--- description: Find out why "Time Is a Mother" by Ocean Vuong is on TIME's list of the must-read books of the year. title: 'Time Is a Mother' Is One of the 100 Must-Read Books of 2022 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta169f67c0e32d2e8/698a37c586f68ec0c56f1df4/TimeIsaMother.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Nov 14, 2022 # Time Is a Mother by Ocean Vuong by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  The intimate connection between love and loss is explored with heartbreaking insight by former MacArthur fellow [Ocean Vuong](https://time.com/6161568/ocean-vuong-time-is-a-mother-interview/ "undefined") in his second collection of poetry, _Time Is a Mother._ Written after the death of his mother, the volume is a meditation on family, language, shared histories, and grief. With the same searing emotional depth and visceral themes that he explored in his revelatory 2019 novel, [_On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous_](https://time.com/5601993/on-earth-were-briefly-gorgeous-book-review/ "undefined"), Vuong has written a testament to love that only a son could. —_Cady Lang_ **Buy Now**: _Time Is a Mother_ on [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/4973/9780593300237 "undefined") | [Amazon](https://amzn.to/3UnDRvE "undefined") **Contact us at** [letters@time.com](mailto:letters@time.com?subject=%28READER%20FEEDBACK%29%20Stay%20True&body=https%3A%2F%2Ftime.com%2Fcollection-post%2F6228627%2Fstay-true%2F "undefined")**.** ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/must-read-books-2022/6228639/time-is-a-mother/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/must-read-books-2022/6228639/time-is-a-mother/"},"headline":"Time Is a Mother","datePublished":"2022-11-14T12:56:13.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-03T00:10:59.786Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/must-read-books-2022/6228639/time-is-a-mother/","keywords":["Books","list","best books"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta169f67c0e32d2e8/698a37c586f68ec0c56f1df4/TimeIsaMother.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta169f67c0e32d2e8/698a37c586f68ec0c56f1df4/TimeIsaMother.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/must-read-books-2022/6228639/time-is-a-mother/","name":"Time Is a Mother"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"The 100 Must-Read Books of 2022","description":"Gripping novels, transporting poetry, and timely nonfiction that asked us to look deeper.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/EeIdKgaD/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2022-11-09T14:12:32.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/EeIdKgaD.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/collections/must-read-books-2022/6228639/time-is-a-mother/","duration":"PT2M54S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/collections/must-read-books-2022/6228639/time-is-a-mother/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```