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.
Publication year 2024
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Mothers, Self Discovery
Tags Romance, Humor
Publication year 2017
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Race, Relationships: Mothers, Life/Time: The Future
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Gender / Feminism, Religion / Spirituality, Science / Nature, Race / Racism, Fantasy
Future Home of the Living God is a 2017 speculative fiction novel by American author Louise Erdrich. Told by Cedar Hawk Songmaker, a pregnant Native American woman in her mid-twenties living in Minneapolis, the story consists of her reflections as she waits to give birth. In the novel’s pre-apocalyptic America, human evolution has reversed, meaning that the species has begun to biologically regress into an infertile state. Meanwhile, the United States government has undermined citizens’... Read Future Home of the Living God Summary
Publication year 2018
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Teams, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Relationships: Friendship, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Fathers, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Identity: Masculinity, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Relationships: Family
Tags Sports, Realistic Fiction, Disability, Children's Literature, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 1981
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Aging, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Natural World: Animals, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Fathers
Tags Fantasy, Humor, Children's Literature, Magical Realism, British Literature
Publication year 1979
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Apathy, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Life/Time: Aging, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Environment, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Music, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Identity: Gender, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Sexuality, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Siblings, Relationships: Teams, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Equality
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy, Religion / Spirituality
Publication year 1978
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Mothers, Society: Colonialism, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Identity: Femininity, Society: Community
Tags Gender / Feminism, Colonialism / Postcolonialism, Prose poetry, Afro-Caribbean Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction
Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl” was first published on June 26, 1978 in The New Yorker and was later included in Kincaid’s debut 1983 short story collection, At the Bottom of the River. According to Kincaid, her works, including “Girl,” can be considered autobiographical. Kincaid grew up on the Caribbean island of Antigua and had a strained relationship with her mother before Kincaid moved to New York City. These same cultural and familial contexts are present in... Read Girl Summary
Publication year 2010
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Mothers
Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Girl, Stolen (2010) is a young adult crime/thriller novel written by April Henry. It tells the story of Cheyenne Wilder, a blind 16-year-old girl who is abducted during a car theft, and of Griffin Sawyer, the teen who steals the car while unaware Cheyenne is inside it. The novel has received numerous awards since publication, including the Young Adult Library Services Association Best Fiction for Young Adults Award. The book was also selected as a... Read Girl, Stolen Summary
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Natural World: Place, Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Family, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Identity: Indigenous
Tags Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Race / Racism, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, History: World, Historical Fiction, Romance
Publication year 2015
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Relationships: Mothers
Tags Existentialism, Race / Racism, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction
God Help the Child, the eleventh novel by critically-acclaimed writer Toni Morrison, was published in 2015. This guide is based on the 2015 Kindle book published by Borzoi Books, an Alfred A. Knopf imprint. One of Morrison’s few works with a contemporary setting and cast of characters, the novel explores themes related to the impact of racism and colorism on children, the prevalence of trauma such as child sexual abuse in the lives of children... Read God Help The Child Summary
Publication year 1986
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Society: Community, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Relationships: Mothers, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Society: Globalization, Society: War
Tags Social Science, Sociology, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Relationships, Self Help, WWII / World War II, Military / War, Action / Adventure
Publication year 2021
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Relationships: Mothers
Tags Romance, Mystery / Crime Fiction
Publication year 2023
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Mothers, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2016
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Relationships: Family
Tags Free verse, Parenting, Science / Nature, Gender / Feminism
Publication year 1929
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Society: War, Relationships: Mothers
Tags Military / War, WWI / World War I, History: World, Classic Fiction, Biography
English poet and classicist Robert Graves wrote his autobiography, Good-Bye to All That, in 1929, at the age of 34. Graves undertook the writing of his autobiography with the hope of crafting a best-selling book that would support his career as a writer. Good-Bye to All That details Graves’s life from his upper-middle-class childhood in England to his service as a military officer in World War I, and on to his first few years as... Read Goodbye to All That Summary
Publication year 1955
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Southern Gothic, Education, Education, American Literature, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction
“Good Country People” first appeared in Flannery O’Connor’s short story collection A Good Man is Hard to Find in 1955 and is widely regarded as an exemplary work of Southern Gothic literature. Like many of O’Connor’s works, “Good Country People” contains a critique of the American South and religious hypocrisy rooted in O’Connor’s worldview informed by her Catholic faith. This study guide uses the 1988 Library of America edition of Flannery O’Connor’s Collected Works. The... Read Good Country People Summary
Publication year 1981
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Gratitude, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Mothers, Society: Community, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger
Tags Historical Fiction, Military / War, WWII / World War II
Goodnight Mister Tom is a work of historical fiction written by Michelle Magorian and published in 1981. The novel is aimed at an audience of middle grade readers. It tells the story of eight-year-old William Beech, who, at the start of WWII, has to move with his abusive mother from an impoverished suburb of London to the countryside, where they are in the care of an elderly recluse, Thomas Oakley. The novel explores the impact... Read Goodnight Mister Tom Summary
Publication year 2019
Genre Graphic Memoir , Nonfiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Identity: Race, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Siblings, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: Fathers, Society: Community, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Life/Time: The Future, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness
Tags Race / Racism, Politics / Government, September 11 Attacks, Relationships, LGBTQ, Grief / Death, Parenting, Social Justice, Immigration / Refugee, Biography
Publication year 2006
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Family
Tags Lyric Poem, Grief / Death
Publication year 2009
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Mothers, Life/Time: Mortality & Death
Tags Realistic Fiction, Drama / Tragedy, Health / Medicine, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 1978
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Identity: Race, Identity: Femininity, Relationships: Mothers
Tags Free verse, Race / Racism, Gender / Feminism