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SoBrief

20th Century Book Summaries

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
by James Joyce • 1916
Stephen Dedalus is raised to fear hell, but poetry makes him feel something holier than prayer.
3.64
100k+
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man Summary
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Stephen Dedalus is raised to fear hell, but poetry makes him feel something holier than prayer.
by James Joyce 1916 329 pages
3.64
100k+ ratings
The Race of My Life
by Milkha Singh • 2013
A Partition orphan who became India's fastest man. Four steps from Olympic gold, he hesitated.
4.21
1k+
The Race of My Life Summary
The Race of My Life
A Partition orphan who became India's fastest man. Four steps from Olympic gold, he hesitated.
by Milkha Singh 2013 160 pages
4.21
1k+ ratings
Identity
by Milan Kundera • 1997
A woman who believes men no longer see her receives anonymous letters insisting she is beautiful.
3.69
33k+
Identity Summary
Identity
A woman who believes men no longer see her receives anonymous letters insisting she is beautiful.
by Milan Kundera 1997 176 pages
3.69
33k+ ratings
A Farewell to Arms
by Ernest Hemingway • 1929
An American driver and a British nurse fall in love and desert the Italian front together.
3.82
300k+
A Farewell to Arms Summary
A Farewell to Arms
An American driver and a British nurse fall in love and desert the Italian front together.
by Ernest Hemingway 1929 304 pages
3.82
300k+ ratings
How to Be a Dictator
by Frank Dikötter • 2019
Why every dictator is the architect of his godlike image, and why the statues fall.
3.69
2k+
How to Be a Dictator Summary
How to Be a Dictator
Why every dictator is the architect of his godlike image, and why the statues fall.
by Frank Dikötter 2019 304 pages
3.69
2k+ ratings
A Fever in the Heartland
by Timothy Egan • 2023
In 1920s Indiana, the Klan was the law. One woman's dying declaration exposed the regime.
4.35
49k+
A Fever in the Heartland Summary
A Fever in the Heartland
In 1920s Indiana, the Klan was the law. One woman's dying declaration exposed the regime.
by Timothy Egan 2023 432 pages
4.35
49k+ ratings
Existentialism
by Thomas R. Flynn • 2006
Your choices are all you are: a brief guide to the philosophy of radical freedom.
3.49
1k+
Existentialism Summary
Existentialism
Your choices are all you are: a brief guide to the philosophy of radical freedom.
by Thomas R. Flynn 2006 144 pages
3.49
1k+ ratings
The Queens of Crime
by Marie Benedict • 2025
Five mystery novelists secretly solve a nurse's locked-room murder that the police buried.
3.80
28k+
The Queens of Crime Summary
The Queens of Crime
Five mystery novelists secretly solve a nurse's locked-room murder that the police buried.
by Marie Benedict 2025 310 pages
3.80
28k+ ratings
Adolf Hitler
by John Toland • 1958
He interviewed Hitler's entourage. What he found was not a cartoon villain but a human being.
4.24
3k+
Adolf Hitler Summary
Adolf Hitler
He interviewed Hitler's entourage. What he found was not a cartoon villain but a human being.
by John Toland 1958 1120 pages
4.24
3k+ ratings
Visitation
by Jenny Erpenbeck • 2008
A single house on a German lake bears witness to a century of war, exile, and hope.
3.43
8k+
Visitation Summary
Visitation
A single house on a German lake bears witness to a century of war, exile, and hope.
by Jenny Erpenbeck 2008 160 pages
3.43
8k+ ratings
Orphan Train
by Christina Baker Kline • 2013
An elderly woman shares her orphan-train past with the foster teen assigned to clean her attic.
4.20
400k+
Orphan Train Summary
Orphan Train
An elderly woman shares her orphan-train past with the foster teen assigned to clean her attic.
by Christina Baker Kline 2013 278 pages
4.20
400k+ ratings
Woodsong
by Gary Paulsen • 1990
A secret room tracked the U-boat; the Lusitania never received a warning.
3.93
4k+
Woodsong Summary
Woodsong
A secret room tracked the U-boat; the Lusitania never received a warning.
by Gary Paulsen 1990 144 pages
3.93
4k+ ratings
Hang the Moon
by Jeannette Walls • 2023
Banished as a child, a bootlegger's daughter returns to claim his empire from a pious half-sister.
