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.

Machines Like Me

by Ian McEwan

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Birth, Appearance & Reality, Community, Family, Friendship, Love, Science & Technology

Tags Science Fiction, Technology, Love & Sexuality, British Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

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MaddAddam

by Margaret Atwood

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Science & Technology, Safety & Danger, Religion & Spirituality, Order & Chaos, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Good & Evil, Art, Mothers, Fathers, Siblings, Family, Hope, Environment, Future

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy

Margaret Atwood’s novel MaddAddam, published in 2013, completes her post-apocalyptic MaddAddam trilogy that begins with Oryx and Crake (2003) and continues with The Year of the Flood (2009). The trilogy takes place in the aftermath of a destroyed technological dystopia, a world in which corporations have totalitarian control. Atwood, an award-winning Canadian author, has been a prolific writer of poetry, short stories, novels, and many other forms since the early 1960s. She is known for... Read MaddAddam Summary

Mad Honey

by Jodi Picoult, Jennifer Finney Boylan

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Gender Identity, Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Justice, Truth & Lies, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Romance, LGBTQ+, Bullying, Depression & Suicide, Parenting, Love & Sexuality, Social Justice, Coming of Age, Diversity, Relationships, Trauma & Abuse, Modern Classic Fiction

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Madwoman

by Chelsea Bieker

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Memory, Childhood & Youth, Family, Fathers, Mothers, Safety & Danger

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Gender & Feminism

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Magic Hour

by Kristin Hannah

Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Love, Grief, Appearance & Reality, Self Discovery, Community

Tags Romance, Dramatic Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

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Magyk

by Angie Sage

Publication year 2005

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Daughters & Sons, Family, Fathers, Siblings, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger

Tags Fantasy, Action & Adventure

Published in 2005, Angie Sage’s Magyk is a middle grade fantasy novel and the first book in the Septimus Heap series. The story follows the adventures of the Heap family, particularly focusing on the seventh son, Septimus Heap. The narrative unfolds with the mysterious disappearance of Septimus on the day of his birth, leading to a magical journey filled with enchanted forests, dark wizards, and hidden secrets. The Heap family navigates a world brimming with... Read Magyk Summary

Mahabharata

by Anonymous

Publication year -1

Genre Scripture, Nonfiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Hate & Anger, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Masculinity, Coming of Age, Death, The Past, Place, Family, War, Justice, Religion & Spirituality, Wins & Losses

Tags Narrative Poem, Indian Literature, Mythology, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy

David R. Slavitt’s 2015 translation of the Mahabharata is an abridged, modern English rendition of the ancient Indian epic. Slavitt, an American poet, novelist, and translator, is experienced in translating classical texts for contemporary audiences. His translation seeks to make this foundational work of South Asian literature accessible to modern readers.The Mahabharata is traditionally attributed to the sage Vyasa and was composed between approximately 400 BCE and 400 CE. As one of the longest epic... Read Mahabharata Summary

Main Street

by Sinclair Lewis

Publication year 1920

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Loneliness, Gender Identity, Place, Family, Friendship, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Economics, Art, Beauty, Equality

Tags Satirical Literature, American Literature, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

Main Street is a 1920 satirical novel written by Sinclair Lewis. Set in the tiny town of Gopher Prairie, Minnesota, the story revolves around the trials and tribulations of Carol Milford Kennicott as she struggles to adjust to small-town living. In 1930, Main Street helped Lewis become the first American to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. This guide is based on the 1995 Penguin Classics edition of Main Street.Content Warning: This guide and... Read Main Street Summary

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

by Helen Simonson

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Family, Race, Grief, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Death, Social Class, Colonialism, Equality

Tags Romance, British Literature, Historical Fiction

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand is a contemporary comedy of manners written by English-born author Helen Simonson, exploring the tensions that erupt in a conservative English village when a respected widower, Major Pettigrew, falls in love with Mrs. Ali, a Pakistani shopkeeper’s widow. While the Major longs for companionship with the gracious and sensible Mrs. Ali, he must also navigate conflicts with his self-absorbed son, the changing economy of rural English life, and the melodrama unfolding... Read Major Pettigrew's Last Stand Summary

Make Lemonade

by Virginia Euwer Wolff

Publication year 1993

Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction

Themes Family, Mothers, Teamwork

Tags Education, Education, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Poverty

First published in 1993, Virginia Euwer Wolff’s Make Lemonade is a young adult novel written in free verse. The novel received numerous awards, including the Golden Kite Award for Fiction and the Parents’ Choice Book Award, and was named an ALA Best Book for Young Adults and School Library Journal Best Book. While Wolff herself defines her novel as “prose” with “stanzas” rather than poetry, she includes poetic imagery and innovative use of language and... Read Make Lemonade Summary

Malibu Rising

by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Siblings, Coming of Age

Tags Coming of Age, Relationships, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Grief & Death, Parenting, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Historical Fiction, Romance

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Mañanaland

by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Literature, Grief, Family

Tags Fantasy, Coming of Age, Arts & Culture, Grief & Death, Education, Relationships, American Literature, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, Magical Realism, Action & Adventure

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Maniac Magee

by Jerry Spinelli

Publication year 1990

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Social Class, Race, Family, Coming of Age, Death

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

Published in 1990, Maniac Magee is a Newbery award–winning middle grade novel by renowned children’s author Jerry Spinelli. After his parents die, 11-year-old Jeffrey Lionel Magee runs away from his guardians and a year later ends up in the racially divided Pennsylvania town of Two Mills. Jeffrey, a white boy, finds a home with a Black family, but racial tension and threats send him back on the run. By accepting a host of challenges with... Read Maniac Magee Summary

Maria Chapdelaine

by Louis Hémon

Publication year 1913

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Love, Family, Colonialism, Community, Nation, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance

Maria Chapdelaine (1916) is a novel by Breton author Louis Hémon. Maria Chapdelaine tells the story of its titular protagonist, a young woman who lives on her family’s farm in a remote stretch of Québec wilderness. Against the backdrop of a brutal and unpredictable climate, Maria must choose between three suitors who each represent different lifestyles: A trapper, a farmer, and a factory worker who has emigrated to the United States. Hémon explores The Hardships... Read Maria Chapdelaine Summary