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 1928
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Relationships: Mothers, Society: Community
Tags History: World, Historical Fiction, Western, Romance, Classic Fiction
Publication year 1953
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Life/Time: The Past, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Emotions/Behavior: Memory
Tags American Civil War
Publication year 2004
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Identity: Disability, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Historical Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Children's Literature, Disability, History: World
Al Capone Does My Homework, Gennifer Choldenko’s 2013 novel about a boy living on Alcatraz Island with his family, is the third book in Choldenko’s young adult series, Tales from Alcatraz, which follows the adventures of Moose Murphy and his teenage sister, Natalie. The series combines 1930s history with elements of humor, mystery, and suspense while exploring issues of morality, sociology, and developmental health. Natalie, for instance, has a developmental disability, which complicates the family’s... Read Al Capone Does My Homework Summary
Publication year 2019
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance
Tags Children's Literature, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Action / Adventure
Publication year 1981
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Society: Colonialism
Tags Historical Fiction, Action / Adventure, Children's Literature, Education, Education, History: U.S., History: World
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Identity: Sexuality, Identity: Gender, Life/Time: Aging
Tags Realistic Fiction, Relationships, LGBTQ, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2015
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family
Tags Realistic Fiction, Race / Racism, Education, Education, Social Justice, Modern Classic Fiction
All American Boys is a young-adult novel published in 2015. This modern-day narrative tells the story of an incident of police brutality through the alternating voices of two high school students: Rashad, whose chapters are written by author Jason Reynolds, and Quinn, whose chapters are written by author Brendan Kiely. While Rashad and Quinn never actually meet in the novel, their lives intersect in a powerful way after a violent act of racism rocks their... Read All American Boys Summary
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Sexuality, Self Discovery, Relationships: Family, Identity: Race, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict
Tags LGBTQ, Race / Racism, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Modern Classic Fiction, Biography
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness
Allegedly (2017), a young adult contemporary novel by Tiffany D. Jackson, tells the story of Mary Beth Addison, an African American teenager who has spent the last six of her 15 years in custody for allegedly murdering a white baby, Alyssa Richardson. Currently, Mary lives in a group home in Brooklyn with her foster mother and five roommates, who at times, endanger Mary’s life. Mary’s mother, Dawn Cooper—Momma—struggles with mental illness, but she visits Mary... Read Allegedly Summary
Publication year 2021
Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Gratitude, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age
Tags Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Animals, Health / Medicine, Education, Children's Literature, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Aging, Life/Time: Midlife, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Marriage, Self Discovery, Society: Community, Society: Education, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Relationships: Family
Tags Gender / Feminism, Modern Classic Fiction, LGBTQ, Humor
Publication year 2023
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Gender, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality
Tags Christian literature
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Relationships: Friendship, Society: Immigration, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance
Tags Historical Fiction, Romance, Realistic Fiction, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 1947
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Relationships: Family, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Play: Tragedy, Classic Fiction, American Literature, Military / War, Education, Education, History: World, Drama / Tragedy
All My Sons is a play by Arthur Miller, first performed in 1947. Based on a true story, All My Sons tells the story of a munitions factory owner who is accused of producing defective engines for aircraft. The play received many awards, ran for 328 shows on Broadway, and has been twice adapted as a film. This guide is based on the 2015 Penguin Classics edition of Miller’s Collected Plays. Plot SummaryJoe Keller is... Read All My Sons Summary
Publication year 1999
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal
Tags Poverty, Race / Racism, Education, Education, Mystery / Crime Fiction, History: World, Irish Literature, Biography
All Souls: A Family Story from Southie is a 1999 memoir by Michael MacDonald in which the author examines his experiences of growing up in the Old Colony neighborhood of South Boston, also known as Southie. The memoir contextualizes the MacDonald family’s personal tragedies amid the tumultuous historical events that took place in Boston during the 1970s, with a particular focus on the racist violence that occurred during the desegregation busing crisis. Michael Patrick MacDonald was... Read All Souls Summary
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Mothers, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge
Tags Historical Fiction, Holocaust, Drama / Tragedy, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, WWII / World War II, Military / War, History: World
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Grief
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Grief / Death, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 1946
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Relationships: Family, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal
Tags Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Southern Literature, Politics / Government
All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren is a fictional political novel originally published in 1946 by Harcourt Brace & Company. Robert Penn Warren was an acclaimed novelist and poet from the American South. Along with fellow Southerners Cleanth Brooks and John Crowe Ransom, he was a leading proponent of the literary critical approach known as New Criticism. His best-known novel, All the King’s Men follows the political rise and fall of Governor Willie... Read All the King's Men Summary
Publication year 2016
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Family
Tags Romance, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Drama / Tragedy, Historical Fiction, Mental Illness
Bryn Greenwood’s novel All the Ugly and Wonderful Things (2016) acknowledges and inverts the features of fairy tales and romance novels to depict a relationship that challenges accepted social values and questions the definition of love itself. Sunk in the depravity and degradation of her father’s drug-dealing lifestyle, eight-year-old Wavy finds her only solace in a questionable attachment to Kellen, a 24-year-old man who is also isolated and longing for some scrap of beauty in... Read All the Ugly and Wonderful Things Summary
Publication year 2018
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Fathers
Tags Race / Racism, Class, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Modern Classic Fiction, Drama / Tragedy, Romance