3.81
83k+
Hang the Moon Summary
Hang the Moon
Banished as a child, a bootlegger's daughter returns to claim his empire from a pious half-sister.
by Jeannette Walls 2023 368 pages
3.81
83k+ ratings
The Revolution Betrayed
by Leon Trotsky • 1937
Not socialism, not capitalism. Trotsky charts the third system the Russian Revolution produced.
4.09
2k+
The Revolution Betrayed Summary
The Revolution Betrayed
Not socialism, not capitalism. Trotsky charts the third system the Russian Revolution produced.
by Leon Trotsky 1937 240 pages
4.09
2k+ ratings
The Magic Mountain
by Thomas Mann • 1924
Hans Castorp's three weeks at a sanatorium become seven years of sickness, desire, and philosophy.
4.13
63k+
The Magic Mountain Summary
The Magic Mountain
Hans Castorp's three weeks at a sanatorium become seven years of sickness, desire, and philosophy.
by Thomas Mann 1924 706 pages
4.13
63k+ ratings
The Riddle of the Sands
by Erskine Childers • 1903
A Foreign Office clerk joins a Baltic yacht and finds the German coast preparing for invasion.
3.63
7k+
The Riddle of the Sands Summary
The Riddle of the Sands
A Foreign Office clerk joins a Baltic yacht and finds the German coast preparing for invasion.
by Erskine Childers 1903 336 pages
3.63
7k+ ratings
The Cherry Orchard
by Anton Chekhov • 1903
Bankrupt, an aristocrat must choose: save her estate or destroy its cherry orchard.
3.69
45k+
The Cherry Orchard Summary
The Cherry Orchard
Bankrupt, an aristocrat must choose: save her estate or destroy its cherry orchard.
by Anton Chekhov 1903 96 pages
3.69
45k+ ratings
Architectural Digest at 100
by Architectural Digest • 2019
One magazine's hundred-year archive reveals how the world lives, decorates, and dreams at home.
4.19
326
Architectural Digest at 100 Summary
Architectural Digest at 100
One magazine's hundred-year archive reveals how the world lives, decorates, and dreams at home.
by Architectural Digest 2019 464 pages
4.19
326 ratings
The Good Earth
by Pearl S. Buck • 1931
Famine drives a farmer to the city, where a courtesan threatens his bond with the land.
4.01
200k+
The Good Earth Summary
The Good Earth
Famine drives a farmer to the city, where a courtesan threatens his bond with the land.
by Pearl S. Buck 1931 418 pages
4.01
200k+ ratings
For Whom the Bell Tolls
by Ernest Hemingway • 1940
Three days to blow a bridge, and an American finds a love worth dying for.
3.99
300k+
For Whom the Bell Tolls Summary
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Three days to blow a bridge, and an American finds a love worth dying for.
by Ernest Hemingway 1940 471 pages
3.99
300k+ ratings
Bangladesh
by Anthony Mascarenhas • 1986
Bangladesh's founders each betrayed the nation. The nation devoured each in turn.
4.12
500+
Bangladesh Summary
Bangladesh
Bangladesh's founders each betrayed the nation. The nation devoured each in turn.
by Anthony Mascarenhas 1986 192 pages
4.12
500+ ratings
Love Medicine
by Louise Erdrich • 1984
One woman's death in a blizzard unravels sixty years of secrets on a Chippewa reservation.
4.01
28k+
Love Medicine Summary
Love Medicine
One woman's death in a blizzard unravels sixty years of secrets on a Chippewa reservation.
by Louise Erdrich 1984 367 pages
4.01
28k+ ratings
Falling in Love Again
by Ruskin Bond • 2013
His love stories all end with a departing train and a face he will never see again.
3.64
1k+
Falling in Love Again Summary
Falling in Love Again
His love stories all end with a departing train and a face he will never see again.
by Ruskin Bond 2013 195 pages
3.64
1k+ ratings
A Life Worth Living
by Robert Zaretsky • 2013
The universe is silent, life has no given meaning. Camus: that is where freedom begins.
4.00
500+
A Life Worth Living Summary
A Life Worth Living
The universe is silent, life has no given meaning. Camus: that is where freedom begins.
by Robert Zaretsky 2013 240 pages
4.00
500+ ratings
The Dutch House
by Ann Patchett • 2019
Exiled from their childhood mansion, a brother and sister spend decades parked outside, looking in.
4.10
500k+
The Dutch House Summary
The Dutch House
Exiled from their childhood mansion, a brother and sister spend decades parked outside, looking in.
by Ann Patchett 2019 337 pages
4.10
500k+ ratings
The Diaries of Franz Kafka
by Franz Kafka • 1948
An insurance clerk fills notebooks at night, dissecting himself with precision that still stings.
