Fathers

Italian novelist Umberto Eco wrote, "I believe that what we become depends on what our fathers teach us at odd moments, when they aren’t trying to teach us." This study guide collection gathers texts that explore what it means to be a father and what profound lessons their presence—or absence—teaches us.

The Wicked King

by Holly Black

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Death, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Siblings, Hate & Anger, Daughters & Sons, Family, Revenge, Fear, Trust & Doubt, Politics & Government, Appearance & Reality, Truth & Lies, Shame & Pride, Conflict, Fathers, Perseverance, Wins & Losses

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Magical Realism, Action & Adventure, Science Fiction

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The Wishing Game

by Meg Shaffer

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Daughters & Sons, Mothers, Fathers, Literature, Art, Perseverance, Hope, Love, Safety & Danger

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Magical Realism, Mystery & Crime Fiction

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The Yearling

by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

Publication year 1938

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Animals, Fathers, Daughters & Sons, Family, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age

Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, Classic Fiction, Animals, Agriculture, Grief & Death, Children`s Literature, World History

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings published The Yearling in 1938 and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1939. Maxwell Perkins, who also worked with F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway, edited the novel. The Yearling traces one year in the life of Jody Baxter, chronicling his family’s hardships as they endure floods, plague, and death—and Jody’s tender relationship with an orphaned fawn. The novel became a bestseller in 1938 and has since been translated into 29 languages. In... Read The Yearling Summary

The Young Landlords

by Walter Dean Myers

Publication year 1979

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Perseverance, Race, Coming of Age, Fathers, Social Class, Community, Justice

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

Walter Dean Myers first published his middle grade novel, The Young Landlords, in 1979. Like most of the 100 books Myers penned before his death in 2014, the story centers on Black youth. The Young Landlords is particularly personal to Myers, however, because he writes about the neighborhood in Harlem, New York, where he grew up, describing the sort of activities and individuals he encountered as a youth. The main character, 15-year-old Paul Williams, pays... Read The Young Landlords Summary

Thicker than Water

by Kerry Washington

Publication year 2023

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Perseverance, Forgiveness, Gratitude, Hope, Love, Memory, Shame & Pride, Race, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, The Past, Family, Fathers, Mothers, Self Discovery, Community, Politics & Government, Art, Fame, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Emotions/Behavior: Courage

Tags Biography, Arts & Culture

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Things We Lost to the Water

by Eric Nguyen

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Self Discovery, Family, Immigration, Fathers, Mothers, Daughters & Sons, Perseverance, Memory, Community, Race, Sexual Identity, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+, Immigration & Refugeeism, Coming of Age, Bullying, Love & Sexuality, Grief & Death, Asian History, Natural Disaster, Parenting, Military & War, Race & Racism, Religion & Spirituality, Relationships, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

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This Is My America

by Kim Johnson

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Race, Family, Aging, Safety & Danger, Daughters & Sons, Justice, Equality, Fathers, Perseverance, Conflict

Tags Realistic Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Social Justice, Race & Racism, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

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This Strange Eventful History

by Claire Messud

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Loneliness, Memory, Nostalgia, Indigenous Identity, Race, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Midlife, Death, Future, The Past, Place, Daughters & Sons, Family, Fathers, Friendship, Marriage, Mothers, Siblings, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Community, Globalization, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Equality, Justice, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Military & War, World History, French Literature, Historical Fiction

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Thousand Pieces of Gold

by Ruthanne Lum McCunn

Publication year 1981

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Hope, Gender Identity, Race, Fathers, Immigration, Nation, Equality

Tags Historical Fiction, Life-Inspired Fiction, Asian Literature, Chinese Literature, Education, Education, Asian Literature, World History, Classic Fiction

Thousand Pieces of Gold is a biographical novel written by Ruthanne Lum McCunn. McCunn is known for writing about the lives of often-forgotten Chinese Americans, and Thousand Pieces of Gold follows the life of Polly Bemis, a Chinese American woman considered to be one of the most important female pioneers in Idaho in the 19th century. The novel explores themes such as The Burden and Pain of Family Betrayal, Gender Expectations and the Quest for... Read Thousand Pieces of Gold Summary

Time for Andrew: A Ghost Story

by Mary Downing Hahn

Publication year 1994

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Family, Fathers, Grandparents, Self Discovery

Tags Horror & Suspense, Children`s Literature, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Religion & Spirituality

Time for Andrew: A Ghost Story is a gothic middle grade novel written by Mary Downing Hahn and published in 1994. Hahn is known for incorporating elements of the thriller and gothic genres into stories for young readers. This novel follows 12-year-old Drew as he spends the summer with his Aunt Blythe and an irritable great-grandfather in their creaky, shadowy ancestral home. When a dying boy who looks strikingly similar to Drew mysteriously appears in... Read Time for Andrew: A Ghost Story Summary

Titan

by Ron Chernow

Publication year 1998

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Fame, Family, Fathers, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Economics

Tags US History, Business & Economics, Finance, Leadership, World History, Biography

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