Mothers

With classics like J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan and contemporary hits like Min Jin Lee's Pachinko, this collection gathers texts that grapple with the complex and archetypal role of the mother.

The Brooklyn Nine

by Alan Gratz

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Guilt, Hope, Loneliness, Memory, Daughters & Sons, Friendship, Grandparents, Fathers, Mothers, Teamwork, Disability, Indigenous Identity, Gender Identity, Race, Immigration, Social Class, Community, Education, War, Nation, Self Discovery, Politics & Government, Place, Equality, Fate, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Wins & Losses, Truth & Lies, Aging, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, The Past, Midlife, Death

Tags Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Sports, Realistic Fiction, World History

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The Cage

by Ruth Minsky Sender

Publication year 1986

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Memory, Mothers

Tags Children`s Literature, World History, Education, Education, Jewish Literature, World War II, Military & War, Biography

The Cage is the 1986 memoir of Ruth Minsky Sender, nee Riva Minska, detailing her family’s struggle to survive the Holocaust. Born in Lodz, Poland, Riva inhabits a close-knit community that integrates both Jews and non-Jews through shared traditions and intergenerational spaces. When Hitler’s Nazis invade Poland, thirteen-year-old Riva watches this peace crumble, as non-Jewish friends accept her family’s persecution and as Jews themselves adopt positions of power that hurt others in the community.After Riva’s... Read The Cage Summary

The Caucasian Chalk Circle

by Bertolt Brecht

Publication year 1944

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Mothers, Love, War, Justice

Tags Drama, Symbolic Narrative, Modernism, German Literature, Education, Education, World History, Dramatic Literature, Classic Fiction

Bertolt Brecht’s celebrated play, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, was written in 1944. The story is structured as a play within a play and touches on themes of justice, motherhood, and moral choices in times of crisis. Brecht, a German playwright best known for his unique style of drama called “epic theater,” was based in the United States at the time, and the play was translated into English by his friend, Eric Bentley. It went on... Read The Caucasian Chalk Circle Summary

The Cliffs

by J. Courtney Sullivan

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Guilt, Joy, Memory, Femininity, Indigenous Identity, Mental Health, Midlife, The Past, Place, Friendship, Mothers, Self Discovery, Colonialism, Community, Education, Nation, Politics & Government, Equality, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Literary Fiction, Gothic Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, World History

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The Confession

by John Grisham

Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Justice, Race, Politics & Government, Mothers, Death

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Crime & Law, Social Justice, Incarceration, Grief & Death, Trauma & Abuse, Realistic Fiction, Race & Racism

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The Coquette

by Hannah Webster Foster

Publication year 1797

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mothers

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

Hannah Foster’s The Coquette, or, The History of Eliza Wharton, was first published, anonymously, in 1797. The book was not attributed to Foster until 1856, more than a decade and a half after her death. The Coquette is the story of the seduction of a young socialite woman, Eliza Wharton, by the devious Major Peter Sanford. The Coquette is an epistolary novel: it is comprised of dozens of letters written by its main characters. This... Read The Coquette Summary

The Correspondent

by Virginia Evans

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Hope, Loneliness, Memory, Regret, Disability, Gender Identity, Indigenous Identity, Mental Health, Death, Marriage, Mothers, Siblings, Community, Beauty, Literature

Tags Epistolary Fiction, Domestic Fiction

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The Couple Next Door

by Shari Lapena

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Truth & Lies, Marriage, Fear, Mothers

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

The Couple Next Door, Shari Lapena’s 2016 international best-seller, begins as a classic detective story. As the mystery deepens, the novel turns into a tense psychological study of a dysfunctional family, the calculating logic of emotional manipulation, the spiral of post-partum depression, and the corrupting power of greed. Paramount Television optioned the novel for a TV series adaptation in 2018. Shari Lapena is the author of eight novels for adults, including The Couple Next Door... Read The Couple Next Door Summary

The Courage of Sarah Noble

by Alice Dalgliesh

Publication year 1954

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Indigenous Identity, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Daughters & Sons, Fathers, Mothers, Self Discovery, Safety & Danger

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, American Literature, Education, Education, US History, World History

The Courage of Sarah Noble, written by Alice Dalgliesh and published in 1954, follows the experience of young Sarah as she accompanies her father to Connecticut. It is based on a true story that took place in 1707, though Dalgliesh admits in the “Author’s Note” that she has “had to imagine many of the details” of Sarah’s story; thus, this is a work of historical fiction and not a biography or nonfiction text.Dalgliesh was a... Read The Courage of Sarah Noble Summary

The Darkest Child

by Delores Phillips

Publication year 2004

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Hate & Anger, Hope, Revenge, Mental Health, Race, Sexual Identity, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Daughters & Sons, Family, Mothers, Social Class, Politics & Government, Equality, Justice, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, Southern Literature, Race & Racism, African American Literature, World History

The Darkest Child (2004) is a coming-of-age historical fiction novel by Delores Phillips. The teenage protagonist and first-person narrator, Tangy Mae Quinn faces racism and segregation in the Jim Crow South, as well as domestic abuse, poverty, and nonconsensual sex work. Despite these challenges, Tangy finds eventual escape when she leaves her abusive mother, Rozelle, and her past behind her to pursue her own goals, which are rooted in education. The novel explores The Role... Read The Darkest Child Summary

The Death of Mrs. Westaway

by Ruth Ware

Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Guilt, The Past, Mothers

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Psychological Fiction, Grief & Death, Trauma & Abuse, Modern Classic Fiction, Gothic Literature

The Death of Mrs. Westaway is a 2018 mystery novel by the British author Ruth Ware. The story concerns a young woman named Hal Westaway, a poor and lonely tarot card reader who becomes embroiled in a mystery involving an inheritance, her family, and a possible murder. The novel was nominated for several awards. This guide references the 2018 Simon and Schuster eBook edition.Plot SummaryHarriet “Hal” Westaway lives in a small apartment in the British... Read The Death of Mrs. Westaway Summary

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

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The Drowning Woman

by Robyn Harding

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Hope, Shame & Pride, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Friendship, Marriage, Mothers, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

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

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The End We Start From

by Megan Hunter

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Mothers, Perseverance, Femininity, Climate, Friendship

Tags Science Fiction

The End We Start From (2017) is a dystopian novel by British author Megan Hunter. Set in an apocalyptic version of London, the story centers on climate disaster survival and the trauma of navigating pregnancy and motherhood in the wake of a cataclysmic climate event that alters the world as we know it. The story is primarily told from the first-person perspective of an unnamed narrator and written in a lyrical style that swings between... Read The End We Start From Summary