News

News

December 5, 2020

HUMANKIND by Rutger Bregman is a Washington Post pick for the best nonfiction of 2020. They write: “A Dutch historian aims to prove that human beings are, by their nature, good. Skeptics be warned, he comes with thousands of years of evidence.” Little, Brown and Company published the book on June 2, 2020.

December 5, 2020

Booklist gave 2034 by Elliot Ackerman and James Stavridis a starred review, calling the book "[c]hilling yet compulsively readable work of speculative fiction…Ackerman and Stavridis have created a brilliantly executed geopolitical tale that is impossible to put down and that serves as a dire, all-too-plausible warning that recent events could have catastrophic consequences.” Meanwhile, Evan Osnos of The New York Times writes: "The scenarios evoked in 2034 are deeply informed and brutally plausible. Ackerman and Stavridis have lent their immense skills to a thriller we can’t afford to ignore. This is a precise and literary prophecy about muddled motives, tragic escalation, and the fantasies of greatness." Penguin Press will publish the book on March 9, 2021.

December 5, 2020

Cathy Park Hong's memoir MINOR FEELINGS has been named as one of Times Critic's Best Books of 2020. They write: "Hong’s book wanders a variegated terrain of memoir, criticism and polemic, oscillating between smooth proclamations of certainty and twitches of self-doubt. Citing the poet Claudia Rankine and the theorist Sianne Ngai, Hong distinguishes minor feelings from the major emotions that propel typical narrative arcs and moments of revelation." The books also appeared on the Washington Posts' 50 Notable Works of Nonfiction in 2020. One World published the book on February 25, 2020.

December 5, 2020

Kiese Laymon spoke about his acclaimed revised, remixed essay collection HOW TO SLOWLY KILL YOURSELF AND OTHERS IN AMERICA with PEN America as part of their The PEN Ten weekly interview series. When asked about the differences in tone between the new edition and the original, Laymon said: “The tone of the first one was sort of like ascendant bombast with lots of voices because it was so linear. This revision is still filled with lots of voices, but the tone is much more whispery, scared, to tell you the truth. It’s a call and response book that ends on a call into the ether. So, it’s more of a plea than the first one to me.” Scribner published the book on November 10, 2020.

December 5, 2020

Dawnie Walton’s debut novel, THE FINAL REVIVAL OF OPAL & NEV, is already garnering praise months ahead of its release. Author Kiley Reid praises the novel as “lovely and lyrical; a warm and wonderful intersection between journalism and fiction," while Jason Reynolds calls the book “as musical and revolutionary in tone and structure as it is in content. It delves into the complexities of the creative life, specifically as it pertains to Black women and instead of shying away or egg-shelling, it does what every good book does, tells the truth.” 37 Ink will publish the book on April 20, 2021.

December 5, 2020

Robert Jones Jr.’s THE PROPHETS continues to receive incredible praise. The LA Times’ "Mariah Carey's Essential Reading" list featured the novel, while O Magazine called it one of “32 LGBTQ Books That Will Change the Literary Landscape in 2021.” Lastly, Alma featured it on their list of “Favorite Winter Books for 2021,” noting that it tells “a magnificent story,” and a “[book] that everyone will be talking about.”
G.P. Putnam’s Sons will publish the book on January 5, 2021.

November 20, 2020

The Southern Review of Books praises the revised edition of Kiese Laymon’s HOW TO SLOWLY KILL YOURSELF AND OTHERS IN AMERICA. They write: “Laymon approaches issues of race with a wide lens, encompassing both personal and social aspects, revealing that they are irreversibly intertwined — what happens socially shapes our personal lives, and vice versa. His narrative is unapologetic and fierce but never without a distinct lyricism and intentionality, even tenderness.” Additionally, NPR 1A and Shondaland both interviewed Kiese in podcast discussions about the essay collection. Scribner published the book on November 10, 2020.

November 20, 2020

Ted Chiang was bestowed the Imagination in Service to Society Award by the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation during their 2020 Unleash Imagination online event. The award was given “for his thoughtful and thought-provoking science fiction, leading us to examine in fresh ways our own beliefs.”
Knopf published the book on May 7, 2019.

November 20, 2020

Poets & Writers named A.H. Kim, author of A GOOD FAMILY, one of their “5 Over 50.” The annual list honors authors who published their debut book after turning 50. Graydon House published the book on July 14, 2020.

November 20, 2020

Gina Apostol’s novel THE REVOLUTION ACCORDING TO RAYMUNDO MATA has earned a starred review in Publishers Weekly. They write: “The narrative is studded with hilarious argumentative footnotes between an editor, a translator, and a scholar of Mata’s work, producing dueling Nabokovian narratives: Mata’s diaries and the conflicting commentaries, all suffused perfectly with Apostol’s dense, demanding style. As the story of the revolution faces off with literary histrionics, all is resolved with a gut-punch conclusion. Apostol’s unique perspective on facts versus fiction would make for a perfect Charlie Kaufman movie.” Soho Press will publish the book on January 12, 2021.