Raskolnikov, an impoverished Russian student, murders a despicable old pawnbroker, reasoning that his evil act is outweighed by humanitarian good, but he discovers the fault in his theory when he is plagued by horror and guilt over his actions.
Seventeen-year-old Richie Perry, just out of his Harlem high school, enlists in the Army in the summer of 1967 and spends a devastating year on active duty in Vietnam.
Hester Prynne, condemned by Puritan law to wear the scarlet letter "A" for adultress, endures her ostracism with dignity, while her lover is tormented by the burden of an unexposed sin.
Winston Smith, a worker at the Ministry of Truth in the political entity of Oceania, puts his life on the line when he joins a covert brotherhood in rebelling against the Party that controls all human thought and action.
After reluctantly taking on the leadership of the Harlem gang, the Scorpions, Jamal finds that his enemies treat him with respect when he acquires a gun -- until a tragedy occurs.
Greg Heffley tells about his summer vacation and his attempts to steer clear of trouble when he returns to middle school and tries to keep his older brother, Rodrick, from telling everyone about Greg's most humiliating experience of the summer.
