The poems of W. D. Snodgrass, based on events from his troubled family life--particularly the death of a beloved sister--directly influenced Robert Lowell, Anne Sexton, Sylvia Plath, and changed mid-twentieth century American poetry. Now his younger brother, Richard Snodgrass, who experienced those family events as well, masterfully weaves a counterpoint of personal stories, family history, and his own photographs into his work that reminds the reader that there are many sides to any story, that every unhappy family is unhappy in its way, and--perhaps most terrible of all--that everyone has their reasons.