Caroline Kennedy has chosen a rich variety of Kennedy family favorite poems to include in this priceless collection. With thoughtful personal introductions written by Caroline herself, and beautiful new original artwork by award-winning artist, Jon J Muth, this collection is sure to become a family favorite for years to come.

“David Orr is an authentic iconoclast. His criticism is exuberant and original. Dr. Johnson, my critical hero, urged us to clear our mind of cant. Orr has cleared his. He will enhance the perception of his readers.” —Harold Bloom “A poetry critic and poet himself, David Orr’s work often explores a gray area of literary professionalism and process. A columnist for the New York Times Book Review. . . . Orr shows himself to be a reader interested in cutting through noise, particularly with the realities of writing and publishing in a popular culture.” —Ploughshares In his wry debut collection of poetry, celebrated critic David Orr ponders the dark underworld of the ordinary, as he traverses the suburban gothic landscape of modern America. Orr finds and names what’s at the core of being human: sorrow, kindness, familial love, and memory. The poems are playful, fashioned of fables, familiar objects, and the supernatural, inviting every reader to enter in. From “The Abduction”: . . . Later, he would wake each night screaming In helpless confusion, but at the time There was just the sun, the beach, the sun, the saltwater And dark forms being kind. Only a month After the incident, having lost the skill Of knowing what was real, he walked Into headlights he had thought were his wife. David Orr teaches at Rutgers University in addition to serving as the poetry columnist for the New York Times Book Review. A native of South Carolina, he lives in Princeton, New Jersey.

Titled from lyrics of the song “Nobody Home” by Pink Floyd, this well-thought poetry collection touches on the subjects of loss, love, pain, happiness, depression, abandonment, war, good vs. evil, alcoholism, religion, and complicated family relationships. Written mostly in metered, rhyming stanzas, Black Book of Poems provides a non-threatening platform for reflection and meditation on life’s most difficult challenges. This collection offers a refreshingly honest approach to life and love that feels realistic and relatable to everyone.