“In this moving account of the impact of gun violence on urban Black boys and their communities, Nora Gross shares hard lessons about the collective impact of gun violence on emotional life, community bonds, learning, and more. Written with care and deep respect, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in the impact of gun violence on urban school communities.”

—Natasha Warikoo, author of 'Race at the Top: Asian Americans and Whites in Pursuit of the American Dream in Suburban Schools'

"Brothers in Grief, an account of the afterlives of gun violence at one high school for Black boys, is simply astonishing. Nora Gross bears witness to these young men as they grieve together and privately, and to the consequences when the school tries to move forward from tragic loss. More than a needed portrait of the hidden tolls of gun violence and of the emotional worlds of Black boys, Brothers in Grief is a model of responsible, reflexive ethnography."

—Freeden Blume Oeur, author of 'Black Boys Apart: Racial Uplift and Respectability in All-Male Schools'

"Brothers in Grief is a powerful, searing account of the impact of unceasing, premature death as a result of gun violence on the lives of Black teenage boys forever marked by the losses they are forced to endure. In a society that deems their lives eminently disposable and that largely fails to acknowledge their grief, this invaluable ethnographic account takes us inside a year in the life of students at a Philadelphia charter school who must contend with the loss of their friends and classmates and what it means to survive them."

—Juliet Hooker, author of 'Black Grief/White Grievance: The Politics of Loss'

"Brothers in Grief is a heartbreaking and incisive analysis of a group of students who rarely appear on the evening news: Black boys who have lost friends, siblings, and cousins to gun violence. Gross vividly shows how schools are ill-prepared to help these boys cope with their loss, and highlights how the boys' deep friendships provide a source of solace and ultimately social action."

—Deborah Carr, author of 'The Widower's Journey: Helping Men Rebuild After Their Loss'

"Nora Gross’ Brothers in Grief is an enticing testimony functioning as an ethnographic eulogy to discuss the experiences of Black boys at Boy’s Prep . . . . Gross’ book is approachable and straightforward, and overall, it is a fantastic read, even for those who do not study Black masculinities or Black boyhood."

― Sociology of Race and Ethnicity

"Brothers in Grief is written for teachers, school administrators, politicians, policy makers. social workers, feminist and gender scholars, scholars of thanatology, parents, educational researchers, and youths. By collapsing the barriers between everyday challenges and structural problems, the book makes a significant contribution to understanding the conditions of violence and grief, thereby animating the precarity of Black life from the unique perspectives of Black teen boys."

― Ethnic and Racial Studies

“Nora Gross uses poignant storytelling to help describe the depth of grief that Black teenage boys carry after friends and acquaintances die from gun violence. This book is a well-researched exposition on a complex area of grief as it relates specifically to gun violence… This book would be a great addition to classes focusing on grief, death, emotion, social problems, social change, qualitative methods, and introduction to sociology.”

— Symbolic Interaction

“Brothers in Grief: The Hidden Toll of Gun Violence on Black Boys and Their Schools is beautifully written, analytically astute, and profoundly human. It is an ethnographic tale about peer loss and the grief that arises from it, its impact on Black boys and the schools they attend… Few educational scholars have reckoned with grief’s toll on young people’s schooling. Gross makes a powerful case for why we should rethink such an omission.”

—Social Forces

“Gross’s conceptualization of the “EASY HARD,” “HARD HARD” and “HIDDEN HARD” stages of school response is a unique contribution absent in other authors’ portrayals of grief. A significant strength of the book is its organization around recurring scenes, classrooms, memorials, hallways, and thematic chapters that track grief work, brotherhood, and institutional response. Each scene is followed by an analytic reflection linking grief action to policy and theory. It is a structured argument that moves from lived practice to institutional critique. Gross’s attention to positionality, building trust and representation, adds credibility to her interpretations. Her deeply relational approach allows her to trace how grief accumulates and how coping strategies shift over time. Overall, the book is illuminating and transformative.”

—Educational Review

Bourdieu Best Book Award, Winner

ASA Sociology of Education Section

Outstanding Book Award, Winner

SSSP Educational Problems Division

ASA Sociology of Emotions Section

Society of Professors of Education

C. Wright Mills Award, Finalist

Society for the Study of Social Problems

Outstanding Book Award, Honorable Mention

ASA Sociology of Children and Youth Section