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.

Dear Evan Hansen

by Val Emmich

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family

Tags Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance, Mental Illness, LGBTQ+

Dear Evan Hansen is a novel published in 2018. It was written by Val Emmich, Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek, and Justin Paul. The authors adapted the novel from the original Broadway musical of the same name, which they also wrote. The musical premiered in July 2015 in Washington, DC, debuted on Broadway in 2016, and later won six Tony Awards in 2017, including Best Musical. This guide refers to the Poppy/Little, Brown, and Company edition... Read Dear Evan Hansen Summary

Dear Mr. Henshaw

by Beverly Cleary

Publication year 1983

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Childhood & Youth, Family

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

Published in 1983 and winner of the 1984 Newberry Award, Beverly Cleary’s Dear Mr. Henshaw marks a departure for the novelist known for her books that celebrate the whimsy and adventurousness of childhood. Dear Mr. Henshaw is an epistolary novel, in which protagonist and aspiring author Leigh Botts narrates his story through letters and diary entries addressed to his favorite author, Mr. Henshaw. Leigh begins writing yearly letters to Mr. Henshaw in second grade but... Read Dear Mr. Henshaw Summary

Dear Reader

by Tate James

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Appearance & Reality, Family, Social Class, Economics, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Romance, Horror & Suspense

... Read Dear Reader Summary

Deep Water

by Watt Key

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family

Tags Survival Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Action & Adventure

... Read Deep Water Summary

Den of Vipers

by K.A Knight

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Love, Revenge, Femininity, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Death, Appearance & Reality, Family, Fathers, Teamwork, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger

Tags Romance, Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy

... Read Den of Vipers Summary

Desert Blood

by Alicia Gaspar de Alba

Publication year 2005

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Gender & Feminism, World History, LGBTQ+

Desert Blood: The Juárez Murders is a 2005 thriller by American novelist, poet, and essayist Alicia Gaspar de Alba. The novel takes place in 1998 when Juárez, Mexico is experiencing a spate of brutal killings of poor young women and girls, mostly factory workers. The protagonist, Ivon Villa, is a women’s studies professor from Los Angeles who returns to her hometown of El Paso, Texas—just across the border from Juárez—to adopt a baby. When the... Read Desert Blood Summary

Desert Exile

by Yoshiko Uchida

Publication year 1982

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Family

Tags Asian Literature, Japanese Literature, US History, Race & Racism, World War II, Military & War, World History, Biography

Desert Exile tells the story of the author Yoshiko Uchida and the Uchida family’s experience as Japanese-Americans interned in concentration camps by the U.S. government after the Pearl Harbor attacks during World War II. The book follows a linear narrative arc that details the Uchidas’ experience, while Uchida often reflects discursively, using one point in her life as a vortex for connecting that moment to another memory and in turn creating a larger impression of... Read Desert Exile Summary

Devolution

by Max Brooks

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Apathy, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Forgiveness, Gratitude, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Hope, Revenge, Mental Health, Midlife, Death, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Food, Nature Versus Nurture, Objects & Materials, Place, Family, Friendship, Marriage, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Economics, Fate, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Horror & Suspense, Science Fiction

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Diary of a Wimpy Kid

by Jeff Kinney

Publication year 2007

Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Family, Loyalty & Betrayal, Siblings, Childhood & Youth, Guilt, Shame & Pride, Truth & Lies

Tags Realistic Fiction, Humor, Relationships, Bullying, Children`s Literature

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is the first graphic novel in the titular series by Jeff Kinney. Since its initial publication in 2007, Diary of a Wimpy Kid has become a New York Times bestseller and 16 sequels have followed in the series, including Rodrick Rules (2008) and The Last Straw (2009). Diary of a Wimpy Kid is written in a diary format and documents the misadventures of middle school student Greg Heffley, who longs... Read Diary of a Wimpy Kid Summary

Digging

by Seamus Heaney

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Family, Fathers, Education, Childhood & Youth, The Past, Perseverance, Love, Nostalgia

Tags Relationships, Agriculture, Lyric Poem, Education, Education

... Read Digging Summary