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.

A Very Large Expanse of Sea

by Tahereh Mafi

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Religion & Spirituality, Friendship

Tags Life-Inspired Fiction, Race & Racism, 9/11, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance

A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi is a 2018 semi-autobiographical young adult novel set in America one year after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Sixteen-year-old Shirin, a Muslim girl born in America to Persian immigrant parents from Iran, experiences intolerance and hatred in her school and the outside world. Shirin tries to maintain emotional distance from peers to protect herself, but the hesitant romance that develops between Shirin and Ocean... Read A Very Large Expanse of Sea Summary

A Visit to Grandmother

by William Melvin Kelley

Publication year 1964

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Family, Race, Conflict

Tags African American Literature, Black Arts Movement

“A Visit to Grandmother” is a short story by American author William Melvin Kelley, first published in his collection Dancers on the Shore (1964). The story centers around Chig, a 17-year-old boy, and his father, Dr. Charles Dunford, as they visit Chig’s grandmother in Nashville, Tennessee. During their visit, Charles challenges issues that have long damaged his relationship with his mother, and the confrontation reaches a breaking point when he exposes his long-held resentment over... Read A Visit to Grandmother Summary

Awake

by Jen Hatmaker

Publication year 2025

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Marriage, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Grief, Hate & Anger, Hope, Joy, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Femininity, Midlife, Future, The Past, Daughters & Sons, Family, Friendship, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Community, Equality, Justice, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Music, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Memoir & Autobiography, Relationships

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A Walk to Remember

by Nicholas Sparks

Publication year 1999

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Love

Tags Romance, Love & Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction, Dramatic Literature

A Walk to Remember is a 1999 novel by bestselling American romance writer Nicholas Sparks. It was adapted into a movie in 2002. The novel, set in 1958 in the coastal North Carolina town of Beaufort, builds on the brand Sparks established in his earlier bestselling 1996 novel, The Notebook, which is a historical romance set in a North Carolina coastal town during the 1940s. This North Carolina setting is also a locale of subsequent... Read A Walk to Remember Summary

A Worn Path

by Eudora Welty

Publication year 1941

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Race, Environment, Family, Memory, Perseverance, Equality

Tags Symbolic Narrative, Race & Racism, Education, Education, American Literature, World History, Classic Fiction

Eudora Welty’s short story “A Worn Path” is considered one of the author’s finest works and a classic in the repertory of American Southern literature. First published in 1941 as a stand-alone piece in The Atlantic Monthly, it was also included in her first short story collection, A Curtain of Green and Other Stories, published that same year. The story established Welty as a notable new voice in American literature. In addition to short stories... Read A Worn Path Summary

Babylon's Ashes

by James S. A. Corey

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Space, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Hate & Anger, Hope, Revenge, Death, Future, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Objects & Materials, Place, Family, Friendship, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Economics, Globalization, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Action & Adventure

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Back Roads

by Tawni O'Dell

Publication year 1999

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, The Past, Family

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Dramatic Literature

Back Roads is a 1999 novel by Tawni O’Dell. It follows the story of Harley Altmyer, a 19-year-old boy who takes custody of his three sisters after his mother murders his abusive father. As Harley struggles with day-to-day life, truths about the past are revealed, forcing him to face a reality he worked hard to suppress. Back Roads was an Oprah’s Book Club selection in March 2000. The novel was also adapted into a 2018... Read Back Roads Summary

Bad Bishop

by L. J. Shen

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Love, Disability, Family, Marriage, Loyalty & Betrayal

Published in 2025, Bad Bishop is the first novel in the Society of Villains series by L. J. Shen. A prominent author in the dark-romance subgenre, Shen is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today best-selling author known for creating morally complex antiheroes. Shen is the author of several other popular dark-romance series, including Sinners of Saint and All Saints High.Bad Bishop is set in New York’s criminal underworld and follows the... Read Bad Bishop Summary

Bad Blood

by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Coming of Age, Nature Versus Nurture, Family, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense

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Bad Indians

by Deborah A. Miranda

Publication year 2012

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Family, Indigenous Identity, Colonialism, Memory, Perseverance, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Justice, Self Discovery, Nation, Community

Tags US History, Trauma & Abuse, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Depression & Suicide, Education, History of the Americas, Race & Racism, Social Justice, Women`s Studies, Education, World History, Biography

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Ballet Shoes

by Noel Streatfeild

Publication year 1936

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Hope, Joy, Childhood & Youth, Future, Family, Siblings, Self Discovery, Community, Economics, Art, Beauty, Fate, Literature, Education, Social Class

Tags Classic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Historical Fiction, British Literature

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Bananas, Beaches And Bases

by Cynthia Enloe

Publication year 1990

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Perseverance, Hope, Femininity, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Family, Social Class, Community, Education, Globalization, Immigration, Nation, Politics & Government, Equality, Justice, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Emotions/Behavior: Courage

Tags Women`s Studies, Education, Education, Gender & Feminism, Sociology, World History, Social Justice, Politics & Government

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Ban This Book

by Alan Gratz

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Literature, Friendship, Community, Siblings, Childhood & Youth, Family, Education, Guilt, Fear, Trust & Doubt, Politics & Government, Perseverance, Conflict

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

... Read Ban This Book Summary

Banyan Moon

by Thao Thai

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mothers, Daughters & Sons, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Family

Tags Relationships, Historical Fiction, Vietnam War, Asian Literature, Trauma & Abuse, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

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