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.

Glory Over Everything

by Kathleen Grissom

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Race, Family, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction

Kathleen Grissom’s 2016 historical novel, Glory over Everything, is the sequel to her bestselling 2010 book The Kitchen House. The novel, which unfolds in nonlinear order and from multiple points of view, continues the story of James “Jamie” Pyke, a man of biracial heritage who, after killing his father to avoid enslavement, has spent two decades passing as a wealthy white silversmith in 1830s Philadelphia. However, his world is shattered when his young servant, Pan... Read Glory Over Everything Summary

Go as a River

by Shelley Read

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Place, Mothers, Family, Coming of Age, Indigenous Identity

Tags Coming of Age, Race & Racism, Trauma & Abuse, World History, Historical Fiction, Romance

... Read Go as a River Summary

Go Ask Alice

by Beatrice Sparks

Publication year 1971

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mental Health, Shame & Pride, Coming of Age, Family, Friendship, Self Discovery, Community, Justice, Truth & Lies

Tags Depression & Suicide, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Coming of Age, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Psychology, Psychology, Mental Illness, Classic Fiction

Initially advertised as an anonymous, true story of a teenage girl, Go Ask Alice (1971) by Beatrice Sparks is an epistolary novel, or a fictional work structured as a diary. The diary entries chronicle two years of a teen girl’s experience with social acceptance, family relationships, and drugs—primarily marijuana, LSD, and amphetamines. Although Beatrice Sparks initially claimed to be the diary’s editor, considerable evidence suggests that she’s the sole author of the fictional work. Nevertheless... Read Go Ask Alice Summary

God Grew Tired of Us

by John Bul Dau

Publication year 2007

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Family

Tags Military & War, Immigration & Refugeeism, History: African , World History, Biography

God Grew Tired of Us, published in 2007, is a Christian memoir that chronicles John Bul Dau’s 1,000-mile journey from his home village of Duk Payuel in Sudan to the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya. This study guide refers to the 2008 first paperback printing edition.In the Introduction Dau states that although he is just one of thousands of Lost Boys, he wanted to tell his story in hope of using his education and experiences... Read God Grew Tired of Us Summary

God of Malice

by Rina Kent

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Hope, Love, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Death, Family, Friendship, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Art, Fate, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Romance, Horror & Suspense, New Adult

... Read God of Malice Summary

God Sees the Truth, but Waits

by Leo Tolstoy

Publication year 1872

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Forgiveness, Justice, Family, Hate & Anger

Tags Russian Literature, Classic Fiction, World History, Philosophy, Philosophy, Religion & Spirituality

“God Sees the Truth, but Waits” is a short story by Leo Tolstoy originally published in 1872. The story, a parable about forgiveness that explores religious and spiritual themes, tells of a man sent to prison in Siberia for a murder he did not commit. The story has been adapted for various media, including films and radio programs. This guide refers to the 1990 Norton Critical Edition.Set in Tolstoy’s contemporary Russia, the story is narrated... Read God Sees the Truth, but Waits Summary

Good Bones

by Maggie Smith

Publication year 2016

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Mothers, Daughters & Sons, Hope, Appearance & Reality, Perseverance, Conflict, Family

Tags Free Verse, Parenting, Science & Nature, Gender & Feminism

... Read Good Bones Summary

Goodbye Columbus

by Philip Roth

Publication year 1959

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Nostalgia, Race, Coming of Age, Family, Social Class, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Relationships, Social Class, Jewish Literature, US History, American Literature, World History, Classic Fiction

Goodbye, Columbus is Philip Roth’s first work of literary fiction, consisting of six short stories, published on May 7, 1959. The book won the National Book Award in 1960 and is the first of many popular and successful works of fiction by Roth. Like his other novels and short stories, many of the stories occur in and around Roth’s birthplace of Newark, New Jersey, exploring the Jewish experience in the US. Roth is known for... Read Goodbye Columbus Summary

Goodbye Days

by Jeff Zentner

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Death, Grief, Family

Tags Realistic Fiction, Grief & Death, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness

Goodbye Days is a young adult novel by Jeff Zentner. Published in 2017, it follows a teenage boy, Carver Briggs, who is grappling with the deaths of his three best friends. All three boys died in a car crash on their way to pick up Carver from work. Carver’s survivor’s guilt is exacerbated by the fact that he’s facing a possible criminal investigation for “negligent homicide” for his supposed role in the accident. Carver texted... Read Goodbye Days Summary

Goodbye, Eri

by Tatsuki Fujimoto

Publication year 2022

Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Hope, Loneliness, Memory, Nostalgia, Mental Health, Shame & Pride, Coming of Age, Death, Family, Self Discovery, Art, Order & Chaos

Tags Coming of Age, Love & Sexuality

... Read Goodbye, Eri Summary

Goodbye, Vitamin

by Rachel Khong

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Mental Health, Memory, Forgiveness

Tags Humor, Health, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness

Goodbye, Vitamin is Asian American author Rachel Khong’s debut novel. Khong, whose grandmother had Alzheimer’s disease, explores how Alzheimer’s disease affects a family in this work of literary fiction. Written as a series of diary entries, Khong’s protagonist, Ruth Young, meditates on memory, forgiveness, and the challenges inherent in familial relationships as she navigates an adulthood that is not turning out as planned.Published in 2017, Goodbye, Vitamin received positive reviews and was named one of... Read Goodbye, Vitamin Summary

Goodnight Mister Tom

by Michelle Magorian

Publication year 1981

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Gratitude, Love, Childhood & Youth, Family, Fathers, Friendship, Mothers, Community, War, Safety & Danger

Tags Historical Fiction, Military & War, World War II

Goodnight Mister Tom is a work of historical fiction written by Michelle Magorian and published in 1981. The novel is aimed at an audience of middle grade readers. It tells the story of eight-year-old William Beech, who, at the start of WWII, has to move with his abusive mother from an impoverished suburb of London to the countryside, where they are in the care of an elderly recluse, Thomas Oakley. The novel explores the impact... Read Goodnight Mister Tom Summary