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.

My Father's Song

by Simon J. Ortiz

Publication year 1976

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Aging, Fathers, Nostalgia, Family, Perseverance

Tags Lyric Poem, Relationships, American Literature

Simon J. Ortiz originally published “My Father’s Song” in his poetry/story collection entitled A Good Journey (1977). Ortiz is a major writer in the Native American Renaissance, a movement which began in the 1960s and marked a significant increase in the production of literary works by Native Americans in the United States. The poem was written at a time when Ortiz was collecting and recounting stories from Indigenous tribes across the United States, and his... Read My Father's Song Summary

My Favorite Thing Is Monsters

by Emil Ferris

Publication year 2017

Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Death, Coming of Age, Social Class, Sexual Identity, Community, Friendship, Safety & Danger, Siblings, Family, Art, Childhood & Youth, Daughters & Sons, Mothers, Race, Fear, Conflict, Beauty, Shame & Pride, Appearance & Reality, Loneliness, Grief, Fathers

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, Realistic Fiction, LGBTQ+, Arts & Culture

... Read My Favorite Thing Is Monsters Summary

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry

by Fredrik Backman

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Coming of Age, Family

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy, Humor

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry is a 2013 coming-of-age novel by Fredrik Bachman. The story follows Elsa, a seven-year-old girl with a penchant for grammar and deep affection for her grandmother, Granny, who dies from cancer. As Elsa discovers Granny’s past and the many lives she affected, she also learns more about Life and Death, Celebrating Differences, and the Complexity of Human Nature.Originally written in Swedish, My Grandmother Asked Me has... Read My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry Summary

My Life as a Book

by Janet Tashjian

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Childhood & Youth, Friendship, Fathers, Mothers

Tags Realistic Fiction, Humor, Education, Grief & Death, Parenting, Relationships, Children`s Literature, Mystery & Crime Fiction

... Read My Life as a Book Summary

My Name is Lucy Barton

by Elizabeth Strout

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Memory, Childhood & Youth, Mothers, Fathers, Love

Tags Trauma & Abuse, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

Elizabeth Strout’s New York Times bestselling novel My Name is Lucy Barton follows the titular character on a journey of healing. Published in 2016, My Name is Lucy Barton explores the impact of trauma as Lucy navigates her reunion with her estranged mother. Longlisted for the 2016 Man Booker Prize, My Name is Lucy Barton was adapted for the stage as a one-woman show featuring acclaimed actress Laura Linney in 2018 and 2020. Strout’s novel... Read My Name is Lucy Barton Summary

My Name Is Not Easy

by Debby Dahl Edwardson

Publication year 2011

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Education, Perseverance, Indigenous Identity, Family, Siblings, Colonialism, Politics & Government, Justice, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt

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

... Read My Name Is Not Easy Summary

My Sister's Keeper

by Jodi Picoult

Publication year 2004

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Good & Evil, Grief, Guilt, Perseverance, Childhood & Youth, Death, Disability

Tags Dramatic Literature, Health, Disability, Grief & Death, Parenting

My Sister’s Keeper is a 2004 novel by bestselling author Jodi Picoult centered on the controversy of savior siblings. In the novel, Anna Fitzgerald fights for medical emancipation in order to have a choice in whether or not she will donate a kidney to her sister, Kate, who has leukemia. In 2009, the novel was adapted into a feature film released by New Line Cinema. The movie was directed by Nick Cassavetes and starred Cameron... Read My Sister's Keeper Summary

My Sister, the Serial Killer

by Oyinkan Braithwaite

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Nature Versus Nurture, Beauty

Tags Satirical Literature, Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

My Sister, the Serial Killer, is a novel by Nigerian-born British writer Oyinkan Braithwaite, originally published in the UK in 2019. Set in Nigeria’s largest city, Lagos, this darkly satirical, structurally experimental crime story about the extremes of family bonds bears an unusually revealing and literal title, and it has been longlisted for the prestigious Booker Prize. The novel was also shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction and the 2019 Amazon Publishing Readers’ Awards... Read My Sister, the Serial Killer Summary