4.22
260
The Diaries of Franz Kafka Summary
The Diaries of Franz Kafka
An insurance clerk fills notebooks at night, dissecting himself with precision that still stings.
by Franz Kafka 1948 345 pages
4.22
260 ratings
Liberty
by Isaiah Berlin • 1969
Freedom from interference and freedom to rule yourself: why the second keeps becoming tyranny.
4.15
1k+
Liberty Summary
Liberty
Freedom from interference and freedom to rule yourself: why the second keeps becoming tyranny.
by Isaiah Berlin 1969 416 pages
4.15
1k+ ratings
The Man in the High Castle
by Philip K. Dick • 1962
The Axis won. A banned book says they didn’t. Reading it is a death sentence.
3.59
200k+
The Man in the High Castle Summary
The Man in the High Castle
The Axis won. A banned book says they didn’t. Reading it is a death sentence.
by Philip K. Dick 1962 259 pages
3.59
200k+ ratings
The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine
by Ilan Pappé • 2006
Before the 1948 war, Zionist planners mapped every village. The goal: remove the native population.
4.55
10k+
The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine Summary
The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine
Before the 1948 war, Zionist planners mapped every village. The goal: remove the native population.
by Ilan Pappé 2006 320 pages
4.55
10k+ ratings
The Long Walk
by Slavomir Rawicz • 1956
Seven prisoners escape a Soviet gulag. Four thousand miles later, four reach India.
4.24
22k+
The Long Walk Summary
The Long Walk
Seven prisoners escape a Soviet gulag. Four thousand miles later, four reach India.
by Slavomir Rawicz 1956 256 pages
4.24
22k+ ratings
In the Garden of Beasts
by Erik Larson • 2011
A professor becomes ambassador to Hitler's Berlin. His daughter falls in love with the Nazis.
3.90
200k+
In the Garden of Beasts Summary
In the Garden of Beasts
A professor becomes ambassador to Hitler's Berlin. His daughter falls in love with the Nazis.
by Erik Larson 2011 448 pages
3.90
200k+ ratings
Letter to a Child Never Born
by Oriana Fallaci • 1975
Alone and pregnant, a woman writes to the child inside her, weighing existence against nothingness.
4.03
24k+
Letter to a Child Never Born Summary
Letter to a Child Never Born
Alone and pregnant, a woman writes to the child inside her, weighing existence against nothingness.
by Oriana Fallaci 1975 128 pages
4.03
24k+ ratings
The Upswing
by Robert D. Putnam • 2020
America swings between "we" and "me" eras. The pivot decade was the 1960s.
3.94
1k+
The Upswing Summary
The Upswing
America swings between "we" and "me" eras. The pivot decade was the 1960s.
by Robert D. Putnam 2020 464 pages
3.94
1k+ ratings
The Light Between Oceans
by M.L. Stedman • 2012
A lighthouse keeper and his wife claim a found baby, and a secret tests their bond.
4.04
400k+
The Light Between Oceans Summary
The Light Between Oceans
A lighthouse keeper and his wife claim a found baby, and a secret tests their bond.
by M.L. Stedman 2012 362 pages
4.04
400k+ ratings
Walt Disney
by Neal Gabler • 2006
The Disney empire: one haunted man's attempt to build a reality he could finally control.
4.07
11k+
Walt Disney Summary
Walt Disney
The Disney empire: one haunted man's attempt to build a reality he could finally control.
by Neal Gabler 2006 851 pages
4.07
11k+ ratings
A Line in the Sand
by James Barr • 2011
Why the Arab-Israeli conflict began as a secret war between Britain and France.
4.06
5k+
A Line in the Sand Summary
A Line in the Sand
Why the Arab-Israeli conflict began as a secret war between Britain and France.
by James Barr 2011 352 pages
4.06
5k+ ratings
Freedom from Fear
by David M. Kennedy • 1999
How World War I's broken peace became the Depression, and World War II made modern America.
4.21
5k+
Freedom from Fear Summary
Freedom from Fear
How World War I's broken peace became the Depression, and World War II made modern America.
by David M. Kennedy 1999 936 pages
4.21
5k+ ratings
The Death of Virgil
by Hermann Broch • 1945
Dying and feverish, Virgil resolves to burn his epic; Augustus needs it to sanctify an empire.
