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.

The Day They Came to Arrest the Book

by Nat Hentoff

Publication year 1982

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Literature, Conflict, Truth & Lies, Education, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Family

Tags Realistic Fiction, Race & Racism, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, World History, Historical Fiction, Psychology, Psychology

Originally published in 1982, The Day They Came to Arrest the Book is Nat Hentoff’s only novel for youth. Hentoff was a multi-talented scholar and entertainer, known for his years as a columnist at the legendary Village Voice, an alternative newspaper in New York City. He was also a music critic and professor. Hentoff was regarded as an eloquent, tireless advocate for freedom of speech; he made his arguments in essay form for adults in... Read The Day They Came to Arrest the Book Summary

The Death of Ivan Ilyich

by Leo Tolstoy

Publication year 1886

Genre Novella, Fiction

Themes Death, Family, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Classic Fiction, Christian, Psychological Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Philosophy, Grief & Death, Religion & Spirituality, Russian Literature

The Death of Ivan Ilyich (1886) is a fictional novella by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910). The story raises questions about what is important in life through Tolstoy’s observation of social interaction and individual priorities.Tolstoy was born into aristocracy and was popular at a time when Russia was under the autocratic rule of Tsar Nicholas II, the last Russian emperor of the Romanov Dynasty. Tolstoy, whose best-known works are War and Peace (1867) and... Read The Death of Ivan Ilyich Summary

The Deepest Well

by Nadine Burke Harris

Publication year 2018

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Family, Social Class, Community, Mental Health, Science & Technology, Memory, The Past, Disability, Future, Perseverance, Nature Versus Nurture, Education, Childhood & Youth

Tags Trauma & Abuse, Mental Illness, Science & Nature, Health, Education, Education, Parenting, Psychology, Psychology, Self-Improvement

... Read The Deepest Well Summary

The Diary of a Young Girl

by Anne Frank

Publication year 1947

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Coming of Age, War, Family

Tags European History, Coming of Age, World History, World War II, Holocaust, Education, Education, Military & War, Classic Fiction, Biography

Written between 1942 and 1944, The Diary of Anne Frank, aka The Diary of a Young Girl, is a collection of journal entries by Anne Frank, a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl, while in hiding with her family for two years in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam. When Anne died of typhus in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945, her diary was given to her father, Otto Frank, the only known survivor of the family. The diary was first published... Read The Diary of a Young Girl Summary

The Dinner

by Herman Koch

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Truth & Lies

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

The Dinner (2009) is a novel by Dutch author Herman Koch. In 2012, Sam Garrett translated it into English. The novel has been adapted into a film multiple times. It tells the story of a dinner at a restaurant, where the guests discuss a serious matter involving their children. Paul Lohman narrates the story, though his version of events may not be reliable.  Plot Summary Paul Lohman, a former history teacher and the narrator of the... Read The Dinner Summary

The Distance Between Us

by Reyna Grande

Publication year 2012

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Memory, Family

Tags Trauma & Abuse, Biography

The Distance Between Us is a 2012 memoir by Reyna Grande, who is also the author of the novels Across a Hundred Mountains and Dancing With Butterflies. A finalist for the National Books Critics Circle Award and required reading in schools and colleges across the country, The Distance Between Us is followed by A Dream Called Home, which continues the story of Grande’s life. In addition to writing, Grande also teaches and works as a... Read The Distance Between Us Summary

The Doorman

by Chris Pavone

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Love, Nostalgia, Revenge, Femininity, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Mental Health, Race, Sexual Identity, Aging, Childhood & Youth, Midlife, Death, The Past, Place, Family, Marriage, Mothers, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Economics, Nation, Politics & Government, Art, Beauty, Equality, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Safety & Danger

Tags Horror & Suspense

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The Door of No Return

by Kwame Alexander

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Place, Family, Siblings, Grandparents, Friendship, Mothers, Equality, Power & Greed, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Good & Evil, Literature, Safety & Danger, Order & Chaos, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses, Language, Masculinity, Race, Love, Coming of Age, Childhood & Youth, Colonialism, Community, Death, Nation, Education, Self Discovery, Fathers

Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Free Verse, Coming of Age, Race & Racism, History: African , African American Literature, World History

... Read The Door of No Return Summary