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.
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Midlife, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: Mothers, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Music, Identity: Gender
Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Drama / Tragedy
Publication year 2006
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Identity: Race
Tags Religion / Spirituality, Inspirational, Biography
Same Kind of Different as Me (2006) is a memoir written by Denver Moore and Ron Hall, with the assistance of Lynn Vincent. Employing a first-person point of view that switches between Moore and Hall in its chapters, the book tells the radically-different life stories of the two men—Moore spent most of his adult years being homeless or in prison, while Hall was a high-end art dealer—and how they were brought together thanks to Hall’s... Read Same Kind Of Different As Me Summary
Publication year 2012
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Music, Relationships: Family, Natural World: Environment
Tags Children's Literature, Realistic Fiction, Arts / Culture
Same Sun Here, co-written by Silas House and Neela Vaswani, details a year in the lives of two young people: an Indian immigrant living in New York City, and a small-town boy from Kentucky. Written as a series of letters between the two main characters, this middle grade novel is narrated by each author writing from the perspective of a separate character. Published in 2011, the book received the Nautilus Book Award, the E.B. White... Read Same Sun Here Summary
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Life/Time: The Past, Identity: Race, Relationships: Family, Self Discovery
Tags Romance, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman
Publication year 1998
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Humor, Action / Adventure
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Survival Fiction, Race / Racism, Immigration / Refugee, Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy, Action / Adventure
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Marriage, Life/Time: Aging, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Midlife, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Mothers, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Literary Fiction, Humor, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Identity: Race, Relationships: Family, Self Discovery
Tags African Literature, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 1985
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family
Tags Historical Fiction, Children's Literature, Education, Education, History: World, Classic Fiction
American children’s writer Patricia MacLachlan published her first novel, Sarah, Plain and Tall, in 1985. The novel won the Newberry Medal in 1986, the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction, and the Golden Kite Award. MacLachlan loosely based the story off a woman her mother knew who moved from Maine to the prairie to become a wife and mother. Using this premise, the novel explores themes of The Beauty of New Beginnings, A Child’s Desire... Read Sarah, Plain and Tall Summary
Publication year 2005
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Apathy, Relationships: Family, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Society: War
Tags Historical Fiction, British Literature, War On Terrorism / Iraq War, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World
Saturday is a novel by Ian McEwan, first published in 2005 by Jonathan Cape. Ian McEwan is an acclaimed British author who has been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize numerous times, winning the award for Amsterdam in 1998. In Saturday, McEwan delves into the inner life of a single individual, Henry Perowne, a successful neurosurgeon living in London. The novel takes place over the course of a single day, February 15, 2003, against the... Read Saturday Summary
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Joy, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Midlife, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Food, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: Mothers, Society: Community
Tags Historical Fiction, Food, Romance
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Tags Romance, Sports, New Adult
Publication year 1997
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Natural World: Animals, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Society: Community
Tags Realistic Fiction, Action / Adventure, Relationships
Publication year 2018
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family
Tags Realistic Fiction, Animals, Children's Literature
Publication year 2008
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Self Discovery, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Siblings
Tags Fantasy, Action / Adventure, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Children's Literature
Savvy, by Ingrid Law, is a fantasy-adventure novel for middle-grade readers about a girl from a psychic family who discovers her mental superpower and tries to master it quickly to use it to save her comatose father. First published in 2008, Savvy was a New York Times bestseller; it won a Newbery Honor and has appeared on more than 30 best book lists. The novel has two sequels, Scumble and Switch. Law’s books have been... Read Savvy Summary
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship
Tags Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance, Sports, New Adult
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Relationships: Family, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Fairy Tale / Folklore, Fantasy, Romance, New Adult, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Historical Fiction
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Family, Identity: Disability, Natural World: Animals
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Fantasy, Action / Adventure, Animals, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Children's Literature
Publication year 1999
Genre Book, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Relationships: Family
Tags Psychology, Science / Nature, Health / Medicine, Parenting, Disability, Psychology, Mental Illness, Self Help
Publication year 2008
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Disability, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Family, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Society: Education, Values/Ideas: Literature
Tags Realistic Fiction, Drama / Tragedy, Children's Literature