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 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Self Discovery, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Family, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger
Tags Romance, Love / Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction, Health / Medicine
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos
Tags Romance, New Adult, Love / Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 2013
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Sexuality, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Family
Tags Realistic Fiction, LGBTQ, Depression / Suicide, Love / Sexuality, Parenting, American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance
David Levithan’s 2013 young adult novel Two Boys Kissing is narrated from the perspective of the gay men who died during the 1980s HIV/AIDS epidemic. This chorus, resembling that of ancient Greek theater, observes the novel’s present-day characters—several gay teenage boys in neighboring American small towns—as they explore love, relationship, and identity. The central narrative follows two boys, Harry and Craig, who attempt to break the Guinness World Record for longest continuous kiss by kissing... Read Two Boys Kissing Summary
Publication year 1989
Genre Short Story, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Relationships: Family
Tags Chinese Literature, Asian Literature, Education, Education, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Classic Fiction
“Two Kinds” by Amy Tan is a short story from the collection The Joy Luck Club, which was originally published in 1989. The full short story collection was adapted for film as the eponymous Joy Luck Club in 1993. Amy Tan and Ronald Bass adapted the screenplay. The series portrays first and second-generation Chinese immigrants living out the “American dream” in current day Chinatown, San Francisco. Through a series of 16 linked stories, four women... Read Two Kinds Summary
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: Family
Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction
Publication year 1995
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Identity: Sexuality, Relationships: Family, Identity: Gender, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Self Discovery
Tags LGBTQ, Gender / Feminism, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Love / Sexuality, Biography
Two or Three Things I Know for Sure is a 1995 memoir by American author and activist Dorothy Allison, a native of Greenville, South Carolina. A coming-of-age story that examines feminism and lesbian identity in the context of the patriarchal norms of the South, the book uses both narrative and photographs to tell the stories of the women in Allison’s family and their complex relationships with the men who both loved and abused them. Her... Read Two or Three Things I Know for Sure Summary
Publication year 2018
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Society: Politics & Government, Identity: Race, Relationships: Friendship, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Relationships: Family
Tags Historical Fiction, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Children's Literature, Arts / Culture, History: World
Publication year 2014
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Family, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil
Tags Realistic Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Action / Adventure, Children's Literature, Education, Education, Modern Classic Fiction
Publication year 1991
Genre Poem, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Identity: Race
Tags LGBTQ, Black Arts Movement, Poverty
Publication year 1897
Genre Play, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Relationships: Family
Tags Classic Fiction, Play: Drama, Russian Literature, Education, Education, History: World, Drama / Tragedy
Uncle Vanya is a play in four acts written by celebrated Russian playwright and author Anton Chekhov (1860-1904). It is set in a provincial Russian estate and focuses on the tensions and disappointments between the disaffected Ivan “Uncle Vanya” Voitski and his circle of family and friends. As the characters navigate their intertwined lives, they grapple with regret, unrequited love, and the search for meaning and hope. The play reflects the uncertainty and change of... Read Uncle Vanya Summary
Publication year 2011
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Society: Immigration, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Family
Tags Drama / Tragedy, Immigration / Refugee, Poverty, Children's Literature, Realistic Fiction, Arts / Culture
Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall is a coming-of-age story about the importance of family, heritage, and perseverance. This young adult novel comes directly from McCall’s own experiences as a young Mexican immigrant, a writer with a dream, and a teenager who watches her mother die from cancer. Under the Mesquite infuses poetic form, free verse, imagery, and sprinkles of the Spanish language in order to portray a bildungsroman in which a young girl... Read Under The Mesquite Summary
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Family, Society: Community, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Environment, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Siblings
Tags Magical Realism, Humor, Animals, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy
Publication year 2022
Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, History: World, Biography, Crime / Legal, History: U.S.
Publication year 2013
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil
Tags Romance, Fantasy, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, History: Asian, Religion / Spirituality
Publication year 2018
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Mothers, Society: Immigration, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Relationships: Family
Tags Historical Fiction, Relationships, Politics / Government, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World
Unsheltered was written by American author Barbara Kingsolver and first published in 2018. The novel explores themes of family, marriage, science in society, social justice issues, overcoming personal challenges, and new possibilities. Kingsolver is the recipient of the National Humanities Medal, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, and winner of the Orange Prize, Dayton Literary Peace Prize, and PEN/Faulkner award, and she has received many other recognitions by national and international associations and publications. Unsheltered is her... Read Unsheltered Summary
Publication year 2020
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Identity: Gender, Identity: Sexuality, Relationships: Family, Society: Class, Identity: Mental Health
Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Historical Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Trauma / Abuse / Violence
Publication year 2012
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Disability, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Teams, Self Discovery
Tags Sports, Realistic Fiction, Children's Literature, Trauma / Abuse / Violence
Publication year 1991
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Apathy, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Identity: Disability, Identity: Mental Health, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice
Tags Education, Education, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction
Publication year 2015
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Natural World: Animals, Society: Community
Tags Children's Literature, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Fantasy, Humor, Magical Realism, Animals
Publication year 2022
Genre Novel, Fiction
Themes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: The Future, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies
Tags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Fantasy, Climate Change, Politics / Government, Technology