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 1990

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Memory, Love, Hope, Fate, Safety & Danger, Family

Tags Lyric Poem, Arts & Culture, Climate Change

Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Family, Friendship, Community, Power & Greed

Tags Fantasy, Romance

Breaking Dawn (2008) by Stephenie Meyer is the fourth and final novel of the best-selling Twilight book series. It is a young adult fantasy romance novel following the life of Bella Swan, a teenager who falls in love with a vampire, Edward Cullen. The three prior novels explore Bella’s attempts to assimilate into the secret vampire world with Edward and his family, as well as the love triangle with her best friend, Jacob Black, whom... Read Breaking Dawn Summary

Publication year 2001

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Family

Tags Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Arts & Culture, Biography

Breaking Through, an autobiography by Francisco Jimenez, is a work of juvenile literature that was published in 2001. The book records the childhood experiences of the author as he struggles to become familiar with American culture, and has been awarded a number of prizes, including The Americas Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature and the Pura Belpre Honor Award.The story commences with a description of the then 4-year-old author, his parents, and his older... Read Breaking Through Summary

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Race, Good & Evil, Justice

Tags Realistic Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Incarceration, Race & Racism, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Love, Grief, Siblings, Conflict, Forgiveness, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Memory, Regret, Death, Order & Chaos, Loyalty & Betrayal, Literature, Mothers, Marriage, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, The Past

Tags Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Grief & Death, Modern Classic Fiction

Publication year 1996

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Femininity, Family, Friendship, Self Discovery

Tags Romance, Humor, British Literature

Written by Helen Fielding in 1996, Bridget Jones’s Diary is a romance novel with a comedic twist. In 1998, it was named the British Book of the Year, and in 2003, it placed at number 75 on a BBC survey of favorite novels. A film adaptation was released in 2001. Renee Zellweger played the titular character and received an Academy Award nomination for her performance.This guide refers to the 1996 MacMillan Publishers print edition. Content... Read Bridget Jones's Diary Summary

Publication year 1977

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Coming of Age, Family, Childhood & Youth, Masculinity, Fear, Grief

Tags Education, Education, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy, Classic Fiction, Grief & Death, Coming of Age, Children`s Literature, Poverty

Bridge to Terabithia is a 1977 children’s novel written by Katherine Paterson. Paterson is best-known for her children’s books, two of which earned Newbery Medals: Bridge to Terabithia and Jacob Have I Loved (1981). She was inspire to write Bridge to Terabithia after her son’s best friend was killed by lightning. It has since become a classic, beloved by readers for its exploration of themes like Finding Connection as an Outsider, The Stages of Grief... Read Bridge to Terabithia Summary

Publication year 1984

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Family, Fathers, Siblings

Tags Drama, Comedy & Satire, Life-Inspired Fiction, Love & Sexuality, Great Depression, World War II, Poverty, Relationships, Religion & Spirituality, Education, Education, American Literature, Dramatic Literature, Humor, Classic Fiction

Brighton Beach Memoirs is a semi-autobiographical play by American playwright Neil Simon. It is the first play in Simon’s Eugene Trilogy and follows its young protagonist as he grapples with adolescence and identity in the midst of the Great Depression. Its initial 1983 Broadway run enjoyed critical acclaim and won several awards. Most notably, actor Matthew Broderick won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor for originating the role of Eugene. Despite its initial success... Read Brighton Beach Memoirs Summary

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Friendship, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Good & Evil, Femininity, Perseverance, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Gender & Feminism, US History, Incarceration, Internet & Social Media, Journalism, LGBTQ+, Love & Sexuality, Politics & Government, Psychology, Relationships, Social Justice, Trauma & Abuse, Crime & Law, World History

Publication year 2012

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Family, Mothers, Gratitude, Hope, Love, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Language, Childhood & Youth, Midlife, Food, Nature Versus Nurture, Daughters & Sons, Marriage, Social Class, Immigration, Nation

Tags Memoir & Autobiography, Parenting

Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Death, Appearance & Reality, Family, Mothers

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Psychological Fiction, Irish Literature

Broken Harbour (2012), a literary thriller by Tana French, is the fourth installment in her Dublin Murder Squad series. The novel won numerous awards, including the Irish Crime Fiction Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller. French has been praised for her blend of literary characterization, setting, and use of language alongside propulsive plots. Broken Harbour is told from the first-person point of view of Detective Mick “Scorcher” Kennedy. The plot involves... Read Broken Harbour Summary

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Coming of Age, Immigration, Nostalgia, Family

Tags Romance, Historical Fiction, Irish Literature, American Literature, World History

Brooklyn is a 2009 historical fiction novel written by Colm Tóibín. The book follows Eilis Lacey as she emigrates from Ireland to Brooklyn in the 1950s, finding a job in a department store and falling in love with a young Italian man named Tony. Despite her new life in Brooklyn, Eilis makes a return to Enniscorthy, the same town Colm Tóibín was born and raised in, when her older sister Rose dies. While there, she... Read Brooklyn Summary

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Siblings, Race

Tags Race & Racism, Coming of Age, Trauma & Abuse, Modern Classic Fiction, Canadian Literature

Publication year 2007

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Immigration, Family

Tags Immigration & Refugeeism, Afro-Caribbean Literature, Education, Education, World History, Biography

Brother I’m Dying is a family memoir by Haitian-American writer Edwidge Danticat, originally published in the United States in 2007. Alternating between the author’s past in Haiti and present in the US, this memoir combines personal histories with sociopolitical contextualization to pay homage to Danticat’s father and uncle as well as give voice to Haitian people in their struggle for a peaceful life. The book won the National Book Critics Circle Award, was a finalist... Read Brother, I'm Dying Summary

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Nonfiction

Themes Race, Justice, Family

Tags Race & Racism, Narrative Poem, Life-Inspired Fiction, Children`s Literature, Biography

Brown Girl Dreaming (2014) is a memoir in verse by Jacqueline Woodson, a children’s and young adult fiction writer. Published by Nancy Paulsen Books, a division of the Penguin Group, the memoir won the National Book Award, the Newberry Honor Book Award, and the Coretta Scott King Award. Other works by this author include Another Brooklyn, Red at the Bone, and Before the Ever After.Plot SummaryBrown Girl Dreaming covers Woodson’s childhood, detailing her family history and... Read Brown Girl Dreaming Summary