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 1971

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Relationships: Family

Tags Historical Fiction, Auto/Biographical Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, WWII / World War II, Holocaust, Immigration / Refugee, Children's Literature, Military / War, History: World, Classic Fiction

When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit (1971) is a children’s novel by Judith Kerr. The novel is set between 1933 and 1936, and traces the life of protagonist Anna, who is nine years old at the novel’s opening, as her family flees Germany for Switzerland, France, and, finally, England. Although the novel is a work of fiction, it is semi-autobiographical. Kerr is of German-Jewish heritage, and her family left Germany once Hitler rose to power in... Read When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit Summary


Publication year 2017

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Identity: Race, Relationships: Family

Tags Inspirational, Race / Racism, Modern Classic Fiction, Asian Literature, LGBTQ


Publication year 1993

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Music, Relationships: Family, Life/Time: Coming of Age

Tags Immigration / Refugee, American Literature, Race / Racism, Education, Education, Biography

The memoir When I Was Puerto Rican recounts author Esmeralda Santiago’s early years. It is the first of her three memoirs chronicling her childhood in Puerto Rico to her eventual residence in the United States. It is a coming of age story, but mines richer material than that. Questions of identity—national identity, hereditary identity, familial identity, female identity, spiritual identity, and semantic labels—underpin the stories Santiago tells.The book begins in Puerto Rico, when Esmeralda is... Read When I Was Puerto Rican Summary


Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Family

Tags Realistic Fiction, Race / Racism, Class, Disability, Modern Classic Fiction

When I Was the Greatest, published in 2014 by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, is the debut novel by award-winning young adult fiction writer Jason Reynolds. It tells a nuanced and often emotional coming-of-age story in a low-income and predominantly Black New York borough. This is not a romanticized portrait but rather an earnest one that does not shy away from representing the harsher effects of poverty alongside heartfelt depictions of friendship, family, and community... Read When I Was the Greatest Summary


Publication year 1999

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Relationships: Family, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Society: Immigration, Society: War

Tags Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Historical Fiction


Publication year 2020

Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Nonfiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Hope

Tags Immigration / Refugee, Auto/Biographical Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Children's Literature, Realistic Fiction, Biography


Publication year 2003

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Self Discovery

Tags Psychology, Science / Nature, Health / Medicine, Self Help, Psychology, Mental Illness


Publication year 2002

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family

Tags WWII / World War II, Military / War, Asian Literature, History: World, Historical Fiction, Magical Realism

When the Elephants Dance is Filipino-American writer Tess Uriza Holthe’s first novel. Published in 2002, it is based on Holthe’s father’s experiences growing up in the Philippines during World War II. The novel centers around a group of friends and neighbors seeking shelter in a cellar and sharing traditional moralistic Filipino legends that illustrate their resilience and the importance of stories for survival. The title is taken from a saying offered by one of the... Read When the Elephants Dance Summary


Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Race, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Flora/plants, Relationships: Family, Self Discovery, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice

Tags Historical Fiction


Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Identity: Gender, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Siblings

Tags Fantasy, Magical Realism, Romance, Fairy Tale / Folklore, LGBTQ, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 2024

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Family, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice

Tags History: World


Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal

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


Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Indigenous, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Identity: Gender, Identity: Race, Natural World: Animals, Relationships: Family, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Society: Nation, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger

Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Magical Realism, Southern Literature, History: World


Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

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

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Romance, Love / Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Family

Tags Romance, Mental Illness, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

When We Collided is a young adult novel written by Emery Lord and published in 2016. The novel explores themes of mental illness, grief, and familial bonds. Lord presents the story to her readers through alternating chapters between two characters: Vivi and Jonah. They are the main protagonists of the novel who find themselves in a summer romance that changes them forever. Through their bond, both Jonah and Vivi learn more about themselves, their families... Read When We Collided Summary


Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Identity: Gender, Relationships: Family, Society: Nation

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


Publication year 2000

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Family

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Military / War, History: Asian, Race / Racism, Colonialism / Postcolonialism, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World, Historical Fiction, Chinese Literature

When We Were Orphans is a novel by distinguished Japanese-British writer Kazuo Ishiguro, originally published in the UK in 2000. Set largely in England and Shanghai of the 1930s, the historical novel is structurally adventurous with elements of detective fiction. The plot deals with the childhood memories and the present detective work of a man in search of his missing parents, while painting a large canvass of the social systems in China and the UK... Read When We Were Orphans Summary


Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Femininity, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, LGBTQ, Gender / Feminism, History: World


Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family

Tags Magical Realism, Fantasy, Children's Literature


Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Friendship

Tags Romance, Realistic Fiction, LGBTQ, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Modern Classic Fiction