The following collection of thematically related readings is available in Nothing but the Truth and Related Readings in McDougal Littell's Literature Connections series.

"honesty" by Don Marquis
(from archys life of mehitabel, © 1927)
Summary: An opinion of honesty--from the perspective of Don Marquis' cockroach named archy.

"A Nice Old-Fashioned Romance, With Love Lyrics and Everything" by William Saroyan
(from My Name is Aram, © 1940)
Summary: What kind of disasters can happen when no one believes that you are telling the truth?

Excerpt from Journey to Washington by Daniel K. Inouye with Lawrence Elliot, © 1967
Summary: Daniel Inouye, elected as the state of Hawaii's first U.S. Senator in 1963, is of Japanese descent. As a teenager, his parents wanted him to be aware of his ethnic heritage, but there was no question in Inouye's mind that he was first and foremost an American.

"For LB, 1943-1993" by Cecil Morris
(from English Journal, © 1995)
Summary: Some teachers stay in their students' memories for a lifetime.

"The Catbird Seat" by James Thurber
(from My World--And Welcome To It, © 1942)
Summary: Have you ever known anyone who looks incapable of doing anything wrong? This story details how somebody uses this quality to manipulate others.

"The Star Spangled Banner" by Francis Scott Key
Summary: It was 1814 and the United States had been waging war with the British for two years. Francis Scott Key, a Washington lawyer being held hostage aboard a British ship, watched in horror as the British attacked Fort McHenry. The incredible survival of Fort McHenry inspired Key to write "The Star Spangled Banner."