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.

Ragtime

by E. L. Doctorow

Publication year 1975

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Race, Social Class, Family

Tags Historical Fiction, Social Justice, Social Class, Race & Racism, American Literature, World History, Classic Fiction

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Rain Reign

by Ann M. Martin

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Disability, Family, Coming of Age

Tags Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age, Animals, Disability, Children`s Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

Rain Reign is a work of middle-grade contemporary fiction written by American author Ann M. Martin and published in 2014. The novel was chosen for the 2014 New York Times Notable Children’s Books list. Martin is the original author of the best-selling Baby-Sitters Club series of books and has written over 100 books for young readers. She has received numerous awards over the course of her career, including the Newbery Medal in 2013 and a... Read Rain Reign Summary

Ramona Quimby Age 8

by Beverly Cleary

Publication year 1981

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Coming of Age

Tags Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, Humor, Coming of Age

Ramona Quimby, Age 8, (1981) is the sixth book in Beverly Cleary’s middle-grade Ramona series. It follows spirited and curious Ramona as she balances her excitement about entering the third grade with her trepidation over the Quimby family’s financial struggles. Through her misadventures, Ramona learns her place in the family and how to stand up for herself at school using determination and creativity.Known for realistic fiction, Cleary organizes the novel in a series of loosely... Read Ramona Quimby Age 8 Summary

Raymie Nightingale

by Kate DiCamillo

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Coming of Age, Family, Loyalty & Betrayal

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

Raymie Nightingale is a 2016 middle grade novel by two-time Newbery Medal winner Kate DiCamillo. The novel was a National Book Award finalist in the year of its publication. Set in Florida in the summer of 1975, it tells the story of 10-year-old Raymie Clark as she copes with loss and forms a deep friendship that helps her and her new friends in unexpected ways.Plot SummaryRaymie Clark is determined to win the Little Miss Central... Read Raymie Nightingale Summary

Reality Boy

by A.S. King

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family

Tags Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance, Mental Illness

Reality Boy (2013) is a young adult novel by American writer A.S. King. Told through the first-person perspective of Gerald Faust, a teenage boy who grapples with trauma, the narrative explores Gerald’s childhood abuse and the public spotlight which facilitated it when his family is selected for a reality television series. Gerald’s account takes place during his teenage years and features chapters that flash back to the filming of the series.Plot SummaryWhen Gerald Faust was... Read Reality Boy Summary

Rebel Witch

by Kristen Ciccarelli

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Love, Memory, Family, Friendship, Marriage, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Community, Politics & Government, War, Equality, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

Tags Fantasy, Romance

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Rebound

by Kwame Alexander

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction

Themes Family, Childhood & Youth, Grief, Perseverance

Tags Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Sports, Historical Fiction, African American Literature

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Reckless

by Lauren Roberts

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Love, Coming of Age, Death, Family, Fathers, Friendship, Siblings, Self Discovery, Community, Politics & Government, Fate, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Children`s Literature, Fairy Tale & Folklore, Action & Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Science Fiction

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Reclaiming Conversation

by Sherry Turkle

Publication year 2015

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Friendship, Family, Science & Technology, Education, Language

Tags Psychology, Technology, Relationships, Parenting, Science & Nature, Sociology, Psychology, Self-Improvement, Arts & Culture

Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age (2015) is a non-fiction work by Sherry Turkle. A clinical psychologist and professor of Social Studies of Science and Technology at MIT, Turkle specializes in human-technology interaction and has decades of experience writing on technology’s problematic effects on human connection. In Reclaiming Conversation, the book’s premise is in the title: Turkle believes that technology has detrimentally taken over human conversation and that we ought to... Read Reclaiming Conversation Summary

Redeeming Love

by Francine Rivers

Publication year 1991

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Love

Tags Romance, Christian, World History, Historical Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

Redeeming Love is a 1991 historical romance novel written by Francine Rivers. It is set in California in the 1850s, during the Gold Rush. Taking its inspiration from the Biblical Book of Hosea, it is built upon the foundation of the author's newfound Christian beliefs.The Prologue opens the novel in New England, 1835. Sarah, a 6-year-old girl, meets her father for the first time and learns that she is the product of an adulterous affair... Read Redeeming Love Summary

Red Mars

by Kim Stanley Robinson

Publication year 1992

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Space, Conflict, Perseverance, Loneliness, Nostalgia, Future, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Food, Place, Family, Friendship, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Community, Economics, Immigration, Politics & Government, War, Beauty, Equality, Fate, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Truth & Lies

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy

Red Mars, a 1992 science fiction novel by Kim Stanley Robinson, is the first book in the Mars trilogy about settling and terraforming the planet Mars. Red Mars follows the first 100 people who land on Mars and begin the complex process of terraforming the planet. In 1993, Red Mars won the Nebula Award and the British Science Fiction Association Award. This guide uses the 2009 HarperVoyager edition.Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions... Read Red Mars Summary