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.

Chronicle of a Death Foretold

by Gabriel García Márquez

Publication year 1981

Genre Novella, Fiction

Themes Truth & Lies, Death, Femininity, Justice, Revenge, Family, Memory

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Magical Realism, Latin American Literature, Education, Education, Classic Fiction

Chronicle of a Death Foretold is a 1981 novella by Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez. Told in non-chronological order and in journalistic fashion by an unnamed narrator, it pieces together the events leading up to and after the murder of Santiago Nasar by Pedro and Pablo Vicario. Chronicle of a Death Foretold is a classic example of Márquez's use of magical realism in his writing. The novella has been adapted several times as a film... Read Chronicle of a Death Foretold Summary

Churchill's Secret Messenger

by Alan Hlad

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Hope, Loneliness, Love, Shame & Pride, Disability, Femininity, Mental Health, Death, Family, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Politics & Government, War, Good & Evil, Safety & Danger

Tags British Literature, Historical Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Military & War, Espionage

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Circus Mirandus

by Cassie Beasley

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Family, Coming of Age, Death, Grandparents

Tags Fantasy, Magical Realism, Grief & Death, Children`s Literature

Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley is a middle-grade fantasy/magical realism novel about a young boy named Micah Tuttle who is struggling to come to terms with the impending death of his grandfather, Ephraim. Micah learns from Ephraim that Circus Mirandus, a fantastical traveling circus that Micah thought was a fictional story, is actually real. As Ephraim nears death, Micah and his friend Jenny go to Circus Mirandus to find the Lightbender, who owes Ephraim a... Read Circus Mirandus Summary

Citizen 13660

by Miné Okubo

Publication year 1946

Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Nonfiction

Themes Family

Tags Asian Literature, Japanese Literature, Military & War, Education, Education, World History, Biography

Miné Okubo’s Citizen 13660 is a graphic memoir about the Japanese American author’s experience in Japanese internment camps during World War II. First published in 1946, Citizen 13660 is told from Okubo’s first-person narrator experience, although the author draws herself in third-person in nearly every scene.Plot OverviewAfter Okubo’s mother’s passing, she lived with her brother in Berkeley, California until the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941. In response, US President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive... Read Citizen 13660 Summary

City of Ashes

by Cassandra Clare

Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Family, Good & Evil, Power & Greed

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Science Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

City of Ashes (2008) by Cassandra Clare is the second novel in the six-part Mortal Instruments series. The book follows 16-year-old Clary Fray, who has recently discovered that she is not an ordinary mortal, but a Shadowhunter, part of a group who saves the world from demons. In City of Bones (2007) the first book of the series, Clary also learned that she is the daughter of rogue Shadowhunter Valentine Morgenstern and that her romantic... Read City of Ashes Summary

City of Orphans

by Avi

Publication year 2000

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Immigration, Community

Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, World History, Action & Adventure, Poverty, Social Class, Mystery & Crime Fiction

City of Orphans is a 2011 middle-grade novel by Newbery Medal-winning author Avi. Set on the Lower East Side of New York City in 1893, it centers on 13-year-old Maks Geless, who works as a newsie to provide for the needs of his immigrant family. When Maks’s sister is jailed for theft, he is tasked with gathering clues to help save her. Plot SummaryMaks spends his days selling papers with his newsie friends and traveling... Read City of Orphans Summary

City Spies

by James Ponti

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Gratitude, Joy, Loneliness, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Justice, Art, Good & Evil, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Truth & Lies, Trust & Doubt, Science & Technology, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Teamwork, Family, Climate, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Self Discovery, Community, Wins & Losses, Friendship, Place, Order & Chaos

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction

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Claire of the Sea Light

by Edwidge Danticat

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Memory, Family

Tags Afro-Caribbean Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Magical Realism

