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.

Wild Seed

by Octavia E. Butler

Publication year 1980

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family

Tags LGBTQ+, Science Fiction, Historical Fiction, Fantasy

Wild Seed is a science fiction novel written by Octavia Butler in 1980. It is sequentially the first book in a sequence of “Patternist” books written by the same author, though it was the fourth book published in that series. These include Mind of My Mind (1978), Clay’s Ark (1984), Survivor (1977), and Patternmaster (1976). Wild Seed takes place over different centuries and continents, beginning in Africa in 1690 and ending in America just before... Read Wild Seed Summary

Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China

by Jung Chang

Publication year 1991

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Family, Mothers, Politics & Government

Tags Asian History, Asian Literature, Asian Literature, World History, Chinese Literature, Politics & Government, Biography

Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China (1991) is a family history and autobiography by Chinese writer Jung Chang. Set against the backdrop of 20th-century China, in particular the first three decades of Communist rule (1949-1978), Wild Swans appeared in print at an important historical moment. Communism was under siege worldwide. In 1991, the year of the book’s original publication, the Soviet Union collapsed. Meanwhile, the Chinese Communist government’s violent crackdown on pro-freedom demonstrators at Tiananmen... Read Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China Summary

Wild Wings

by Gill Lewis

Publication year 2011

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Nature Versus Nurture, Love, Animals, Community, Family

Tags Animals, Realistic Fiction, Action & Adventure, Grief & Death, Children`s Literature, Science & Nature

... Read Wild Wings Summary

Will

by Will Smith, Mark Manson

Publication year 2021

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fame, Self Discovery, Family, Perseverance

Tags Music, Arts & Culture, Creative Nonfiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Biography, Self-Improvement

... Read Will Summary

Winesburg, Ohio

by Sherwood Anderson

Publication year 1919

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Community, Loneliness, Memory, Regret, Coming of Age, Place, Family, Social Class, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Classic Fiction, American Literature, Modernism, US History, World History

Originally published in 1919, Winesburg, Ohio: A Group of Tales of Ohio Small Town Life, is a short story cycle by American author Sherwood Anderson. Anderson drew inspiration from the Ohio town of Clyde, where he spent his childhood. By the late 20th century, many scholars considered Winesburg, Ohio a seminal text of American Modernist literature.Winesburg, Ohio focuses on the people who inhabit the eponymous town at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. Among them... Read Winesburg, Ohio Summary

Winter Garden

by Kristin Hannah

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes War, Family, Mothers, Memory, The Past, Grief, Perseverance

Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, World War II, Russian Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

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Wintergirls

by Laurie Halse Anderson

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mental Health, Family, Grief, Friendship, Mothers, Guilt, Shame & Pride, Food, Fear, Trust & Doubt, Conflict, Fathers, Appearance & Reality

Tags Realistic Fiction, Mental Illness, Grief & Death, Depression & Suicide, Modern Classic Fiction

Wintergirls is a young-adult novel by Laurie Halse Anderson published in 2009 by Penguin Books. Wintergirls is the winner of the 2010 Milwaukee County Teen Book Award and has received several other award nominations. Wintergirls follows the mental health journey of Lia Overbrook as she attempts recovery from anorexia, depression, and other mental health issues. Lia spends the weeks during Thanksgiving and Christmas struggling to gain closure over her former best friend Cassie’s death. Lia... Read Wintergirls Summary

Wish

by Barbara O'Connor

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Friendship, Community, Childhood & Youth, Disability

Tags Realistic Fiction, Animals, Bullying, Children`s Literature

... Read Wish Summary

Wish You Well

by David Baldacci

Publication year 2000

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Trust & Doubt, Family

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, World History, Dramatic Literature, Historical Fiction

Wish You Well (October 2000) is a semi-autobiographical novel by crime writer David Baldacci. The book falls into the categories of Family Saga, Coming of Age Fiction, and Historical Mystery and is a departure from Baldacci’s thrillers, which he is primarily known for. Baldacci is the author of more than 40 novels, most of which became international bestsellers. Several have also been adapted for film. His first book, Absolute Power (1996), was adapted into a... Read Wish You Well Summary

With a Vengeance

by Riley Sager

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Revenge, Conflict, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Memory, Regret, Childhood & Youth, Death, The Past, Family, Fathers, Self Discovery, Community, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense

... Read With a Vengeance Summary

With the Fire on High

by Elizabeth Acevedo

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family

Tags Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance, Food

With the Fire on High is a 2019 young adult coming-of-age novel by Dominican American author Elizabeth Acevedo, who won a National Book Award for her 2018 young adult novel, The Poet X. It tells the story of Emoni Santiago, a teenage mother of Puerto Rican descent, and her senior year at a Philadelphia high school. The novel focuses on Emoni’s enrollment in a culinary arts class and her subsequent journey of self-discovery. With the... Read With the Fire on High Summary