# Search Engine for Books by Character or Plot

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-engine-for-books-by-character-or-plot/527211>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [February 1, 2010, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-engine-for-books-by-character-or-plot/527211 "2010-02-01T04:57:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-engine-for-books-by-character-or-plot/527211/1 "2010-02-01T04:57:20Z")

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Is anyone aware of a search engine that would help locate a book by character, setting, plot etc?

My mom, had a hardback that I read as a teenager in the 1970,s. At that time, I estimate that the book was 20 years old.

It was a WWI vet that returned shell shocked. He settles in the Appalachian area. The locals are afraid of him and leave him alone. A woman teacher comes to educate the kids. The hill people don’t trust her and she’s eventually taken by the local bad ass. There’s a great climax as the war weary vet confronts the hillbilly leader.

Without a title or author it seems hopeless. Unless, I could…  
Search on  
WWI Veteran  
Appalachia  
Schoolteacher  
time period 1917-1922  
published 1950’s

Is there a book search engine?

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**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-engine-for-books-by-character-or-plot/527211/2 "2010-02-01T05:16:19Z")

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Well, there is [google books](http://books.google.com/bkshp?hl=en&tab=wp). If you can remember any fairly unusual names or anything like that I would try searching google books for it. (Or try it on regular google, where you might find some reference or other clue to the book.) You are not going to find anything that indexes by plot or setting. It would not be practical.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/search-engine-for-books-by-character-or-plot/527211/3 "2010-02-01T08:48:34Z")

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Oddly enough, Amazon has all the character names in a book setup as a key phrase.  
This book even has locations (Duke Medical Center) as a key phrase.

> **[My Sister's Keeper: Bill Benners: 9780975870037: Amazon.com: Books](https://www.amazon.com/My-Sisters-Keeper-Bill-Benners/dp/0975870033)**
>
> My Sister's Keeper \[Bill Benners\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. My Sister's Keeper

I was hoping to find the book I read as a kid from key words. \<shrug\> Maybe not.