Family

Leo Tolstoy famously begins the novel Anna Karenina with the sentence: "All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." In this thematic collection, we have gathered noteworthy texts that navigate the joyous and sorrowful emotional terrain of the family unit.

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Food


Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Relationships: Family

Tags Children's Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Mental Illness

The Goldfish Boy is a middle grade mystery novel by Lisa Thompson, published by Scholastic Inc. in 2017. It was Thompson’s debut novel and garnered critical acclaim. Upon publication, the novel became a national best seller and was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. Thompson followed up on her debut novel with her third novella in 2021, The Graveyard Riddle, which follows the lives of characters from The Goldfish Boy. This study guide refers... Read The Goldfish Boy Summary


Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Femininity, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 1931

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Natural World: Environment, Society: Class, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Natural World: Place, Society: Community

Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, History: Asian, Education, Education, History: World, Chinese Literature

A measure of the quality, prescience, and veracity of Pearl S. Buck’s The Good Earth is that, nearly a century after its first publication, the book remains required reading in literature, world history, and social science courses. The novel is a simple, straightforward narrative about 50 years in the life of Wang Lung, an uneducated farmer in eastern China in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. While this era period was one of continual... Read The Good Earth Summary


Publication year 2012

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Natural World: Environment

Tags Food, Business / Economics, Science / Nature, Social Justice, Arts / Culture, Health / Medicine, Biography

Will Allen, author of the 2012 book The Good Food Revolution: Growing Healthy Food, People, and Communities, co-written with Charles Wilson, is an important figure in the American urban farming movement. Born into a farming family, Allen spent much of his adolescence and early adulthood hoping to avoid the agricultural life; however, after a career in professional basketball and later in corporate sales and marketing, Allen finds himself farming full-time, with idealism in his heart... Read The Good Food Revolution Summary


Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Gratitude, Life/Time: The Future, Relationships: Family

Tags Romance, Modern Classic Fiction, Magical Realism


Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Siblings, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Femininity, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Mothers, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Diversity, Grief / Death, Mental Illness, Parenting, Relationships, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Friendship, Society: Class, Relationships: Family

Tags Historical Fiction, British Literature, WWII / World War II, History: World, Romance


Publication year 1939

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: Class

Tags American Literature, Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, History: U.S., Social Justice, Poverty, Politics / Government, Great Depression, Naturalism, Education, Education, History: World

The Grapes of Wrath (1939) is a classic novel by American author John Steinbeck. It centers on the Joads, an Oklahoma family evicted from their farm following the 1930s dust storms which ruined local crops. Losing their land, the Joads travel to California to seek work. On their journey they encounter hardship, prejudice, and police intimidation. However, when they get there, things become worse. They must stay in squalid camps and discover that work for... Read The Grapes of Wrath Summary


Publication year 1994

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Society: Colonialism, Relationships: Family, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality

Tags Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, Relationships, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World, Fantasy

The Grass Dancer (1994) is the debut novel by Susan Power, an enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe. This young adult novel is part of the magical realism genre. Using a nonlinear structure and overlapping narratives, Power slowly pieces together a story that links generations of Sioux families together in a complex and powerful way. The following material was gathered using a first edition copy of the text.Plot SummaryThe Prologue begins with Harley... Read The Grass Dancer Summary


Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Family

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, History: World, Historical Fiction, Romance

The Great Alone (2017) by prolific author Kristin Hannah, known for Firefly Lane (2008), The Nightingale (2015), and The Women (2024), tells the story of Leni Allbright’s coming of age in Alaska. The narrative encompasses Leni’s arrival, departure, and eventual return as an adult to the small town of Kaneq. The novel begins when Leni is 13 and her father decides to move the family to Alaska. Ernt Allbright, a Vietnam veteran who suffers post-traumatic... Read The Great Alone Summary


Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Identity: Indigenous, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Environment, Self Discovery, Society: Community

Tags Fantasy, Action / Adventure, Animals


Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Sexuality, Relationships: Family

Tags LGBTQ, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World, Historical Fiction

The Great Believers (2018) is the fourth novel by Chicago-based writer Rebecca Makkai. The novel alternates between the stories of a group of friends—most of them gay men diagnosed with AIDS—in Chicago during the mid-80s to the early 90s—and the story of a woman searching for her estranged daughter in Paris, 30 years later. The Great Believers won several awards, including the ALA Carnegie Medal, Los Angeles Times Book Prize, ALA Stonewall Award, and the... Read The Great Believers Summary


Publication year 1978

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality

Tags Realistic Fiction, Children's Literature, Classic Fiction

The Great Gilly Hopkins is a children's novel by Katherine Paterson. It is a work of realistic fiction and was published in 1978. The novel won the US National Book Award in 1979 and was named a Newberry Honor Book. The edition used in this guide is the Harper Trophy edition published by Harper Collins in 1978.Plot SummaryThis book is set in Thompson Park, Maryland in the 1970s. The protagonist is Gilly Hopkins, an 11-year-old... Read The Great Gilly Hopkins Summary


Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict

Tags Realistic Fiction, Humor, Children's Literature, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Gratitude, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship

Newbery Medal winner Sharon Creech’s 2012 novel, The Great Unexpected, follows the relationship between two best friends, Naomi Deane and Lizzie Scatterding, both orphans who know little about their families. They have felt heartache and loss, though these experiences impact them in contrasting ways: Lizzie is talkative and enthusiastic, while Naomi is guarded and anxious. In a discussion of her inspiration for the text, Creech recounts her realization that when faced with the unexpected, children... Read The Great Unexpected Summary


Publication year 2006

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Fathers, Self Discovery, Society: Community, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology

Tags Historical Fiction, WWII / World War II, Children's Literature, Military / War, Realistic Fiction, History: World

The Green Glass Sea is the 2006 children’s historical fiction and debut novel by American author Ellen Klages. Set in New Mexico in 1943, the story tells of 11-year-old Dewey Kerrigan, an outcast mechanical engineering prodigy who arrives to live with her father in the mysterious town of Los Alamos, New Mexico (also called the Hill). Dewey slowly learns that her father and several other scientists are working on a top-secret project called the “gadget.”... Read The Green Glass Sea Summary


Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Natural World: Environment, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Teams, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction


Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Gender, Relationships: Family, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Immigration, Society: Nation, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality

Tags Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, Latin American Literature, American Literature, Arts / Culture


Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: Siblings, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Life/Time: The Past

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

The Guest List by Lucy Foley is a contemporary murder mystery novel published in 2020. Foley, an English author, weaves a tale of intrigue, secrets, and betrayal upon the backdrop of an isolated island in West Ireland. Foley is also known for the thrillers The Hunting Party (2018) and The Paris Apartment (2022), among others. Often likened to Agatha Christie, Foley’s novel is a slow-burn whodunit.Plot SummaryMany perspectives compose The Guest List; each chapter jumps... Read The Guest List Summary