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Good Morning Moon: A Snapshot of an American Family ― A Luminous Memoir of Childhood Revelations
The bestselling poet, novelist, and biographer focuses his keen eye inward in this luminous memoir about the decision to start a family later in life only to be surprised by revelations from his own childhood.
In a unique latticework of a memoir, Brad Gooch paints an indelible portrait of becoming a father in middle age. Having experienced once unfathomable changes in what it means to be gay in American society, having lived through the AIDS crisis in New York and surviving the death of his first great love, Brad wasn’t longing for a conventional family life.
But in late middle age, he meets Paul, marries, and together they take the leap, soon having two boys through surrogacy. As with many new parents, the arrival of children spurs a reflection on his own upbringing as an only child in a comfortable town in Pennsylvania, and a mystery hidden in plain sight that only a DNA test can solve.
Pondering fundamental questions about the nature of family, while capturing the joys, humor, and hardship of raising kids, Good Morning Moon is an unforgettable addition to the literature of parenthood.
In a unique latticework of a memoir, Brad Gooch paints an indelible portrait of becoming a father in middle age. Having experienced once unfathomable changes in what it means to be gay in American society, having lived through the AIDS crisis in New York and surviving the death of his first great love, Brad wasn’t longing for a conventional family life.
But in late middle age, he meets Paul, marries, and together they take the leap, soon having two boys through surrogacy. As with many new parents, the arrival of children spurs a reflection on his own upbringing as an only child in a comfortable town in Pennsylvania, and a mystery hidden in plain sight that only a DNA test can solve.
Pondering fundamental questions about the nature of family, while capturing the joys, humor, and hardship of raising kids, Good Morning Moon is an unforgettable addition to the literature of parenthood.
192 pages, Hardcover
Published June 2, 2026
About the author
Brad Gooch
29 books117 followersBrad Gooch is the author of Flannery: A Life of Flannery O’Connor (Little, Brown, 2009.) His previous books include City Poet: The Life and Times of Frank O’Hara; as well as Godtalk: Travels in Spiritual America; three novels--Scary Kisses, The Golden Age of Promiscuity, Zombie00; a collection of stories, Jailbait and Other Stories, chosen by Donald Barthelme for a Pushcart Foundation Writer’s Choice Award; a collection of poems, The Daily News; and two memoirs, Finding the Boyfriend Within and Dating the Greek Gods.
His work has been featured in numerous magazines including: The New Republic, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, New York Magazine, Travel and Leisure, Partisan Review, The Paris Review, The Los Angeles Times Book Review, Art Forum, Harper’s Bazaar, The Nation, and regularly on The Daily Beast.
A Guggenheim fellow in Biography, he has received a National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship, and a Furthermore grant in publishing from the J.M. Kaplan Fund.
A professor of English at William Paterson University, he earned his PhD at Columbia University, and lives in New York City.
His work has been featured in numerous magazines including: The New Republic, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, New York Magazine, Travel and Leisure, Partisan Review, The Paris Review, The Los Angeles Times Book Review, Art Forum, Harper’s Bazaar, The Nation, and regularly on The Daily Beast.
A Guggenheim fellow in Biography, he has received a National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship, and a Furthermore grant in publishing from the J.M. Kaplan Fund.
A professor of English at William Paterson University, he earned his PhD at Columbia University, and lives in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 25, 2026
What a beautiful book! Brad Gooch can both tell a story and weave poetic prose.
June 10, 2026
I just finished an advance copy of Good Morning Moon: A Snapshot of an American Family by Brad Gooch.
At first glance, it's a memoir about becoming a parent later in life through surrogacy. It is that. But it's also about family, loss, identity, and the stories we inherit whether we realize it or not.
What struck me most wasn't the mechanics of how the family was created. It was the questions the book raises. What makes a family? How much of who we are comes from our upbringing versus our DNA? How well do we really know the people who raised us?
Gooch doesn't seem interested in arguing a position. Instead, he invites the reader into the uncertainty. As his family grows, he begins uncovering unexpected truths about his own past, creating a parallel story about parenthood and self-discovery.
I found myself thinking less about the author and more about my own life. The people who shaped me. The things I've accepted as fact. The ways families come together and sometimes come apart.
It's a relatively short book at under 200 pages, but it's the kind of book that lingers after you've put it down. Not because it gives answers, but because it leaves you with better questions.
And maybe that's what the best memoirs do.
At first glance, it's a memoir about becoming a parent later in life through surrogacy. It is that. But it's also about family, loss, identity, and the stories we inherit whether we realize it or not.
What struck me most wasn't the mechanics of how the family was created. It was the questions the book raises. What makes a family? How much of who we are comes from our upbringing versus our DNA? How well do we really know the people who raised us?
