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.

Publication year 1980

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth

Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, American Literature, History: World, Classic Fiction

So Long, See You Tomorrow is the acclaimed final novel by American writer and editor William Maxwell. Originally published in two parts in New Yorker magazine in 1979, the book appeared the following year and received the prestigious National Book Award in 1982. Maxwell was the fiction editor of the New Yorker from 1936 to 1975, making him one of the most influential literary editors of the era. He worked closely with J. D. Salinger... Read So Long, See You Tomorrow Summary


Publication year 1998

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Friendship, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Grandparents, Relationships: Mothers, Self Discovery

Tags Romance, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

Someone Like You is a 1998 young adult novel by Sarah Dessen. The novel follows 16-year-old Halley as she navigates the complexities and challenges of growing up. Halley’s best friend, Scarlett, discovers that she is pregnant after her boyfriend, Michael, dies in a motorcycle accident. Halley steps up to help her friend through this unexpected challenge. Halley also begins dating Michael’s best friend, Macon, and must decide whether she is ready to have sex with... Read Someone Like You Summary


Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Race, Identity: Language, Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Memory

Tags Historical Fiction, WWII / World War II, Holocaust, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Children's Literature, Military / War, History: World

Someone Named Eva is a 2007 middle-grade historical fiction novel by American teacher and children’s author Joan M. Wolf. The book is set around the 1942 Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and Slovakia) during World War II. The story follows 11-year-old Milada Kralicek and her journey of loss and rediscovery. Milada struggles to remember her Czech family and identity after Nazi soldiers kidnap her and force her to... Read Someone Named Eva Summary


Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Friendship, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: Mothers, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Sexuality, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Parenting, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Joy, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Gender, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Marriage, Self Discovery, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger

Tags Fantasy, LGBTQ, Romance, Magical Realism


Publication year 2020

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Society: Immigration, Society: War, Relationships: Family, Society: Community

Tags Immigration / Refugee, Social Justice, History: World


Publication year 1856

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Nation, Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance

Tags Lyric Poem, Auto/Biographical Fiction, Transcendentalism, Education, Education, History: U.S., American Literature, History: World, Classic Fiction

“Song of Myself” is a free verse poem by the American writer, journalist, and poet Walt Whitman. The poem is often classified as a work of transcendentalist literature. Originally self-published by Whitman himself in 1855, it was considerably revised and expanded over subsequent decades. In 1889, “Song of Myself” was released in its final form as part of the last edition of the collection Leaves of Grass. This final version—the version referenced in this guide—is... Read Song of Myself Summary


Publication year 1977

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family

Tags Existentialism, American Literature, Education, Education, Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, Classic Fiction

Toni Morrison’s novel Song of Solomon was published in 1977. Since then, the novel has won many awards, including the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction (1978). Morrison later won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for her novel Beloved (1988) and the Nobel Prize in Literature (1993). Song of Solomon, Morrison’s third novel, follows the life of Milkman Dead, who uncovers the truth (the “song”) about his family when he travels south to Virginia... Read Song of Solomon Summary


Publication year 2002

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family

Tags Realistic Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance, Humor

Son of the Mob is a young adult novel by Gordon Korman, published in 2002. It is a comedic adventure story that concerns a teenaged boy named Vince Luca, and his attempts to come to terms with his Mafia family.Vince’s life is a mixture of mundane teenaged concerns (girls, grades) and adult criminal activity. This is established in the first chapter of the book, when he takes a girl named Angela out on a date... Read Son of the Mob Summary


Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Fame, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Values/Ideas: Equality, Relationships: Family

Tags Sports, Historical Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Poverty, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Mental Health, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: Mothers, Identity: Femininity, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Life/Time: Midlife, Relationships: Family

Tags Mental Illness, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 1969

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Identity: Disability, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice

Tags Historical Fiction, Animals, Classic Fiction, Southern Literature

Sounder is a 1969 book for young readers by American author William H. Armstrong. In the novel, a young boy grows up in a Black sharecropping family on a sprawling plantation in the 19th-century in the American South, where he lives with his parents, his siblings, and his faithful dog, Sounder. Bored and lonely, the boy dreams of returning to school and learning to read, and he copes with his life of obligation by hunting... Read Sounder Summary


Publication year 2025

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Gratitude, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Teams, Self Discovery, Society: Economics, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Identity: Masculinity

Tags Memoir / Autobiography


Publication year 2023

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Self Discovery, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger

Tags History: European, Politics / Government, British Literature, Animals, Grief / Death, Depression / Suicide, Class, Relationships, Journalism, Bullying, History: World, Biography


Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Relationships: Family, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Fantasy, Romance, New Adult


Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Society: War, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Society: Colonialism, Society: Globalization, Society: Immigration

Tags Historical Fiction, Survival Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World, Arts / Culture


Publication year 1999

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Art, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Identity: Mental Health, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship

Tags Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Mental Illness, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Education, Education, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

Speak is a young-adult realistic fiction novel by Laurie Halse Anderson, first published in 1999. It follows the plight of a teenager, Melinda, who was raped at age 13 and struggles to put her life back together and find her voice. Anderson has written several young adult novels, all of which address pressing issues for teens honestly and empathetically. She was honored with the Margaret A. Edwards award for her important and relevant contributions to... Read Speak Summary


Publication year 1986

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Natural World: Space & The Universe, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Life/Time: The Future, Natural World: Environment, Relationships: Family, Society: Colonialism, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice

Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy, Action / Adventure

Speaker for the Dead (1986) is the second book in the Ender sextet written by Orson Scott Card. Card is a renowned American science fiction author and has won numerous awards for his writing, including four for Speaker of the Dead—the Hugo Award for Best Novel, the Nebula Award for Best Novel, the Science Fiction Chronicle Reader Award for Best Novel, and the Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel.Speaker for the Dead is set... Read Speaker for the Dead Summary


Publication year 2013

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Relationships: Family, Identity: Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: Courage

Tags Crime / Legal, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Psychology, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Biography


Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Natural World: Animals, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice

Tags Children's Literature, Action / Adventure, Realistic Fiction, Humor, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Animals