Claire of the Sea Light is a 2013 work of historical fiction by Haitian-American novelist Edwidge Danticat. The novel portrays the lives of the various inhabitants of a small town in Haiti, relaying a series of related events from several different characters’ perspectives. This guide is based on the 2013 Random House e-book version of Claire of the Sea Light.Plot Summary The novel begins on Claire Limyè Lanmè Faustin’s seventh birthday. That morning, a fisherman... Read Claire of the Sea Light Summary

Clean Getaway

by Nic Stone

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Conflict, Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Hate & Anger, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Love, Shame & Pride, Race, Aging, Death, Grandparents, Childhood & Youth, The Past, Fathers, Equality, Politics & Government, Justice, Safety & Danger

Tags African American Literature, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, Action & Adventure, Civil Rights & Jim Crow South, US History, Black Lives Matter, Grief & Death, Modern Classic Fiction

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Clear Light of Day

by Anita Desai

Publication year 1980

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Forgiveness, Memory, Guilt, Gender Identity, Family, Siblings, Colonialism

Tags Historical Fiction, Indian Literature, Colonialism & Postcolonialism, Relationships, Women`s Studies, Asian Literature, World History

Clear Light of Day (1980) is Anita Desai’s sixth and—according to the author—most autobiographical novel. This novel was the first of three of Desai’s books to be nominated for the prestigious Booker Prize. Like other books in her corpus, such as Cry, the Peacock (1963) and Where Shall We Go This Summer? (1975), it deals with gender struggles in a modernizing India. Set against the backdrop of Indian Independence and Partition, it explores the lives... Read Clear Light of Day Summary

Clementine

by Sara Pennypacker

Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Friendship

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

Sara Pennypacker’s Clementine is a short chapter book for elementary-aged readers. Marla Frazee’s black and white illustrations bring the text to life. Clementine and the subsequent books in the series have won numerous awards; notably, Clementine is a New York Times bestseller and the winner of the 2007 Boston Globe/Horn Book Award. Little, Brown and Company published Clementine in 2006. This study guide refers to the 2008 first trade paperback edition of the book.Plot SummaryClementine... Read Clementine Summary

Clock Dance

by Anne Tyler

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Self Discovery, Family, Trust & Doubt, Community, Mothers, Marriage, Conflict, Gratitude, Love

Tags Realistic Fiction, Gender & Feminism, Love & Sexuality, Parenting, Relationships, Modern Classic Fiction

Clock Dance (2018) is Anne Tyler’s 22nd domestic literary fiction novel that explores the smaller details of the human condition. Clock Dance, which spans time periods from 1967 to 2017, follows Willa, a woman who’s always made herself useful to those around her without any regard for her own needs. Through Willa’s life, Clock Dance explores themes of self-fulfillment, appreciation, passivity, and community to show how people do (or don’t) change throughout time. This novel... Read Clock Dance Summary

Clotel

by William Wells Brown

Publication year 1853

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family

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

Clotel; or, The President’s Daughter, published in 1853 by former slave William Wells Brown, is considered the first African-American novel. Drawing on what were, in the 19th century, rumors that Thomas Jefferson had children with his slave Sally Hemings, the novel follows the slave Clotel and her family as they are sold to different masters. The novel is more than the story of a fictional slave, however: Brown includes newspaper articles, advertisements, and real-life anecdotes... Read Clotel Summary

Clytemnestra

by Costanza Casati

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mothers, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Hate & Anger, Revenge, Femininity, Family, Politics & Government, War, Fate, Justice

Tags Mythology, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Gender & Feminism, World History

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Code of the Street

by Elijah Anderson

Publication year 1999

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Race, Family, Hope, Social Class

Tags Sociology, Race & Racism, Trauma & Abuse, Poverty, Education, Education, Anthropology, Anthropology, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Social Science, Urban Development, World History

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Codependent No More

by Melody Beattie

Publication year 1986

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Mental Health, Conflict, Forgiveness, Guilt, Hope, Shame & Pride, Family, Marriage, Self Discovery, Religion & Spirituality, Truth & Lies

Tags Psychology, Mental Illness, Self-Improvement, Psychology, Relationships, Health, Religion & Spirituality

... Read Codependent No More Summary