Who was there with us as we grew up—and who stayed when we became adults? Some authors create a sweeping portrait of motherhood; others reflect on childhood traumas; and still others search for a parental figure in the women around them—grandmothers, aunts, teachers. These are texts about distance and closeness, about running away from home and returning, about trying to reassemble the image of a mother and to define what it means for her to be— and whether she can be caught.