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Hiraeth: The Voice of Home

By: Dan Morgan
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Publication Date: August 12, 2025
ISBN: 979-8891327467
Reviewed by: Diana Coyle
Review Date: June 24, 2025

In Hiraeth: The Voice of Home by Dan Morgan, the author explains that “hiraeth” is a Welsh word meaning an indescribable yearning for home, or the very essence of what home represents for each person. In this memoir, Mr. Morgan, having a Welsh background, experienced that very desire throughout his entire life.

Although he had a home with his parents and siblings in Pittsburgh, their home was makeshift because his family was dysfunctional. His father eventually became an amputee, which caused him not to be able to work to support his family. This caused much strife among everyone in the house, and eventually his family had to move into his single uncle’s house because they couldn’t afford to pay rent or a mortgage. As the years passed, his two sisters both married at age 18 to escape the insanity under the uncle’s roof.

Right from the start of this memoir, you feel Morgan’s desire and wish for something more concrete in his life. He was a child that had some extra pounds on him, which seemed to cause many issues for him no matter whether it was at home or at school. He never seemed to feel a sense of pride for his family or himself, especially with everyone being so critical of one other. It was no wonder why his sisters set their sights on marrying young and leaving the chains that bound them to their parents. Unfortunately, since Morgan’s father became disabled, he couldn’t handle the pain from his amputation, so he turned to abusing his pain medicines and drinking heavily. This caused him to be in and out of hospitals continually, leading to an unstable environment for Dan and his sisters. Readers will empathize with the Morgan children because they didn’t have the stable and comforting support of their parents, which caused many emotional and mental hardships for the children growing up.

Because of the volatility of his family life, Morgan turned to his own vices to squelch the pain he constantly experienced throughout the years. Not only was he overweight, but he second guessed his own sexuality and this caused much heartache as well. Now Morgan found himself not only drinking himself into blackouts daily, but he also started becoming promiscuous with men because he was experimenting with his sexuality.

Although Morgan’s life was one constant struggle after another, he did eventually decide to go to college and obtain a degree to better himself. Because of his determination, and his need to take care of himself, he excelled at becoming a Sociology professor. It is at this time that readers will cheer Morgan on that he finally matured and did something with his life that was productive, and not continue on that destructive path that he was on all those years.

Quill says: Hiraeth: The Voice of Home will take readers on an emotional rollercoaster right alongside Morgan as he experienced his ups and downs with his family and his own life throughout the years. One must applaud him for finally grounding himself and making himself a valued member of society of which he could be proud.

For more information about Hiraeth: The Voice of Home, please visit the publisher's website at: atmospherepress.com/books/hiraeth-the-voice-of-home-by-dan-morgan/