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.

Good Talk

by Mira Jacob

Publication year 2019

Genre Graphic Memoir , Nonfiction

Themes Family, Race, Daughters & Sons, Friendship, Mothers, Siblings, Marriage, Fathers, Community, Memory, Future, Fear, Conflict, Loneliness

Tags Race & Racism, Politics & Government, 9/11, Relationships, LGBTQ+, Grief & Death, Parenting, Social Justice, Immigration & Refugeeism, Biography

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Go Set A Watchman

by Harper Lee

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Family, Justice

Tags Historical Fiction, Politics & Government, Race & Racism, World History, Classic Fiction

Go Set a Watchman is the second novel of Pulitzer Prize winner Harper Lee. While this novel was initially touted as a sequel to her critically acclaimed 1960 debut novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, it is now regarded as an early draft of that book, featuring many of the same characters and, occasionally, the same scenes. When first published in 2015, the book set a record for the highest adult novel one-day sales at Barnes... Read Go Set A Watchman Summary

Go Tell It on the Mountain

by James Baldwin

Publication year 1953

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Race, Sexual Identity, Family, Shame & Pride, Fathers, Equality

Tags Life-Inspired Fiction, Love & Sexuality, Religion & Spirituality, Race & Racism, American Literature, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

Go Tell it on the Mountain is a semi-autobiographical novel by James Baldwin. Published in 1953, the novel tells the story of a teenager in 1930s Harlem named John Grimes as well as his wider family, dealing with themes of religion, sexuality, and race. This guide uses an eBook version of the Modern Penguin Classics edition of the novel. Plot SummaryGo Tell it on the Mountain is set on the 14th birthday of the protagonist... Read Go Tell It on the Mountain Summary

Great and Precious Things

by Rebecca Yarros

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Death, Conflict, Grief, Guilt, Love, Memory, Disability, Mental Health, Aging, The Past, Family, Fathers, Friendship, Siblings, Self Discovery, Community, Fate, Justice, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Romance, Military & War, Contemporary Literature, Dramatic Literature

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Great Big Beautiful Life

by Emily Henry

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Grief, Guilt, Love, Memory, Death, Future, The Past, Family, Friendship, Mothers, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Art, Fame, Fate, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

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Greenglass House

by Kate Milford

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Childhood & Youth, Race, Self Discovery, Family

Tags Fairy Tale & Folklore, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Children`s Literature, Special Occasions, Parenting, Action & Adventure

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Greenwild

by Pari Thomson

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Revenge, Race, Childhood & Youth, Animals, Environment, Plants, Family, Justice, Power & Greed

Tags Fantasy, Children`s Literature

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Greenwood

by Michael Christie

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Environment, Plants, Nature Versus Nurture, Family, Power & Greed

Tags Historical Fiction, Science Fiction, Science & Nature, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

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Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane

by Suzanne Collins

Publication year 2004

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Joy, Love, Revenge, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Nature Versus Nurture, Place, Family, Friendship, Siblings, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Community, War, Equality, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt

Tags Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature, Animals, Science Fiction

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Gretel in Darkness

by Louise Glück

Publication year 1975

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Mental Health, Guilt, Family

Tags Lyric Poem, Symbolic Narrative, Mental Illness, Gender & Feminism, Arts & Culture, Mythology

Louise Glück is among the most lauded poets in the American canon. Glück’s writing is often surgically precise in terms of formal craft, and reveals a deep emotional complexity. She addresses sadness, mourning, trauma, and individual suffering metaphorically through the natural world, mythology, autobiographical events, or universal truths. She is known for alluding to cultural myths and personas in her work, some of which appear in “Gretel in Darkness” through the perspective of young Gretel... Read Gretel in Darkness Summary

Guts

by Raina Telgemeier

Publication year 2019

Genre Graphic Memoir , Nonfiction

Themes Mental Health, Fear, Friendship, Family, Perseverance, Art

Tags Coming of Age, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness

Guts is the third mid-grade graphic memoir in a trilogy by author/illustrator Raina Telgemeier through which she relates the true story of her childhood. Guts specifically records Raina’s fourth- and fifth-grade years, when she transitioned from nine to 10 years old. During this period, she first experiences gastrointestinal issues, eventually diagnosed as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Panic attacks accompany the IBS, and the two conditions exacerbate each other, intensifying her distress. Her narrative chronicles how... Read Guts Summary

Half Broke Horses

by Jeannette Walls

Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family

Tags Historical Fiction, Life-Inspired Fiction, Western, World History, Biography

Jeannette Walls describes her book Half Broke Horses as a “True-Life Novel,” as it describes the life of her real-life grandmother Lily Casey Smith. The book is told in the first person from the perspective of Lily as she grows up in the harsh desert southwest. While the book is classified as a novel (since Walls was unable to back-up all of the facts about Smith’s life), it reads more like a memoir. Walls begins... Read Half Broke Horses Summary

Half Brother

by Kenneth Oppel

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Forgiveness, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Language, Coming of Age, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Nature Versus Nurture, Fathers, Siblings, Teamwork, Justice, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology

Tags Historical Fiction, Animals, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

Half Brother (2010) is a young adult novel by Kenneth Oppel. In the novel, Oppel combines and fictionalizes several experiments in which chimpanzees learned sign language to communicate. The story follows the Tomlin family as they adopt a baby chimpanzee to see if it can learn and use language. Through this experiment and its effect on the characters, the text explores the themes of family, belonging, animal rights, communication, individuality, and growing up. The novel... Read Half Brother Summary