GOOD Books: Dysfunctional Families

Thanksgiving weekend is a wonderful time. If you're like us, you're spending today indulging in gravy-covered leftovers while sitting around in sweatpants. But with the feast comes family—and while we love them to the core, there are tim

Matilda
By Roald Dahl
240 pages. Penguin. $6.99.

Matilda is extraordinary. From a family of buffoons, Matilda emerges as a genius with telekinetic powers. Stuck in a dysfunctional family composed of a shady used-car dealer

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
By Dave Eggers
485 pages. Vintage. $7.89

At the age of 22, Dave Eggers found himself in an unusual situation. Recently orphaned (his parents died

Running with Scissors: A Memoir
By Augusten Burroughs
320 pages. Picador. $5.83.

Augusten Burroughs’ memoir includes some truly unbelievable moments from his own life. Walking the line between witty observer and victi

Push
By Sapphire
192 pages. Knopf. $17.13.

Few, if any, can understand Precious’ story on a personal level. Push, which inspired the movie Precious, winding path to redemption for an obese, HIV-posit

Infinite Jest
By David Foster Wallace
1104 pages. Back Bay Books. $10.98.

The Incandenza family excels at everything—tennis, administration, philosophy, football—including dysfunction. David Foster Wallace&rsquo