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.

Framed!

by James Ponti

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Family, Friendship, Teamwork, Justice, Safety & Danger

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

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Frankly in Love

by David Yoon

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Race, Immigration, Self Discovery, Truth & Lies, Friendship, Family, Love, Coming of Age

Tags Coming of Age, Romance, Asian Literature, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

Frankly in Love is a coming-of-age novel written by David Yoon and published in 2019 by Penguin Young Readers, Putnam. The story revolves around Frank Li, a Korean American teenager torn between his American identity and the traditional expectations of his Korean parents. With its engaging storyline and exploration of cultural identity, Frankly in Love tackles themes of love, family expectations, and self-discovery. David Yoon’s writing skillfully portrays the complexities of Frank’s experiences as he... Read Frankly in Love Summary

Freaky Friday

by Mary Rodgers

Publication year 1972

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Conflict, Self Discovery, Love, Coming of Age, Gender Identity, Childhood & Youth, Mothers, Siblings, Beauty

Tags Fantasy, Humor, Children`s Literature, Coming of Age

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Freedom

by Jonathan Franzen

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Family, Loyalty & Betrayal, Forgiveness, Love, Friendship

Tags Realistic Fiction, Grief & Death, Love & Sexuality, Parenting, US History, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

IntroductionFreedom is a 2010 novel by American author Jonathan Franzen. The story focuses on the Berglunds, a dysfunctional family living in Minnesota. The novel examines themes of family, freedom, depression, addiction, marriage, and more. Freedom was a selection for Oprah’s book club and won great critical acclaim.Content warning: This guide contains references to alcohol addiction and rape, which are discussed in the source text. Plot Summary The book unfolds across four parts. Part 1, “Good... Read Freedom Summary

Freedom Train

by Dorothy Sterling

Publication year 1954

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Hope, Disability, Femininity, Race, Environment, Family, Teamwork, Colonialism, Politics & Government, War, Equality, Justice, Safety & Danger

Tags World History, Biography, Children`s Literature, US History, Historical Nonfiction, American Civil War

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Free Lunch

by Rex Ogle

Publication year 2019

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Family, Mothers, Shame & Pride, Hope, Gratitude, Hate & Anger

Tags Realistic Fiction, Poverty, Trauma & Abuse, Children`s Literature, Biography

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Freewater

by Amina Luqman-Dawson

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Race, Community, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Self Discovery, Safety & Danger, Friendship, Family, Perseverance

Tags Historical Fiction, Action & Adventure, African American Literature, Race & Racism, Children`s Literature, World History

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Friend of My Youth

by Alice Munro

Publication year 1990

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Memory, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt, Mothers, Family

Tags Symbolic Narrative, Grief & Death, Gender & Feminism, Women`s Studies, Modern Classic Fiction, Canadian Literature, Classic Fiction

“Friend of My Youth” is the title short story from the collection of the same name by Alice Munro, published in 1990. The collection won the 1990 Trillium Book Award, which recognizes writers from Ontario, Canada.Narrated in the first person, the story is told from the perspective of an unnamed female writer in mourning for her mother, who died some years earlier of Parkinson’s disease. The narrator describes a recurrent dream that she used to... Read Friend of My Youth Summary

From the Ashes

by Jesse Thistle

Publication year 2019

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Mental Health, Indigenous Identity, Safety & Danger, Community, Family

Tags Inspirational, Trauma & Abuse, Race & Racism, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Mental Illness, Biography

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Front Desk

by Kelly Yang

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family

Tags Chinese Literature, Asian Literature, Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction

Front Desk is the debut novel of Asian-American author Kelly Yang. First published in 2018, the children’s book became a New York Times bestseller and was mentioned on multiple Best Books of the Year lists including NPR, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, the Washington Post, Amazon, School Library Journal, the New York Public Library, and the Chicago Public Library. Front Desk also made ALA’s Booklist of the Top Ten Debut Novels of 2018. It won the 2019... Read Front Desk Summary

Full Cicada Moon

by Marilyn C. Hilton

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Race, Gender Identity, Coming of Age, Family

Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, World History, Arts & Culture

Winner of the APALA Literature Award, Marilyn C. Hilton’s Full Cicada Moon (2015) is a historical novel-in-verse that examines themes of racism and gender norms in 1969 New England. Composed of poems, the novel delves into the experiences of Mimi, a middle-school student of African American and Japanese descent who initially struggles with her identity but eventually learns to feel confident in herself. This study guide references the 2017 Puffin Books Reprint Edition, an imprint... Read Full Cicada Moon Summary

Full Measures

by Rebecca Yarros

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Grief, Love, Memory, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Death, Future, Family, Fathers, Friendship, Mothers, Siblings, Self Discovery, Community, War, Fate, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

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Full of Beans

by Jennifer L. Holm

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Friendship, Family, Truth & Lies, Guilt, Community

Tags Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, World History, Humor, Historical Fiction, Great Depression

Jennifer L. Holm’s Full of Beans is a 2016 middle-grade historical novel set in 1934. Main character and first-person protagonist Beans Curry is a 10-year-old boy born and raised in Key West, Florida. The Great Depression causes difficulties for the locals of the dilapidated town, including Beans’s family. “New Dealer” Mr. Julius Stone, Jr. arrives with the plan to boost Key West’s failing economy by recreating it as a tourist destination, but Beans decides that... Read Full of Beans Summary

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic

by Alison Bechdel

Publication year 2006

Genre Graphic Memoir , Nonfiction

Themes Sexual Identity, Gender Identity, Family, Fathers, Daughters & Sons, Literature, Truth & Lies, Femininity, Masculinity

Tags LGBTQ+, Life-Inspired Fiction, Relationships, Love & Sexuality, Parenting, Depression & Suicide, Mental Illness, Grief & Death, Gender & Feminism, Biography

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic (2006) is a graphic novel memoir written and illustrated by underground cartoonist Alison Bechdel. The book centers on Bechdel’s relationship with her late father Bruce Allen Bechdel, who died in what she believes was a death by suicide. Fun Home is a non-linear narrative that rehashes events from Alison Bechdel’s youth and adolescence. Her memories are presented in the comic panels, overlayed with her prosaic, retrospective musings in text boxes... Read Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic Summary