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.

Iron John

by Robert Bly

Publication year 1984

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Masculinity, Nature Versus Nurture, Fathers

Tags Gender & Feminism, Philosophy, Philosophy, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, Fantasy, Self-Improvement, Religion & Spirituality

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Iveliz Explains It All

by Andrea Beatriz Arango

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel/Book in Verse, Fiction

Themes Mental Health, Family, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Race, Coming of Age, Death, Fathers, Grandparents, Mothers, Self Discovery, Safety & Danger

Tags Realistic Fiction, Mental Illness

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I Will Find You

by Harlan Coben

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Guilt, Regret, Masculinity, Daughters & Sons, Family, Fathers, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Trust & Doubt

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction

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Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life

by Wendy Mass

Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Coming of Age, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Grief, Joy, Fathers, Self Discovery, Family

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

Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass (Little Brown Books for Young Readers, 2006) is a realistic middle grade novel that follows best friends Jeremy and Lizzy on their quest to find the meaning and purpose of their lives as they try to unlock a gift from Jeremy’s late father. The book was nominated for several major awards, including the Nutmeg Book Award in Connecticut (2010) and the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’... Read Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life Summary

Julie Of The Wolves

by Jean Craighead George

Publication year 1972

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Environment, Fathers, Safety & Danger

Tags Action & Adventure, Animals, Science & Nature, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

Jean Craighead George’s children’s novel Julie of the Wolves (1972), set in 20th-century Alaska, tells the story of a 13-year-old Inuit girl named Miyax who is lost in the wilderness after escaping a violent husband and a life that does not suit her. Miyax struggles to survive in a harsh environment as she attempts to make her way to San Francisco. A pack of wolves helps her, and she learns to deepen her appreciation of... Read Julie Of The Wolves Summary

Keeper

by Mal Peet

Publication year 2003

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Memory, Animals, Place, Fathers, Self Discovery, Wins & Losses

Tags Fantasy, Sports, Realistic Fiction

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Lafayette in the Somewhat United States

by Sarah Vowell

Publication year 2015

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Fathers

Tags US History, World History, French Literature, Biography, American Revolution, Humor, Politics & Government

Lafayette in the Somewhat United States is a 2015 history of America written by Sarah Vowell. Vowell uses the perspective of the Marquis de Lafayette—a Frenchman who longed to fight with the Americans and win military glory—to give an irreverent, timely history of the United States, with relevant implications for America’s modern political situation.When Lafayette came to America, he was only 19. He was a wealthy, educated orphan who wanted to acquire personal honor and... Read Lafayette in the Somewhat United States Summary

La Linea

by Ann Jaramillo

Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Immigration, Teamwork, Siblings, Safety & Danger, Coming of Age, Mothers, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Perseverance

Tags Realistic Fiction, Action & Adventure, Coming of Age, Immigration & Refugeeism, Education, Education, Historical Fiction, Arts & Culture

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Lavinia

by Ursula K. Le Guin

Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Grief, Hate & Anger, Love, Memory, Regret, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Place, Daughters & Sons, Family, Fathers, Marriage, Mothers, Siblings, Self Discovery, Community, War, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt

Tags Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Mythology, Military & War, Italian Literature, World History, Classic Fiction

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Le Père Goriot

by Honoré de Balzac

Publication year 1835

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Fathers, Loyalty & Betrayal, Daughters & Sons, Social Class, Power & Greed

Tags Classic Fiction, French Literature

Père Goriot is a novel by French author Honoré de Balzac that was published in serial form between 1834 and 1835. The novel tells the story of three intertwined characters, Goriot, Vautrin, and Rastignac. The book is part of Balzac’s novel sequence, La Comédie humaine, and is one of the author’s most celebrated works, exploring themes of Wealth and Social Class in Restoration France, The Corruption of Parent-Child Relationships, and The Hypocrisy of 19th-Century French... Read Le Père Goriot Summary

Likes

by Sarah Shun-lien Bynum

Publication year 2017

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Family, Politics & Government, Fear, Community, Self Discovery, Coming of Age, Daughters & Sons, Fathers

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Magical Realism, Fantasy, Parenting

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Lincoln in the Bardo

by George Saunders

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Death, Community, Forgiveness, Memory, Guilt, War, Fathers, Appearance & Reality

Tags Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Grief & Death, American Civil War, Religion & Spirituality, US History, Race & Racism, American Literature, World History

The novel Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders, published by Random House in 2017, offers a portrait of an American legend in mourning, surrounded by a poignant but funny cast of 166 characters. It is Saunders’s debut novel, though he has been a notable author of short story collections for decades. The novel won the prestigious Man Booker Prize and was a New York Times best seller.Set in 1862, Lincoln in the Bardo is... Read Lincoln in the Bardo Summary

Lizzie Bright And The Buckminster Boy

by Gary D. Schmidt

Publication year 2004

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fear, Grief, Race, Coming of Age, Friendship, Equality, Economics, Justice, Religion & Spirituality, Community, Power & Greed, Fathers, Daughters & Sons, Hate & Anger

Tags Historical Fiction, American Literature, Grief & Death, Race & Racism, Religion & Spirituality, Children`s Literature, Realistic Fiction, World History

Gary D. Schmidt’s Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy (2004), an historical novel for young adults, received the Newbery Honor in 2005. It is based on actual events occurring on Malaga Island, Maine in 1912, when the government of Maine placed the residents of the island in a mental hospital and tore down their homes.Turner Buckminster is the son of a reverend living in Phippsburg, Maine in 1912. Turner has just relocated to Phippsburg from... Read Lizzie Bright And The Buckminster Boy Summary