Our Andromeda

3 of 5
Our Andromeda
96 pages; Copper Canyon Press
In the unforgettable story about the birth of her son (who suffered a brain injury), Shaughnessy conjures an alternate galaxy where healing isn't just possible—but required as a survival tool. "I will be the mother who never hurt you, and you will have your childhood back in full blossom," she writes. "We might not know who we are at first, there, without our terrible pain." Anyone who is—or has—a mother needs to read this book.
— Deborah Landau