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.

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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Tornado

by Betsy Byars

Publication year 1996

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Fear, Memory, Childhood & Youth, Animals, Climate, Place, Family, Fathers, Siblings

Tags Animals, Realistic Fiction

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Turtle in Paradise

by Jennifer L. Holm

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Conflict, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Gratitude, Fear, Apathy, Memory, Regret, Childhood & Youth, Environment, Plants, Food, Community, Economics, Appearance & Reality, Social Class, Literature, Art, Music, Loyalty & Betrayal, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Friendship, Grandparents, Mothers

Tags Historical Fiction, Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature, Great Depression, Animals, Realistic Fiction, World History

Turtle in Paradise is a 2010 historical fiction children’s novel by Jennifer L. Holm. Set in the Florida Keys during the Great Depression, the novel follows an 11-year-old girl’s struggles and successes as she visits her aunt and cousins in the town where her mother grew up. The novel won the Golden Kite Award and is a Newbery Honor Book as well as a Junior Library Guild selection. Other works by this author include The... Read Turtle in Paradise Summary

Twelve Angry Men

by Reginald Rose

Publication year 1954

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Fathers, Justice, Social Class

Tags Classic Fiction, Drama, Crime & Law, Education, Education, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Dramatic Literature

Reginald Rose was born in Manhattan, New York in 1920. He saw active service during the Second World War and began his writing career in 1950 with the play The Bus to Nowhere. The experience of serving on a jury in 1954 inspired Rose to write his most famous work, Twelve Angry Men. The play was first broadcast as a one-hour television drama that same year. In 1957, the play was adapted for film, starring... Read Twelve Angry Men Summary

Two Degrees

by Alan Gratz

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Environment, Apathy, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Hope, Grief, Indigenous Identity, Justice, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Fathers, Friendship, Teamwork, Mothers, Animals, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Plants, Place, Politics & Government, Community

Tags Action & Adventure, Survival Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age, Children`s Literature, Natural Disaster, Climate Change, Modern Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction

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Two Wolves

by Tristan Bancks

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fathers, Daughters & Sons, Family, Self Discovery, Justice, Good & Evil

Tags Realistic Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction

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Under Siege

by Eric Trump

Publication year 2025

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Politics & Government, Family, Perseverance, Fathers, Nation, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Memoir & Autobiography, Politics & Government

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Unlikely Animals

by Annie Hartnett

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Family, Community, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Memory, Mental Health, Death, The Past, Animals, Environment, Fathers, Siblings

Tags Magical Realism, Humor, Animals, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy

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Unsinkable

by Gordon Korman

Publication year 2011

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Loneliness, Shame & Pride, Gender Identity, Childhood & Youth, Death, Fathers, Mothers, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Equality, Justice, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology

Tags World History, Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature

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V.

by Thomas Pynchon

Publication year 1963

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Order & Chaos, Apathy, Loneliness, Memory, Nostalgia, Disability, The Past, Future, Appearance & Reality, Objects & Materials, Fathers, Colonialism, War, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags American Literature, Historical Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Satirical Literature, Addiction & Substance Abuse, European History, US History, Military & War, Crime & Law, Postmodernism, Post-War Era

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Vietnamerica

by GB Tran

Publication year 2011

Genre Graphic Memoir , Nonfiction

Themes Family, Fathers, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Immigration

Tags Vietnam War, Military & War, Immigration & Refugeeism, World History, Biography

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Walker Brothers Cowboy

by Alice Munro

Publication year 1972

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Family, Memory, Nostalgia, Regret, Coming of Age, Fathers, Social Class

Tags Historical Fiction, Great Depression, Education, Education, Classic Fiction

“Walker Brothers Cowboy” by Alice Munro is a short story set during the Great Depression. The story uses the themes of The Disillusionment of Fading Childhood, The Bittersweet Effects of Nostalgia, and Finding Solace in Companionship to implicitly explore larger issues of poverty and social class. The story was published in Munro’s debut collection, Dance of the Happy Shades, in 1968. The stories in this collection are set in and around a variety of fictional... Read Walker Brothers Cowboy Summary

Water for Elephants

by Sara Gruen

Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Memory, Love, Perseverance, Loneliness, Hope, Aging, Disability, Animals, Social Class, Friendship, Fathers, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, Great Depression, Mental Illness, Trauma & Abuse, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

Water for Elephants, a New York Times bestseller and author Sara Gruen’s third novel, was published in 2006 by Algonquin. The novel was adapted into a full-length film in 2011 starring Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattison.Gruen often features animals in her novels, and Water for Elephants is no exception, as she follows two lovers in a forbidden relationship set against the backdrop of a circus and its eclectic mix of characters and exotic animals. The... Read Water for Elephants Summary

Water Moon

by Samantha Sotto Yambao

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Hope, Joy, Love, Memory, Regret, Sexual Identity, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Future, The Past, Family, Fathers, Friendship, Mothers, Self Discovery, Community, Fate, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt

Tags Fantasy, Romance

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Ways to Make Sunshine

by Renée Watson

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Friendship, Siblings, Daughters & Sons, Mothers, Childhood & Youth, Love, Food, Equality, Fathers, Perseverance, Conflict, Grandparents

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

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