Why Fathers Cry at Night: A Memoir in Love Poems, Recipes, Letters, and Remembrances

New York Times bestselling author and Newbery Medalist winner Kwame Alexander presents accessible and moving love poems dedicated to the two greatest loves in his life—his daughters. In a powerfully intimate collection, Kwame Alexander shares original, courageous poems about the relationships that taught him how to love. He takes us through stories of his parents: from being awkward newlyweds in the sticky Chicago summer of 1976, to the sometimes-contradictory ways they showed their love for him. He explores his own relationships—the precariousness of his early marriage working in a jazz club with his first wife, and his difficulties as a new father. Alexander attempts to deal with the grief of his mother’s recent passing and shares with the reader the solace he found in learning how to perfect her famous fried chicken dish. With an open heart, Alexander weaves these stories of his past to try and understand his newest love: his daughters. Full of heartfelt reminisces, family recipes, and personal letters, Why Fathers Cry at Night inspires bravery and vulnerability in every reader who has experienced the reckless passion, heartbreak, and joy that define the whirlwind trials and tribulations of love.