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.

Camino Ghosts

by John Grisham

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Hope, Memory, Shame & Pride, Race, The Past, Environment, Place, Family, Community, Politics & Government, Equality, Justice, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Historical Fiction, Crime & Law

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Cane River

by Lalita Tademy

Publication year 2001

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Fear, Race, The Past, Daughters & Sons, Social Class, Politics & Government, War, Justice, Safety & Danger

Tags Historical Fiction, Race & Racism, Southern Literature, African American Literature

Cane River (2001) by Lalita Tademy is a story about four generations of women from Tademy’s family. Set in the United States, the novel progresses from the era of enslavement to Post-Reconstruction. In retelling her family’s history, Tademy chooses to pen a work of historical metafiction, blurring the boundary between recorded events and imaginative stories in order to capture the essence of who the women in her family truly were. In the final reckoning, the... Read Cane River Summary

Captive Prince

by C. S. Pacat

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Hate & Anger, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Future, The Past, Family, Friendship, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Beauty, Fate, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Wins & Losses, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Fantasy, Love & Sexuality, Romance

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Caramelo

by Sandra Cisneros

Publication year 2002

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family

Tags Historical Fiction, Latin American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

Caramelo (2002) is a multi-generational family epic by American-Chicana author Sandra Cisneros. The novel follows the coming-of-age stories of Soledad Reyes; her son, Inocencio Reyes; and her granddaughter, Celaya “Lala” Reyes. The narrative takes place as the family moves among Chicago, Mexico City, and San Antonio. Written in a unique bilingual English and Spanish voice, Caramelo features themes of memory, Mexican-American heritage, female strength, and the search for a “home” between and beyond national borders.In interviews... Read Caramelo Summary

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

by Tennessee Williams

Publication year 1955

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Family, Sexual Identity, Loneliness, Truth & Lies, Femininity, Masculinity

Tags Southern Gothic, Drama, Classic Fiction, Education, Education, American Literature, Southern Literature, World History, Dramatic Literature

First performed in 1955, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is one of American playwright Tennessee Williams’s best-known works. This classic play won the 1955 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the New York Drama Critics’ Circle award for Best American Play, and was adapted into a 1958 film starring Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman. Adapted from Williams’s short story “Three Players of a Summer Game,” the three-act Cat on a Hot Tin Roof occurs in real-time as the Pollitt family gathers... Read Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Summary

Caught Up

by Navessa Allen

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Forgiveness, Love, Gender Identity, Sexual Identity, The Past, Family, Politics & Government, Justice, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Romance

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Celestial Bodies

by Jokha Alharthi

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family

Tags Realistic Fiction, Middle Eastern History, Women`s Studies, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Historical Fiction

Celestial Bodies is a novel by Omani author Jokha Alharthi, translated into English by Marilyn Booth. Charting the lives of various generations of a family in the fictional town of al-Awafi, it depicts an evolving Omani society that is still coming to grips with the post-colonial world and the abolition of slavery. It won the 2019 Man Booker International Prize.Plot SummaryThe plot for Celestial Bodies skips around in time, alternating between Abdallah’s reminiscences on a... Read Celestial Bodies Summary

Chains

by Laurie Halse Anderson

Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Community, Family, Power & Greed, Hope, Perseverance, Justice, Equality

Tags Historical Fiction, American Revolution, Race & Racism, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Military & War, World History

Laurie Halse Anderson's middle-grade novel Chains (2008), a National Book Award finalist and Scott O’Dell Historical Fiction Award winner, is the first installment in her Seeds of America series. The historical fiction, set in 18th-century New York City, follows a young Black girl on her journey to escape slavery while the sparks of the colonists’ rebellion gradually ignite the American Revolution. The protagonist, 13-year-old Isabel Finch, narrates her search for identity while caring for her... Read Chains Summary

Chances Are . . .

by Richard Russo

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Memory, Regret, Masculinity, Mental Health, Death, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Family, Friendship, Social Class, Music, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Horror & Suspense

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Charles

by Shirley Jackson

Publication year 1948

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Good & Evil, Truth & Lies, Appearance & Reality, Family

Tags Classic Fiction, American Literature, Humor, Post-War Era, Parenting, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction

American author Shirley Jackson’s short story “Charles” (1948) was first published in Mademoiselle, then in Jackson’s 1949 collection as well as in her 1953 novel Life Among the Savages. Though “Charles” is not in the horror genre, Jackson is a renowned horror writer and has influenced modern writers like Neil Gaiman and Stephen King. The story does, however, have an element of mystery—another genre for which the author is famous. This study guide cites the... Read Charles Summary

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

by Roald Dahl

Publication year 1964

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family

Tags Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Classic Fiction, Humor, Children`s Literature, British Literature

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964) is a fantasy children’s novel by renowned British author Roald Dahl, a man known for his strange and wondrous imagination. The story follows Charlie Bucket, who wins a tour in a chocolate factory owned by the eccentric Mr. Willy Wonka. In the years following publication, the novel became a classic and spawned two major film adaptations, one starring Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka (1971) and a remake starring Johnny... Read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Summary

Cheaper By The Dozen

by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr, Ernestine Gilbreth Carey

Publication year 1948

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Family, Joy, Love, Memory, Nostalgia, Femininity, Language, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, The Past, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Teamwork, Community, Education, Fame, Order & Chaos, Science & Technology

Tags Humor

Published in 1948, Cheaper by the Dozen is a humorous memoir by siblings Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey. The book chronicles their unconventional childhood in Montclair, New Jersey, as two of 12 children raised by parents who were pioneering efficiency experts. The authors’ father, Frank B. Gilbreth, treats the family home as a laboratory, applying the principles of scientific management and motion study to every aspect of domestic life, from bathing to... Read Cheaper By The Dozen Summary