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I just finished my 50th found family story and it hit me | Found Family Fiction - Topic Shares

I just finished my 50th found family story and it hit me

I keep a list on my phone of every book or show I read that fits this theme. I added a new one last night, a quiet sci-fi book called 'The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet', and my count ticked over to 50. That number really got me. I started this list maybe five years ago after a rough patch where my own friend group felt scattered. I guess I was looking for that feeling in stories. Seeing 50 entries made me realize how much I lean on these plots, not for escape, but almost like a blueprint. They show all the different ways people can choose to stick together, from a crew on a spaceship to a bunch of kids solving mysteries in a small town. It's the specific, quiet moments that get me, like sharing a meal after a hard day or someone just showing up without being asked. Has anyone else found themselves drawn to a certain number of these stories, and did it make you see your own life a bit differently?

3 comments

3 Comments

tylerr293mo ago

Oh man, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is such a perfect choice for that list! That book is basically a masterclass in how a bunch of strangers slowly become a real family through all those small, shared meals and conversations in the galley. I love what you said about it being a blueprint, because I totally feel that way too. It's wild how seeing that list hit 50 makes you realize those quiet fictional moments are actually teaching you the exact steps to build your own thing in real life.

amy6925mo ago

Love that you called them a blueprint! It makes me think I should start my own list to spot the patterns in how those bonds form. Those quiet moments you mentioned are the real glue in any group, fictional or not. Maybe noticing them in stories helps us build them in real life.

skylerc865mo ago

Yeah, exactly. It's like those small things in shows or books give you the words for something you already feel. I mean, I've caught myself trying to copy a vibe from a movie hangout, just the easy quiet part, and it really does work. Makes you pay more attention to the good, simple stuff happening right in front of you.