Speaking with survivors of the Murrah building bombing, revisiting his Texas and Oklahoma roots, and retracing the paths of exile and migration in the American West, Daugherty creates a diverse and heartfelt portrait of America in an uncertain time-its people, its politics, its music, and its poetry-a sobering but ultimately hopeful view of the national community. At heart an exploration, from an intimate vantage point, of the consequences of violence in contemporary America, Five Shades of Shadow will hold special resonance for readers struggling to come to terms with trauma and loss.

“Daugherty writes with a deep conviction. But this is more than a story of individual self-resolution: it is the narrative of an entire country coming to grips with its own inner demons.”
—Kim Barnes

“These essays powerfully chart the intersection between place and character, hope and grief. They courageously open themselves to question after question, and the sum total of all these observations and insights is an uncanny portrait of the America we live in now, for better or worse.”
—Phillip Lopate