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.

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fathers, Loyalty & Betrayal, Music

Tags World War II, Historical Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Military & War, World History, Romance

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford is a historical novel published in 2009. The story follows Henry Lee at two pivotal stages in his life—in 1942, when he is a 12-year-old with a crush on a Japanese girl, and in 1986, when he is recently widowed. The book, Ford’s debut novel, spent 130 weeks atop the New York Times Best-Seller List and won the 2010 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature... Read Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet Summary

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Aging, Coming of Age, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Place, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Grandparents, Self Discovery, Community, Fate, Truth & Lies

Tags Magical Realism, Fantasy, Coming of Age, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

Published in 2016, Hour of the Bees is a young adult magical realism novel by Lindsay Eagar. Set in contemporary New Mexico, the story follows 12-year-old Carol as she spends the summer on her grandfather’s sheep ranch, helping her family prepare it for sale and helping care for her grandfather, who has dementia. However, her grandfather’s stories of the land’s magic and history cause her to fall in love with it. Hour of the Bees... Read Hour of the Bees Summary

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Future, The Past, Family, Fathers

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Humor

How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe (2010) is a science fiction novel by American writer Charles Yu. Yu wrote the novel after merging two separate story ideas—one about a father-son relationship and the other about a man who keeps waking up in different universes. The narrative views the emotional tension between the father and son through the lens of quantum mechanics and popular philosophy. The novel was a finalist for the John... Read How To Live Safely In a Science Fictional Universe Summary

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Revenge, Disability, Coming of Age, Death, Environment, Food, Fathers, Safety & Danger

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Survival Fiction, Action & Adventure, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

Publication year 2002

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Fear, Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Conflict, Forgiveness, Hate & Anger, Guilt, Perseverance, Apathy, Memory, Love, Regret, Shame & Pride, Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Mothers, Beauty, Literature

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, New Adult, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

Originally published in 2002, Markus Zusak’s I Am the Messenger is a young adult realistic fiction novel. Ed Kennedy, the protagonist and narrator, is a 19-year-old cab driver whose average life takes an unexpected turn when he stops a bank robber. After this moment of heroism, he begins receiving mysterious playing cards with cryptic messages that lead him to people in need of his assistance. The novel is set in suburban Sydney and draws on... Read I Am The Messenger Summary

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Guilt, Fear, Grief, Femininity, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Death, Appearance & Reality, Fathers, Justice, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Psychological Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Mental Illness

Publication year 1948

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Femininity, The Past, Siblings, Fathers, Marriage, Love

Tags Classic Fiction, Coming of Age, Historical Fiction, Romance, British Literature, World History

I Capture the Castle is a young adult novel published in 1948 by Dodie Smith. It follows the fictional journal of aspiring author Cassandra Mortmain as she writes about her family’s rise from poverty to wealth through their association with the Cotton brothers. The novel discusses themes of authorship, history, and the multiplicity of feminine identities. I Capture the Castle was adapted for film in 2003 by director Tim Fywell. This summary uses the St... Read I Capture the Castle Summary

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Gender Identity, Coming of Age, Fathers

Tags Romance, Coming of Age, LGBTQ+, Relationships, Depression & Suicide, Bullying, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

Meredith Russo’s 2016 young adult novel, If I Was Your Girl, focuses on the experiences of Amanda, an 18-year-old trans girl going through her senior year in a new school.A few critics point out what Russo herself acknowledges in an author’s note that follows the text: the novel glosses over some of the obstacles faced by most trans teens—the protagonist has no issues passing, is able to get gender-confirming surgery at a very young age... Read If I Was Your Girl Summary

Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fathers, Fame

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

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga is a YA thriller published in 2012. The novel’s central character is Jasper “Jazz” Dent, son of the nation’s most notorious serial killer, Billy Dent. The novel is told from a limited third-person point of view, mostly from the perspective of Jazz; however, at certain points in the novel, the perspective shifts to that of the Impressionist, a new serial killer who has descended upon the small town of... Read I Hunt Killers Summary

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Art, Family, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Shame & Pride, Aging, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Sexual Identity, The Past, Death, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Mothers, Siblings, Fate, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

Tags Coming of Age, Magical Realism, Romance, Realistic Fiction, LGBTQ+, Grief & Death, Love & Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction

I’ll Give You the Sun (2015) is an award-winning novel penned by Jandy Nelson about relationships, art, and destiny. It follows the story of twins Noah and Jude Sweetwine who once shared a close relationship but find themselves barely speaking to each other two years after their mother’s death.Jandy Nelson is an American author who writes young adult fiction. I’ll Give You the Sun is her second novel, which won numerous awards and honors, including... Read I'll Give You the Sun Summary

Publication year 1924

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Fathers, Daughters & Sons, Colonialism, Masculinity, Death

Tags Classic Fiction, American Literature, Education, Education, World History

One of his several short stories set in Northern Michigan, “Indian Camp” by Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) was first published in a 1924 issue of the Parisian literary magazine Transatlantic Review. The next year, “Indian Camp” was included in Hemingway’s first story collection, In Our Time. “Indian Camp” has since become one of Hemingway’s most heavily anthologized works. Based partly on Hemingway’s visits to Petoskey, Michigan, during childhood and young adulthood, “Indian Camp” follows young Nick... Read Indian Camp Summary

Publication year 1996

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fathers, Hate & Anger

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

Sherman Alexie’s 1996 novel Indian Killer is part crime thriller and part darkly humorous study of interracial violence. This guide uses the 1996 edition published by The Atlantic Monthly Press, New York. Telling the story of a serial killer known as the Indian Killer, the novel progresses through many short chapters that shift between the viewpoints of multiple characters. Although the characters are not actually narrators, the narrative voice closely follows their experiences and perspectives... Read Indian Killer Summary

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Family, Fathers, Siblings, Art

Tags Magical Realism, Children`s Literature, Humor, Arts & Culture, Fantasy