Poignant. It is a word heavily overused in the description of literary works — often when the word “sappy” could be used instead. But poignant is the only word appropriate for the works of Melissa Henderson. She writes of life growing up in Indiana with a very young mother and a brother who always seemed to be looking for trouble. It may sound mundane but each essay represents one bright point of insight into the world of children and how it carries on to adulthood.

Her stories range from a young mother’s love to the cutting of corn off the cob. From the sharing of tamales to the surprising connections between brother and sister. And how both the quiet and the tumultuous parts of childhood return to us in adulthood, whether we want them to or not.