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.

Dragonsong

by Anne McCaffrey

Publication year 1976

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Loneliness, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Coming of Age, Animals, Environment, Family, Community, Music, Safety & Danger

Tags Fantasy, Science Fiction, Action & Adventure

... Read Dragonsong Summary

Dragonwings

by Laurence Yep

Publication year 1975

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Community, Family, Fathers, Coming of Age, Race

Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Coming of Age, Asian Literature, Education, Education, World History, Chinese Literature

Originally published in 1975, Dragonwings is a children’s historical novel by Chinese American author Laurence Yep. The story was inspired by the life of Fung Joe Guey (Feng Ru), a Chinese immigrant who came to the United States in the early 1900s and earned acclaim for his work as a pioneer airplane designer and aviator. The book is part of Yep’s Golden Mountain Chronicles, a series of 10 novels that explore the long history of... Read Dragonwings Summary

Dreaming in Cuban

by Cristina García

Publication year 1992

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Politics & Government, Nostalgia, Regret, Race, Mothers, Immigration

Tags Historical Fiction, Latin American Literature, Magical Realism, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

Dreaming in Cuban is Cuban American author Cristina García’s first novel. It was a finalist for the National Book Award in 1992 and garnered positive reviews from readers and critics alike. A multi-generational family saga that shifts back and forth between the experiences and eras of multiple narrators, Dreaming in Cuban explores themes of immigration and exile, family dynamics, political ideology, religion, and the impact of the Cuban Revolution on Cubans and Cuban Americans. The... Read Dreaming in Cuban Summary

Dreamland

by Sarah Dessen

Publication year 2000

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Loneliness, Apathy, Love, Memory, Hope, Hate & Anger, Shame & Pride, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Coming of Age, The Past, Daughters & Sons, Family, Mothers, Siblings, Friendship, Fathers, Appearance & Reality, Self Discovery, Beauty, Art, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Realistic Fiction, Romance, Trauma & Abuse, Relationships, Modern Classic Fiction

In Dreamland, a young adult novel by Sarah Dessen, a teenage girl named Caitlin O’Koren reacts to the disappearance of her sister by breaking away from the path that was set out for her. The novel is broken into three parts that focus on the core of the conflicts in each section. Part I, “Cass,” traces the O’Koren family after Cass, the eldest of two daughters, runs away instead of attending Yale. Part II, entitled... Read Dreamland Summary

Dress Coded

by Carrie Firestone

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Equality, Family, Femininity, Emotions/Behavior: Courage

Tags Realistic Fiction, Gender & Feminism, Social Justice, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read Dress Coded Summary

Drive

by Kate Stewart

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Guilt, Hope, Love, Memory, Language, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Midlife, Future, The Past, Family, Friendship, Marriage, Siblings, Self Discovery, Community, Art, Fate, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Music, Order & Chaos, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Romance, New Adult, Music

... Read Drive Summary

Drowning

by T. J. Newman

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Grief, Family

Tags Horror & Suspense, Psychological Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Action & Adventure

... Read Drowning Summary

Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie

by Jordan Sonnenblick

Publication year 2004

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family

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

Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie (2014) is a young adult novel by American author Jordan Sonnenblick. Sonnenblick is a well-known young adult author whose novels include After Ever After, Falling Over Sideways, Notes From the Midnight Driver, and Zen and the Art of Faking It. The story follows Steven Alper, a 13-year-old drummer whose life is turned upside down when his five-year-old brother, Jeffrey, is diagnosed with leukemia. As Steven navigates the trials of early... Read Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie Summary

Each Tiny Spark

by Pablo Cartaya

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Disability, Justice, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Memory, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Fathers, Self Discovery, Community, Education, Immigration, Politics & Government

Tags Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Mental Illness, Disability, Trauma & Abuse

... Read Each Tiny Spark Summary

East of Eden

by John Steinbeck

Publication year 1952

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Good & Evil, Family

Tags American Literature, World History, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction, Coming of Age, Realistic Fiction, Dramatic Literature, Relationships, Social Class, Religion & Spirituality

John Steinbeck’s East of Eden is an American classic. A work of contemporary fiction, the novel was a popular success upon its 1952 publication, quickly rising to the top of the fiction bestseller list. It has remained in print ever since and is still a widely read and well-respected book. Steinbeck published 33 books, including nonfiction, and received the Nobel Prize in 1962 for his contribution to American letters. His most famous works are the... Read East of Eden Summary

Eat a Bowl of Tea

by Louis Chu

Publication year 1961

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Regret, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Masculinity, Race, Sexual Identity, Daughters & Sons, Family, Fathers, Friendship, Marriage, Community, Immigration, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Asian Literature, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

... Read Eat a Bowl of Tea Summary

Echo Mountain

by Lauren Wolk

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Perseverance, Appearance & Reality, Self Discovery

Tags Historical Fiction, Action & Adventure, Poverty, Animals, Gender & Feminism, Relationships, Science & Nature, Great Depression, Coming of Age, Children`s Literature, World History

... Read Echo Mountain Summary

Educated

by Tara Westover

Publication year 2018

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Trust & Doubt, Memory, Fathers, Family

Tags Education, Poverty, Biography, Religion & Spirituality

Tara Westover’s 2018 memoir, Educated, tells the story of her journey to obtain an education. Westover is the youngest of seven children who grew up in the mountains of southwest Idaho in a radical Mormon family in the late 1980s and 1990s. From an early age, Westover knew that her family was not like other families because hers did not send the children to school, did not visit doctors’ offices or hospitals, and was not... Read Educated Summary