4.15
1k+
The Death of Virgil Summary
The Death of Virgil
Dying and feverish, Virgil resolves to burn his epic; Augustus needs it to sanctify an empire.
by Hermann Broch 1945 493 pages
4.15
1k+ ratings
Personal History
by Katharine Graham • 1997
Her husband's suicide left her publisher of The Washington Post. The board expected her to sell.
4.09
24k+
Personal History Summary
Personal History
Her husband's suicide left her publisher of The Washington Post. The board expected her to sell.
by Katharine Graham 1997 642 pages
4.09
24k+ ratings
Warsaw Boy
by Andrew Borowiec • 2014
He defied the Nazis at 15, fought in the Warsaw Uprising at 16, then survived the camps.
4.09
180
Warsaw Boy Summary
Warsaw Boy
He defied the Nazis at 15, fought in the Warsaw Uprising at 16, then survived the camps.
by Andrew Borowiec 2014
4.09
180 ratings
Physics and Philosophy
by Werner Heisenberg • 1958
Observation doesn't just reveal reality at the quantum scale: it helps decide what becomes real.
4.03
3k+
Physics and Philosophy Summary
Physics and Philosophy
Observation doesn't just reveal reality at the quantum scale: it helps decide what becomes real.
by Werner Heisenberg 1958 176 pages
4.03
3k+ ratings
Lectures on the Will to Know
by Michel Foucault • 2014
Truth is manufactured. Its machinery runs on power, and someone always guards the door.
4.26
242
Lectures on the Will to Know Summary
Lectures on the Will to Know
Truth is manufactured. Its machinery runs on power, and someone always guards the door.
by Michel Foucault 2014 293 pages
4.26
242 ratings
War as I Knew It
by George S. Patton Jr. • 1947
Relentless attack, improvised supply, and a belief that defense loses wars: Patton's own account.
4.12
2k+
War as I Knew It Summary
War as I Knew It
Relentless attack, improvised supply, and a belief that defense loses wars: Patton's own account.
by George S. Patton Jr. 1947 425 pages
4.12
2k+ ratings
Warriors Don't Cry
by Melba Pattillo Beals • 1994
Acid in her eyes, threats at every turn: a 15-year-old's year integrating an Arkansas high school.
4.18
16k+
Warriors Don't Cry Summary
Warriors Don't Cry
Acid in her eyes, threats at every turn: a 15-year-old's year integrating an Arkansas high school.
by Melba Pattillo Beals 1994 227 pages
4.18
16k+ ratings
Writing and Difference
by Jacques Derrida • 1967
Structuralism loved the architecture of texts. One philosopher asked where the energy went.
4.00
7k+
Writing and Difference Summary
Writing and Difference
Structuralism loved the architecture of texts. One philosopher asked where the energy went.
by Jacques Derrida 1967 362 pages
4.00
7k+ ratings
My Life
by Bill Clinton • 2004
A dead father, a violent stepfather, and an ambition that wouldn't quit: the making of a president.
3.74
50k+
My Life Summary
My Life
A dead father, a violent stepfather, and an ambition that wouldn't quit: the making of a president.
by Bill Clinton 2004 1008 pages
3.74
50k+ ratings
Trespasses
by Louise Kennedy • 2022
A Catholic teacher risks everything for an affair with a Protestant barrister during the Troubles.
3.96
53k+
Trespasses Summary
Trespasses
A Catholic teacher risks everything for an affair with a Protestant barrister during the Troubles.
by Louise Kennedy 2022 292 pages
3.96
53k+ ratings
Bodas de sangre
by Federico García Lorca • 2005
A promised bride still loves the married man whose family murdered her groom's kin.
3.89
36k+
Bodas de sangre Summary
Bodas de sangre
A promised bride still loves the married man whose family murdered her groom's kin.
by Federico García Lorca 2005 167 pages
3.89
36k+ ratings
In Search of Sisterhood
by Paula J. Giddings • 1988
Before it was two months old, this Black sorority was marching on Washington for women's votes.
4.54
429
In Search of Sisterhood Summary
In Search of Sisterhood
Before it was two months old, this Black sorority was marching on Washington for women's votes.
by Paula J. Giddings 1988 336 pages
4.54
429 ratings
Independence
by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni • 2023
A doctor's three daughters in Bengal seek their own freedoms as India tears itself in two.
4.11
12k+
Independence Summary
Independence
A doctor's three daughters in Bengal seek their own freedoms as India tears itself in two.
by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni 2023 288 pages
4.11
12k+ ratings
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