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.

Things We Never Got Over

by Lucy Score

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Society: Community, Self Discovery, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship

Tags Romance, Humor, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Love / Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction

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Things You Save in a Fire

by Katherine Center

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Relationships: Family

Tags Romance, Addiction / Substance Abuse, Gender / Feminism, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Modern Classic Fiction

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Thin Wood Walls

by David Patneaude

Publication year 2004

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Race, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Family

Tags Historical Fiction, WWII / World War II, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Race / Racism, Children's Literature, Education, Education, Military / War, History: World, Arts / Culture

Thin Wood Walls by David Patneaude was published by Houghton Mifflin Company in 2004. A historical fiction novel for young adult readers, Thin Wood Walls explores the experience of incarceration through the eyes of an 11-year-old Japanese American boy during World War II. The novel depicts themes of hope, family, resilience, and xenophobia, or bigotry against individuals from other countries. Thin Wood Walls is a Washington Reads Selection and a Mark Twain Award nominee. It... Read Thin Wood Walls Summary

Thirst

by Varsha Bajaj

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Femininity, Relationships: Family, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Education

Tags Class, Realistic Fiction, Children's Literature, Social Justice, Modern Classic Fiction, Indian Literature

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This Be the Verse

by Philip Larkin

Publication year 1971

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Literature, Life/Time: The Past, Values/Ideas: Fate

Tags Lyric Poem, Grief / Death, Arts / Culture, Heinemann African Writers, African Literature

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This Earth of Mankind

by Pramoedya Ananta Toer

Publication year 1980

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Identity: Indigenous, Relationships: Family, Identity: Race, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Society: Education, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Self Discovery

Tags Historical Fiction, Colonialism / Postcolonialism, Asian Literature, Class, Education, History: Asian, Race / Racism

Pramoedya Ananta Toer—a famous Indonesian editor, essayist, and social activist—wrote This Earth of Mankind (1980)—the first book of his series The Buru Quartet—while imprisoned in the Buru Concentration Camp following a military coup that overthrew Sukarno, the first democratically elected president of Indonesia. Incarcerated for 14 years and prevented from having writing material, Toer memorized the books of his series and recited them to his fellow inmates each day until his release in 1979. The... Read This Earth of Mankind Summary

This Is How It Always Is

by Laurie Frankel

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, LGBTQ

This Is How It Always Is, a novel by Laurie Frankel, was published in 2017. It was a New York Times best seller, one of People magazine’s Top 10 Books of 2017, and a Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick. Other works by this author include One Two Three and Family Family.Plot SummaryDr. Rosie Walsh is pregnant with her fifth son, Claude. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with her writer husband, Penn Adams... Read This Is How It Always Is Summary

This Is My America

by Kim Johnson

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Race, Relationships: Family, Life/Time: Aging, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Equality, Relationships: Fathers, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict

Tags Realistic Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Social Justice, Race / Racism, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction

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This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona

by Sherman Alexie

Publication year 1993

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Family, Identity: Indigenous, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Society: Class

Tags Grief / Death, Education, Education

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This Is Where I Leave You

by Jonathan Tropper

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Relationships: Marriage, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Emotions/Behavior: Love

Tags Humor, Psychological Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

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This Is Where It Ends

by Marieke Nijkamp

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family

Tags Realistic Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness, LGBTQ

This Is Where It Ends is the 2016 young adult novel by Marieke Nijkamp. As Principal Trenton concludes the annual first-day-of-spring-semester speech at Alabama’s Opportunity High School, Tyler Browne locks students inside the auditorium and commits a school shooting that leaves thirty-nine people dead. Narrated in four different first-person accounts, by seniors Autumn, Sylv, Tomas, and Claire, This Is Where It Ends traces the fifty-five minutes, from 10:00 to 10:55 a.m., that encompass moments before... Read This Is Where It Ends Summary

This Light Between Us

by Andrew Fukuda

Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

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

Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Military / War, WWII / World War II, Holocaust, History: World

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This Motherless Land

by Nikki May

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Family, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Society: Immigration

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This Must Be the Place

by Maggie O'Farrell

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Marriage, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Fame

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Romance, Irish Literature, British Literature

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This One Summer

by Mariko Tamaki

Publication year 2014

Genre Graphic Novel/Book, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Identity: Femininity, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Mothers

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

This One Summer is a Canadian young adult graphic novel written by Mariko Tamaki and illustrated by her cousin, Jillian Tamaki. Mariko Tamaki has written several graphic novels, and has worked for both Marvel and DC Comics. This One Summer was originally published in 2014 by Groundwood Books, and follows the summer experiences of two young girls approaching adolescence and watching their parents cope with the various pressures of adulthood. The novel has been the... Read This One Summer Summary

This Poison Heart

by Kalynn Bayron

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Race, Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Natural World: Flora/plants, Natural World: Nurture v. Nature, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Mothers

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy, Mythology, LGBTQ

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This Present Darkness

by Frank E. Peretti

Publication year 1986

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Christian literature, Fantasy, Religion / Spirituality

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This Strange Eventful History

by Claire Messud

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Identity: Indigenous, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Midlife, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Siblings, Self Discovery, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Society: Globalization, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Military / War, History: World, French Literature, Historical Fiction

... Read This Strange Eventful History Summary