Family

Leo Tolstoy famously begins the novel Anna Karenina with the sentence: "All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." In this thematic collection, we have gathered noteworthy texts that navigate the joyous and sorrowful emotional terrain of the family unit.

Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family

Tags Historical Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Canadian Literature

Through Black Spruce, published in 2008, is Canadian author Joseph Boyden’s second novel. His first, Three Day Road (2005), is a work of historical fiction based on the life of Xavier Bird. Through Black Spruce focuses on Xavier’s son, Will Bird, and his granddaughter, Annie Bird. Boyden uses storytelling as a narrative framework to share the Bird family’s story. Annie and Will narrate alternating chapters, telling stories about their past year as the reader also... Read Through Black Spruce Summary

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Trust & Doubt

Tags Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

Publication year 1994

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Family, Fathers, Grandparents, Self Discovery

Tags Horror & Suspense, Children`s Literature, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

Time for Andrew: A Ghost Story is a gothic middle grade novel written by Mary Downing Hahn and published in 1994. Hahn is known for incorporating elements of the thriller and gothic genres into stories for young readers. This novel follows 12-year-old Drew as he spends the summer with his Aunt Blythe and an irritable great-grandfather in their creaky, shadowy ancestral home. When a dying boy who looks strikingly similar to Drew mysteriously appears in... Read Time for Andrew: A Ghost Story Summary

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Memory, Aging, Death, Family

Tags Psychological Fiction, Historical Fiction, Relationships, Grief & Death, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

Tinkers (2009) is Paul Harding’s debut novel. It delves into the life of a dying man, George Washington Crosby, as he reflects on his past and his family history. The narrative weaves together George’s memories with stories from his father’s life, and it explores the themes of mortality, memory, and the interconnectedness of generations. The novel, which is considered literary fiction, won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the 2010 PEN/ Robert W. Bingham... Read Tinkers Summary

Publication year 1998

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Fame, Family, Fathers, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Economics

Tags US History, Business & Economics, Finance, Leadership, World History, Biography

Publication year 1967

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Race, Conflict, Family, Memory, Grandparents, Colonialism

Tags Life-Inspired Fiction

“To Da-duh, in Memoriam” is a short story by Paule Marshall (1929-2019), a Black American feminist writer who wrote stories based on her experiences growing up as a second-generation Barbadian immigrant in Brooklyn, New York. First published in 1967 in New World Magazine, “To Da-duh, in Memoriam” is a semi-autobiographical story about a nine-year-old girl’s visit to meet her formidable grandmother, Da-duh, in Barbados in 1937. What begins as a playful competition between New York’s... Read To Da-Duh, In Memoriam Summary

Publication year 2020

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Mental Health, Loneliness, Family, Community

Tags Psychology, Self-Improvement, Health, Relationships, Sociology, Science & Nature, Psychology, Mental Illness

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Revenge, Hate & Anger, Shame & Pride, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Beauty, Order & Chaos, Truth & Lies, Family, Mothers, Community

Tags Romance, Fantasy, Coming of Age, Fairy Tale & Folklore, Action & Adventure, Relationships, Love & Sexuality, Mythology

Publication year 1976

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Gender Identity, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Daughters & Sons, Family, War

Tags Children`s Literature, Education, Education, US History, World History, Historical Fiction, American Revolution, Action & Adventure

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Love, Coming of Age, Literature, Memory, The Past, Plants, Place

Tags Realistic Fiction, American Literature, Agriculture, Arts & Culture, Relationships, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Family, Siblings

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Children`s Literature, Religion & Spirituality

Publication year 1996

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Fear, Memory, Childhood & Youth, Animals, Climate, Place, Family, Fathers, Siblings

Tags Animals, Realistic Fiction

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Hope, Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Adoption