, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Psychological Fiction


Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction


Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Natural World: Place, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Gender / Feminism, Modern Classic Fiction