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.

All the Ugly and Wonderful Things

by Bryn Greenwood

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Love, Family

Tags Romance, Coming of Age, Trauma & Abuse, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Dramatic Literature, Historical Fiction, Mental Illness

Bryn Greenwood’s novel All the Ugly and Wonderful Things (2016) acknowledges and inverts the features of fairy tales and romance novels to depict a relationship that challenges accepted social values and questions the definition of love itself. Sunk in the depravity and degradation of her father’s drug-dealing lifestyle, eight-year-old Wavy finds her only solace in a questionable attachment to Kellen, a 24-year-old man who is also isolated and longing for some scrap of beauty in... Read All the Ugly and Wonderful Things Summary

All the Water in the World

by Eiren Caffall

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Race, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Future, The Past, Animals, Climate, Environment, Food, Objects & Materials, Place, Family, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Economics, Art, Beauty, Equality, Justice, Literature, Music, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt

Tags Science Fiction

... Read All the Water in the World Summary

All We Have Left

by Wendy Mills

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family

Tags Historical Fiction, 9/11, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, World History, Romance, Arts & Culture

All We Have Left is a historical novel written by Wendy Mills. The book was published in 2016, and was included on Best Book of the Year lists by Kirkus, Amazon and Bank Street. The work is based upon the impact of the terrorist bombings of the World Trade Center in New York City on September 11, 2001, and is directed at a young-adult audience. The story is told from the perspective of two teenaged... Read All We Have Left Summary

Alone

by Megan E. Freeman

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction

Themes Family, Self Discovery, Place, Loneliness

Tags Action & Adventure, Survival Fiction, Science Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Children`s Literature

... Read Alone Summary

Along for the Ride

by Sarah Dessen

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Self Discovery, Perseverance

Tags Romance, Coming of Age, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen is a contemporary YA romance novel published in 2009. The story follows protagonist Auden West, an academically accomplished, shy insomniac and child of divorce. When Auden decides to spend her summer before college with her father Robert, stepmother Heidi, and newborn half sister in a small beach town, she undergoes a personal transformation. Auden meets Eli, a fellow insomniac and professional biker, who helps her find her inner... Read Along for the Ride Summary

A Long Walk to Water

by Linda Sue Park

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Life-Inspired Fiction, Children`s Literature, History: African , Education, Education, Military & War, Realistic Fiction, World History, Historical Fiction

The middle-grade novel A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park follows the life of one of the Lost Boys from South Sudan during the Second Sudanese Civil War. Based on a true story, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt published the bestselling novel in 2010, and Park later wrote a companion picture book, Nya’s Long Walk. The story follows Salva Dut, based on a family friend of Park’s, who is chased from his village and family... Read A Long Walk to Water Summary

A Long Way Home

by Saroo Brierley

Publication year 2013

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Fate, Family, Memory, Community, Fear, Hope

Tags Poverty, Parenting, Indian Literature, Biography

A Long Way Home is a 2013 memoir by Saroo Brierley, an Indian-born author who was accidentally separated from his biological family at the age of five and adopted by an Australian couple. The memoir traces Saroo’s remarkable journey from India to Australia and back again 25 years later. The book inspired the 2016 film Lion and became a New York Times Best Seller after the film’s release. This guide refers to the 2015 edition published... Read A Long Way Home Summary

Amal Unbound

by Aisha Saeed

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Education, Coming of Age, Gender Identity, Family

Tags Coming of Age, Social Class, Social Justice, Asian History, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Arts & Culture

Twelve-year-old Amal’s dreams of becoming a teacher are shattered when she disrespects the powerful landlord of her Pakistani village and is forced into a life of servitude in the New York Times bestselling Amal Unbound (2018). Author Aisha Saeed is a Pakistani-American teacher, writer, and attorney as well as a founder of the We Need Diverse Books organization. In Amal Unbound, Saeed calls attention to contemporary global inequities, exploring themes of social injustice, education, and... Read Amal Unbound Summary

A Marvellous Light

by Freya Marske

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Gender Identity, Sexual Identity, Appearance & Reality, Family, Self Discovery, Social Class, Equality, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, World History, Historical Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, LGBTQ+, Edwardian Era

... Read A Marvellous Light Summary

Americanized

by Sara Saedi

Publication year 2018

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Family, Immigration, Coming of Age

Tags Humor, Immigration & Refugeeism, Diversity, Race & Racism, Modern Classic Fiction, Biography

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American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House

by Jon Meacham

Publication year 2008

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Family, Nation, Politics & Government

Tags US History, World History, Biography, Politics & Government

American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House is a Pulitzer Prize–winning biography of President Andrew Jackson written in 2008 by historian Jon Meacham. The book focuses on Jackson’s transformative and often controversial time in the White House, exploring themes of democracy, the Expansion of Executive Power, leadership, and the interaction of the personal and public, including the Impact of Personal Character on Public Duty and the Intersection of Private Lives and Public Roles. Meacham... Read American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House Summary