KU Common Book 2014: Making Connections

This guide contains resources related to the 2014 KU Common Book: Laura Moriarty's novel, The Center of Everything.

About this Section

This section contains resources related to themes and issues that are present in The Center of Everything.  This section can be used to explore topics that might come to mind while reading the novel.

Subject Databases

Even though The Center of Everything is a work of fiction, there are many themes and issues throughout the book that have potential for research.  Here are a few broad themes that you may want to explore further for a class or to research for an academic paper.

Evelyn grows up in a single parent household where she and her mother often struggle for money and food, relying on a variety of social services.  To research topics of this nature, you may want to  search within the following databases:

Sociological Abstracts

Social Work Abstracts

Social Services Abstracts

Evelyn's experiences as an adolescent include her relationship with her mother, having a special needs sibling, witnessing teenage pregnancy, and being teased and bullied by her peers.  To research topics such as these, you may want to start with the following databases:

PsycINFO

Web of Science

Many of Evelyn's experiences in The Center of Everything happen at school or are related to her education.  For topics on education from pre-school through college, you should search within the ERIC database.

ERIC

There are several political references in The Center of Everything.  To research topics related to politics, you should try searching the following databases:

Political Science Complete

Worldwide Political Science Abstracts

PAIS International