Review: Why Fathers Cry at Night

Why Fathers Cry at Night: A Memoir in Love Poems, Letters, Recipes, and Remembrances, by Kwame Alexander (Little, Brown and Co 2023)

I’ve read just about everything Kwame Alexander has written since he published The Crossover, winning the 2015 Newbery Award, but as it turns out, he wrote a lot before that too — primarily love poems written for adults. Who knew! In this, his newest publishing tomorrow, he brings his audience back to adults as he presents his memoir written in a lovely variety of formats, including poetry, letters, recipes, and prose.

Like always, Alexander’s poetry floats off the page and begs to be read aloud. The poetry found here, though, made me blush a bit to hear it out loud, as it’s often much sexier than his middle grade or YA selections. As Alexander ponders fatherhood, as well as his relationships with his parents, lovers, and teachers, he is hugely vulnerable and gives the reader an intimate peek into his heart. The writing is beautiful, raw, emotional, and honest, and I was once again in awe of his skill. While I loved the variety of formats, especially the inclusion of recipes that have been important in his life, I did think it made the reading of it as a memoir a bit more challenging. While Alexander’s novels-in-verse are very narrative in nature, these poems are not always as clear, and I found myself confused on how each of the pieces of his life fit together. Is this love poem about his ex-wife or the mother of his second child? Who is the “you” he’s addressing here? His first daughter or second? In a memoir, I expect those pieces to be more obvious, which is perhaps saying more about me as a reader than him as an author. If anything, this work felt more like a piece for him, cathartic and personal in nature, than for the audience who would be reading it, and honestly, that’s just fine. Frankly, I’d read anything he wants to write, regardless of it’s for me or not.

This book releases tomorrow, May 23! Go check it out!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.