Eye of My Heart: 27 Writers Reveal the Hidden Pleasures and Perils of Being a Grandmother

“These clear-eyed essays offer humor and insight as they take on the multigenerational lives many of us now lead.”
—Cokie Roberts, author of We Are Our Mothers’ Daughters

In the New York Times bestseller Eye of My Heart, edited by Barbara Graham, 27 writers reveal the hidden pleasures and perils of being a grandmother—in essays that are honest, eye-opening, poignant, witty, and provocative. With contributions by Elizabeth Berg, Judith Guest, Mary Pipher, Judith Viorst, and a host of other acclaimed literary artists representing a wide range of voices and experiences, Eye of My Heart is a clear-eyed celebration of a grand institution and an all-important epoch in a woman’s life.

In Eye of My Heart, twenty-seven smart, gutsy writers explode myths and stereotypes and tell the whole crazy, complicated truth about being a grandmother in today's world. Among the contributors:

Anne Roiphe learns—the hard way—to keep her mouth shut and her opinions to herself.

Elizabeth Berg marvels at witnessing her child give birth to her child.

Beverly Donofrio makes amends for her shortcomings as a teenage mother.

Judith Viorst exposes the high-stakes competition for Most Fabulous Grandchild.

Jill Nelson grapples with mother-daughter tensions triggered by the birth of her grandson.

Judith Guest confesses her failed attempt to emulate her own saintly grandmother.

Bharati Mukherjee transcends her strict Hindu upbringing to embrace her adopted Chinese grand-daughters.

Lynn Lauber finds joy in grandmotherhood that she missed out on as a mother.

Sallie Tisdale pays a high price—financially and emotionally—for her fast-growing brood of grandkids.

Ellen Gilchrist reveals how grandparenthood has eased her fear of death.

Molly Giles is spurned by her toddler granddaughter during a trip to Paris.

Susan Shreve finally accepts that she's the grandmother, not the mother.

Roxana Robinson realizes, with relief, that she doesn't have to worry so much anymore.

Abigail Thomas plots her escape when she can't bear to bake one more cake.

Letty Cottin Pogrebin longs to leave a lasting impression on her grandchildren.

Mary Pipher explores the primal role of grandmothers in a fast-changing world.

In this groundbreaking collection, you will encounter the real stories that usually go untold. Free of platitudes and clichés, the essays in Eye of My Heart are linked by a common thread: a love for grandchildren that knows no bounds, despite inescapable obstacles and limitations.

“As someone who was partly raised by my maternal grandparents and adored them, I always knew that grandmotherhood would be intense for me. But I didn’t realize that it would be such a revelation. Eye of My Heart really does what its subtitle suggests—reveals the pleasures and perils of grandmotherhood.” - Erica Jong, author of Fear of Fifty

“As many of us become the elders of our various tribes, we need stories to help us understand what is happening to us, to feel accompanied in our new roles, corroborated in our feelings and quandaries, connected with others with whom we now form that windbreaker circle of protection and nurture for those younger than us.” - Julia Alvarez, author of Return to Sender and Once Upon a Quinceañera

“Illuminating.” - People

“This collection will ring true to the grandmother who is tuned in to her own mixed emotions. . . . This is not a sugary mess. Many of the story edges are hard, even jagged, though all are washed over with wonder.” - Kandra Hahn, Lincoln Journal Star (Nebraska)

“So many different perspectives and vantage points are woven seamlessly that no matter what their personal relationship to the word ‘grandmother’ is, readers will find much to make them laugh out loud—and also to break their hearts.” - Christian Science Monitor

“Truthful and anything but sugar-coated.” - More magazine (Canada)

“In illuminating, unsentimental essays, 27 writers offer up insights on the tricky art of grandmothering.” - People

“Spry and unsentimental. . . . Truth telling with dollops of love.” - O magazine

“Insightful and candid, sometimes painfully so. . . . Women who have achieved grandmotherly status will appreciate this engaging, honest volume of essays by 26 writers who articulate shared emotions about their grandchildren.” - Publishers Weekly

“These stories are so fresh and fundamental, wrenching and joyful, that one is left feeling that the subject has never been cracked open before.” - Harriet Lerner, author of The Dance of Anger