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