Grace Notes: Poems About Families

Naomi Shihab Nye’s collection contains one hundred previously unpublished poems about family relationships and the experiences that shape a childhood. Many poems center on Nye’s mother and the changing relationship between mother and daughter, including her mother’s ambitions, frustrations, interests, and depression. Other poems consider Nye’s father, childhood influences, and people beyond the immediate family. The collection invites reflection on being a child among adults, sometimes feeling close to them and sometimes in opposition to them, while addressing love, empathy, grief, growth, and resilience.