Gooch doesn't seem interested in arguing a position. Instead, he invites the reader into the uncertainty. As his family grows, he begins uncovering unexpected truths about his own past, creating a parallel story about parenthood and self-discovery.
I found myself thinking less about the author and more about my own life. The people who shaped me. The things I've accepted as fact. The ways families come together and sometimes come apart.
It's a relatively short book at under 200 pages, but it's the kind of book that lingers after you've put it down. Not because it gives answers, but because it leaves you with better questions.
And maybe that's what the best memoirs do.
September 14, 2026
Brad and Paul's family really are no different than the heterosexual ones. Because two gay men are raising two children together should never matter. Heck some heterosexual couples can't even raise their kids. As shown in Brad's writing the boys are starting to ask questions, which is normal and to be expected. Surrogacy is no different from adoption...women get pregnant and can't or are unwilling to raise a child and as shown with the surrogates in this book the woman who bore Walter was concerned that Brad and Paul might change their minds and leave her with a child that she doesn't want because sadly she's only doing it for the money. Conversely Glenn's mother has kept in touch with Brad.
While their story didn't raise questions for me it most certainly will for their sons and for the women who shared their eggs and for the women who carried and gave birth to them. Either way I sense some heartbreak for one of the sons down the road.
While their story didn't raise questions for me it most certainly will for their sons and for the women who shared their eggs and for the women who carried and gave birth to them. Either way I sense some heartbreak for one of the sons down the road.
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June 8, 2026Parenthood: memories and love.
This book was a pleasure to read.
Daddy and papa, both much older than most parents. But where's Mom? Two women helped to create each son. One egg donor and two surrogates. The author kept in touch with the donor, which I was wondering about. Also talked if they should tell kids who she is, if she would introduce her own child and will the other two half siblings want to know about their existence (she donated her eggs twice before). I also have questions about surrogates, but there's not much about them. There's either no more contact or they want to stay incognito. But I would still like to hear their side of the story.
The relationship with kids is adorable and while kids ask the craziest questions, this family has to answer more of them.
This book was a pleasure to read.
Daddy and papa, both much older than most parents. But where's Mom? Two women helped to create each son. One egg donor and two surrogates. The author kept in touch with the donor, which I was wondering about. Also talked if they should tell kids who she is, if she would introduce her own child and will the other two half siblings want to know about their existence (she donated her eggs twice before). I also have questions about surrogates, but there's not much about them. There's either no more contact or they want to stay incognito. But I would still like to hear their side of the story.
The relationship with kids is adorable and while kids ask the craziest questions, this family has to answer more of them.
June 22, 2026
Good Morning Moon is a beautifully observant, intimate portrait of family life that feels both specific and universal at the same time. Brad Gooch captures everyday moments with a quiet precision that makes even the smallest interactions feel meaningful. It reads less like a traditional narrative and more like a series of snapshots that gradually build into something tender and whole.
What I appreciated most was the emotional honesty woven through it. There’s a gentle rhythm to the writing that makes it easy to slow down and sit with each moment, and by the end it feels like you’ve been given a glimpse into something very real and very lived-in. It’s reflective, understated, and quietly moving in a way that lingers after you finish.
What I appreciated most was the emotional honesty woven through it. There’s a gentle rhythm to the writing that makes it easy to slow down and sit with each moment, and by the end it feels like you’ve been given a glimpse into something very real and very lived-in. It’s reflective, understated, and quietly moving in a way that lingers after you finish.
August 3, 2026
I enjoyed this memoir. It’s got a lovely tone. I have not read any earlier works by this author. I had not thought to compare the Covid pandemic to the AIDs crisis; both were so traumatic and defining their generation. Wonderful that this family came together as it did. There’s a lot I’m sure that’s left unsaid. I would have liked more but I understand the choice to be somewhat private in a memoir. The segment about DNA testing and what that revealed was interesting.
Pet peeve: ‘the pregnancy would be induced’ seems incorrect and clunky - labor is induced, not pregnancy?
Pet peeve: ‘the pregnancy would be induced’ seems incorrect and clunky - labor is induced, not pregnancy?
June 16, 2026
I won this through a giveaway. I enjoyed it. It really makes you think about and feel empathetic towards those who have different lives and experiences than yourself.
June 29, 2026
A fun family. A loving family. A nice read.
September 5, 2026
An absolutely delightful read. What makes a family? How expansive love is, how funny kids can be, how worlds can turn on a moment's notice- all of this in spare and lovely prose.
September 15, 2026
I enjoyed the heartfelt and unflinching behind the scenes peek into the complexities of creating a gay family. Thrilled by the introduction to Rumi’s wisdom.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews