DARK NIGHTS: DEATH METAL:

DELUXE EDITION
Scott Snyder | Greg Capullo
9781779507945 | HC | 04/06/2021 | $29.99

™ & © DC

DARK NIGHTS: DEATH METAL: DARK NIGHTS: DEATH METAL: DARK NIGHTS: DEATH METAL:
THE DARKEST KNIGHT THE MULTIVERSE WHO LAUGHS WAR OF THE MULTIVERSES
Various | Various Various | Various Various | Various
9781779507921 | TR | 04/20/2021 | $19.99 9781779507938 | TR | 05/04/2021 | $19.99 9781779510068 | TR | 05/18/2021 | $19.99

Get ready for the earth-shattering encore! The legendary team behind Dark Nights: Metal, SCOTT SNYDER
and GREG CAPULLO, take center stage and reunite for one last tour in this head-banging graphic novel.
 From the New York Times bestselling creative team
KAMI GARCIA and GABRIEL PICOLO

PUBL I S H E R S W E E K L Y . C O M
D E C E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 2 0

G O T
HE S TLY
I

BE AS
A H
CR US
ER !
ON H

™ & © DC

A NEW GRAPHIC NOVEL

FOR YOUNG ADULTS
Volume 267 December 14, Rarely do books have such
a great influence on a genre
Number 51 2020 as Lest Darkness Fall.
ISSN 0000-0019
Frequently quoted as one
of the favorite books of
many of the masters of SF,
FEATURES this book helped establish
alternate history as solid
sub-genre of science fiction.

27 Virtual Reality
Covid-19 has forced the final ALA Midwinter Meeting to go online,
This edition contains stories
written in tribute to the
original including two new
but a typically strong program awaits. And we look back at our top ones by bestselling authors
10 library stories of 2020. Harry Turtledove and David
Weber
48 When IRL Is Canceled 978-1-64710-012-4
We talk with children’s book authors and illustrators about how the
2/16/21, $34.99
virtual school visit is evolving.
Hardcover
(Case Laminate)
66 Write On Reading like a “who’s who”
After penning 18 romance novels, Talia Hibbert knows exactly who
she and her characters are. of SF and fantasy, this book
contains rare interviews
with some of the best
NEWS known names in the indus-
try, including George R.R.
4 Will PRH-S&S Be Too Big? Martin, Terry Brooks and
As industry groups worry about the proposed merger, Penguin Lois McMaster Bujold.
Random House execs say their concerns are unfounded.
Some of these conversations
will make you think hard,
5 Kickstarter Bounces Back some will make you smile
After a steep drop in new projects and a round of layoffs due to the and laugh, and some may
pandemic, the crowdfunding platform is reaching out to comics even make you cry. But what
each and every interview
creators and small presses.
will do is give you a unique
insight into the genre and
8 Deals the lives of these giants of
Don Winslow sells a trilogy to William Morrow for seven figures, Dey the industry.
Street buys a memoir from Moon Unit Zappa, and more. 978-1-64710-011-7
3/9/21, $19.99
10 Looking Back at ABA and BEA Trade Paperback
We gathered photos from the PW archives spanning 1901–2010 of
Kinship War: Contact is the
the trade show most recently known as BookExpo. Reed Exhibitions first explosive book in an
announced this month that it is “retiring” the event. exciting new military SF
series by Doug Dandridge,
author of the popular ‘Em-
pires at War’ series.

“Extremely well-thought-
through, complex military
SF novel”—David Drake
(Bestselling author of Ham-
mer’s Slammers)

VISIT US ONLINE FOR ADDITIONAL NEWS,

REVIEWS, BESTSELLERS & FEATURES.

978-1-64710-009-4
publishersweekly.com
3/16/21, $16.99
Trade Paperback
twitter.com/PublishersWkly
Distributed by Ingram Publisher Services
facebook.com/pubweekly
(IPS) Preorders Available Now
www.CaezikSF.com

W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY. C O M 1
 Put Your

Finger
Contents
DEPARTMENTS & COLUMNS
20 Religion & Spirituality
Religion titles focus on finding joy, hope, and healing in the year

on the
to come.

24 Open Book

Pulse
Dawnie Walton’s provocative debut novel chronicles the rise and fall
of a biracial 1970s rock duo.

104 Soapbox by Barbara Bloom

A former bookseller and rep remembers BEA.

BESTSELLERS

of Publishing ● Adult Hardcovers 14 ● Adult Paperbacks 15

● Children’s 16 ● Category 17 ● Apple Books 18
● Smashwords 19

REVIEWS
Fiction Nonfiction
68 General Fiction 87 General Nonfiction
72 Mystery/Thriller 98 Religion/Spirituality
78 SF/Fantasy/Horror
82 Romance/Erotica Children’s/YA
84 Inspirational 100 Picture Books
85 Comics 102 Fiction

69 89
Q&A with
Q&A with Katrina M. Adams
Joan Silber

74 98
Q&A with Boxed Review
John Marrs Under a White Sky

80
Boxed Review
Machinehood
101
Reviews Roundup
Affirming picture books
everything you need to know.
PW Publishers Weekly USPS 763-080 (ISSN 0000-0019) is published weekly, except for the last week in December.
Published by PWxyz LLC, 71 West 23rd Street, Suite 1608, New York, NY 10010. George Slowik Jr., President; Cevin
Bryerman, Publisher. Circulation records are maintained at ESP, 12444 Victory Boulevard, 4th Floor, North Hollywood, CA

every day.
91606. Phone: (800) 278-2991 or +001 (818) 487-2069 from outside the U.S. Periodicals postage paid at New York, N.Y.
and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Publishers Weekly, P.O. Box 16957, North Hollywood,
CA 91615-6957. PW PUBLISHERS WEEKLY copyright 2020 by PWxyz LLC. Rates for one-year subscriptions in U.S. dollars
drawn on a U.S. bank: U.S. $289.99, Canada: $339.99, all other countries: $439.99. Except for special issues where price
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No. 42025028. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: IMS, 3390 Rand Road, South Plainfield, NJ 07080 E-mail:
[email protected]. PRINTED IN THE USA.

publishersweekly.com/pwd
 The Week in Publishing
Kwame Spearman and David Online & On-Air
Back, two entrepreneurs and
Denver natives, have bought the The Week Ahead
Amazon Publishing is considering partnering with the Digital
city’s Tattered Cover Bookstore,
Public Library of America on e-book lending. PW senior
which includes four locations, with writer Andrew Albanese weighs in.
a fifth in the planning stages. publishersweekly.com/dpla

The Frankfurt Book Fair New York, which was More to Come
This week the hosts react to programming news from Disney
responsible for selling exhibition space to North
and continuing turmoil at WarnerMedia, and bid farewell to
American publishers and arranging for literary BookExpo and BookCon.
agents to attend the fair, will close at the end of publishersweekly.com/disney-warner
the year.
Children’s Bookshelf
Every Child a Reader, the charitable arm of
Colin Dickerman, former v-p and
the Children’s Book Council, has revealed the
executive editor at Farrar, Straus and winners and honorees of its 13th annual
Giroux, has been named v-p and Children’s and Teen Choice Book Awards—the only
editorial director for nonfiction at national book awards selected exclusively by young readers.
Grand Central Publishing. publishersweekly.com/choice

LET’S GO TO
MIAMI!
Book TV takes you to the Miami Book Fair
Dr. Paul Farmer
for author discussions on doctors and their
careers, the state of America, Malcolm X’s
life and activism, and much more.

Saturday, Dec. 19 & Sunday, Dec. 20

Starting at 1 pm ET on C-SPAN2
Tamara Payne
Credit: James Kegley

P.J. O’Rourke

CREATED BY CABLE

@BookTV
booktv.org
 News
Will PRH-S&S Be Too Big?
Penguin Random House execs said concerns about the size of the deal
are unfounded

I
t seemed impossible that the The AALA statement did not
acquisition of Simon & Schuster call for a government inquiry,
by Penguin Random House the and after saying the association
day before Thanksgiving could has “great respect for both PRH
be overshadowed by a bigger indus- and S&S,” it noted that “we have
try event, but that is what happened grave concerns that the contin-
when book publishing’s long-running trade show and con- ued consolidation of the industry into fewer corporate hands
vention, most recently known as BookExpo, was canceled. may narrow the choices open to authors, harm their ability
As the buzz about the end of BookExpo has cooled down, to sell their work, and diminish the diversity of viewpoints
industry members continue to digest the news of PRH’s pend- and the vibrancy so essential to the future of books.”
ing purchase of S&S, the nation’s largest and third-largest A number of industry members wrote articles for various
trade book publishers, respectively. publications that have expressed similar concerns. But in an
When the acquisition was announced, the Authors Guild, industry where accurate data can be difficult to come by, the
the American Booksellers Association, and the Association different parties have used different examples to illustrate
of American Literary Agents (formerly the AAR) all issued the market power of the PRH-S&S combination. Some pointed
statements that were critical of the deal. While each organi- to the publishers’ command of the bestseller list. And the
zation had a particular take, all shared one thing in common: guild acknowledged that a market share statistic it had used
they were concerned about the increasing consolidation in its statement was incorrect.
within trade publishing. When the announcement of the deal was made, PRH world-
The Authors Guild, which called the 2012 Random House– wide CEO Markus Dohle put PRH’s market share at 14.2%
Penguin merger “unsettling,” took a tougher stance in PRH’s and S&S’s at 4.2%. PRH executives stood by those statistics
S&S purchase, saying that, for authors, the reduction of the when pressed by PW, explaining that the figures are based
Big Five to Big Four would leave “fewer competing bidders on industry sources and the AAP and include print books,
for their manuscripts, which would inevitably drive down e-books, and audiobooks from traditional publishers and
advances offered.” In addition, “less competition would make self-published authors. Executives also said the publishing
it even more difficult for agents and authors to negotiate industry remains highly fragmented and that, in fact, PRH
for better deals, or for the Authors Guild to help secure changes has been losing market share to smaller and midsize compa-
to standard publishing contracts.” nies. “The market is vibrant and ripe with opportunity for new
In the ABA’s November 25 BTW newsletter, CEO Allison entrants,” the executives said. They also stated that advances
Hill noted that on November 17 she had written to the have gone up since the Penguin–Random House merger.
Federal Trade Commission to express ABA’s concern about While some industry organizations are calling on the gov-
the antitrust implications of a potential acquisition of S&S ernment to stop or at least condition the deal, antitrust
by Ingram, Amazon, or any of the Big Five publishers. When experts PW spoke with say it is not a sure thing that U.S.
PRH made the winning offer, the ABA called the news “alarm- regulators will do so. “There is definitely a chance this gets
ing,” noting that PRH’s purchase of another Big Five publisher stopped or conditioned by regulators,” said Cleveland-
will mean too much power over authors and readers in the Marshall College of Law professor Chris Sagers, author of
hands of a single corporation. Both the guild and the ABA the 2019 book United States v. Apple: Competition in
called for the government to review the acquisition and, in America. He added that chances of “an outright suit to block
the words of Hill, “challenge this deal” and “ensure that no the deal or any other really serious challenge” are maybe
further consolidation of power be allowed in the U.S. book 50/50 at best.
publishing industry.” “As a practical matter, regulatory agencies during the

4 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY ■ D E C E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 2 0
 News

past few decades have rarely brought serious challenges to In interviews following the purchase announcement, Dohle
deals less concentrating than four to three,” Sagers said. pointed to the merger of Penguin and Random House as the
“That is, so long as a deal leaves at least four major firms in a model it will follow in adding S&S—namely that S&S will
market, the agencies are unlikely to sue and at most will ask maintain is editorial independence and that S&S editors
for concessions as a condition to approving a deal.” will be able to bid competitively on projects against PRH
But size does matter, Sagers noted. And even though this editors. In addition, current S&S CEO Jonathan Karp and
deal would leave four major publishers at the top of the mar- Dennis Ealau, COO, will make the move to PRH.
ket, because PRH was already the #1 trade publisher prior Even in the teeth of the e-book threat 10 years ago (which
to its acquisition of S&S, the metrics used to calculate market had helped spur the Penguin–Random House merger), Dohle
concentration for the deal could draw some scrutiny. was convinced print books would remain fundamental to
“The thinking is that there is more to fear from a market the book business, and he has backed that up with heavy
in which one or a few very large firms face only small com- investments in infrastructure. Since the Penguin–Random
petitors, because not one of the smaller firms can hurt the House merger, PRH said it has invested $100 million “to
big firm that much by charging lower prices,” Sagers explained. directly serve and provide financial benefits to booksellers
By contrast, in a market where all the major firms are closer through extensive sales support, faster delivery, lower inven-
in size, like during the Big Six era, “it is harder for one firm to tory, and reduced return rates.”
make the others do anything,” and “if the firms try to form a As a result of these investments, there is little disagree-
cartel, it will be a lot easier for one of them to just cut prices ment that PRH has the most efficient distribution and back-
and steal the business.” office systems in the business, and executives said they will
PRH firmly believes its purchase of S&S is in the long-term apply that capability to S&S titles. But even as they bring
best interests of book publishing. PRH’s parent company S&S into the PRH fold, executives maintained they will con-
Bertelsmann has long had an interest in the book business tinue to employ a decentralized structure that will enable
and has spent billions growing its presence in the U.S. The the combined company “to publish a diversity of voices,
$2.2 billion Bertelsmann is paying for S&S is the German stories, and ideas.”
company’s biggest bet yet on the U.S. book market. The Random House–Penguin merger agreement was signed
PRH execs argue that once ViacomCBS put S&S up for sale Oct. 29, 2012, and the deal was officially completed July 1,
in the spring, the odds were good that the trade publishing 2013. If the PRH-S&S approval process follows this path,
industry was in for another round of consolidation, and that come late summer the industry may very well watch as the
PRH is the best positioned to implement a smooth transition. PRH-S&S integration begins. —Jim Milliot

Kickstarter Bounces Back

© TOMASZ WERNER

© LAUREN RENNER

D
espite the pandemic, and But much like every business,
the round of layoffs and buy- Kickstarter was hammered by the
outs it heralded, Kickstarter pandemic and subsequent nation-
continues to be an important source wide lockdowns, with new campaigns
of funding for independent comics declining by as much as 40%. The
creators, self-published prose resulting drop of revenue forced it to
authors, and small publishers. Since Margot Oriana
announce a round of 25 layoffs in
the crowdfunding platform launched Atwell Leckert May, in addition to 30 employee
back in 2009, the comics category buyouts negotiated between man-
has raised more than $127 million, according to the com- agement and Kickstarter United, the union representing
pany. So far in 2020, the comics category has a 73% success Kickstarter employees that launched in February 2020.
rate and has raised more than $23 million (across more than “Kickstarter needed to be a smaller company,” said
1,323 projects). The previous best year for comics was Margot Atwell, director of outreach and international, in
2019, when it generated $16.9 million in donations across reference to the layoffs and buyouts. After the pandemic
1,598 projects. struck, “the number of projects launched on Kickstarter

W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY. C O M 5
 News

dropped substantially and became a problem for Kickstarter Leckert pointed to a number of small publishers that have
and for creators,” she added. The drop impacted the plat- launched projects as a result of these initiatives, such as
form’s revenue: it draws a 5% fee from each successful children’s press Enchanted Lion ($40,000 to support its
campaign. 2021 list of story and picture books), PM Press ($75,000
Atwell said Kickstarter currently has about 100 employees to support the publication of Mañana: Latinx Comics from
and is beginning to recover. The company announced the the 25th Century, an anthology of the works of 50 Latinx
promotion of Oriana Leckert to the position of director of comics creators), and Radix Media ($27,600 raised to sup-
publishing and comics outreach, succeeding Camilla Zhang, port a graphic narrative project). She also emphasized that
former comics outreach lead, who was among the staff laid Kickstarter can still generate eye-popping levels of financial
off in May. support, citing as a recent example the $270,000 raised by
Kickstarter also launched two programs aimed at small novelist and digital activist Cory Doctorow in October for a
publishers and individual artists that it hopes will encourage DRM-free audiobook version of his new novel, Attack Surface.
new projects. As it starts to increase the number of campaigns, “For projects that do launch, the success rate is higher
Leckert said management is looking for projects that fit the than ever,” Leckert said. “Backers have demonstrated that
times. “Everyone is stressed over illness and finances,” she they really care about lending their financial support to
said. “We asked ourselves, How do we help people? We’re creative ideas, and they are showing up in a big way for
trying to adapt to what people need.” creators whose work they love.”
New initiatives include Lights On, an effort to encourage Indeed, despite a dramatic decline in the number of 2020
cultural spaces and indie businesses such as music venues, Kickstarter campaigns due to the pandemic, the platform
theaters, restaurants, bookstores, and art galleries to use has proven that it can continue to be an important source of
Kickstarter to keep their spaces functioning during the funds for creatives. Since 2009, it has delivered more than
pandemic, and Inside Voices, a direct appeal to creators $200 million in successful pledges in the publishing category,
stuck at home to organize Kickstarter campaigns to fund and it has generated more than $346 million in successful
projects. pledges in the publishing, comics, and journalism categories
combined. —Calvin Reid

Call for Call for

Information Information
Feature: Home & Garden Books
Feature: Women & Girls Empowerment Issue: Feb. 22 Deadline: Dec. 21
Issue: Feb. 1 Deadline: Dec. 28 This feature will look at trends in the home and garden category.
Needed: Information on titles focused on women and girls empower- Are houseplants still hot? Have people maxed out on minimalism?
ment, feminism, and intersectionality. Pub date: Feb.–June 2021. Please Comments on background are welcome. Pub. dates: Mar.–Aug. 2021.
email full-text info (no links) on adult and children’s titles, both for fiction New titles only, please; no reprints. Please email pitches and links to art-
and nonfiction, and put “Call for Info: Adult Women and Empowerment” or work to [email protected] and [email protected] by
“Younger Readers” in the subject line. New titles only, please; no reprints. no later than Dec. 21 and put “Call for Info: Home & Garden” in the
PDFs only. Email submissions to [email protected]. subject line.

6 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY ■ D E C E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 2 0
 DEALS
By Rachel Deahl
■ Viking Wins Book on ‘Black Space’
DEAL OF THE WEEK
Elda Rotor at Viking Books bought
■ Winslow Sells Trilogy for Seven Figs world rights, at auction, to Seizing
Don Winslow signed a seven-figure deal with Liate Stehlik Black Space by Michelle D. Com-
at William Morrow for a new crime trilogy. The world rights mander, in a deal brokered by
agreement, excluding the U.K., was Deirdre Mullane at Mullane Literary
brokered by Shane Salerno at the Associates. Viking said the book,
Story Factory. The first book in the subtitled A New History of Race and
series, City on Fire, is set for fall 2021. Mobility in America, “chronicles
Jennifer Brehl will edit the novels. A African American struggles to make
© ROBERT GALLAGHER

TV adaptation of Winslow’s Cartel Commander claims on the American landscape—

trilogy is currently in preproduction at from vibrant slave communities and early free urban
FX after 20th Century Fox bought enclaves to thriving Black Wall Streets and the ghost towns
Winslow rights for $6 million, Salerno said. of communities razed by fear and violence—across four
centuries of displacement and renewal.” Commander is the
■ Dey Street Lands Moon associate director and curator of the Schomburg Center’s
Moon Unit Zappa sold her currently Lapidus Center for the Historical Analysis of Transatlantic
untitled memoir to Carrie Thornton Slavery in New York City.
at Dey Street, which preempted U.S.,
Canadian, and open market rights. ■ Woodward, Costa Tackle Trump Transition
Peter McGuigan at Ultra Literary bro- Washington Post
kered the deal. The memoir, according staffers Bob Wood-
© CATHRYN FARNSWORTH

to the Harper imprint, focuses on the ward and Robert

author’s childhood in the 1970s and Costa sold a book to
’80s. Zappa, the daughter of musician Jonathan Karp at
Zappa Frank Zappa, describes growing up in Simon & Schuster
an unconventional household, creating a “finely wrought about the transition Woodward Costa
memoir of Los Angeles, family, and coming-of-age.” from the Trump administration to the Biden administration.
Robert Barnett, a lawyer at Williams & Connolly, handled
■ Natera Takes ‘Neruda’ to Ballantine the world rights deal for both authors. Karp will edit the
Chelcee Johns, in her first acquisition currently untitled book, which, S&S said, will focus on “the
as an editor at Ballantine, took North last days of the Trump presidency and the first phases of the
American rights at auction to the Biden presidency.” No publication date has been set.
debut novel Neruda on the Park.
Author Cleyvis Natera, a PEN ■ Ballantine Sets Scene with Burrows
America Writing for Justice fellow, was Emmy-winning director James Burrows sold North Amer-
represented by PJ Mark at Janklow ican rights to a currently untitled book about his long career
& Nesbit. The novel, Ballantine said, in television to Ballantine’s Pamela
is “a fierce exploration on race, class, Cannon. Burrows has worked on a
Natera community, and the meaning of home, host of iconic sitcoms (including Taxi
as a Dominican family in New York City who, faced with and Will & Grace) and cocreated
encroaching gentrification in their neighborhood, take Cheers. Mel Berger at William Morris
radically different paths.” It was pitched as being “in the vein Endeavor brokered the deal. The pub-
of Kiley Reid’s Such a Fun Age and Sandra Cisneros’s The lisher said the book will “look at the
House on Mango Street” and is slated for spring/summer art of directing shows—from the initial
2022. Natera, a Dominican immigrant who grew up in New pilot to the 100th episode—and offer
York City, has been published in the Kenyon Review, the Burrows insight into the many stars who rose
Washington Post, and elsewhere. to meteoric fame in the process.”

8 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY ■ D E C E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 2 0
 By QUENTIN BRENT
Gripping and eerily accurate, award winning author Quentin Brent’s
LQWHUQDWLRQDOWKULOOHU7KH5HDVRQGHOYHVLQWRWKHZRUOGRIKLJKÀQDQFH
impending economic disaster and aggressive MMA. This relevant read
touches on the Federal Reserve’s program of Quantitative
Easing currently used to allow the government
to “buy” businesses during the
Covid-19 economic crisis.
THE REASON WAS HONORED AS A FINALIST IN THE
NEXT GENERATION INDIE BOOK AWARDS’ FIRST NOVEL “ The story takes its too-big-to-fail premise to intriguing conclusion posing the
CATEGORY FOR 2016 questions of how many lives America’s financial security is worth.
– Kirkus Reviews “
ABOUT THE BOOK
“ Quentin Brent doesn’t waste any time. In this taut, exciting financial thriller,
Illicit profits were part of Zane Donovan’s work at a financial firm. Suddenly he grabs you from the first page and doesn’t let go till the last.
the stakes change when his family is violently abducted. Following a trail that
– Charles Salzberg, author of
was never meant to be uncovered, he realizes that the Great Recession of 2008
granted the government control that America’s founding fathers never meant Swann’s Lake of Despair and Devil in the Hole. “
for it to have. By printing money with Quantitative Easing, the Federal Reserve
is doing something no criminal has ever accomplished--and the catastrophic “ Quentin Brent’s The Reason is an absolutely masterful, explosive debut thriller. Brent
economic implications are worth killing over. has a rare style which is at one minimalist and yet vibrantly elegant, all the while cleverly
hinting at the mayhem just around the corner.
– Robert Blake Whitehill, author of
the Ben Blackshaw series. “
CONTACT
SHANNON PETERSON facebook.com/quentinbrentbooks
[email protected]
www.quentinbrent.com @QuentinBrentBooks ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Quentin Brent graduated from the
University of Minnesota in 1983 with
KEY INFORMATION a degree in economics. He has had
fifteen years in the banking industry,
FIC031010 Fiction/Thrillers/Crime Publisher: Beaver Pond Press with the last five as his bank’s
FIC031010 Fiction/Thrillers/Political (952) 829-8818 president. He is currently CFO of a
FIC031010 Fiction/Thrillers/Suspense $600 million company.
Who the Book is for:
$24.99 Hardcover Thriller Readers, Mystery Lovers, Quentin has trained and fought in
Isbn 13: 978-1-59298-871-6 Financially Curious, MMA Fighters various disciplines of martial arts for
several years, including bare knuckle fighting, Muay Thai, and non-sanctioned
$9.99 Ebook tournaments and fights. The fight scenes in The Reason are based upon fights
Isbn 13: 978-1-59298-838-9 he experienced. He can be reached at [email protected].

ORDER
Itascabooks.com or Call 800-901-3480
Available from Ingram, Baker & Taylor, Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble
W W W . Q U E N T I N B R E N T. C O M
 News

Following the Course of the

ABA Convention
W
ith BookExpo now a thing of the past, get a feel for how the show evolved over the
following the decision of show orga- years. The first convention took place in 1901,
nizer Reed Exhibitions to “retire” the a year after the American Book Association was
event, we dug into the PW archive—which formed, and featured 748 dues-paying mem-
stretches back to 1872 and encompasses some bers. The convention did not add a regular trade
7,650 issues and more than 661,000 pages—to show until the mid-1940s.

June
1901
New York City
The American Booksellers’
Association’s first convention was
held in the Earlington Hotel. ABA
president Henry T. Coates of Henry T.
Coates & Co. of Philadelphia presided
over the meeting. Annual member-
ship dues of $2 was one topic of
debate.

June
1950
New York City
The ABA marked the 50th anniversary
of the convention at New York’s Astor
Hotel. More than 650 booksellers and
publishers registered for the event.

10 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y ■ D E C E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 2 0
 News

June
1960
Chicago
By the time the convention
landed in Chicago in 1960,
its exhibits, and attendance,
had grown.
Gourmet cook James Beard at
the Golden Press booth grilling J.G., the Upright Ape, the hero of a
sausages from a recipe from Lyle Stuart book, handing out a flyer
James Beard’s Treasury of to Lillian F. Couchman of Ed.
Outdoor Cooking. Tasters Schuster & Co., Milwaukee, Wis.
shown here are Elizabeth
Steinheimer (l.), Steinheimer’s
Books, Tuscon, Ariz., and Mr.

June
and Mrs. John Bro, Children’s
Book House, Royal Oak, Mich.

Putnam piled up fresh stacks of its leading fall novels and booksellers kept
carrying them away in Putnam shopping bags. Chatting at the booth (l. to r.):
Ray Boyce, Putnam; Robert A. Werner, Gateway Newsstands, Knoxville, Ky.;
Washington, D.C 1970
Authors, artists, and the media mixed with publishers
Sylvia G. Seligman, G. Fox & Co., Hartford, Ct. at the Shoreham Hotel.

June 1980
Chicago
Attendance was put at nearly 16,500 at the
1980 event, which PW called “subdued.” One
source of dissatisfaction—”too few booksellers.”

ABA executive
director Royce
Norman Rockwell was a surprise luncheon guest at the Abrams table.
Smith talks with
a convention
attendee.

Top-selling NAL
authors Stephen
King and Erica Jong
at a party for Jong’s Speakers at an authors’ luncheon
novel Fanny. At a reception before the luncheon were (l. were (l. to r.) James Dickey, promoting
to r.) Stanton Peckham, book critic of the Deliverance; Santha Rama Rau, who
Denver Post; Lem Wells, publicity director wrote The Adventuress; and James W.
of Crowell Collier Macmillan; Pamela Herr, Gardner, author of The Recovery of
also of CCM; and Madeline Kraner. arts Confidence.
editor of PW.

W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY. C O M 11
 News

June 1990 June

2000
Las Vegas
More than 24,000 turned out for the first-ever convention in Las Vegas. PW
called the show “surprisingly calm” in a setting “that was much better than
anticipated.” The big draw? Donald Trump, whose breakfast appearance drew
some 3,200 people. PW said the future president’s “attempts to save his finan- Chicago
cial empire garnered headlines throughout the show.” Nearly 30,000 people were in the Windy
City “in surprisingly good cheer among
members of an industry that many agree
will soon change dramatically and in
unpredictable way,” PW said.

At the African-American Book Display (l. to r.):

Roy Spahr, Forest House; Fern Jaffe, Paperbacks
Plus and exhibit organizer; and Clara Villarose,
Hue-Man Experience.
Kirsty Melville and Phil Woods of Ten Speed Press
with Jimmy Bannos (r.), restaurateur and author of
Heaven on Seven.

May 2010
The Zebra Books booth hoped to help launch
its Young Astronauts series to skyrocketing
sales with its display.

New York City

BEA’s first midweek show, confined to two
days, was not a big hit among out-of-
towners; the show returned to four days
(including three days of exhibits) in 2011.

John Sargent, LMP’s 2000

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of To Kill a
Publisher of the Year.
Mockingbird, HarperCollins had a large booth
dedicated to the American classic.

City Lights head book buyer Paul Yamazaki holds

the plaque honoring the San Francisco
institution as PW’s Bookstore of the Year.

ABA v-p/secretary Becky Anderson and president Compiled by Jim Milliot, with research
Tom Wilson, creator of the Ziggy
Michael Tucker presided over the annual town hall assistance from Nathalie Mairena comic strip.
meeting.

12 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y ■ D E C E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 2 0
Behind the Bestsellers NOV. 29–DEC. 5, 2020
BY CAROLYN JURIS

With 2015’s An Ember in the Ashes, Sabaa Tahir launched a YA The MeatEater Guide to Wilderness Skills and Survival
fantasy tetralogy whose first three novels have sold more than by Steven Rinella debuts at the top of our trade paperback
405K print copies. The series concludes with A Sky Beyond list. Rinella, an outdoorsman and conservationist, stars in the
the Storm, #9 in children’s frontlist fiction, which, like the nonfiction Netflix series MeatEater, which he launched on the
other installments, addresses weighty subjects, such as the way a Sportsman Channel in 2012. In his new book, he acknowl-
benign regime can turn authoritarian, seemingly overnight. In a edges the dangers inherent in the pastimes he encourages,
prepub interview with PW, the author explained that while explaining that “when you are educated and prepared for risk,
her books do not shy away from depicting the horrors of war, coping with it is easy. At times it can even be enjoyable.” Sales
hope “is a driving force” out of the gate suggest that readers are eager to learn more.
of the series, especially in
its final installment. “I
heard a lot from readers
about how in the past four
years, and particularly
since the pandemic began,
Clockwise from top l.: they struggled to find
Onyebuchi, Tahir, Mason. hope,” Tahir said. “So I

tried to explore that theme in the book.” Her

virtual tour included a December 7 conversation
with author Tochi Onyebuchi (Riot Baby),
hosted by Politics & Prose and moderated by
Everdeen Mason of the Washington Post.

N E W & N O TA B L E
CAT KID COMIC CLUB
Dav Pilkey
#1 Children’s Fiction, #3 overall December’s book club picks include a pair of first novels
The Dog Man creator puts the on our trade paperback list.
canine cop’s sidekick center stage A #9, The Chicken Sisters by KJ Dell’Antonia, former
in a new illustrated series that New York Times Motherlode editor, is the latest Reese’s
celebrates “coming into one’s own
Book Club selection. The story centers on a pair of sisters
as an artist,” our starred review
and a longstanding rivalry between two chicken shacks in their Kansas hometown.
said, “with all its frustrations and joys.”
Good Morning America Book Club chose #14, This Time Next Year by Sophie
LET US DREAM
Cousens, in which two people born in the same hospital on the same New Year’s Day
Pope Francis continue to cross paths into adulthood. “The romance is slow to sizzle,” our review
#17 Hardcover Nonfiction said, “but Cousens’s debut is ripe with both emotional vulnerability and zaniness.”
“Any Catholic will want to check
out this powerful, easily digestible
work,” our starred review said. The
TOP 10 OVERALL
RANK TITLE AUTHOR IMPRINT UNITS
pontiff “offers pastoral encourage-
ment in this clarion call to create 1 A Promised Land Barack Obama Crown 357,173
a more just and sustainable world.” 2 The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse Charlie Mackesy HarperOne 137,810
3 Cat Kid Comic Club Dav Pilkey Graphix 125,935
THE COUSINS 4 The Deep End (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #15) Jeff Kinney Amulet 86,944
Karen M. McManus 5 Grime and Punishment (Dog Man #9) Dav Pilkey Graphix 66,952
#17 Children’s Fiction 6 How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Dr. Seuss Random House 51,192
McManus, best known for her YA 7 Greenlights Matthew McConaughey Crown 49,750
suspense novel One of Us Is Lying,
8 Ready Player Two Ernest Cline Ballantine 49,354
“once again crafts a taut, multilay-
9 Elf on the Shelf (blue-eyed boy) Carol V. Aebersold et al. CCA&B 48,128
ered mystery,” our review said,
10 The Ickabog J.K. Rowling Scholastic 43,865
“this time focusing on the fallout of
family estrangement on the next generation.” INFORMATION SUPPLIED BY NPD BOOKSCAN. COPYRIGHT © 2020 THE NPD GROUP. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

ALL PRINT UNIT SALES PER NPD BOOKSCAN EXCEPT WHERE NOTED W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY. C O M 13
 Information supplied by NPD

Adult Bestsellers | NOV. 29–DEC. 5, 2020 BookScan. Copyright © 2020

The NPD Group. All rights reserved.

Hardcover Frontlist Fiction

RANK LW TITLE AUTHOR IMPRINT ISBN UNITS

1 1 Ready Player Two Ernest Cline Ballantine 9781524761332 49,354

2 2 Deadly Cross James Patterson Little, Brown 9780316420259 39,492
3 6 A Time for Mercy John Grisham Doubleday 9780385545969 36,914
4 4 The Return Nicholas Sparks Grand Central 9781538728574 34,571
5 5 Daylight David Baldacci Grand Central 9781538761694 28,353
6 3 The Awakening Nora Roberts St. Martin’s 9781250272614 21,766
7 7 The Law of Innocence Michael Connelly Little, Brown 9780316485623 21,188
8 9 The Sentinel Child/Child Delacorte 9781984818461 19,624
9 11 The Vanishing Half Brit Bennett Riverhead 9780525536291 19,284
10 10 Fortune and Glory Janet Evanovich Atria 9781982154837 17,687
11 8 Rhythm of War Brandon Sanderson Tor 9780765326386 15,085
12 13 Tom Clancy: Shadow of the Dragon Marc Cameron Putnam 9780593188095 14,159
13 14 Anxious People Fredrik Backman Atria 9781501160837 13,251
14 12 All That Glitters Danielle Steel Delacorte 9780399179686 13,072
15 18 The Evening and the Morning Ken Follett Viking 9780525954989 11,283
16 16 The Book of Two Ways Jodi Picoult Ballantine 9781984818355 10,899
17 15 The Invisible Life of Addie Larue V.E. Schwab Tor 9780765387561 10,380
18 24 The Searcher Tana French Viking 9780735224650 9,829
19 19 Three Women Disappear Patterson/Serafin Little, Brown 9780316541619 9,354
20 17 Piece of My Heart Clark/Burke Simon & Schuster 9781982132545 9,294

Hardcover Frontlist Nonfiction

RANK LW TITLE AUTHOR IMPRINT ISBN UNITS

1 1 A Promised Land Barack Obama Crown 9781524763169 357,173

2 2 Greenlights Matthew McConaughey Crown 9780593139134 49,750
3 5 Modern Comfort Food Ina Garten Clarkson Potter 9780804187060 40,789
4 4 The Happy in a Hurry Cookbook Doocy/Doocy Morrow 9780062968395 38,883
5 3 Modern Warriors Pete Hegseth Broadside 9780063046542 32,450
6 11 Guinness World Records 2021 – Guinness World Records 9781913484002 30,840
7 16 Is This Anything? Jerry Seinfeld Simon & Schuster 9781982112691 24,542
8 15 Untamed Glennon Doyle Dial 9781984801258 24,070
9 6 Dolly Parton, Songteller Dolly Parton Chronicle 9781797205090 23,252
10 14 Caste Isabel Wilkerson Random House 9780593230251 23,218
11 18 Killing Crazy Horse O’Reilly/Dugard Holt 9781627797047 22,857
12 17 Magnolia Table, Vol. 2 Joanna Gaines Morrow 9780062820181 20,450
13 13 Saving Freedom Joe Scarborough Harper 9780062950499 19,495
14 10 Forgiving What You Can’t Forget Lysa TerKeurst Nelson 9780718039875 18,373
15 – It’s Never Too Late Kathie Lee Gifford W 9780785236641 18,306
16 9 No Time Like the Future Michael J. Fox Flatiron 9781250265616 18,022
17 – Let Us Dream Pope Francis Simon & Schuster 9781982171865 14,335
18 12 Humans Brandon Stanton St. Martin’s 9781250114297 14,248
19 31 Clanlands Heughan/McTavish Quercus 9781529342000 13,841
20 27 The Splendid and the Vile Erik Larson Crown 9780385348713 13,707
LW: rank last week

14 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y ■ D E C E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 2 0
 Information supplied by NPD

Adult Bestsellers | NOV. 29–DEC. 5, 2020 BookScan. Copyright © 2020

The NPD Group. All rights reserved.

Mass Market Frontlist

RANK LW TITLE AUTHOR IMPRINT ISBN UNITS

1 – Moral Compass Danielle Steel Dell 9780399179556 8,323

2 – A Warm Heart in Winter J.R. Ward Pocket 9781982159702 7,632
3 – Texas Kill of the Mountain Man William W. Johnstone Pinnacle 9780786040612 6,421
4 2 The River Murders Patterson/Born Grand Central 9781538750001 6,103
5 3 Wyoming True Diana Palmer HQN 9781335080622 5,480
6 5 A Christmas Message Debbie Macomber Mira 9780778388227 5,221
7 – Unsolved Patterson/Ellis Grand Central 9781538731642 4,299
8 10 Spirit of the Season Fern Michaels Zebra 9781420148855 4,123
9 4 Leopard’s Rage Christine Feehan Berkley 9780593099841 4,037
10 8 A MacGregor Christmas Nora Roberts Silhouette 9781335147523 4,033
11 7 Spy Danielle Steel Dell 9780399179464 4,005
12 6 When You See Me Lisa Gardner Dutton 9781524745028 3,971
13 9 The Night Fire Michael Connelly Grand Central 9781538701454 3,935
14 – The Shotgun Wedding William W. Johnstone Pinnacle 9780786044122 3,795
15 – A Precious Christmas Gift Patricia Johns Love Inspired 9781335488541 3,363
16 – An Amish Holiday Courtship Emma Miller Love Inspired 9781335488534 3,323
17 17 A Mrs. Miracle Christmas Debbie Macomber Ballantine 9780399181412 3,229
18 – Premeditated Mortar Kate Carlisle Berkley 9781984804419 3,109
19 – Mountain of Evidence Cindi Myers Harlequin Intrigue 9781335136909 3,094
20 – Texas Law Barb Han Harlequin Intrigue 9781335136886 3,055

Trade Paperback Frontlist

RANK LW TITLE AUTHOR IMPRINT ISBN UNITS

1 – The MeatEater Guide to Wilderness Skills and Survival Steven Rinella Random House 9780593129692 32,682
2 1 Home Body Rupi Kaur Andrews McMeel 9781449486808 24,900
3 3 Interesting Stories for Curious People Bill O’Neill LAK 9781648450440 13,650
4 2 The Step-by-Step Instant Pot Cookbook Jeffrey Eisner Voracious 9780316460835 11,000
5 6 Air Fryer Cookbook Jenson William Jenson William 9781674844466 9,438
6 12 Hillbilly Elegy (movie tie-in) J.D. Vance Harper 9780063045989 8,508
7 – The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2021 Sarah Janssen World Almanac 9781510761391 8,184
8 5 Texas Outlaw Patterson/Bourelle Grand Central 9781538718711 7,245
9 – The Chicken Sisters KJ Dell’Antonia Putnam 9780593085141 7,162
10 13 The Diplomat’s Wife Pam Jenoff Park Row 9780778389378 6,968
11 9 Circe Madeline Miller Back Bay 9780316556323 6,546
12 10 The Truths We Hold Kamala Harris Penguin 9780525560739 6,281
13 8 The 19th Christmas Patterson/Paetro Grand Central 9781538715949 6,155
14 – This Time Next Year Sophie Cousens Putnam 9780593191200 5,454
15 7 Burn After Writing (pink) Sharon Jones TarcherPerigee 9780593329917 5,391
16 38 The Old Farmer’s Almanac 2021 – Old Farmer’s Almanac 9781571988522 5,380
17 – Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Vol. 19 Koyoharu Gotouge Viz 9781974718115 5,276
18 11 The Institute Stephen King Gallery 9781982110581 5,064
19 – Corona, False Alarm? Reiss/Bhakdi Chelsea Green 9781645020578 5,058
20 – Butterfly 3 Ashley Antoinette Griffin 9781250136404 5,012
LW: rank last week

W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY. C O M 15
 Information supplied by NPD

Children’s Bestsellers | NOV. 29–DEC. 5, 2020 BookScan. Copyright © 2020

The NPD Group. All rights reserved.

Children’s Frontlist Fiction

RANK TITLE AUTHOR IMPRINT ISBN UNITS

1 Cat Kid Comic Club Dav Pilkey Graphix 9781338712766 125,935

2 The Deep End (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #15) Jeff Kinney Amulet 9781419748684 86,944
3 Grime and Punishment (Dog Man #9) Dav Pilkey Graphix 9781338535624 66,952
4 The Ickabog J.K. Rowling Scholastic 9781338732870 43,865
5 Midnight Sun Stephenie Meyer Little, Brown 9780316707046 31,334
6 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Rowling/Minalima Scholastic 9781338596700 14,174
7 Fetch-22 (Dog Man #8) Dav Pilkey Graphix 9781338323214 13,403
8 Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Adventure Jeff Kinney Amulet 9781419749094 13,251
9 A Sky Beyond the Storm (An Ember in the Ashes #4) Sabaa Tahir Razorbill 9780448494531 12,403
10 Logan Likes Mary Anne! Martin/Galligan Graphix 9781338304541 12,197
(Baby-Sitters Club Graphic Novel #8)
11 The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Suzanne Collins Scholastic Press 9781338635171 11,122
12 The Tower of Nero (The Trials of Apollo #5) Rick Riordan Disney-Hyperion 9781484746455 9,907
13 The Last Kids on Earth and the Skeleton Road Max Brallier Viking 9781984835345 8,693
14 The One and Only Bob Katherine Applegate HarperCollins 9780062991317 8,517
15 The Goblin Princess (Unicorn Diaries #4) Rebecca Elliott Scholastic 9781338323450 8,353
16 The Bad Guys in the One?! (The Bad Guys #12) Aaron Blabey Scholastic 9781338329506 8,272
17 The Cousins Karen M. McManus Delacorte 9780525708001 7,846
18 Unlocked (Keeper of the Lost Cities) Shannon Messenger Aladdin 9781534463424 5,506
19 Five Total Strangers Natalie D. Richards Sourcebooks 9781492657217 5,348
20 How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories Holly Black Little, Brown 9780316540889 5,333
21 A Tale of Witchcraft... (A Tale of Magic... #2) Chris Colfer Little, Brown 9780316523561 4,480
22 Battle of the Bodkins (Max and the Midknights #2) Lincoln Peirce Crown 9780593125908 4,440
23 Karen’s Roller Skates Martin/Farina Graphix 9781338356144 4,339
(Baby-Sitters Little Sister Graphic Novel #2)
24 Into the Pit (Five Nights at Freddy’s: Fazbear Frights #1) Scott Cawthon Scholastic 9781338576016 4,268
25 The Bad Guys in Dawn of the Underlord (The Bad Guys #11) Aaron Blabey Scholastic 9781338329483 4,198

Children’s Picture Books

RANK TITLE AUTHOR IMPRINT ISBN UNITS

1 How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Dr. Seuss Random House 9780394800790 51,192
2 The Elf on the Shelf (blue-eyed boy) Carol V. Aebersold et al. CCA&B 9780976990703 48,128
3 The Elf on the Shelf (blue-eyed girl) Carol V. Aebersold et al. CCA&B 9780984365173 41,617
4 The Polar Express Chris Van Allsburg HMH 9780544580145 34,598
5 Little Blue Truck’s Christmas Schertle/McElmurry HMH 9780544320413 33,181
6 If Animals Kissed Good Night Paul/Walker FSG 9780374300210 29,134
7 5 More Sleeps ’til Christmas Fallon/Deas Feiwel and Friends 9781250266477 24,050
8 How to Catch a Unicorn Wallace/Elkerton Sourcebooks 9781492669739 21,160
9 The Wonky Donkey Smith/Cowley Scholastic 9780545261241 20,081
10 I Love You to the Moon and Back Hepworth/Warnes Tiger Tales 9781589255517 19,867
11 The Very Hungry Caterpillar Eric Carle Philomel 9780399226908 17,521
12 The Crayons’ Christmas Daywalt/Jeffers Penguin Workshop 9780525515746 17,322
13 Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Martin/Carle Holt 9780805047905 17,209
14 The World Needs Who You Were Made to Be Gaines/Swaney Tommy Nelson 9781400314232 16,869
15 The Night Before Christmas Moore/Birmingham Running Press 9780762424160 16,689
16 Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Martin/Archambault/Ehlert Little Simon 9781442450707 15,920
17 How to Catch a Mermaid Wallace/Elkerton Sourcebooks 9781492662471 15,105
18 The Office: A Day at Dunder Mifflin Elementary Pearlman/Demmer Little, Brown 9780316428385 14,603
19 Construction Site on Christmas Night Rinker/Ford Chronicle 9781452139111 14,022
20 Pete the Cat’s 12 Groovy Days of Christmas James Dean HarperCollins 9780062675279 13,786
21 What Should Danny Do? Levy/Levy Elon 9780692848388 13,387
22 There’s No Place Like Space Rabe/Ruiz Random House 9780679891154 12,673
23 The Going to Bed Book Sandra Boynton Little Simon 9780671449025 12,623
24 The Elf on the Shelf (brown-eyed boy) Carol V. Aebersold et al. CCA&B 9780976990796 12,462
25 Where the Wild Things Are Maurice Sendak HarperCollins 9780064431781 11,705

16 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y ■ D E C E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 2 0
 Information supplied by NPD

Category Bestsellers | NOV. 1–DEC. 5, 2020 BookScan. Copyright © 2020

The NPD Group. All rights reserved.

Mystery
RANK TITLE AUTHOR IMPRINT ISBN FORMAT

1 The Law of Innocence Michael Connelly Little, Brown 9780316485623 Hardcover

2 The 19th Christmas Patterson/Paetro Grand Central 9781538715949 Trade Paperback
3 Moonflower Murders Anthony Horowitz Harper 9780062955456 Hardcover
4 The Night Fire Michael Connelly Grand Central 9781538701454 Mass Market
5 The Witch Hunter Max Seeck Berkley 9780593199664 Trade Paperback
6 Vince Flynn: Total Power Kyle Mills Atria/Bestler 9781501190650 Hardcover
7 All the Devils Are Here Louise Penny Minotaur 9781250145239 Hardcover
8 Twisted Twenty-Six Janet Evanovich Putnam 9780399180217 Mass Market
9 The Thursday Murder Club Richard Osman Viking/Dorman 9781984880963 Hardcover
10 Troubled Blood Robert Galbraith Mulholland 9780316498937 Hardcover

Romance
RANK TITLE AUTHOR IMPRINT ISBN FORMAT

1 The Return Nicholas Sparks Grand Central 9781538728574 Hardcover

2 Leopard’s Rage Christine Feehan Berkley 9780593099841 Mass Market
3 Wyoming True Diana Palmer HQN 9781335080622 Mass Market
4 Jingle All the Way Debbie Macomber Ballantine 9781984818751 Hardcover
5 A Christmas Message Debbie Macomber Mira 9780778388227 Mass Market
6 Spirit of the Season Fern Michaels Zebra 9781420148855 Mass Market
7 A MacGregor Christmas Nora Roberts Silhouette 9781335147523 Mass Market
8 The Christmas Backup Plan Lori Wilde Avon 9780062953148 Mass Market
9 The Gift of Love Debbie Macomber Mira 9780778309956 Mass Market
10 One Touch of Moondust Sherryl Woods Harlequin 9781335918772 Mass Market

Science Fiction
RANK TITLE AUTHOR IMPRINT ISBN FORMAT

1 Ready Player Two Ernest Cline Ballantine 9781524761332 Hardcover

2 Dune Frank Herbert Ace 9780441013593 Trade Paperback
3 To Sleep in a Sea of Stars Christopher Paolini Tor 9781250762849 Hardcover
4 Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View Seth Dickinson et al. Del Rey 9780593157749 Hardcover
5 Ready Player One Ernest Cline Broadway 9780307887443 Trade Paperback
6 Dune Frank Herbert Ace 9780441172719 Mass Market
7 Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising Timothy Zahn Del Rey 9780593157688 Hardcover
8 Station Eleven Emily St. John Mandel Vintage 9780804172448 Trade Paperback
9 The Three-Body Problem Cixin Liu Tor 9780765382030 Trade Paperback
10 Ender’s Game Orson Scott Card Tor 9780812550702 Mass Market

Fantasy
RANK TITLE AUTHOR IMPRINT ISBN FORMAT

1 Rhythm of War Brandon Sanderson Tor 9780765326386 Hardcover

2 The Awakening Nora Roberts St. Martin’s 9781250272614 Hardcover
3 The Invisible Life of Addie Larue V.E. Schwab Tor 9780765387561 Hardcover
4 Mexican Gothic Silvia Moreno-Garcia Del Rey 9780525620785 Hardcover
5 An Encyclopedia of Tolkien David Day Canterbury Classics 9781645170099 Hardcover
6 Battle Ground Jim Butcher Ace 9780593199305 Hardcover
7 House of Earth and Blood Sarah J. Maas Bloomsbury 9781635574043 Hardcover
8 A Deadly Education Naomi Novik Del Rey 9780593128480 Hardcover
9 The Rise of Magicks Nora Roberts Griffin 9781250123046 Trade Paperback
10 The Once and Future Witches Alix E. Harrow Redhook 9780316422048 Hardcover

W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY. C O M 17
 Apple Books Bestsellers | NOV. 30–DEC. 6, 2020 Charts supplied by Apple Inc.,
copyright 2020 Apple Inc. All
rights reserved. Apple Books
is a trademark of Apple Inc.,
registered in the U.S. and
other countries.

Fiction & Literature

RANK TITLE AUTHOR IMPRINT ISBN

1 The Vanishing Half Brit Bennett Riverhead 9780525536970

2 The Coldest Winter Ever Sister Souljah Washington Square 9781439119976
3 All the Flowers in Paris Sarah Jio Ballantine 9781101885062
4 This Time Next Year Sophie Cousens Putnam 9780593191217
5 My Mother’s Secret J.L. Witterick Berkley 9780698151529
6 The Chicken Sisters KJ Dell’Antonia Putnam 9780593085158
7 Nothing to See Here Kevin Wilson Ecco 9780062913487
8 American Dirt Jeanine Cummins Flatiron 9781250209771
9 Anxious People Fredrik Backman Atria 9781501160851
10 All That Glitters Danielle Steel Dell 9780399179693
11 The Evening and the Morning Ken Follett Viking 9781984882028
12 Dead Silence Robin Caroll Barbour 9781643525938
13 The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald Scribner 9780743246392
14 Flight Patterns Karen White Berkley 9780698165861
15 Butterfly 3 Ashley Antoinette Griffin 9781250136411
16 War Lord Bernard Cornwell Harper 9780062563255
17 Harvesting the Heart Jodi Picoult Penguin Books 9781101042441
18 Wrapped Up in Christmas Joy Janice Lynn Hallmark 9781952210044
19 The Queen’s Gambit Walter Tevis RosettaBooks 9780795343063
20 White Ivy Susie Yang Simon & Schuster 9781982100612

Biography & Memoir

RANK TITLE AUTHOR IMPRINT ISBN

1 A Promised Land Barack Obama Crown 9781524763183

2 Greenlights Matthew McConaughey Crown 9780593139141
3 Untamed Glennon Doyle Dial 9781984801265
4 Can’t Hurt Me David Goggins Lioncrest 9781544512266
5 To Selena, with Love Chris Perez Celebra 9781101580264
6 Hope, Grace & Faith Leah Messer Post Hill 9781642932454
7 Truman David McCullough Simon & Schuster 9780743260299
8 The Spymasters Chris Whipple Scribner 9781982106423
9 Becoming Michelle Obama Crown 9781524763152
10 Being Elvis Ray Connolly Liveright 9781631492815

Romance
RANK TITLE AUTHOR IMPRINT ISBN

1 My Brother’s Roommate Kendall Ryan Kendall Ryan –

2 A Warm Heart in Winter J.R. Ward Gallery 9781982159719
3 Hard to Hold K. Bromberg JKB 9781942832225
4 Spirit of the Season Fern Michaels Zebra 9781496721914
5 The Do-Over Piper Rayne Piper Rayne –
6 Woman on the Run Lisa Marie Rice Lisa Marie Rice 9781484197301
7 The Return Nicholas Sparks Grand Central 9781538728567
8 Mistletoe in Paradise Jill Shalvis Avon 9780062993021
9 Ten Things I Hate About the Duke Loretta Chase Avon 9780062457417
10 Virgin River Collection, Vol. 1 Robyn Carr Mira 9781488036392

18 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y ■ D E C E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 2 0
Smashwords Self-Published Bestsellers | OCT. 2020 Information supplied by
Smashwords.

RANK TITLE AUTHOR ISBN CATEGORY PRICE

1 Hope, Grace & Faith Leah Messer 9781642932454 Biography $9.99

2 The Bookworm’s Guide to Dating Emma Hart 9781913405083 Romance $3.99
3 The Santa Express Leeanna Morgan 9780473484903 Romance $4.99
4 Stand-in Saturday Kirsty Moseley 9781005457129 Romance $3.99
5 Ashes of Chaos Amelia Hutchins 9781952712043 Fantasy $5.99
6 Models Mark Manson 9781476065809 Relationships & Family $12.95
7 Jeopardy in High Heels Halliday/Bruns 9780463444122 Mystery & Detective $5.99
8 The Anti-boyfriend Penelope Ward 9781005892753 Romance $4.99
9 Mad Money Murder Leslie Langtry 9780463430200 Mystery & Detective $4.99
10 Death Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev 9780463466865 Religion & Spirituality $9.00
11 Mistletoe Madness Leeanna Morgan 9780473484866 Romance $4.99
12 Don’t Forget Your Crown Derrick Jaxn 9780463456910 Relationships & Family $9.99
13 And Then There Were 9 C.A. Larmer 9780648800910 Mystery & Detective $4.99
14 The 5 Second Rule Mel Robbins 9781682612392 Self-Improvement $9.99
15 Seabreeze Summer Jan Moran 9781647780081 Women’s Fiction $4.99
16 Submitting to the Shadow Evangeline Anderson 9781005135850 Romance $3.99
17 Age of Empyre Michael J. Sullivan 9781943363223 Fantasy $9.99
18 Message to the Blackman in America Elijah Muhammad 9781452494388 Religion & Spirituality $6.99
19 Claimed by Her Mafia Man Sam Crescent 9780369502315 Romance $3.99
20 Seabreeze Sunset Jan Moran 9781647780098 Women’s Fiction $4.99
21 Your Baby’s Bottle-Feeding Aversion Rowena Bennett 9781370474974 Parenting $9.99
22 Seabreeze Inn Jan Moran 9781647780074 Women’s Fiction $4.99
23 Taunting Destiny Amelia Hutchins 9781301211227 Fantasy $4.99
24 Age of Death Michael J. Sullivan 9781943363216 Fantasy $9.99
25 Silver Bells Leeanna Morgan 9780473484880 Romance $4.99

W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY. C O M 19
 Department | RELIGION & SPIRITUALITY

Lifting Spirits
Religion titles focus on finding joy, hope, and healing in the year to come

By Cathy Lynn Grossman

M
ost titles slated for publication in 2021 Finding one’s spiritual legs
were written before the Covid-19 pan- Prolific author and biblical scholar N.T. Wright joins coauthor
demic, the divisive presidential election, Simon Gathercole to explore a critical question in the minds of
and the traumas that brought more urgency many Christians in What Did the
than ever to racial and social justice issues Cross Accomplish? (WJK, Feb.).
in 2020. Yet their authors address faith, family, and society Robert Ratcliff, WJK editor-in-
in ways that are relevant in any year. They can even point chief, says that in it, Wright exam-
toward joy. ines the meaning of atonement. “In
It’s not a superficial “ephemeral, the cross, God defeats the powers of
cliché-ridden kind of joy,” says hurt and harm that have long held
David Bratt, executive editor for sway over a broken humanity,
Eerdmans, for which he acquired bringing about our reconciliation to
Angela Gorrell’s The Gravity of Joy: God and to one another,” Ratcliff
A Story of Being Lost and Found (Mar.). adds. “Wright thinks this message
Gorrell was studying Christian ideas has rarely been more timely than in
of joy for the Yale Center for Faith the fractured moment in which we
and Culture when confronted by the find ourselves.”
sudden deaths of three close family The deep political fissures in
members from suicide, addiction, society, possibly exacerbated by
and a previously undetected medical relentless news media coverage, are
condition. “She found that authentic, reshaping our sensibilities, says
lasting joy has ‘a mysterious capacity to be felt alongside of author Jeffrey Bilbro in Reading the
sorrow and even—sometimes most especially—in the midst of Times: A Literary and Theological
suffering,’ ” Bratt notes. “This hard-won form of joy will be the Inquiry into the News (IVP, May).
only joy that can really get us to look to the future with hope, Bilbro, editor of the Front Porch
even as we mourn those whom and Republic website and a professor at an
that which we have lost in 2020.” evangelical college, calls for reori-
Author and podcaster Leeana enting one’s perspective away from
Tankersley packs joy and sorrow in the breaking news scroll on TV and
Hope Anyway: Welcoming Possibility in rooting oneself in the religious
Ourselves, God, and Each Other (Revell, cycles found in Scripture and in sea-
Aug.). She had proposed a book on sons of nature.
the devastating shock of her 2019 New York Post opinion editor
divorce, but amid all the pain and Sohrab Ahmari prompts readers to
chaos of 2020, she told Andrea confront feelings of isolation and
Doering, senior acquisitions editor alienation in The Unbroken Thread:
for Revell, that she wanted to redi- Discovering the Wisdom of Tradition in
rect the book’s focus to “the defiant an Age of Chaos (Convergent, May).
hope that is the truth of love and its essential place in our lives,” He draws from the writings of great
Doering recalls. “I told her, ‘Go for it!’ The pivots in our life are spiritual thinkers to address 12 ques-
the personal ones, ones everyone has, when they need to know tions—including those as fundamental as, “Is God reasonable?”
to grab hope. It is an eternal need.” and, “What is freedom for?”—according to the publisher.

20 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y ■ D E C E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 2 0
 RELIGION & SPIRITUALITY | Department

Confronting ongoing book, she notes, Hendricks takes “a

challenges careful look at how the actions and
The past year has resulted in deeper interpretations of the right-wing
conversations about the church, race, evangelical world betray the spirit
and society, and in 2021 authors are of the Gospels.”
offering bold stances on each topic. Historian Beth Allison Barr,
Historian Anthea Butler, an asso- associate dean of the Graduate
ciate professor of religion at the School at Baylor University, blasts
University of Pennsylvania and fre- the movement to confine secondary
quent public commentator on reli- status to women in church and
gion and politics, takes aim at family life in The Making of Biblical
Christians “cloaked in a vision of Womanhood: How the Subjugation of
Christian patriarchy and nationhood” with White Evangelical Women Became Gospel Truth (Brazos, Apr.). Acquisitions editor
Racism (Univ. of North Carolina, Mar.). Senior editor Elaine Katelyn Beaty hopes the book will “help women and men
Maisner says the book is about “American politics and how it’s alike approach the topic of gender in the church with more
linked—and has been linked every step of the way in American humility and grace.”
history—to fake religious morality and real racism” that will Bestselling author John Cornwell looks at Pope Francis’s
ultimately kill the evangelical movement. efforts to “revolutionize Catholic Christianity” in Church,
Christians Against Christianity: How Right-Wing Evangelicals Interrupted (Chronicle Prism, Mar.). According to Chronicle’s
Are Destroying Our Nation and Our Faith (Beacon, July), by bib- managing director Mark Tauber, the book highlights
lical scholar Obery Hendricks, offers a mixture of “deep love Francis’s labors to “revive the profound hope that its billions
and fiery critique” of the faith that has lost its roots in love and of adherents desperately need, and possibly save the Church
justice, says associate editorial director Amy Caldwell. In the itself.”

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 Department | RELIGION & SPIRITUALITY

New Release
COMING FEBRUARY 2021

Longing for encouragement

No matter how contentious the times may be, the hunger for simple spiritual encour-
agement is always present. Below are some upcoming titles that offer supportive in-
sights, with descriptions provided by the publishers:
99 Names of God (Orbis, Apr.), by Benedictine writer Brother David Steindl-Rast,
is a meditation on the multitude of names for the divine in the Islamic tradition,
designed to speak to people of any religious belief who find a universal connection in
God.
Don’t Drop the Mic: The Power of Your Words Can Change the World
(Faithwords, Apr.), by megachurch pastor Bishop T.D. Jakes, makes a case for how
bold and effective communication can be part of one’s faith practice.
Faith After Doubt: Why Your Beliefs Stopped Working and What to Do
About It, by Brian D. McLaren (St. Martin’s, Jan.), proposes “a model of faith develop-
Rosemary Woodruff Leary ment in which questions and doubt are not the enemy of faith, but rather a portal to
provides an all too rare female a more mature and fruitful kind of faith.”
perspective on the people The Lost Pillars of Enoch: When Science and Religion Were One (Inner
and happenings of the Traditions, Jan.), by British scholar Tobias Churton, examines the origination of sacred
psychedelic 60s. knowledge “at the dawn of human civilization,” when “there existed a unified scientific
and spiritual understanding of the universe.”
From her split with Saturdays with Billy: My Friendship with Billy Graham by Don Wilton
Timothy Leary to time spent (Zondervan Gift, Mar.). Amid lavish illustrations, Wilton, who was Graham’s longtime
under the protection of the pastor, shares stories from 15 years of praying and talking with the late evangelist.
Black Panthers in Algeria, Still Life: The Myths and Magic of Mindful Living (Harper Wave, Aug.), by
and beyond, this is the truly meditation teacher and Runner’s World yoga expert Rebecca Pacheco, aims to demystify
incredible story of 23 years mindfulness techniques and encourage readers to grapple with the mental, emotional,
on the run. and spiritual aspects of the contemplative practice.

Looking to the past

There is no shortage of memoirs or biographies of influen-
tial religious voices on the 2021 horizon. We can learn from
$19.99 • 352 pages • Paperback
the past, says Philip Yancey, the author of more than 25
16 b&w illustrations
books with a combined 16 million copies sold, according to
ISBN: 978-1-64411-180-2
Penguin. His new memoir, Where the Light Fell (Conver-
InnerTraditions.com gent, Oct.), shares his turbulent upbringing in the funda-
mentalist South.
One Park Street
Rochester, Vermont In Thomas Merton: An Introduction to His Life, Teachings,
and Practices (St. Martin’s Essentials, May), author and
scholar Jon Sweeney shows how the Trappist monk’s teach-
ings and books, such as The Seven Story Mountain, still reso-
nate. Merton addressed “the very issues we are grappling
with in our world today—racial, economic, and social

22 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y ■ D E C E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 2 0
 RELIGION & SPIRITUALITY | Department

injustice; misuse of power; fear of other cultures and

religions,” says Joel Fotinos, v-p and editorial director for
St. Martins Essentials.
Religious freedom, now a battle cry in contemporary
politics, came to the forefront more than a century ago,
writes Spencer McBride in Joseph Smith for President: The “John Brehm
Prophet, the Assassins, and the Fight for American Religious
Freedom (Oxford Univ., May). McBride, associate managing has done a
historian of the Joseph Smith Papers Project, highlights
the life of the controversial founder of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-Day Saints, who was assassinated when he
masterful job
ran for president in 1844. Key to Smith’s campaign was his
call for religious freedom through constitutional reform, a
in reminding us
significant moment in the evolution of the U.S. political
system, according to the publisher.
of the power of
The Making of C.S. Lewis:
From Atheist to Apologist (1918– our own poetic
1945) (Crossway, June) by
Harry Lee Poe, professor of sensibilities.”
faith and culture at Union
University, traces Lewis’s trans- –JOSEPH GOLDSTEIN
formation from young atheist
at Oxford to avowed Christian
apologist. This is the second
volume in a biographical trilogy by Poe covering the
author’s life.
Before his death in 2019, Ram Dass, author of the 1971
spiritual bestseller Be Here Now and a pioneer in contem-
porary spirituality, collaborated with writer and photogra-
pher Rameshwar Das on an autobiography, Being Ram Dass
(Sounds True, Jan.). According to the publisher, it chroni-
cles Dass’s cultural and spiritual transformations.
Plough adds a new title to its Spiritual Guides series
with Thunder in the Soul: To Be Known by God (Mar.),
featuring the wisdom of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel,
compiled by Rabbi Arthur Waskow. Heschel, famous for
his civil rights and antiwar activism, urged the rediscovery
of “wonder and awe, our connection to the cosmos and our
place in it,” says Plough editor Sam Hine. “Heschel’s
wisdom is really the ancient wisdom of the Hebrew
prophets, who describe a God who is not remote but
passionately concerned about justice and human affairs.”
Wisdom is bringing out The Extraordinary Life of His
Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama: An Illuminated Journey THE DHARMA OF
(June), by the Dalai Lama, with Rima Fujita.
United States of Grace: A Memoir of Homelessness, Addiction, POETRY
Incarceration, and Hope (Broadleaf, May) by Lenny Duncan,
whose first book was Dear Church, is a “love story to John Brehm
America” from a man on the margins, says Broadleaf acqui-
sitions editor Lisa Kloskin. Duncan’s story of his life as a $15.95 | GDQQM$10.99
once incarcerated queer Black man “makes the bold claim
that God is present with us in the most difficult of circumstances, bringing life out of
death,” Kloskin notes. ■
E X PLORE MORE AT
WISDOME X PERIENCE .ORG
 Column | OPEN BOOK

A Rock ’n’ Roll Story

Louisa Ermelino
Dawnie Walton’s provocative
debut novel chronicles the
rise and fall of a biracial 1970s
rock duo

S
peaking about the experiences that
inspired her debut novel, The Final
Revival of Opal & Nev (Simon & Schuster,
Apr. 2021), Dawnie Walton tells me, “I
was a Black girl into rock music at a col-
lege prep school when it seemed all the bands were
Black men. Black women were below the radar. I
was developing my identity and it was difficult not
to see myself reflected.”
That changed when Walton went to Florida A&M
University, the historically Black college in
Tallahassee, where, she says, “suddenly I wasn’t
alone and was devouring all music.” She adds that
Miles Davis’s autobiography—“his voice, his
cadence”—was an influence for her novel about
Opal, described in the opening pages of the book as
“the ebony-skinned provocateur, the fashion rebel,
the singer/screecher/Afro-punk ancestor, the
unapologetically Black Feminist,” and British
singer-songwriter Nev Charles.
The two team up, but in the early 1970s, as
they’re on the cusp of success, Opal’s protest over a
rival band’s Confederate flag at a concert leads to
violence and repercussions. In 2015, when she’s
been off the scene for decades and is considering a
reunion with Nev, music journalist S. Sunny
Shelton, who has a complicated past with Opal,
decides to edit an oral history of the duo.
The book is a propulsive read with “themes of
racial justice and the music business that’s relevant
today,” says Walton’s agent, PJ Mark of Janklow &
Nesbit. “I fell hard for Opal, and Dawnie’s ability
to juggle multiple voices and make them all distin-
guishable is seamless.”
Walton came north after college with a jour-
nalism degree and worked in media, starting at the
Washington Post. She was deputy managing editor at
Essence in New York City in 2015 when she was accepted to the At MacDowell, Walton says, “I was knocked off my feet in
residency program at the MacDowell Colony and quit her job. the best possible way.” She wrote 100 pages of Opal during her
“I was ‘good’ for so long,” she says. “I was almost 40; I had my six-week stay.
cushion.” Though she admits to having an “oh shit” moment Next was the Iowa Writers Workshop. Walton says her thesis
before making the move. advisor, Ayana Mathis, “was so helpful in specific ways.” She

24 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y ■ D E C E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 2 0
 OPEN BOOK | Column

© rayon ruchards

© emil cohen
PJ Mark

potato pie! I felt like the book was

speaking to me personally and I had to
be the custodian. Opal is so daring, a
special Black character. She takes the
hits and doesn’t look back.”
Davis adds that “Dawnie was that
Black kid in a Southern town who was
into music. She wrote a character that
she had never seen in literature. It was
so refreshing; took my breath away, so
daring and interesting. And the charac-
ters are so real that people are googling
them.”
Dawnie Walton Dawn Davis Walton tells me, “Dawn was the
dream.” But Opal went out on wide
took a break from Opal at one point and wrote stories but prom- submission and Walton took meetings. “I was grateful,” she
ised herself that she’d have a complete draft when she says, “that the last one was with Dawn.”
graduated. Davis brought her mother and her mother’s sweet potato pie
In spring 2018, Walton graduated with a manuscript and to the meeting. “We had so much in common,” Walton recalls.
moved back to New York. One of her classmates was De’Shawn “There was so much passion and excitement.”
Charles Winslow, a client of Mark who put the two in touch. Walton says she was in Savannah with her fiancé looking for
Mark read the manuscript that May, and though Walton was wedding venues when she got the message about the 37 Ink
meeting with other agents, she was receptive to his ideas. deal. Davis bought North American rights for “great money,”
“He was actually one of the agents I hadn’t met,” Walton according to Mark. The contract was signed in February 2019,
says. “But he reached out to me and we had a good meeting. and Opal sold in the U.K. at auction to Quercus.
He understood what I wanted the book to be. And PJ used to Davis has since left 37 Ink for Bon Appétit, but she says she
be in a punk band.” Walton signed with Janklow & Nesbit in saw the book through galleys.
August 2018. S&S editor-in-chief Marysue Rucci calls Walton “an electri-
Meanwhile, Dawn Davis at 37 Ink had heard about Opal “in fying writer” adding, “To play a small role in shepherding one
the ether,” she says. “I had news of this student with a great of Dawn Davis’s books across the finish line is truly an honor.
novel.” She emailed Mathis, who told her she would love Given the in-house buzz—Opal was one of five books chosen for
Walton. Davis reached out on Instagram, and Walton had Mark the Simon Selects tour—I’d already read Opal and couldn’t put
send the manuscript. it down.”
“I loved every page of Opal,” Davis says. “And there were The stars aligned for Walton. The wedding reception in
all these moments: Dawnie is born on my exact birthday; Savannah was canceled because of Covid, but, she tells me, “we
there’s a song in the book that I loved [“To Sir with Love”]; did get married”. She holds up her hand to show me the ring
Merry Clayton performs the Rolling Stones song “Gimme via FaceTime. And that sweet potato pie of Davis’s mother?
Shelter”; there’s a Thanksgiving scene where the mother Walton’s praise is unequivocal: “It was as good as Dawn said
makes sweet potato pie. My mother makes the best sweet it was.” ■

W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY. C O M 25
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 Covid-19 has forced the final
ALA Midwinter Meeting to go
online only, but a typically
strong program awaits

BY ANDREW RICHARD ALBANESE

T
he 2021 American Library Association Midwinter attendees won’t need to travel to the frozen U.S. Midwest in
Meeting has for some time loomed large on the the dead of winter to participate.
ALA’s event calendar. Originally set for Meanwhile, what comes next for ALA’s January meeting
Indianapolis, Ind., it was to be the final remains a source of speculation. In canceling the 2021 in-person
Midwinter Meeting before the launch of a new, show, ALA executive director Tracie D. Hall lamented losing
soon-to-be-revealed “January event.” But on August 6, as it the “sense of closure” that being together in person would have
became clear that the Covid-19 pandemic would continue to brought to the final Midwinter Meeting. But at the same time,
be with us for the foreseeable future, ALA executives made the one of her stated goals as executive director is to make ALA less
necessary decision: they pulled the plug on the in-person event dependent on conference revenue, and to make ALA’s programs
and announced a virtual meeting in its place. more accessible and more affordable for members. Being forced
The virtual Midwinter Meeting will run from Friday to to go online has necessarily accelerated that evolution for ALA.
Tuesday, January 22 to 26. Registration is now open “What ALA is looking at for the future is always thinking
(https://2021.alamidwinter.org) and will close January 15, at hybrid—not only face-to-face conferences but online as well,”
noon CT. And as was the case for the ALA virtual event this past Hall told PW in an interview earlier this year.
June, ALA members who have been laid off or furloughed can Rest assured, there will be in-person ALA events again at
register at no cost. “Though we very much hoped to be able to some point—but only when they can be safe. Librarians largely
meet in person in Indianapolis, the health and safety of conference agree that nothing can replace the sense of community that
attendees, ALA members and staff, exhibitors, and other stake- comes with being together with their fellow library profes-
holders are the priority,” said ALA president Julius C. Jefferson sionals, publishers, and vendors. As for the upcoming virtual
Jr. in announcing the conference’s move to online only. Midwinter Meeting, Hall expects a strong showing.
The good news is that ALA got that decision absolutely “We had people who were able to attend an ALA conference
right: safety matters most. And with Covid-19 cases and for the first time in their careers, connecting with the associa-
deaths now spiking to tragic, record levels (just as public tion and all that we offer,” Hall says of ALA’s June event. “So,
health officials predicted and many politicians denied), it from my vantage point, I am looking at all the members and
simply will not be possible to safely travel and hold large in- new constituents our virtual events allow us to reach.”
person meetings by January. The 2021 Midwinter Meeting will officially begin with the
Fortunately, after months of doing online events and using opening of a virtual exhibits hall, dubbed the Library
technology effectively to serve their communities in the wake Marketplace, on Friday, January 22. Offerings each day will
of the pandemic, librarians have adjusted well to the new vir- include a morning Coffee Talk with a featured author, fol-
tual reality. The online ALA event in June was by most lowed by exhibitor education sessions, presentations, more
accounts a surprising success. though it was not without some author talks, and an end-of-day happy hour to network and
initial tech hiccups, which were to be expected. ALA reported catch up with friends and colleagues. As of press time, the
strong engagement and more than 10,000 attendees. And Library Marketplace lists more than 100 virtual exhibitor
more good news: conference organizers have had more time booths. For the full schedule, check out the ALA 2021
and now have more experience with which to plan the virtual Midwinter website and click the “The Library Marketplace”
edition of the 2021 Midwinter Meeting. And as a bonus, tab in the header.

W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY. C O M 27
 ALA Midwinter

© jeff watts
The featured speaker programs for the Midwinter
Meeting begin on Saturday with a can’t-miss discussion
featuring Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha Blain (10–11
a.m. CT). Kendi is the founding director of the Boston
University Center for Antiracist Research, and the best-
selling author of five books, including Stamped from the
Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America,
which won the 2016 National Book Award for
Nonfiction; How to Be an Antiracist, which topped best-
seller lists for much of the summer; and Antiracist Baby, Ibram X. Kendi Keisha Blain
illustrated by Ashley Lukashevsky.

© brigitte lacombe
Blain is a historian at the University of Pittsburgh and the the virtual stage (12:30–1
president of the African American Intellectual History p.m. CT). He has appeared
Society. She is the author of Set the World on Fire: Black in more than 80 indepen-
Nationalist Women and the Global Struggle of Freedom and Until dent and commercial films
I Am Free: Fannie Lou Hamer’s Vision of America. In February and currently stars in the
2021, Kendi and Blain will release a joint effort, Four Hundred Showtime series The Good
Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619–2019, Lord Bird, based on the
which publisher One World describes as a “choral history” of 2013 novel of the same
African Americans, covering 400 years of history in the voices name by James McBride.
of 80 writers. Hawke is also an author,
Later on Saturday, actor and director Ethan Hawke takes whose new novel A Bright Ethan Hawke

28 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y ■ D E C E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 2 0
 ALA Midwinter

A NATION Ziggy Marley Joy Harjo

OF IDEAS Ray of Darkness (Knopf) is due out in early February 2021.

Billed as a “blistering story of a young man making his
Broadway debut just as his marriage implodes,” it is his first
The Canadian Studies Collection novel in 20 years. He is also an active supporter of the Doe
Fund, a charity that strives to break the cycles of homelessness,
is a multi-disciplinary catalogue incarceration, and recidivism by providing holistic services,
promoting the latest offerings housing, and work opportunities.
Grammy-winner, Emmy-winner, author, philanthropist,
from Canada’s great thinkers. and reggae icon Ziggy Marley will close Saturday’s featured
speaker program (1:45–2:15 p.m. CT). Born in Jamaica in
1968, Marley began his music career at the tender age of 10,
when he sat in on recording sessions with his father, the leg-
endary Bob Marley. He’d go on to release eight chart-topping
albums—and turn his song “I Love You Too” into a children’s
Get Your Copy _‚rĹņņ0b|ĺѴ‹ņ"ƑƏƑƏ;m picture book of the same name with Akashic, illustrated by
Ag Jatkowska. Marley’s latest two children’s books, Music Is
in Everything and My Dog Romeo, will be available May 2021,
both published by Akashic.
Sunday’s main speaker program begins with the annual
ALA President’s Program, which will feature Joy Harjo, the
U.S. poet laureate (11 a.m.–12:30 p.m CT). A member of the
Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Harjo is the first Native American
to be named poet laureate, a post to which she was reappointed
this past April. She is the author of nine books of poetry and
a memoir, Crazy Brave, which was awarded the PEN USA
Literary Award in Creative Nonfiction. She is also an executive
editor on When the Light of the World Was Subdued, Our Songs
Came Through: A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry,
which features more than 160 poets representing nearly 100
Indigenous nations and was published in August 2020.
Next up, don’t miss legendary actor, lecturer, and activist
Cicely Tyson (12:30–1 p.m. CT). At age 95, she is one of the
most acclaimed and respected talents in American theater and
facebook.com/LivresCanadaBooks
facebook.com/LivresCanadaBooks film history. Among her many accolades, she is the recipient
of the NAACP’s highest honor, the Spingarn Award, and was
@livresCAbooks
@livresCAbooks
named a Kennedy Center honoree in 2015. The following year,
www.livrescanadabooks.com
www.livrescanadabooks.com in 2016, President Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential
Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the nation.
Tyson’s memoir, Just as I Am (HarperCollins) comes out in
January 2021 and is said to include details about her decades-
 ALA Midwinter

Cicely Tyson Emmanuel Acho

DISCOVER THE
© ali rasoul

long friendship with Arthur Mitchell and her love affair with
BEST BOOKS
and eight-year marriage to jazz legend Miles Davis.
The featured speaker program closes with NFL player turned ON CANADA
author and YouTuber Emmanuel Acho (3:30–4 p.m. CT). In
early summer 2020, Acho created the YouTube series
Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man. The series quickly
went viral and led to a book of the same name—and a partner- A must for buyers and readers
ship with Oprah Winfrey. Uncomfortable Conversations with a
Black Man was published by Flatiron in November, and a young of Canadian Studies content.
readers edition, Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Boy, will
be published by Flatiron in March 2021.

In addition to the Library Marketplace and the great slate of

main speakers, the virtual Midwinter Meeting will be packed Join Our Mailing List _‚rvĹņņ0b|ĺѴ‹ņ-bѴbm]
with educational sessions and awards programs, including
updates on the newest research, innovations, and advances in
libraries; a slate of interactive author events; live chat and net-
working opportunities; a new Diversity in Publishing stage;
and the always-useful Symposium on the Future of Libraries,
which features a strong list of topics and speakers.
And one of the major highlights of every Midwinter Meeting
is the announcement of the ALA Youth Media Awards,
including the prestigious Newbery, Caldecott, Printz, and
Coretta Scott King awards. The Youth Media Awards
announcements will take place on Monday at 8 a.m. CT. The
program can be streamed online by visiting the ALA’s social
media channels, including Facebook and YouTube, or on
Twitter, by following hashtag #ALAYMA.
As always, events are subject to change. Check the ALA’s
2021 Midwinter Meeting website for updates.

facebook.com/LivresCanadaBooks
facebook.com/LivresCanadaBooks

@livresCAbooks
@livresCAbooks

www.livrescanadabooks.com
www.livrescanadabooks.com
 PW looks back at the library stories that
captivated the publishing world this year—
and what they portend for 2021
BY ANDREW RICHARD ALBANESE

© steve morgan via creative commons

W e can reliably count on a major event to top this
list each year. But nothing compares to the
Covid-19 pandemic that has so far claimed some
300,000 American lives, and in March forced a historic nation-
wide mass closure of public spaces, including libraries.
On February 29, Washington’s King County reported what
was then believed to be the nation’s first death from Covid-19—a
man in his 50s, in Kirkland. Two weeks later, on March 13, the
King County Library System closed its buildings to the public—
all 50 libraries, serving some 1.4 million residents in the Seattle
area. Just days later, on March 17, the American Library
Association, for the first time in its history, issued a memo recom-
mending that all libraries across the nation close to the public.
“Libraries almost never close. We’re usually the last to close Multnomah County (Ore.) Library’s Northwest
during a crisis,” King County librarian Lisa Rosenblum told branch during the Covid pandemic.
PW in May, adding that at first the idea of a months-long, like OCLC’s Project Realm, which has shared important research
indefinite closure was at first almost unthinkable to her. “In on how long the virus can live on different surfaces. And it means
the beginning, I thought, ‘Okay, maybe we’ll have to close for more digital services. A scan of the national headlines on any
a week or two,’ which is a long time for a library. But eventu- given day shows libraries reporting sharp rises in digital engage-
ally, I realized I had to totally rethink everything. And part ment, including e-books and other digital resources as well as
of my rethinking was to plan as if we were not going to be online storytimes, author events, and Zoom book clubs.
open again for a really, really long time—because otherwise, In a May 28 editorial, New York Public Library president
we would keep thinking we were just going to go back to Anthony Marx wrote that Covid-19 has exposed the need for
pre-pandemic service. And that’s just not going to happen.” “radical” change in America’s libraries. But however our public
In recent years, observers have argued that if public libraries libraries may evolve post-pandemic, one thing is clear: as we
didn’t already exist in America we probably wouldn’t be able to seek to recover from this historic global health crisis, we’re
invent them. In the wake of the Covid-19 crisis, the question going to need our public libraries.
facing libraries today is: can we reinvent them? “We now have millions of people who are feeling isolated and
So far that reinvention means services like curbside pickup, stressed and out of sorts,” Eric Klinenberg, author of the
and limits on patron visits. It means ensuring library workers acclaimed 2018 book Palaces for the People told PW in early May.
have appropriate workspace and personal protective equipment, “I think the pandemic has magnified the importance of the
and reconfiguring the library itself: less furniture, more distance public library in American community life. This is a moment
between computer stations, hand sanitizer stations, spit guards, in our history where we are going to need public spaces like
and plexiglass dividers. It means contactless checkout, new never before, and there simply is no other place that has such
cleaning procedures, 72-hour materials quarantines, and efforts capacity to bring people together.”

32 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y ■ D E C E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 2 0
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 ALA Midwinter
It’s Time for
Climate Action

A s Covid-19 forced the nation into an unprecedented

lockdown in March, librarians did what they always
do: they jumped in to help. But as an idealized narra-
tive of selfless hero librarians began to take root in the national
media in the early days of the pandemic, the reality on the
ground was far more grim: too many librarians and staff
working without the proper protective equipment and safety
precautions, terrified of becoming sick, facing uncertainty and
economic ruin as layoffs and furloughs mounted, with some
library workers even being ordered to redeploy from their
closed libraries to shelters, makeshift testing facilities, or other
frontline, high-risk jobs in their communities.
In a widely shared article on the Book Riot website in April,
Kelly Jensen, a former librarian, sounded the alarm. “For insti-
tutions ranked among the most trustworthy and beloved,”
Jensen wrote, “it’s shameful how the individuals who comprise
libraries are treated as disposable.”
But amid the rising fear and deadly uncertainty that came with
the early days of the pandemic, library workers organized and
effectively shifted the focus to issues of worker safety and well-
being. The movement started with a #CloseTheLibraries cam-
paign in early March that raised critical awareness of the dangers
facing library workers in the early days of the outbreak. That
effort soon expanded into two more campaigns—
© lester public library, via creative commons

@utpress
Librarians at the Lester Public Library in Kansas prep books for pickup.

34 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y ■ D E C E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 2 0
 ALA Midwinter
Ending Waste
in Public Investment
“This book offers a very thoughtful and This pandemic
instructive account of the governance that
is necessary to turn aspirations into action.
has highlighted the
It is a most valuable contribution.” fact that library workers
NICK STERN, London School of Economics need as much training
“This very valuable book has important in collective action
lessons for countries ranging from Chad,
to China, to the United States and every
and self-advocacy as
place in between.” they do in lobbying for
LARRY SUMMERS, Professor and President
Emeritus, Harvard University
library funding.
—Meredith Farkas
#ProtectLibraryWorkers, which advocated for the safety and
fair treatment of library employees; and #LibraryLayoffs, which
created a crowdsourced list of rising number of library layoffs
and furloughs across all types of libraries.
“The flipside of all of these feel-good pieces on digital story
time, backyard summer reading, and boosted Wi-Fi signals in
the parking lot is library workers forced to do jobs they never
signed up for [and] scolded for their attempts to fight for their
well-being,” wrote Massachusetts-based librarian Callan
Bignoli, a prominent voice in the movement, in a May editorial
in Library Journal. “It’s time to say, ‘not anymore.’ ”
In fact, librarians point out, workplace stress is a problem
that long predates the Covid-19 crisis. In a groundbreaking
2018 journal article, Rutgers University librarian Fobazi
Ettargh coined the term “vocational awe” to describe how the
public library’s ever expanding mission to serve their com-
munities can often come at the expense of the librarians and
library workers who have traditionally found it difficult to
advocate for their own safety and well-being.
With the virus surging again, problems remain. But library
workers have now shown they can effectively organize around
a powerful principle: that the public library’s commitment to
$35. Fall 2020. Paperback. ISBN 978-1-51351-181-8
serve its community cannot come at the expense of the health,
safety, and physical and mental wellbeing of library staff.
“This pandemic has highlighted the fact that library
workers need as much training in collective action and self-
advocacy as they do in lobbying for library funding,” wrote
Meredith Farkas in the November/December issue of American
I N T E R N A T I O N A L Libraries. “This kind of collective organizing requires a will-
ingness to look beyond our institutions and traditional hierar-
M O N E T A R Y F U N D chies, but the collective influence we wield can create powerful
positive change.”

To learn more visit bookstore.IMF.org

 ALA Midwinter Now Available on Audiobook
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O n May 29, the world watched in horror as footage

surfaced of a Minneapolis police officer coldly
kneeling on the neck of an African American man
named George Floyd for an agonizing eight minutes and 46
seconds, killing him. And with the anger, outrage, and pro-
tests that followed has come a long overdue acknowledgement
of just how deeply embedded systemic racism is in the U.S.—
including in our public libraries.
Equity, diversity, and inclusion are of course core values for
the library profession. And in the wake of public protests this
summer, libraries nationwide stepped up did a lot of good.
Many libraries moved swiftly to provide racial and social justice
collections and other resources to their communities, for
example, and many offered safe spaces in their communities for
conversations on race and equity. Efforts to aid those discussions
were assisted by publishers and and other service providers, who
made e-book and digital audio collections and titles available
with no holds, including bestselling titles like Ta-Nehisi
Coates’s Between the World and Me; Robin DiAngelo’s White “thoroughly
enjoyable,
Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism;
wry narrative is a
and Ibram X. Kendi’s How to Be an Antiracist. winner”.
Beyond the public-facing resources and programs, librarians - Publishers Weekly
also committed to taking a hard look at their owns institutions
as well. A historically white profession that has struggled to
© felton davis, via wikimedia

diversify its ranks, the library profession is now confronting

issues within their organizational cultures, and committing to
do the work needed to become truly anti-racist institutions.
“It’s true that libraries, publishers, and schools and colleges
Join us at ALA Midwinter Virtual!
work for the betterment of society,” said R. David Lankes, Contact [email protected]
or visit midwesttape.com
 ALA Midwinter

director of the Information School at the University of South Carolina, in a July 10

PW column. “But as part of that society, we have also played a role in sustaining its
worst elements. The crises we face today—in public health, in our economy, and in
confronting the structural racism in our society—demand that we rethink everything,
including what we’ve always considered virtuous institutions.”
A June 26 statement from the American Library Association also acknowledged the
profession’s fraught history with race. “We recognize that the founding of our Association
was not built on inclusion and equity, but instead was built on systemic racism and
discrimination in many forms. We also recognize the hurt and harm done to BIPOC
library workers and communities due to these racist structures,” the statement reads.
“We take responsibility for our past, and pledge to build a more equitable association
and library community for future generations of library workers and supporters.”
Positive steps, but as recent headlines in our divided nation suggest, the road ahead
will be rocky. For example, when the Douglas County Library in Nevada posted a brief
statement of support of the Black Lives Matter movement on its Facebook page this
summer, the county sheriff offered a shocking response: “Due to your support of Black
Lives Matter and the obvious lack of support or trust with the Douglas County Sheriff’s
Office,” the sheriff wrote in a public letter to library leaders, “please do not feel the
need to call 911 for help.” In an equally shocking coda, rather than stand up for the

O n the morning of January 25, at the 2020 ALA Midwinter Meeting in

Philadelphia, Macmillan CEO John Sargent thoroughly frustrated a hotel
meeting room full of librarians with his defense of the publisher’s controver-
sial two-month embargo on new release e-books in libraries. Over 90 minutes, Sargent
insisted that the rapid growth of library e-book lending was creating an “imbalance
in the publishing ecosystem.” He told librarians that he would reassess the effective-
ness of the embargo around March or April, but until then the embargo was staying.
Then the pandemic hit. In a March 17 announcement, Macmillan abruptly ended the
embargo. Just like that a contentious two-year battle was over. “There are times in life
when differences should be put aside,” Sargent offered as an explanation, in a short memo
to librarians.
The embargo’s end was welcome news for librarians, who at the time were shifting
their print spending to their digital collections to serve readers in the wake of physical
library closures. The change was good business for Macmillan, too, which couldn’t afford
to be the one major publisher not selling new release e-books to libraries during a period
in which most libraries had suspended their print purchases.
Still, coming nearly two years after Macmillan’s unilateral “test” embargo on new
releases from its Tor imprint started the controversy, the sudden ending left a lot of ques-
tions unanswered. Does Macmillan still see library e-books causing “an imbalance” in the
marketplace? Might the publisher return to the embargo after the pandemic has ended?
As they have from the beginning, Macmillan executives declined to comment on
the matter. And thus the company’s library e-book embargo ended much like how it
 library, the library’s board, over the
objections of the library director, later wishes everyone Happy Holidays!
voted to spend up to $30,000 of the
library’s scarce resources to investigate
the library’s initial BLM statement.
But there’s positive news out there,
too. In September, backed by city offi-
cials, the Iowa City Public Library
released a new 2021–2023 strategic Children
initiative that made headlines for
including concrete measures to address
equity, diversity, and inclusion issues.
“Everybody needs to be willing to have
hard conversations,” ICPL director
Elsworth Carman told Library Journal
reporter Lisa Peet in a recent article.
“To say, OK, I’m not an expert but, I
want to try to fix it. I’m going to talk
about it. I’m going to try to get there.”
9788412205602 9788426146731 9788484706199
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Macmillan CEO John Sargent talked to librarians at 9788424666958 9788427219847 9786078712274

the 2020 ALA Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia. $22.99 $19.99 $18.99

began—with a frustrating lack of trans- Young Adult Adult

parency and communication.
Of course, it wouldn’t be 2020 without
one more twist: in September, longtime
Macmillan CEO John Sargent announced
that he would be stepping down at the
end of 2020, to be replaced by Don
Weisberg, president of Macmillan’s U.S.
Trade division. And what that change
portends for Macmillan’s future approach
to the digital library market is now the
subject of intense speculation. 9788418027239 9786078712427 9788441535824 9788418184086
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Over the years, the library community
had come to regard Sargent himself as one
of the most implacable skeptics of library
e-book lending. With Sargent out of the
© andrew albanese/pw

picture, librarians in 2021 will be curious

www.lectorum.com
to learn whether Macmillan’s reticent
approach to the library e-book market [email protected] | (800) 345.5946
will be continued by its new leadership.

W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY. C O M 39
 ALA Midwinter
COMING THIS SPRING

A s evidenced by the battle over

M a c m i l l a n ’s l i b r a r y e - b o o k
embargo, the library e-book
market has long been a source of tension
between publishers and librarians,
marked by shifting access restrictions and
high prices that librarians have long warned
are unsustainable. But in March, as librarians nec-
essarily shifted their spending from print to digital in the
wake of the pandemic, a number of publishers eased pricing
and restrictions on library e-books. The result? A historic surge
in digital lending.
“Every single day we are crossing into new record territory,”
Steve Potash, CEO for OverDrive, the leading e-book provider
Women of all ages and for libraries, told PW in March. “I think digital library lending
and services are being elevated to a new plateau. It’s obviously
races share their hopes, not going to grow at this pace consistently. But it’s going to
the next level.”
fears, desires, advice, and Library leaders across the nation have backed Potash up,
reporting massive increases in digital circulation through the
support with the new summer. “In April, May, and June, our digital circulation was
up 40%, 46%, and 42% over 2019,” said Carmi Parker, a com-
Vice President mittee member for the Washington Digital Library Consortium,
a coalition of 46 libraries in Washington State, which manages
digital access for its members. The neighboring King County
Library System, one of the nation’s biggest and busiest library
systems and a perennial leader in digital circulation prior to the
pandemic, reported a 42% increase in March through August
2020 over the previous year.
Librarians have spoken for years about their desire to intro-
duce more patrons to their digital collections. But not under
these circumstances. And now, librarians worry that the speed
of this massive, virtually overnight digital shift has left them
vulnerable.
What happens when the pandemic is finally behind us? If
© andrew albanese

the library e-book market simply returns to its pre-pandemic

redlightningbooks.com state—in which publishers unilaterally raise prices and change
terms without negotiation or even consultation—and digital

iupress.org
 ALA Midwinter

demand remains dramatically higher, as is

expected, how will libraries manage?
“We’ve revamped our website to highlight
our digital content, and people are responding,”
PW columnist and White Plains (N.Y.) Public
Library director Brian Kenney told PW in
March. “We are bringing a lot of people
online, and it’s turning out to be a good experi-
ence for them. My guess is that many will want
to stay there.”
Indeed, the uneasy feeling shared by many
librarians is that the pandemic may have neces-
sarily changed the course of the digital library
market during this annus horribilis, but the
underlying dysfunction in the marketplace has
still not been addressed. For libraries, the question
heading into 2021 is whether publishers and librar-
ians will take the experience of this extraordinary year
to finally chart a new, stable, and sustainable course for
e-books and digital content in libraries.
“When you think about some of the comments that have
been made by publishers, it’s clear that libraries are still not
really seen as a player in the market,” Kelvin Watson, director
of the Broward County (Fla.) Public Library told PW in May.
“What I think this pandemic has done for some publishers, if
not all, is shine a light on the library’s role in the market.”
Meanwhile, in a sign that there may be progress made in the
digital library market in 2021, Amazon Publishing has con-
firmed that it is in talks with the Digital Public Library of
America (DPLA) to make Amazon-published e-books avail-
able to public libraries. Such an agreement would be a break-
through, as Amazon Publishing currently does not make its
digital content available to libraries—an exclusion that
librarians have loudly criticized for years. Neither Audible’s
digital audio titles nor titles from Amazon’s KDP program
are part of the discussion, but gaining access to Amazon
Publishing e-books would still be a step forward for libraries.
And landing Amazon for the DPLA Exchange, the DPLA’s
nascent e-book platform, would be a major coup. After all,
to license Amazon Publishing titles, libraries would have to
use the DPLA Exchange, and patrons would need to deploy
the SimplyE app to access them.
DPLA’s Michele Kimpton acknowledged to PW that an
agreement with Amazon Publishing would be a major boost
for the DPLA’s developing e-book service, but suggested the
potential deal was not being designed as an exclusive. “I’m
fully and squarely behind SimplyE, because it is the only
library-managed library e-book platform,” Kimpton said
earlier this month. “But at the end of the day, if these
[Amazon] titles are available on all the major platforms,
that’s a good thing for libraries.” At press time, talks are still
ongoing, but both parties say a pilot program could launch
in early 2021.
 ALA Midwinter

I n last year’s top 10, we questioned whether the events of 2019 suggested
the Internet Archive might soon find itself in court over its nine-year-old
program to scan and lend PDF copies of print books. Sure enough, on June
1, 2020, four major publishers—Hachette, HarperCollins, John Wiley & Sons,
and Penguin Random House—filed a copyright infringement lawsuit over the
program in the Southern District of New York, coordinated by the Association
of American Publishers.
The suit is not a surprise. Publishers and author groups have long bristled
over the Internet Archive’s program to acquire print books, scan them, and then
© sebastiaan ter burg via wikimedia

lend the DRM-controlled PDF copies in lieu of the print books under an untested
legal theory known as controlled digital lending. Still, despite a few warning
shots fired in 2019, a lawsuit against the IA didn’t appear imminent.
But then, in April, IA leaders made a fateful decision: with libraries and
schools across the nation shuttered by the pandemic, and their physical collec-
tions largely unavailable, they decided to make its collection of some 1.4 million
scans temporarily available for multi-user access. Specifically, under a contro-
Internet Archive founder Brewster Kahle. versial plan known as the National Emergency Library, the Internet Archive

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An Anishinaabe
We say that libraries child and her
grandmother
have the right to buy books explore the natural
and preserve them and lend wonders of each
them, even in the digital season in this
world. —Brewster Kahle lyrical, bilingual
story-poem.
temporarily removed the one-copy/one-user rule governing its e-book lending
program, know as the Open Library. Users would still have to sign up and borrow
the e-books, but there would be no holds list. The announcement of the National
Emergency Library garnered national headlines. And the program almost certainly
exhausted what little forbearance publisher and author groups had maintained for
the IA’s book scanning program over the years.
Among the court filings, the publishers’ complaint makes clear they are not
focusing on the National Emergency Library program (which IA leaders voluntarily
shut down shortly after the suit was filed). Rather, the suit challenges the funda-
mental legality of the IA’s scanning and lending program itself. The publishers
specifically decry what they see as the “purposeful collection of truckloads of in-
copyright books to scan, reproduce, and then distribute digital bootleg versions
online.” In announcing the suit, AAP executives cast the Internet Archive as thieves
in league with the “largest known book pirate sites in the world.”
Author and president of the Authors Guild Douglas Preston agreed, accusing the
Internet Archive of hiding behind a “sanctimonious veil of progressivism,” in a
statement of support for the publishers’ suit. “The Internet Archive hopes to fool
the public by calling its piracy website a library,” Preston opined. “But there’s a
more accurate term for taking what you don’t own: it’s called stealing.” Coming
But in its July 28 answer to the suit, IA lawyers firmly rejected those characteriza-
tions. Far from a “pirate” site where illegal digital editions are freely distributed, IA March 2021
lawyers say the program is designed to function like a traditional library—the print
books from which the scans are made are legally acquired; only one person can borrow
a copy at a time; the scans are DRM-protected to prevent copying and enforce lend
limits; and the corresponding print book from which the scan is created is taken out
of circulation while the scan is on loan (and vice versa) to maintain a one-to-one
“own-to-loan” basis. And, IA founder Brewster Kahle points out, the scanning
wouldn’t be necessary if publishers sold PDFs of books to libraries. “With this suit
the publishers are saying that in the digital world [libraries] cannot buy books any-
more. We can only license them, and under their terms,” Kahle said at an online
press conference this summer. “We say that libraries have the right to buy books and
preserve them and lend them, even in the digital world.”
The publishers’ suit seeks damages and to destroy all infringing IA scans. The
parties have agreed to a schedule that would have the case ready for trial by
November 2021. And while case raises some interesting legal questions, the more
fundamental question may be this: Deep into the streaming age, 13 years after the
commercial e-book market took off and more than four years since the Google
Books litigation ended after 11 years of litigation, how are we still fighting over
low-quality PDFs of older, mostly out-of-print books? @GROUNDWOODBOOKS
GROUNDWOODBOOKS.COM
A Kabbalah ALA Midwinter

of Food
S to r i es,
Te ach in gs ,
Recipes
Rab b i Ha n oc h He ch t

I t’s an age-old question:

© colette cassinelli via creative commons

How do public libraries
impact the book business?
This summer, one independent
publisher in Canada caused an
uproar after he took to the pages
of a major newspaper to offer a
controversial opinion.
In a nearly 3,000-word July
25 Globe and Mail opinion piece
provocatively titled “Overdue: Throwing the Book at Libraries,” Kenneth Whyte, the
publisher of Toronto-based indie Sutherland House Books, pinned blame for the
troubles of Canada’s independent bookstores and publishers on public libraries. The
“crux of the matter,” Whyte argued, is that libraries rely on “pimping free entertain-
“Rabbi Hecht, a former ment to people who can afford it,” concluding that all “the genuine good” libraries do
competitor on the Food “is to some extent made possible by being a net harm to literature.”
Network show Chopped, The article was widely shared on social media, though comments on the article
combines his passion for suggested few people agreed with Whyte’s thesis. And as you would expect, librarians
were also eager to respond.
Jewish teaching and food in On July 27, Mary Chevreau, president of the Canadian Urban Libraries Council
this entertaining volume.” (CULC), submitted a reply essay to the Globe and Mail opinion editor. And what
—Publishers Weekly happened next came as a surprise, CULC officials said: the paper declined to publish
the essay. So, CULC turned to PW, which published the librarians’ response in full on
“These stories transport us July 31. The piece quickly went viral, racking up nearly 10,000 likes on Facebook
over the first weekend of its publication.
back to Old Eastern Europe In her essay, Chevreau cited evidence—including a fresh Booknet Canada survey—
and demystify Kabbalistic which showed library users are in fact book buyers. But she reminded readers that the
principles; I savored each library enterprise is grounded in something more profound than commerce.
one like a fine wine.” “Public libraries are a democratic institution that are critical in a civil society,”
Chevreau wrote. “More and more, they are playing a crucial role in empowering citi-
—Michael Weiss, author zens to thrive in today’s changing world by providing the essential tools, connectivity
of WineWise and information in all its forms. And most importantly, libraries are committed to
providing equitable access to the widest range of human knowledge, experience, and
ideas. That includes John Grisham, and Jesmyn Ward.”
The episode recalled the media firestorm over a 2018 Forbes article—which was later
retracted—in which a Long Island University economics professor argued that Amazon
should replace public libraries. And, as happened in 2018 with that piece, rather than
dent the public’s support for libraries, Whyte’s editorial has rallied it.
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I n January, free speech and library advocates

sounded the alarm over a bill proposed in
Missouri that sought to establish
“parental review boards” in public libraries as
a condition of state funding. According to the
bill’s text, these boards would have the power
to decide which “age-appropriate” materials
could be made accessible to minors within the
library. But the most shocking provision: librarians
who refuse to comply with the board’s decisions would
be subject to fines and up to a year in prison.
Specifically, House Bill 2044, the Parental Oversight of Public Libraries Act
(or POOPLA, as one sharp-eyed commenter dubbed it) would establish five-
member boards, elected by a simple majority vote at local town meetings. “The
main thing is I want to be able to take my kids to a library and make sure they’re
in a safe environment, and that they’re not going be exposed to something that is
objectionable,” said the bill’s sponsor, state legislator Ben Baker, in a February
interview with the local KOAM News. Baker later conceded that the bill was
motivated in part by the popularity of Drag Queen Story Hour events in libraries
and bookstores around the country.
In a statement, James Tager, deputy director of free expression research and policy
at PEN America, offered a different take on the bill. “This act is clearly aimed at
empowering small groups of parents to appoint themselves as censors over their state’s
public libraries,” he observed.
Curiously, just weeks after the Missouri bill was introduced, a clone of the very same
bill surfaced in the Tennessee legislature, ramping up concerns of a nationally coordinated,
state-by-state effort. And while the bills have failed to advance so far, library and free speech
© leo reynolds via creative commons

organizations remain wary that these kinds of bills could once again show up in 2021.
“The belief that a small group of parents know what is best for every family in their
community denies the very real fact that each community is made up of families and
individuals with diverse beliefs, identities and values,” reads a February 20 statement
from ALA, which has registered its strong opposition to the bills and continues to monitor
the situation. “ALA supports the right of families and individuals to choose materials
from a diverse spectrum of ideas and beliefs.”

W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY. C O M 45
 ALA Midwinter

It’s almost hard to fathom, but 2020 kicked off with a bit of good news for the
library community. On January 9, the Senate easily confirmed Kansas City (Mo.)
Public Library executive director R. Crosby Kemper III to be the new director of
the federal Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
The vote came just weeks after Trump nominated Kemper in November 2019—
warp speed for a nonjudicial appointee in the Senate. “Confirming a new IMLS director
so quickly shows the high regard in which elected leaders hold libraries as places of
opportunity for all Americans,” ALA president Wanda K. Brown said in a statement
at the time, praising Kemper as “the right leader for IMLS at the right time.”
But Kemper’s confirmation was a short-lived moment of comity between the Trump
© ala

administration and the library community. Just weeks later, the Trump administration
Crosby Kemper, with ALA past president Wanda Brown. for a fourth straight year proposed the permanent elimination of the IMLS—and with
it virtually all federal funding for libraries.
Fortunately for library supporters, lawmakers have consistently rejected the Trump
administration’s recommendations to slash federal library funding, and have instead
responded by increasing the IMLS budget each year. But what will happen with federal
library funding going forward remains an open question.
On the positive side, the Biden administration will almost certainly end Trump’s
four-year string of proposals to end federal library funding. At the same time,
veteran political observers warn that GOP lawmakers always seem to rediscover
their opposition to government spending when a Democrat is in the White House.
And even as the nation seeks to recover from what has been a devastating pandemic,
many observers expect that will be the case again.
All of which makes the year-round advocacy work of library supporters as impor-
tant as ever in 2021 and beyond. As Kathi Kromer, associate executive director of
ALA’s Public Policy and Advocacy Office in Washington, D.C., has observed,
libraries were successful in defeating Trump’s proposed cuts to federal library
funding over the last four years because library supporters have consistently “made
it a point to remind their elected officials of the importance of
libraries in their community.” In 2021 and beyond, that kind of
year-round advocacy will remain the recipe for success.

Confirming a new
IMLS director so quickly
shows the high regard in
which elected leaders hold
libraries. —Wanda K. Brown
46 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y ■ D E C E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 2 0
 ALA Midwinter

I n January, the American Library

Association named Tracie D. Hall its
new executive director, the first African
American woman to serve in that post in
ALA’s 143-year history. Hall officially took
the reins on February 24 from the retiring
Mary Ghikas, who had served since longtime
executive director Keith Michael Fiels
stepped down in July 2017.
ALA executive director Tracie D. Hall. EIGHT
In a May interview, Hall told PW that being the first African American woman to

11 - 09
lead one of the nation’s largest professional associations was a meaningful milestone—
but one she has had little time to reflect on. Just days after her appointment was
announced, ALA revealed to its membership that the organization was facing a serious
financial shortfall. Then came the Covid-19 pandemic, forcing ALA to recommend
for the first time in its history that the nation’s libraries close. And a week after that, NOV 2021
ALA announced the cancellation of its in-person ALA Annual Conference—a key
revenue driver for the association. It was the first time since 1945 and the end of World
War II that ALA had not held an in-person annual conference.
It’s fair to say that no ALA executive director has faced a more challenging set of
circumstances at the outset of their tenure than does Hall. As if ALA’s full-scale reor-
ganization wasn’t a tall enough order, the public library itself is being reimagined in
the wake of the pandemic, and a social justice and racial awakening. Oh, and Hall’s
first year was an election year that highlighted the nation’s fractured political culture
fueled by fake news, conspiracy theories, and alternate realities which former President
Barack Obama recently called “truth decay.”
Hall has outlined a bold vision for ALA. “One of the Association priorities that
really stands out is to expand our membership and stakeholder base,” she told
American Libraries in an interview following her appointment. “Reaching a broader
base is key. I want those committed to universal literacy; to closing the school
achievement gap or the wealth gap; to ending mass incarceration; to diversity,
equity, accessibility, and inclusion; to environmental and community sustainability;
and more, to see the Association as among the premier leaders and partners in that #sibf_ala20
work. Getting there must begin with listening, observing, and assessing [ALA’s]
© ala

needs and opportunities.” ■

W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY. C O M 47
 The virtual author school visit evolves
BY SHANNON MAUGHAN

V
isiting young readers at schools
and libraries is a significant
part of many children’s book
authors’ and illustrators’ jobs.
School visits are also a big
piece of publishers’ publicity campaigns for
picture book and middle grade authors. But
school closures forced by the pandemic sud-
denly halted this long-standing practice. As
educators and families try to navigate uncer-
tain times this academic year, a new era of vir-
tual school visits is coming into clearer focus.
We took a look at how some authors and illus-
trators are leading the way forward and
explored some of the issues involved.
Author Kate Messner knows all too well
how author visits came to a “screeching halt”
last March as schools closed their doors with
the arrival of the Covid-19 crisis. She had been
on tour for her middle grade novel Chirp,
which was published in February by
Bloomsbury, and saw her slate of spring visits
canceled or switched to a virtual format. Soon,
like many of her fellow authors, she was forced
to reimagine what visits would look like well A virtual visit from Kate Messner and Traci Sorell to Mrs. Camenzuli’s fourth graders at
Sylvan Avenue Elementary in Bayport, N.Y.
beyond spring 2020.
“When it became apparent that the pandemic was not going “I surveyed more than a thousand teachers and librarians who
to magically disappear over the summer, authors and illustra- expressed an interest in virtual author visits, to ask about their
tors were scrambling to figure out how to make school visits needs, their budgets, and their teaching situations,” Messner
work online,” Messner says. “Many hadn’t done a lot of virtual says. “The workshop was based on their responses and on my
visits, or they’d only offered basic Skype q&a sessions, so the own experiences as a virtual presenter and workshop leader.”
idea of bringing an entire full-day school visit to a virtual set- Messner’s professional résumé put her in good stead to lead
ting felt overwhelming.” such an effort. Prior to writing full-time, she spent seven years
Messner recalls seeing lots of social media posts asking things as a television news reporter— “so I’m used to talking to cam-
like, “How do all those different platforms work? How could eras as if they’re people,” she jokes—and she taught middle
you still interact with kids? And what are teachers even looking school English for 15 years and still has strong connections to
for now in a virtual visit?” In an effort to “help out with all those the educator community. She’s logged plenty of virtual visit
questions,” she says, she created the Reinventing Author Visits trial and error as well. “I’ve been doing Skype visits for more
workshop in August. than a decade, so I’ve had a lot of time to figure out what works

48 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y ■ D E C E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 2 0
 School & Library Spotlight

and what doesn’t,” she says. And she has

offered individual coaching and consulting
services to fellow authors along the way.
Messner’s in-depth Reinventing Author
Visits workshop costs $99 and features four
75-minute sessions that offer information
and examples covering everything from
program formats, tech platforms, making
curriculum connections, and such logistics as
staging, scheduling, and contracts. Fellow
author Julie Hedlund, founder of the 12 x 12
Picture Book Writing Challenge, hosts the
workshop, which incorporates some elements
from the duo’s May 2020 Author Visit
Makeover webinar.
“We’d originally set Reinventing Author
Visits up to be an August workshop, with the
video replay available through October,” Author-illustrator Jarrett J. Krosoczka shows off his virtual visit setup in his video brochure.
Messner says. “But I keep getting virtual
visit questions in my inbox, so we recently reopened registra- Typically, Krosoczka notes, “I visit anywhere between 60 and
tion, and now the workshop is available through next April.” 80 schools a year—sometimes two or three schools in a day, or
Messner offers her take on the elements of an effective virtual a couple of schools with a bookstore or public library event in
school visit. “Young kids can’t just stare at someone talking on the evening. Like so many authors, it’s my bread and butter; it’s
a screen for 30–45 minutes straight,” she says. “High energy is a big part of how I support myself in between book advances
essential, and it’s great to engage kids by breaking up the visit and royalty statements.”
into smaller chunks of time that include visuals and interactive Like Messner, Krosoczka was able to rely on some solid career
elements.” She cites an example from her virtual visit program experience to get him started on a new tack. He had already
that focuses on her History Smashers series. “I share my research used various visual technologies for his in-person events and
with kids and also challenge them to some history-myth- had been doing virtual visits via Skype for a decade. Additionally,
busting quizzes, using the poll/survey feature that’s offered in he was familiar with producing radio programming and had
Zoom and other virtual meeting platforms. They love learning coproduced and codirected the full-cast audiobook recording of
hidden truths about history and then quizzing their families at his YA graphic memoir Hey, Kiddo last year. And, as luck would
the dinner table later on.” have it, he revealed that his January 2020 New Year’s resolution
In her experience, Messner says, “writing workshops work had been to do more webcasting.
really well in a virtual setting, too, whether kids are in a class- “I’ve done webcasting off and on over the years,” Krosoczka
room or learning from home.” And, as most authors will attest, says, “but I thought that I should do something on a regular
q&a time is a consistent hit. In the virtual setting, she notes, basis. Part of my way of achieving that goal was to set up a
“it’s great to engage with readers for q&as, either on camera or specific space that was just for filming. I have a storage room
via the chat function.” in the basement and I set up a little desk in the corner and a
When Messner coaches school-visit presenters, she says that camera. I was playing around with Facebook Live once a week
she shares a variation on the old bridal saying, “Something old, and YouTube Live once a month.”
something new, something borrowed, and something blue.” For Following an event in Pittsburgh on March 12, Krosoczka
virtual school visits, she adds, “we want to offer something to realized, “During those first two weeks in March, I was every-
see, e.g., visuals; something to do, including interactive ele- where from New York to Ohio and Alabama. It was growing
ments; something fun, such as humor, puppets, and games; and increasingly clear that I should not be on the road.” On his
something true, e.g., curriculum tie-ins.” flight home, he noticed that people were posting on his
Facebook feed about what their homeschool regimen was going
Refining digital skills to be. “One friend posted ‘art, 2 p.m.’ and I started to think that
Author-illustrator Jarrett J. Krosoczka similarly faced the dis- I should do some sort of daily drawing show.” The result was
ruptions of the pandemic by reconfiguring his professional rou- Draw Every Day with JJK. “I developed it over the weekend and
tine and fine-tuning a new approach to school visits. “It’s been by the following Monday, I went live at 2 p.m.”
a constant pivot,” he says of the reset process. “It’s wild to have Krosoczka says that in his view, “there was so much chaos and
to sort of reinvent and adapt everything for the virtual space.” trauma and stress happening in the spring that no institutions

W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY. C O M 49
 School & Library Spotlight

were really looking to book an author visit.” As it became clear Now, with a new school year underway in various guises across
that fall would not be back to normal, he and his wife put their the country, Krosoczka says, “I’m about to pivot again from what
heads together to formulate a plan. I’ve learned with these author visits.” Much of his new insight
“I tried my hand at Zoom,” Krosoczka says, noting that his has revolved around what a pandemic-era school day looks like.
trial-and-error strategy was akin to the one he pursued when he “I’m finding that their time is so finite even when they’re vir-
first started visiting schools in 2001. “I visited some schools for tual,” he says. When a school is holding in-person classes, he
free just to get a feel for it—what’s going to work, what’s not observes, “those students have to leave on the dot because the
going to work. Likewise, I did some Zoom visits to my kids’ teacher needs to scrub down the classroom. Or if they’re at home,
school and a few other schools, and I quickly learned that Zoom they have to get on another Zoom. It just seems like there’s way
webinar worked best for what I do.” He explains that the plat- less flexibility.” As a result, he’s changing things up.
form allows him to be fully in charge of what everyone is seeing “I think what’s of most value is that live interaction,” Krosoczka
on the screen. says. “So, now I’m prerecording my lectures for the school, in
“It really takes away any other variables of things going awry,” order for them to use during asynchronous learning times. When
Krosoczka adds. “I’d give my presentation via screenshare, just a school books me, they’ll gain access to these various videos—
like I would in person, then I would draw. I have an overhead about how I got published, or how I wrote the Lunch Lady series,
camera, which is really a selfie stick duct-taped to a clothes rack, for example. It will feel more like a Netflix or MasterClass experi-
so I can have overhead shots. Then during q&a time I can pro- ence.” That way, when he’s on a Zoom visit with students, “it can
mote the student to be a panelist, and if they want to be face-to- be more off the cuff—it really is going to be more like visiting
face, they can turn on their video, or they can just use their audio, an author in their studio space and that’s what’s going to be of
or submit a question anonymously via the q&a portal.” This the most value to everyone involved,” he says.
format served him well during the few spring visits that he did. “You can show them things that you’d otherwise never be
The summer found Krosoczka experimenting with the idea able to,” Krosoczka adds, pointing out some of the advantages
of daily online camps or drawing classes, utilizing the Zoom of his evolving game plan. “If I’m going to visit a school, I’m
webinar feature that allows users to charge an admission fee for not going to bring the book that I wrote in third grade, because
registration. “Initially I tried a group of 50 students, and that I don’t want that book to get lost or damaged. But when stu-
ended up being a little overwhelming,” he says. “Right now, I dents are virtually in my studio, I can hold the book in my
do about 25 students per class.” Over the summer he led four or hands, I can turn the pages. They will see how small and how
five sessions of a class that met every day at a certain time for a messy some of my early drafts are in a way that probably makes
week. “That worked well enough for me to say, ‘Let me see if it feel more real than if it was just me and a slide behind me.”
I could do a weekly after-school class.’ I’m doing weekly comics Summing up the bigger picture, Krosoczka says, “It’s a show.
classes now every Monday, and it’s going incredibly well.” If you want to capture the attention of these students, it needs
For this most recent iteration of classes, Krosoczka uses to be entertaining. If you’re just another talking head for 30
Google Classroom, which allows students to upload their work minutes, that’s going to be so unengaging.”
and to chat about it, on or off camera. In early 2021, he is Krosoczka also found a way to share his best practices with
expanding his instruction cat-
alog to offer classes for adults,
s o m e t h i n g h e ’s h a d m a n y
requests for. And carrying over
from the summer camp idea,
schools can book a multiday cre-
ative camp at any point.
Krosoczka continues to create
episodes for Draw Every Day w
JJK and this fall added a new
series to the mix, Origin Stories w
JJK, which is aimed at teens and
adults. For Origin Stories, which
he describes as a visual podcast,
he interviews graphic novelist
friends like Raina Telgemeier
and Gene Luen Yang about what
their childhood was like and Author Jon Scieszka and illustrator Steven Weinberg simulate a zero-gravity situation via their
how they got started. virtual visits for the AstroNuts series.

50 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y ■ D E C E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 2 0
 EXPANDING
THE WORLD OF
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SERIES!
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SUMMER 2021

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 School & Library Spotlight

educators and other book creators who are looking to forge a

new path forward. He offered two webinars in August, a profes-
AROUND THE WORLD WITH sional development session for educators titled “Engaging
SURVIVORMAN Students Virtually” and another program for authors titled
“What Is an Author Visit Now Anyhow? Connecting to Readers
L E S S T R O U D
ILLUSTRATIONS BY ANDREW P. BARR
Virtually.” More professional development for educators is on
the way in 2021. He will offer five sessions, one per month from
January through May on Facebook Live, “completely free to
educators,” he says.

A dynamic duo
Author Jon Scieszka and illustrator Steven Weinberg have been
earning raves for the virtual school visits they’ve been doing for
their newest book, AstroNuts Mission Two: The Water Planet. The
pair is decked out in NASA outfits and appears to beam in from
“deep space,” often moving “weightlessly” in front of an Orion
Nebula tapestry background onscreen. They’ve crafted this
virtual performance by tweaking what they had already been
Ages 8–12 / 9781773215075 pb with flaps / March 2021
doing at in-person visits.
“Everyone was scrambling at first,” Weinberg says of
adapting to the digital space. “We were lucky that we had a
whole year of touring together, so we had our song and dance
HOW FASHION AND BEAUTY ARE
BEING USED TO RECLAIM CULTURES down. Once we started, it took us a few visits to realize, ‘Wait,
by VOGUE WRITER it’s kind of the same thing, but we just have to make it more
CHRISTIAN ALLAIRE fun, in just a little box.’ ”
Scieszka agrees, noting that “everything that makes a good
school presentation live is the same thing that makes a good
video presentation. You’ve got to be sharp, you have to be enter-
taining, and you have to be short!”
With that mindset, they riffed on all the ways to make their
Ages 12+ virtual visits pop. “The ridiculous uniforms, that was all before
9781773214917 pb the pandemic,” Weinberg says. “We wanted to look different
9781773214900 hc so we could walk into a classroom and immediately catch your
April 2021
eye. Because that’s the best part of being at an author visit,
you’re their break from normal school.”
Scieszka credits his collaborator (who is also his son-in-law)
with suggesting the idea of them being in deep space during
their presentations. “We found these wonderfully ridiculous
backgrounds online and kids would even call us out, saying,
‘You’re not really in space, there’s creases in that!’ ”
Every BODY is different! Weinberg was ready with a reply, though. “I would say,
Ages 3–5 / 9781773214726 hc ‘That’s space time, and we can do a little energy wave.” Then
March 2021
he would tap the background, making it gently ripple.
Then, Scieszka adds, “True to form, we got that response we
always love, when a second grader says something like, ‘Okay,
that might be true, but how do you get Wi-Fi?’ ” There’s never
a shortage of technical questions.
Scieszka and Weinberg marvel at how students have
responded so far. “We feel so bad for what these kids are going
through; it’s hard for everybody,” Weinberg says. “Not to be
clichéd, but kids make do in adorably ingenious ways. You see

annick press
Distributed by Publishers Group West 1-866-400-5351
it in the chat bars we’re watching. It’s the same thing as passing
notes in class. The teachers maybe don’t know that if they chat

52 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y ■ D E C E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 2 0
 Ned Vizzini’s YA classic, now a graphic
novel by New York Times best-selling creators
David Levithan and Nick Bertozzi

Praise for Be More Chill

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“Bitingly funny.”
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NEW TITLES School & Library Spotlight

COMING SOON FROM

to the host, we become the host, and only we are seeing it.”
When that dynamic of kids being kids in the chat feature
first started playing out, Scieszka says, “we realized that this is
every bit as good as those kid events where the adults are trying
to keep in charge but then it just gets crazy and the kids are
MY HERO ACADEMIA: having so much fun. They’re excited about the story, or how we
TEAM-UP MISSIONS Vol. 1 work, or that we might be in space, and it’s all in the chat bar.
Story and Art by Yoko Akiyama They make fun of each other and say things like, ‘Shut up, stop
Original Concept by Kohei Horikoshi
spamming!’ ”
The aspiring heroes of My Hero Academia Weinberg adds, “You really see a culture develop in real
team up with pro heroes for action-packed time.” He recalls one virtual event where they put up their
missions!
presentation and started seeing kids drawing all over it. “I was
ISBN: 9781974721559
Trim Size: 5" × 7 ½" • Pages: 208 like, ‘Jon, are you doing that?’ ” he says. “There are just these
Price: $9.99 • AVAILABLE 3/2/21 quirks of Zoom where you can annotate presentations. And the
teachers were shocked.” He recounted elements of this example
in a comic that ran on the last page of the New York Times Book
TOKYO FASHION: Review on November 22, offering a snapshot of what virtual
A COMIC BOOK visits are like.
By Nodoka
Though teachers are sometimes not in favor of such onscreen
This comic book guide to fashion will show hijinks, Scieszka believes that “it’s our mission as authors to
you how to introduce a Japanese flourish
into your wardrobe with easy tutorials,
keep pushing them more toward ‘let this happen.’ As an
suggestions for wardrobe essentials, and elementary school teacher, I always believed that good educa-
styling tips on pulling it all together! tional theory is to have kids engaged. No one should be sitting
ISBN: 9781974719372 and just listening for anything longer than like 10 minutes.
Trim Size: 5.31" × 7.67" • Pages: 248
Price: $19.99 • AVAILABLE 3/9/21
We’re going for 45 minutes. Let them type something, let them
goof around, or jump up and down or show their hands if there’s
something they like.”
Scieszka is also grateful to have a partner in crime along the
ASK IWATA way. “Thank goodness there’s two of us!” he says. “Otherwise,
Edited by Hobonichi
you feel like an idiot in your basement jumping around.”
A compilation of conversations highlighting Weinberg enjoys the camaraderie of their collaboration, too.
the leadership, development, and design
philosophies of one of the most beloved “The biggest perk has been doing this with Jon, where we can
figures in gaming history—former Nintendo play off each other,” he says. “Sometimes you do events where
President Satoru Iwata.
there’s not even the little thing on the bottom of the screen
ISBN: 9781974721542 telling you how many people are there. Sometimes it’s just you
Trim Size: 5 ½" × 8 ¼" • Pages: 176
Price: $22.99 • AVAILABLE 4/13/21 in a room talking to a green dot, which is weird.”
The duo has been gradually fanning out to schools with their
virtual presentation after wrapping up some of the tour events
that had been rescheduled from last spring, averaging about one
per week. “Our baseline is to say yes to visit requests as much
LOVESICKNESS: JUNJI ITO
as possible,” Weinberg says. “You’re trying to do something
STORY COLLECTION
Story and Art by Junji Ito good for somebody’s life right now.”
Scieszka recalls telling publicist Eva Zimmerman at
An innocent love becomes a bloody hell in
another superb collection by master of Chronicle, “We don’t know what these things are going to be,
horror Junji Ito. so let’s try a bunch of them and see what works, what doesn’t.
ISBN: 9781974719846 Originally, we were going to do more bookstores, but then
Trim Size: 5 ¾" × 8 ¼" • Pages: 408 realized, who’s going to want to go to a virtual event after a
Price: $22.99 • AVAILABLE 4/20/21
whole day of doing this for school?”
For virtual visits, Scieszka and Weinberg adopted a “wide-
open model,” accommodating as many attendees as possible,
VIZ Media is distributed by Scieszka says.
Simon & Schuster, a part of
ViacomCBS
“That’s a great thing about this tech,” Weinberg notes. “You
can get more kids than ever at a school event, and that’s really
BOKU NO HERO ACADEMIA TEAM UP MISSION © 2019 by Kohei Horikoshi, Yoko Akiyama/SHUEISHA Inc.
Ask Iwata © HOBONICHI
Lovesickness: Junji Ito Story Collection, Vol. 4 © JI Inc./Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc.
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 School & Library Spotlight

fun for us. You supersede whatever means allow schools to get with a projector and unpredictable room lighting during an
authors to come there in person.” in-person visit, Weinberg says. “Especially with the AstroNuts
Among Scieszka and Weinberg’s favorite pointers for effec- books. There’s so much collage in them and I want to show
tive virtual visits is to “mix it up,” Scieszka says. “That’s granularly how I do it. Kids like that. With screenshare, they’re
something we stumbled on and found effective from very early literally in my Photoshop window. I can show them all the
on. Use show and tell. Steven has a notebook from when he layers, and it’s crystal clear.”
was in first grade, filled with drawings.” Scieszka adds, “That’s maybe another mini silver lining of all
Scieszka points to other ways to connect. “If you spot that kid this: the jump up in quality. Now we’ve seen how good it can
typing something in the chat bar, call them out on the chat bar,” be. A few years ago, it just didn’t seem worth the trouble. It
he says. “E.g., ‘Dimitri, I’m glad your mom works for NASA. saves incredible amounts of time.”
Don’t tell her about us.’ And sometimes kids will just hold up
their drawing and not say anything. You can acknowledge them— A publicist’s virtual visit road map
‘Angela, I love it!’—and they really like being called out.” Faye Bi, director of children’s publicity at Bloomsbury, knew
Weinberg concurs. “This works. In a live event that couldn’t she needed a fresh blueprint for school visits in the pandemic
happen.” He adds another piece of advice: “Overall, be super era. “We were all relearning our jobs over the summer, and I
flexible. You never know if the connection’s going to be horrible went into fall knowing that we would be overwhelmed with
or your equipment might break.” uncertainty,” she says. “Authors would be anxious about what
Another bonus of their creative partnership, Scieszka offers, is actually possible, bookstores are obviously dealing with their
is that “it’s really nice to be working with Steven who is much own complications and struggles, and I know schools especially
more tech-savvy. And because he’s done all of the artwork on have gotten the worst of it.” She pondered how to present the
the computer, he’ll share his screen, it’s blown up huge, and just idea of virtual school visits as a viable opportunity to authors
walk the kids through how he did the artwork.” and booksellers in a flexible way.
The screenshare feature “works a lot better” than dealing What helped Bi solidify her thinking on the subject was

56 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y ■ D E C E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 2 0
 Animal- friendly street art is
popping up all over the city.
There is no explanation, only a name . . .

9780735263949 | Ages 3-7

“A thoroughly original fable about art’s

revitalizing power.” —Publishers Weekly
“Sweet and wistful.” —Kirkus Reviews

penguinrandomhouse.com
penguinrandomhouse.ca
 School & Library Spotlight

BookBar bookstore in Denver arranged an October 1 school visit with Renée Watson at Sunrise
Elementary in nearby Aurora, Colo.

taking Messner’s August workshop for authors. (Messner is a Bloomsbury author and
publishes with other houses as well.) “I asked her if I could attend,” Bi says. “She told
me she had surveyed 1,000 educators for the presentation, and I thought, ‘I need this
information!’ ”
Bi began testing the waters as she formulated plans for a fully virtual school-visit
tour for author Renée Watson, who is promoting her April novel Ways to Make
Sunshine and, like many other authors, saw her book tour canceled. “I asked her how
busy she wanted to be and if she could let me know her ideal times and hours that
she wants to be booked,” Bi says.
Watson opted for three afternoons per week, reserving her mornings for writing,
so nothing was booked before noon. “That way I had a slate of times when she was
available, and she would give me blackout dates too,” Bi notes.
Author and publicist worked through what a typical visit would look like in terms of
format and length. “We agreed we would leave the platform up to the school because
everyone is doing something different,” Bi says. “But we were pretty clear up front about
the safety protocols: [I asked them to] make sure there is a staff facilitator, and I recom-
mended that the kids prep questions or have a teacher preview them.”
The visits that Bi arranges in her role as a publicist are for book sales via a bookstore
instead of for an honorarium. In Watson’s case, she asked for a modest book buy of 20
copies. “Because this is her time, I wanted to at least share some kind of goal, so the
stores knew that if I booked Renée my aim is to sell 20 copies, whether the school
buys some and the rest is made up of order forms or not,” Bi says. She was very flexible
on this point, knowing that “the minimum buy would be lower or nonexistent for
lower-income schools.”
With the ground rules in place, Bi prepared “a one-sheet with all of this information
including teacher’s guides and excerpts and a couple of bios,” she says. “I wanted
everything in one place. In the long run it was easier for me too, to have the document.
I could hand it out and they knew what we were expecting. Then if they had any
questions, we could start from stage three instead of stage one.”
Bi contacted all the bookstores that had expressed interest in booking Renée back
 School & Library Spotlight SIMPLY READ BOOKS
winter 2020

NEW TITLES
in April, as well as those that had made requests through Bloomsbury’s sales team.
“Renée was booked most every week from late September through November,” she
reports. “That’s a mix of festivals and other events she booked herself, but on average
she’s doing two to five virtual events per week.”
The logistics have been more time-consuming. “I’m certainly much more Olivier de Solminihac
Stéphane Poulin

involved,” Bi says. She also tries to take some of the burden off bookstores. “A lot self end

of times I’m the one scheduling with the teacher, and that’s not usually the case in
a physical visit. But nowadays I’m like, ‘What do you need from me?’ ”
Bi’s efforts seem to be paying off. “I have only had okay and great events, not a
single bad one,” she says. “I think part of that is due to preparation, but part of it
is due to the honest-to-god amazingness of some of these educators and librarians.
Everyone is going above and beyond. So many whom I’ve spoken to have been so
The Ship of Fortune
grateful, saying that Renée’s visit was the highlight of their month, or their year so Olivier de Solminihac & Stéphane Poulin
far. The feedback has been really good.” 9781772290400 • $17.95 US • HARDCOVER

It’s a beautiful summer day, and Michao is

Reality, equity, and more silver linings driving us to the beach. We can’t wait! Who
will see the sea fi rst?
Christie Hinrichs is agent/director at Authors Unbound, an author-event booking
agency that represents such clients as Jarrett Krosoczka and Jason Reynolds. “It’s hard
to overstate how dramatically the pandemic impacted our agency, and so many other Marisa and the Mountains
businesses across the country,” she says. “One hundred percent of our scheduled events George M. Johnson & Chelsea O’Byrne
canceled within only a few weeks.” By May, the agency had started to transition toward

m a r i smao u nt ai n s
online formats “but faced the challenge of educating hosts and attendees on how to and the
engage virtually.”
In the school-visit arena, Hinrichs has seen the enormous pressure that school
e
administrators and teachers were under last spring “slowly transition into fall uncer-
tainty, and cautious optimism for 2021,” she says. “At first, the sheer chaos of devel-
s by art by
oping new curricula and managing accessibility was all schools could handle. As w o rd

we’ve all learned to function in the new normal, educators are starting to see how
incorporating author events and reading programs can enrich online offerings and 9781927018910 • $16.95 US • HARDCOVER
take some of the load off teachers. We’re seeing the slow and virtual return of authors Marisa does not like the mountains. Will
to the classrooms, and students are responding with enthusiasm!” she fall in love with the prairies, or realize
As a result, Krosoczka is among the authors who is starting to see an uptick in the that each place is special in its own way?

invitations he gets for school visits.

In the early days of the pandemic, “many authors were happy to donate online
The Simply Small Series
content and did a number of gratis online events as a way of giving back during the Paola Opal • $6.95 US • BOARD BOOKS
first weeks of the crisis,” Hinrichs recalls. “Things have changed now, as both agencies
and authors get creative about new formats, thus the fees have steadily increased. Even
so, there is almost always a reduction for virtual events, anywhere from 25%–50% off
standard fees, and that depends somewhat on the scope of the event, the time com-
mitment, book sales, etc.”
As a strategy for matching authors and events, Hinrich says, “what I typically do is
get a sense of the host’s resources, any programming targets and the timeline, and then
curate a list of suggestions within budget that I think might appeal.”
Perry Zingy Spookie
Just as every host’s situation is different, so too is every author’s. “It just doesn’t 9781772290356 9781772290394 9781772290370

seem like the right thing to charge schools or libraries,” Scieszka says.
“And a virtual visit doesn’t take nearly as much time for us,” Weinberg adds.
According to Scieszka, “We can just forego that as a moneymaker and put our energy
into making more books rather than spending time on planes.”
Krosoczka says, “I was lucky enough to get a small business loan and that has 100%
saved me. And obviously honorariums for virtual visits are going to be much lower
than in person. But on the flip side of that I wake up in my house every day. The com-
mute now is, ‘Did I save enough time to shave and comb my hair?’ ” Emma Pippy Tecka
Working within the virtual space, Scieszka and Weinberg are very aware of equity 9781772290479 9781772290486 9781772290363

www.simplyreadbooks.com
 School & Library Spotlight

issues in terms of the digital divide. They see the “tech wizard Bi doesn’t want authors “to feel so pressured to promote their
types”—students who own and are well versed in computer books right now that they burn out when they could be writing
drawing programs—and, Scieszka says, “the heartbreaking other or doing something else to fortify themselves,” she says. “It’s
end of the range is where the kids have to go to the library to get better to have fewer quality events and to understand the goal
internet access, or they can’t get online at all. That’s maybe behind those events and the expectations for those than to just
another silver lining, the hope that this virtual content will be do a lot of them and hope that something sticks. Extending
what drives a more equitable system. We’ve got to get everybody more grace to everyone is the key.”
access. Let’s make this happen, let’s Hinrichs concurs. “One of the real high-
make this an educational priority.” lights for me [during the pivot to virtual
Bi says, “Equity is important.
Everyone’s muddling through. I try to
We need visits],” she says, “was how almost everyone
I worked with—authors, coordinators,
operate with compassion for everyone,
as plans change all the time.” She cites a few
to nurture other agents—remained calm, kind, and
understanding in the face of an incredibly
examples: “I’ve had scheduling changes at
the last minute from schools and also from
and celebrate stressful and difficult situation. Although
virtual author events will never truly
authors who accidentally double-booked
themselves. A lot of the bookstores have
the diversity, replace the in-real-life experience, the
increased accessibility, event reach, and
canceled really large school visits, or large
festivals with funding, and they really flexibility, and patron development make a virtual com-
ponent incredibly beneficial, and I think
wanted to make Ways to Make Sunshine part it’s here to stay.”
of their program.” resiliency of That’s the long game Krosoczka envisions
On the flip side of those cancellations, as well. “I foresee that when all of this is
Bi offers, “there were at least two book-
stores that told me they had partnered
literacy. behind us, there will be a higher demand for
virtual events,” he says. “When schools go
with an organization to purchase books— — Christie Hinrichs, back in session, who knows what the various
and I’m talking several hundred, maybe Authors Unbound protocols will be for having an outsider
500 books—for the kids attending Renée’s visit, let alone somebody from a different
virtual visit. I always think of those districts and people who state? There’s so much that’s unknown.”
have that funding as being able to offset some of the other visits
where funding is not available.” Hope for the future
Messner illustrates one of the ways authors are working with “I love how schools and bookstores are figuring this out and
schools that have funding constraints: “When it became clear inviting authors and illustrators to engage in so many different
that many schools are facing budget issues that make it difficult ways,” Messner says. In a recent week, she “had three days of
to fund virtual visits, some authors began offering lower-cost school visits that included a mix of presentations and writing
author-visit webinars, which allow many classes to attend a workshops for different grade levels, a history-themed webinar
virtual event,” she says, noting that she teamed up with her that I cohosted with another author, and a virtual bedtime story,
friend and fellow author Traci Sorell to offer one titled hosted by Wellesley Books [in Wellesley, Mass.]”
“Rethinking Thanksgiving: History, Holidays, and Gratitude” And Hinrichs says that, “despite a grim 2020 and future
in November. “It focused on my book History Smashers: The uncertainty,” she has hope. “In the aftermath of 2008, when so
Mayflower, which unravels some of the lies and myths we some- many believed that arts and literature would take a backseat as
times hear about the Pilgrims and the so-called First the economy recovered, I actually saw the opposite. When the
Thanksgiving, and Traci’s book We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga, world becomes unpredictable, many people turn to the comfort
which is about Cherokee traditions of gratitude. We ended up found in books, where talented authors can help them under-
with more than 700 classrooms and families participating, stand the world in a new way and help ease them into a new
either live or via our video replay, and they were able to order perspective. Now more than ever, we need to nurture and cel-
signed books through my local bookseller, The Bookstore Plus ebrate the diversity, flexibility, and resiliency of literacy both
in Lake Placid, N.Y.” in the classroom and beyond.”
Bi believes that one of the most important things about get- With an eye on brighter days ahead, Scieszka says, “We really
ting through these times is “to protect everyone’s emotional have a new appreciation for teachers and librarians. Our hats
reserves. I check in with Renée every few weeks to ask her how’s are totally off to them; they’re doing so many different things.”
it going—do you still want to be doing these? Do you want And Weinberg adds that he and Scieszka are on board to offer
fewer of them? It’s really important that authors know that they their own brand of entertaining help. “We’re going to fly in
can say no.” from space and do what we can.”

60 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y ■ D E C E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 2 0
 tiger tales
®

Celebrating

Authors shine
as they pivot to
Years!
virtual school visits NEW
PICTURE BOOKS
for SPRING 2021
BY SHANNON MAUGHAN

W e’ve gathered some noteworthy examples of how authors are tailoring

their outreach to meet the needs of students and educators during
the pandemic.
Following an
effective for-
mula, Jonathan Auxier devel-
oped a new presentation for Willa
the Wisp (Abrams), combining a
readaloud with different char-
acter voices, a peek at the draw-
ings in his personal journal, a
brainstorming session to create 9781680102468 • $17.99 US
punny animals with students,
and q&a elements.
Friends since age eight, long-
time racquetball partners, and Mac Barnett (l.) speaks while Shawn Harris mouths the
first-time picture book collabora- words in a Candlewick video that characterizes their
onscreen rapport.
tors Mac Barnett and Shawn
Harris have a natural rapport that translates well to their virtual visits for A Polar
Bear in the Snow (Candlewick). According to senior publicist Jamie Tan, the two “have
gotten their comedic beats down.” In their presentation they’ve mastered small silly
touches like turning a camera strategically off to pretend one can’t hear the other. Blue
Willow Bookshop’s children’s and YA events coordinator Cathy Berner says, “Watching
them develop a school visit is like watching jazz musicians improvise.”
In her virtual presentation for If You
Come to Earth (Chronicle), Sophie
Blackall shares a time-lapse video of her- 9781680102116 • $17.99 US
self creating a page consisting of 50 tiny
paintings of a comet, which appears in the
book. As she can’t visit readers in person,
she has sent those comet paintings in her
stead, to 50 independent bookstores,
where they will be placed randomly
within copies of her book, for lucky
readers to find.
Chris Grabenstein (The Smartest Kid
in the Universe) is among several Random
House Children’s Books authors to pro-
Sixth-grade ELA teacher Jessica Walsh in
Aurora, Ill., tweeted highlights from Remy Lai’s
vide virtual author visits in the Story
virtual visit to her class. Pirates After School program, a series of

9781680102321 • $17.99 US
 School & Library Spotlight

classes to help kids stretch their imaginations as they explore

new ways to create stories, art, and various projects.
On the fall virtual school visit tour for Remy Lai’s Fly on the
Wall, the author used “custom-illustrated overlays and live
drawings to bring her sophomore novel to life as she presented
to middle-grade students across the U.S. from her home in
Brisbane, Australia,” according to Molly Ellis, v-p and executive
director of publicity for Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group.
Sy Montgomery’s virtual visits in support of her latest
picture book, Becoming a Good Creature (HMH), are designed
to accommodate the flexible scheduling needs of remote
learning and help reduce screen fatigue for students. “The good Jason Reynolds described his December virtual tour to underserved towns on
part is now I get to welcome children into my office,” she says. ‘CBS This Morning’ on November 25.
“I get to show them where I write, and all the cool artifacts I
have: my moose antlers, my octopus beak, my stuffed grouse. I focus on the kids’ experiences during the coronavirus crisis,”
get to introduce them to my dog [her border collie Thurber, who Ellis at Macmillan says. “The book is meant to have the readers
also appears in the book’s trailer]. I think they like that a lot.” self-reflect, and that’s how LeUyen had the idea.”
For each visit, schools receive a package of prerecorded videos: On December 1, National Ambassador for Young People’s
a book trailer, a video of Sy reading Becoming a Good Creature Literature Jason Reynolds kicked off a two-week virtual tour
overlaid over the book’s pages, and a Zoom-style video presenta- during which he is connecting with middle school and high
tion from Sy and illustrator Rebecca Green on the creation of school students in underserved communities across the country.
the book. A digital activity kit further expands the lesson Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing has donated 5,500
possibilities. According to HMH publicity associate Anna paperback copies of his book Look Both Ways to the host schools
Ravenelle, “Being able to include Rebecca, who is currently to support the effort. He spoke with CBS This Morning about
living in Japan, in the prerecorded presentation was one posi- the tour. “Ultimately, if virtual is the way we have to do it, then
tive of pivoting to this format; the time difference would have that’s the way we have to do it,” he said. “But not doing it at
been prohibitive for her to participate in live visits, but now all is not an option.”
students can hear from both creators about how Becoming a Good The goal is to run the visits as originally structured. Reynolds
Creature came to be.” described it as “an open interview, lots of discourse, giving the
Innosanto Nagara has embraced the virtual sphere to promote kids an opportunity to tell me about their towns and what
his title Oh, the Things We’re For! (Seven Stories). “Given that so they’re proud about, and really create a human moment even
many kids don’t see anyone but their cohort and their teacher on through a digital sphere.”
Zoom day in and day out,” he says, “I think my showing up as a Christina Soontornvat has created a virtual author visit
fresh voice in their class gets their attention. Readings feel very brochure outlining the range of presentations she can book for
focused, and the kids are more confident—perhaps because I’m schools. Middle grade novel A Wish in the Dark and the nonfic-
visiting their house, not the other way around.” tion title All Thirteen, about the 2018 cave rescue of a Thai boys’
In January, LeUyen Pham kicks off her virtual school visits soccer team, both published by Candlewick, are her most recent
for her new book Outside, Inside, which celebrates essential titles. She explains her approach: “As much as I miss meeting
workers and the community coming together to face the chal- with students in person, I also view the shift to virtual author
lenges of the pandemic. The author-illustrator “plans to do a visits as an opportunity to keep doing good work—we just have
‘reverse q&a’ with the students, asking them questions that to do it in a different way.”
Susan Verde leads students
in guided meditation,
breathing, and yoga exercises
during her virtual presentation.
Her fall picture book I Am One
(Abrams), illustrated by Peter
H. Reynolds, focuses on the
power of action. In her presen-
tation she describes how small
actions, like wearing a mask to
From different countries, illustrator Rebecca Green (l.) and author Sy Montgomery appear in a video that’s part of protect others, can lead to big
their virtual classroom visit. results. ■

62 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y ■ D E C E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 2 0
 LIVE the
LIBRARY
LOUNGE
Discussions on the Issues Facing Libraries Now

The Election Is Over—What Does

That Mean for America’s Libraries?
What does the legislative, funding and policy landscape
look like for libraries in a post-Trump America?

Join us for a discussion FEATURED SPEAKERS

about the library John Chrastka is the founder of

EveryLibrary, the first and only national
community’s emerging political action committee for libraries,
policy and legislative working each election season to support
dozens of local ballot initiatives.
priorities—and how
librarians can effectively Kathi Kromer is the Associate Executive
Director of Public Policy and Advocacy for
engage with lawmakers the American Library Association. Kromer
on the local and leads the ALA’s team of public policy
experts in developing policy and
national levels. implementing strategies.

ONLINE DISCUSSION
REGISTER ONLINE:
12.15.2020
1:00-2:00 p.m. EST PublishersWeekly.com/DecemberLounge

Sponsored by
 PW speaks with children’s
librarian Julie Roach

Julie Roach has been the manager of youth

services at the Cambridge Public Library in
Massachusetts since 2005. She also reviews
children’s books for the Horn Book and teaches
children’s literature at Simmons University’s
Graduate School of Library and Information
Science. The Cambridge Public Library closed
to the public on March 13, and Roach and her
youth services team worked from home until
June, when the library began its first phase of
reopening with outdoor contactless pickup
service. She spoke with PW about what it’s been
like to be a librarian during this difficult time.
Roach reads for a distanced audience.

Prior to the shutdown, a big part of your job was proud of a staff-led initiative called
interacting in person with children and families in Kids Books to Go. At branch library
the library. How much do you miss that? How do pop-up events held outdoors, chil-
dren and teens can borrow a bag of
you keep your spirits up and motivate your team?
books chosen by a youth librarian.
Connecting kids with books and empowering them as readers To keep the event stress-free and
through those daily interactions brings great meaning and safe, we avoid the hurdle of library
satisfaction to our job, and I miss it every day. We keep our cards and loan these books on an
spirits up by acknowledging what we can do right now and honor system. We ask kids and fami-
looking for new ways to do it. Of course, some days are Cambridge resident
lies simply to return them when Olympia is an eager participant
challenging, frustrating, and exhausting, but we celebrate they finish. in Roach’s virtual storytime,
our victories and try to keep our sense of humor about us. I Like many libraries, we have streamed from the Cambridge
have an incredibly dedicated and spirited youth services team, moved all our programming online. Public Library.
and I feel so fortunate that we can face the obstacles together. We typically use Zoom so that we can interact directly with
This strong team makes all the difference. participants and replicate some of the experience of an in-per-
son program. We hold storytimes this way, but also move-
Without the face-to-face component, how do you ment and music events, book discussions, and author and il-
keep your patrons engaged with the library and lustrator events.
with reading? Can you describe a few innovative Back in late March, I could not imagine anyone attending
programs for families that you’ve started during my online storytime when so many authors, illustrators, and
celebrities were already doing phenomenal ones with a more
the pandemic that are unique to the Cambridge
professional production quality than I could manage. But I have
PL or that you’re particularly proud of? been humbled by how families value logging on for storytime
We have held a few outdoor children’s book giveaway events. with their librarian. Even families who have moved away from
Our youth services staff excel at readers’ advisory, and we offer Cambridge are able to join us again. For a few minutes, we all
this online and over the telephone now. However, I am most find a little joy together through stories, art, and songs.

64 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y ■ D E C E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 2 0
School & Library Spotlight

The library’s pivot to contactless book pickups

and online programs seemed so seamless to the
community. What was it really like for you and the
rest of your team?
Full of seams! The amount of planning, adapting, and adjusting
to make it all go each day is staggering: so many detailed and
interconnected steps! However, the thrill of getting library
materials safely into people’s hands again makes it worthwhile.
People are so happy to get library books—the energy in that
contactless exchange can feel magical.

You were the chair of the Caldecott Committee

this past year and were unable to gather in person
to celebrate at ALA last summer. What was that
like for you and your committee?
It was bittersweet. We were heartbroken to sacrifice celebrat-
ing in person with our winners. But at the same time, we
were overjoyed that this year’s ceremony was accessible to
everyone. Instead of the traditional banquet in a hotel ball-
room, the American Library Association held the event as
an all-day virtual Book Award Celebration, free and open
to the public. The coordination and thought that went
into making this year’s celebration special meant a great
deal to me.

Do you have anything in particular that you’d like

to say to publishers—about good practices/bad
practices or things you’ve especially appreciated
during the pandemic?
I would like to say thank you! I appreciate all of the extra effort
and support for librarians and libraries. But mostly, I am so
grateful that publishers have continued to create wonderful
books for kids and teens this year. Whatever it is we are miss-
ing right now—be it comfort, adventure, quiet, laughter, tears,
community, understanding—we can find it in a book. I applaud
every extra step that went into publishing a children’s book
in 2020.

One last question: What has become of the

Children’s Room’s beloved gerbils since the
pandemic?
Not to worry—Tallulah and Blanche Gerbil are okay! They
spent an extended three-month holiday at the home of one
of our youth services librarians and are now back in the
Children’s Room. They eat, sleep, frantically run in their
exercise wheel, and look forward to young readers being able
to visit them again—they are surprisingly similar to us.
—Betsy Groban

Betsy Groban has worked for decades in book publishing, public

broadcasting, and arts advocacy.
 After penning 18 romance
novels, Talia Hibbert knows
exactly who she and her
characters are
BY ZORAIDA CÓRDOVA

F
or a brief period, Talia Hibbert thought she was The novel is the third book Hibbert’s published with a major
© ed chappekk uk

going to be a lawyer. Now, a little over three years house, after making her name self-publishing. Big house or no
since graduating from the University of Leicester house, her output is impressive.
in her native U.K., Hibbert, 24, is a bestselling Speaking from Nottinghamshire, where she lives, Hibbert is
author about to see her 18th novel published. wearing a powder blue T-shirt, a black cardigan, and tiny
Act Your Age, Eve Brown (Avon, Mar. 2021) follows a woman Saturn-shaped earrings. She describes the beginning of her
who is described in the book as “a certified hot mess” with writing career as a leap of faith: “I was starting my final year at
purple hair. After she botches an interview for a head chef job university, and I was thinking about how by the end of that year
at a charming B&B, she winds up in a fender bender with the I would have to sort out a job.” She’s on the autism spectrum
B&B’s owner. The crash leaves Jacob Wayne with a broken arm and was faced with daunting questions about her future. She
and only worsens his staff shortage. He’s forced to hire Eve, and says she knew it would be hard to get a job because of her autism.
he begins to discover that the more time they spend together, “People think you’re unreliable or they don’t want to deal with
the more he likes having her around. the red tape.”

66 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y ■ D E C E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 2 0
 Author Profile

The answer presented itself in self-publishing romance Hibbert says. “Friends to lovers. Enemies to lovers. That kind
novels. Around the time of her graduation, Hibbert’s great- of familiarity, and the development and change of the
grandmother passed away. “She was very important to me and relationship.”
she played a big role in my life,” Hibbert says. “She’s always Hibbert also loves placing her characters in forced proximity,
been very inspirational to me. She left me some money. It wasn’t putting the hero and heroine in a situation where they can’t
a huge amount, but it was definitely the most money that I’ve escape each other. Take, for example, the setup for her November
ever had at one time.” release, Wrapped Up in You, which follows two friends who are
Until that moment, writing had felt, Hibbert says, like a snowed in together for Christmas (along with 27 cats).
“pie-in-the-sky dream.” She was struck by anxiety and doubt A longtime lover of romance novels, Hibbert says Julia
but gave herself a year to make things work. Quinn’s Splendid began her obsession with the genre. She read
“When I first started writing, I was it when she was 12 after being drawn to
publishing so fast because I really its lime-green cover. She was shocked
needed this to work,” Hibbert notes. by what she found inside.
“Either this needed to be viable or I Hibbert kept devouring more
was going to have to do something romance novels, largely populated by
else. I was so desperate to get it off the white characters and written by white
ground, and that desperation was authors. When she found her way to
really feeding my creativity. I’m lucky, e-book romances, her world expanded.
because it could have been very sti- She saw authors from different cultural
fling. I have never been as productive backgrounds writing their truths, and
as I was that year. I probably never will she points to Alisha Rai (Girl Gone
be again.” Viral) and Rebekah Weatherspoon,
Hibbert’s first novel was self-pub- founder of Women of Color in Romance,
lished for the simple reason that she as examples.
didn’t consider another route. She says “I was raised in a family with mul-
she assumed traditional publishing tiple cultural heritages, and I think you
wasn’t an avenue open to her. can see that reflected in my books,”
Romance publishing has had a long Hibbert says. “My mum is half Roma
history of marginalizing BIPOC and half Sierra Leonean and my dad is
writers. In the 37-year history of the Jamaican, and his parents came here
RITA Awards (the onetime Oscars of with the Windrush generation.”
romance writing), only two Black Diversity has been a divisive topic in
women won top honors. In 2019, romance publishing, but that has
Kennedy Ryan’s Long Shot won in the slowly been changing. For this reason,
Contemporary Romance: Long category; that same year, best Act Your Age, Eve Brown is a special novel for Hibbert. “One
novella went to Bad Blood by M. Malone. Both were self-pub- thing I wanted to do was write an autistic romance,” she says.
lished. Under fire over issues surrounding bias and a lack of This is not the first autistic character Hibbert’s written, but
transparency about how RITA winners had been selected, the it is the first she’s written in which both protagonists are
Romance Writers of America (which administers the honors) autistic. “That’s the relationship I’m in,” she says.
retired the awards in 2020. Being able to put her experience on the page has allowed
“I knew I would have to work twice as hard to have a chance,” Hibbert to attempt to deepen the way readers look at diversity.
Hibbert says. Her success in the indie romance space opened the Eve and Jacob share a disability, and yet, Hibbert explains, “they
door to the traditional publishing world. After a literary agent have incredibly different perspectives and they’re affected by
approached her, she says she was “freaking out.” She asked a their autism in different ways.”
friend what to do, and her friend set up a call with her own Hibbert is feeling hopeful about where the romance genre is
agent. That phone call changed Hibbert’s career. She signed headed. “I’m excited about the increase in diversity and the oppor-
with her friend’s agent instead. tunities people have to keep pushing boundaries by widening
Nearly a year after self-publishing her first book and signing what inclusivity means,” she says. “As a romance enthusiast I’m
with Courtney Miller-Callihan, Hibbert landed a three-book so cheering for that, even though I shouldn’t care about people
deal with Avon at auction. Act Your Age, Eve Brown is the third recognizing my genre, because it’s special as it is.” ■
book in the Brown Sisters series and heavily features two things
Hibbert is passionate about: tropes and diversity. Zoraida Córdova is the author of the Brooklyn Brujas series and the coeditor
“I love tropes where the characters already know each other,” of Vampires Never Get Old.

W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY. C O M 67
 Reviews Fascist government, using his wit and
charm to hide the secret of his learning
disability and inability to read. Sandro
Simone, a brilliant student, lives in Rome’s
Jewish quarter with his obstetrician

Fiction mother and lawyer father, Massimo.

Sandro’s parents want him to date a
Jewish girl, but he is determined to court
Secrets of Happiness Elisabetta, plans that are put to a halt by
Joan Silber. Counterpoint, $27 (288p) Mussolini’s racial laws barring relation-
ISBN 978-1-64009-445-1 ships between Jews and non-Jews.
A crushing indiscretion comes to light Elisabetta succumbs to Marco’s charms,
in the sharp latest from National Book but their relationship is derailed after
Critics Circle Award winner Silber Marco falsely takes credit for a notebook
(Improvement). The story is initially narrated left for her by Sandro to encourage her
by Ethan, a gay Manhattan attorney who In Priyanka Champaneri's vivid debut, The City writing. As the Nazis occupy Rome,
discovers his businessman father, Gil, has of Good Death, a ghost calls a man back to his threatening to arrest and deport Jewish
led a secret double life after Gil is hit with childhood village (reviewed on p. 69). residents, the Simones are stripped of their
a paternity suit by a Thai woman named livelihoods. Sandro and Massimo are even-
Nok. Gil suffers several strokes and home for its trustees. There, with his tually rounded up by the Nazis, and Marco
decides to recover with his Thai family, beloved Remington typewriter, he labors and Elisabetta go to increasingly dangerous
and awkward visitations ensue at Nok’s over his memoirs. His account revolves lengths to try to rescue them. While the
apartment, where Gil calls Nok Abby, around two axes: his childhood fascination dialogue is a bit wooden at times, Scot-
Ethan’s mother’s name. The situation’s with the archaeological adventures in toline expertly brings historical events to
emotional complexity unfolds and expands Egypt of his distant cousin Sir William life. Fans of WWII fiction will be drawn to
through accounts from a diverse range of Matthew Flinders Petrie, which Lloyd’s this immersive, emotional novel. Agent:
interconnected narrators, juggled by Silber father impulsively joined, and a school-age Robert Gottlieb, Trident Media Group. (Mar.)
with uncanny dexterity. In addition to infatuation with a mysterious classmate,
witty and genially confident Ethan, there’s Ben-Zion Elefantin, who claimed to be The Rain Heron
Abby, who now teaches English in from Egypt. Ozick is adept at capturing Robbie Arnott. FSG Originals, $16 trade paper
Thailand; Ethan’s half brother, Joe, who the vicissitudes of fading memory or flashes (288p) ISBN 978-0-374-53930-6
feels uneasy about the return from Bangkok of lucid insight, and she unspools the story Arnott’s vibrant and violent latest (after
of his younger brother Jack, whom Joe had at a brisk pace. While Petrie’s lively venom Flames) follows two women on their hunt
recently freed from jail by bribing the and wit are sometimes overdone by Ozick’s for a mythical creature in the aftermath of
police; various characters’ ex-lovers and overwrought efforts to develop his private- a violent military coup. After a folkloric
their exes; a Nepalese film director; and school mannerisms (Ben-Zion Elefantin sketch about a legendary rain heron’s
others. These perspectives become an has a “farcical pachyderm name”; Temple ability to grant both bounty and destruc-
extended family of sorts conjoined by love retains “Oxonian genuflections”), the novel tion, Arnott shifts to Ren, an older woman
yet tormented by the past. As more layers becomes a fascinating portrait of isolation, living on a mountain whose quiet life is
peel away across continents, the fallout of memory, and loss as Petrie’s health and the interrupted by the arrival of army lieu-
Gil’s affair trickles down through Silber’s state of Temple become more perilous. tenant Zoe Harker, a veteran of the coup.
intricate and emotionally elaborate study of While it doesn’t reach the heights of her Zoe has been ordered to capture the rain
emotional ties. This mesmerizing story of greatest work, this is impressive nonethe- heron, and she tries to force Ren to reveal
love, lies, and the consequences of betrayal less. Agent: Melanie Jackson, Melanie Jackson the bird’s location. Ren resists, leading to a
brims with heart and intelligence. (May) Agency. (Apr.) fight in which Zoe loses an eye. Flashbacks
flesh out Zoe’s childhood in a seaside
Antiquities Eternal town, where a stranger kills Zoe’s aunt for
Cynthia Ozick. Knopf, $20 (192p) ISBN 978-0- Lisa Scottoline. Putnam, $28 (480p) ISBN 978- defying him, an episode that leads Zoe to
593-31882-9 0-525-53976-6 realize, in the present, that she’s become
Ozick (Foreign Bodies) delivers a Scottoline’s admirable foray into histor- the invader. As Zoe continues the search
beguiling novel of a man living in the ical fiction (after her Rosato & Associates for the rain heron with Ren in tow and her
past. In 1949, Lloyd Wilkinson Petrie, a series) visits pre-WWII Italy during medic, Daniel, tending to both women’s
retired lawyer estranged from his friends Mussolini’s rise to power as three teenage wounds, Arnott describes mythic scenery
and his only son, has returned to live at friends navigate a love triangle. Elisabetta (“Soon after entering these wild fields the
the Temple Academy, the boarding school D’Orfeo works at a restaurant to support road doglegged, and over this bend Daniel
he attended as a child, which has been her alcoholic father. Marco Terrizzi, the saw the river’s death”). Though the plot
converted into a makeshift retirement son of a bar owner, begins his rise in the doesn’t always hang together, Arnott

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 Review_FICTION

fascinates with fable-like stories and

thoughtful meditations on the conse-
quences of lessons learned too late. The [Q&A]
beautiful imagery and magical moments
carry the reader through an occasionally PW Talks with Joan Silber
bumpy journey. (Feb.)
Family Affairs
The City of Good Death
Priyanka Champaneri. Restless, $27 (434p) The exposure of a married New Yorker’s secret life with a Thai
ISBN 978-1-6320-6252-9 woman has long-ranging consequences in Silber’s Secrets of Happiness
In Champaneri’s ambitious, vivid (Counterpoint, May; reviewed on p. 68).
debut, the dying come to the holy city of
Kashi to die a good death that frees them What made you want to write about interested in shifting perspectives,
from the burden of reincarnation. Pramesh characters from Thailand? that there isn’t just one way to tell
Prasad has managed Shankarbhavan, a I first traveled to Southeast Asia in the story. That’s my happiest habit
hostel in the city, for almost 10 years. 2001 and loved it on sight, having as a writer.
When the body of his cousin, Sagar, is spent the most time in Thailand and
found in the Ganges, Pramesh is forced to Laos. I was originally attracted to the Your novel is anchored with the theme
confront the past he left behind when he region because of my interest in of forbidden and secret relationships.
ran away from his village to pursue an Buddhism. It’s a place where nonag- What makes them so interesting?
education and turned his back on Sagar, gression is valued, so people don’t We always want to know about peo-
with whom he’d been inseparable. In believe in being confrontational and ple’s secrets. It’s in the title for that
Kashi, he married Shobha, daughter of it’s a big affront if anybody is. And I reason. The part of life that someone is
the hostel’s previous manager, who’s dis- love that. hiding I think is forever fascinating to
mayed with the presence of Sagar’s ghost, us. When I titled the
which threatens Shankarbhavan’s reputa- Where did the idea for book, I was thinking
tion by causing residents to resist their a plot about a family about secrets in two
deaths. Shobha encourages Pramesh to man with a double life ways. One was that
return with her to his village to meet come from? the husband has had
with Sagar’s widow, Kamna, believing I was talking with a this secret life for
that the two women can solve the problem friend and she knew decades that no one’s
if they talk to each other. In sharp prose, someone who discov- known about, and
Champaneri explores the power of stories— ered that her husband the other is that the
those the characters tell themselves, those had this other family, wife really finds in
told about them, and those they believe— and she ended up trav- some ways her own
such as an ingrained narrative of Kamna eling abroad as well. secret to happiness.
as a “shameless woman” in Pramesh’s Whenever I’ve given She really comes out
village, which Shobha, mindful of women’s readings from that of it more solid than
oppression in their society, gradually chips chapter, somebody anyone else in the
away at. This epic, magical story of death comes up to me after- story. I was interested
teems with life. Agent: Leigh Feldman, ward and says, “I had in the resources she
Leigh Feldman Literary. (Feb.) an uncle like that.” So, I think double brings into the situation and the stuff
families are much more common than she takes out of it.
Pop
I had imagined.
Robert Gipe. Ohio Univ., $28.95 (340p)
What do you want readers to come
ISBN 978-0-8214-2439-1
Why did you decide to write from so away with after reading Secrets of
A headlong tumble into a proud and
many different perspectives? Happiness?
problem-plagued Appalachia, this addic-
I’ve been doing my own version of That it’s much better to be generous
tive illustrated novel by Gipe (third in a
linked stories and novels that are in than not. And to appreciate different
series after Weedeater) is a delightful gabfest.
Set in 2016 in eastern Kentucky’s imagi- pieces for a while and I feel like I’ve perspectives; that your story isn’t the
nary Canard County (known, one character done my best work in that mode. only one. My mother used to say—as
laments, for “mine strikes and poverty The thing I love about this form is mothers did then—“You’re not the
programs and everybody being hooked on that one part of it will generate only pebble on the beach.”
pills”), it follows an ambitious but oft- ideas for another part. I’m very —Jim Piechota
derailed family’s misadventures. Middle-
aged Dawn is drowning in agoraphobic

W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY. C O M 69
 Review_FICTION

Internet-frazzled depression, her foodie Arab teenager unsurprising, Disabato makes Eve’s friend
teenage daughter Nicolette deals with the raised on group come alive on the page and in her
aftermath of a sexual assault while planning western dime texts. Still, other novels have done more
to start an artisanal soda company, and novels; and with similar milieux. (Feb.)
uncle Hubert is trying to make money off a three Legion-
local movie shoot. Each narrates in voices naires known as Honey Girl
laced with hard-bitten realism (Hubert on Athos, Porthos, Morgan Rogers. Park Row, $17.99 trade paper
the election: “Them two was fighting over a and Aramis. (352p) ISBN 978-0-7783-1102-7
pie we’d forgot the taste of”) and delightful Armed with In Rogers’s frothy debut, a high-
colloquialisms (Hubert again, on an attrac- only his wits, achieving 20-something Black woman
tive young woman: “She walked through big heart and blows up her life. Grace Porter is
the smoke like she was the fire”), chan- his father’s spending a weekend in Las Vegas with her
neling the feral lyricism of Barry Hannah keepsake Winchester, Lincoln is an two friends to celebrate completing her
as Gipe cruises through the episodic and old-fashioned hero worth rooting for. doctorate in astronomy, when she wakes
ragtag plot. The scribbled-looking spot Jacobson ingeniously colors in Lincoln’s up to find a note from Yuki Yamamoto, a
illustrations feature characters as reedy adventures with elements of Dumas, Jules woman she’d hooked up with—and
figures with flyaway hair and no-nonsense Verne, and P.C. Wren’s Beau Geste mixed gotten married to—the night before.
expressions, bringing them down to earth with much Indiana Jones–style derring- Back home in Portland, Ore., Grace
with delicious irony. Comedy and tragedy do. This is a ride worth taking. (Feb.) reckons with her reckless behavior and
make way for unexpected uplift in this hazy “champagne-pink” memories while
richly detailed story of people determined U Up? trying to continue living up to her strict,
not to be forgotten. (Feb.) Catie Disabato. Melville House, $17.99 trade financially supportive military father’s
paper (320p) ISBN 978-1-61219-891-0 expectations as she pursues a career in a
All the Cowboys Ain’t Gone Disabato (The Ghost Network) offers a field dominated by white men. Even
John J. Jacobson. Blackstone, $27.99 (400p) poignant if strained story of grief, ghosts, though Grace is surrounded by a loving
ISBN 978-1-79995-566-5 and friendship. When Eve, a Los Angeles group of friends and roommates, she still
In Jacobson’s rollicking debut, a young slacker and witch, finds out her best feels alone and untethered. She decides to
Texas cowboy heads overseas at the turn friend, Ezra, is going to Palm Springs abandon her life plan to travel to New
of the 20th century. Lincoln Smith, son with his girlfriend, Noz, on the anniver- York to meet Yuki, a waitress and late-
of a legendary Texas Ranger and Vassar- sary weekend of their friend Miggy’s sui- night radio storyteller. Still feeling rest-
educated mother, performs in a traveling cide, thus breaking Eve and Ezra’s initial less, Grace heads to Florida to work on
Wild West show in 1899 after his expul- plans to honor Miggy together, Eve is her free-spirited mother’s orange grove.
sion from Dartmouth, where he was livid. Various text threads unspool There, Grace searches for a way to move
decidedly out of step with his peers. After through Eve’s narration, including one forward on her own terms. While the
the show folds and Lincoln’s girlfriend with Miggy’s ghost, who encourages Eve story’s minimal tension gives the reader
ditches him, he joins the French Foreign to let Ezra “deal with his grief in his own ample time to wonder if it’s worth
Legion and makes his way to the Middle way.” After Eve gets a “u up?” text from plowing through, the dialogue is pitch-
Eastern kingdom of Mur. Along the way, Ezra, she learns Noz has just broken up perfect (“What the hell would I look like
he meets two American treasure hunters with him, and by the next day, Ezra has on Dateline talking about how you disap-
who also plan to enlist. While he’s there, stopped responding to her messages. peared in Las Vegas?” a friend admonishes
Mur is under attack by dervishes worship- Fearing Ezra has disappeared, Eve drops Grace). Patient readers will find plenty to
ping the crocodile god, Thanatos, though everything to find him. As she searches for appreciate in this rom-com. Agent: Holly
this is just a feint for a covert German clues to Ezra’s whereabouts, meeting up Root, Root Literary. (Feb.)
attempt to wrest control of the oil-rich with various mutual friends amid texting
kingdom away from the French. To fight and hooking up with her ex-girlfriend, The Trial of George W. Bush
the dervish-German alliance, Lincoln and Disabato makes clear—heavy-handedly— Terry Jastrow. Square One, $16.95 trade
the two American enlistees team up with that Eve has some lessons to learn about paper (224p) ISBN 978-0-7570-0506-0
Amanda Montier, the French ambassa- selfishness and recognizing other people’s Jastrow puts the 43rd president on trial
dor’s kidnapped daughter; Omar, a plucky feelings. Though the ending’s twists are for war crimes in his provocative if uneven
▲

Our Reviewers
Allen Appel Kate De Groot Marc Igler Peter McPherson Gwyn Plummer Kerine Wint
Chris Barsanti Scottie Draughon Gabino Iglesias Sheri Melnick Ingrid Roper Erika Wurth
Carole V. Bell Kate Dunn Michael M. Jones Taylor Michael Ken Salikof Mattie Wyndham
Nancy Bloch Caitlin Farley Juliet Kahn Dai Newman Lorraine Savage Sarah Yung
Vicki Bloom Annie Farrell Hilary S. Kayle Eric Norton Antonia Saxon
Charlene Brusso Suzanne Fox Cheryl Klein Erica Obey Martha Schulman
Monica Carter Shaenon Garrity Christian Kreznar Kristin Perkins Marta Tandori
Donis Casey Marene Gustin Sally Lodge Leonard Picker Jennifer Taylor
Arvyn Cerézo Patricia Guy Kaitlin López Jim Piechota Adriana Teitelbaum
Stephanie Cohen Jennifer Laine Gyurisin Patty MacDonald Isabella Pilotta Goi Chika Unigwe

70 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y ■ D E C E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 2 0
 Review_FICTION

debut. While golfing in Scotland in the Elisabeth’s parallel courtships by multiple observes and participates in minor bits of
present day, George W. Bush is hastily suitors, leading toward a second run-in domestic magic, such as interacting with
arrested by UN commandos and whisked between the two in 1834 Chile, as Lewis her grandfather’s ghost and engaging in
to the Hague. The U.S. military plan a and Hendrick head back to Suriname for homely rituals. At school, she faces mean
rescue operation, but it’s aborted, leaving more adventures. While the ending is a girls as she tries to find where she fits in,
Bush to grumpily assemble a defense bit underwhelming, more satisfying is eventually becoming part of the long-
team to combat charges of crimes against what lies in store for some of the other distance running team. Some accuse her
humanity committed during the Iraq characters, such as the ironic outcome of grandfather of having been an informer
War. The prosecution, led by a team of Claus’s preoccupation with shrunken for the previous regime, but others dis-
American and Iraqi lawyers, builds its heads. Bartulin’s intricate canvas handily miss that as nonsense. Below the surface,
case using the Iraqi blogger known as captures the vagaries of human life. (Feb.) violence is still simmering from the revo-
Riverbend, who agrees to testify only in a lution that could strike close to Emma.
burka and with a disguised voice, and The Bone Fire One small incident follows another until
former State Department official Richard György Dragomán, trans. from the Hungarian some dramatic action in the final pages.
A. Clarke. The defense calls Gen. Tommy by Ottilie Mulzet. Mariner, $16.99 trade paper The striking mix of magical elements and
Franks and Condolezza Rice, and ulti- (480p) ISBN 978-0-544-52720-1 post-Communist setting compensates for
mately Bush decides to take the stand. As At the start of this evocative work of the lack of much of a plot. Fans of Gabriel
the trial concludes, a last-minute revela- magic realism from Dragomán (The White García Márquez may want to have a look.
tion leaves the outcome undetermined. King), 13-year-old Emma, who’s been Agent: Chris Parris-Lamb, Gernert Co.
Jastrow shines when portraying Bush’s living since the death of her parents in an (Feb.)
defiance (“ ‘You are in deep shit for doing orphanage in an unnamed city and
this,’ Bush said, ripping up the arrest country that’s recently overthrown its Naked Truth or Equality,
warrant and flinging it back in the deputy Communist government, is claimed by a the Forbidden Fruit
prosecutor’s face”), but the skimpiness of grandmother she didn’t know existed. Carrie M. Hayes. HTPH, $14.99 e-book
the trial and underdeveloped characters The grandmother convinces Emma with a (322p) ISBN 978-0-578-22910-2
dull the impact of his what-if scenario. bit of magic that they’re related. At her Manipulation, ambition, and seduc-
The promise of this intriguing thought grandmother’s house, Emma regularly tion rule the day in Hayes’s mischievous
experiment isn’t realized. (Feb.)

Fortune
Lenny Bartulin. Arcade, $25.99 (298p)
★ The Kindest Lie
Nancy Johnson. Morrow, $27.99 (336p) ISBN 978-0-06-300563-1

J
ISBN 978-1-951627-29-4
Australian writer Bartulin channels ohnson’s sharp debut takes a deep dive into the life
Henry Fielding in this spirited account of of a Black Chicago woman after the 2008 presidential
a handful of strangers who cross paths
election. Ruth Tuttle, 29, feels like she’s made it:
across decades and the planet. During
she’s married to a Pepsi exec and thriving in her own
Napoleon’s triumphant Oct. 27, 1806,
career as a chemical engineer. However, her marriage
appearance in Berlin, the reader meets
hits a rocky spot when, during a talk with her husband,
Johannes Meyer, an 18-year-old dreamer
Xavier, about having children, she reveals she had a son
who cares little for his future; Elisabeth
at age 17. Her grandmother, Mama, who raised her,
von Hoffman, 17, whose wanderlust is
encouraged Ruth to give up her son to fulfill her
quashed by her guardian aunt; Claus von
dreams, and now, after Ruth asks for help in finding
Rolt, a Prussian obsessed with collecting
exotic beetles and other objects; American him, Mama tells Ruth not to go digging up the past.
entrepreneur Wesley Lewis Jr.; and Still, Ruth returns to Ganton, determined to find her
enslaved Surinamese man Mr. Hendrick, son before she starts a family with Xavier. With the auto plant that employed her
who is forced to accompany Lewis on a brother, Eli, and her grandfather now closed, the town is reeling. Here, Johnson’s
mission to deliver a barrel of electric eels lens widens to address the increasing racial divide following Obama’s election,
to von Rolt. Johannes and Elisabeth, who and she dramatizes it through a friendship forged between Ruth and an 11-year-
glimpse each other for a moment in a old white boy named Midnight, whose abusive father also lost his job. Midnight
crowd, are at the center of the narrative, is friends with a Black boy named Corey Cunningham, who Ruth deduces is her
set primarily against Napoleon’s military son after Eli defends him from a racially motivated attack by a group of white
campaigns. With consummate skill, boys. As Ruth learns more about what’s happened to her town and reckons with
Bartulin weaves the trajectory of what she left behind, powerful insights emerge on the plurality of Black American
Johannes’s conscriptions in the French experience and the divisions between rural and urban life, and the wealthy and
and British military (and subsequent the working class. Johnson’s clear-eyed saga hits hard. (Feb.)
imprisonments and escapes) with

W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY. C O M 71
 Review_FICTION

debut. In 1868 New York City, sisters secrets to the Russians in exchange for the Faithless in Death
Tennessee Claflin and Victoria Wood- release of her husband. Katsu, a former J.D. Robb. St. Martin’s, $28.99 (400p)
hull work as clairvoyants for rich patrons. intelligence analyst, captures the thorny ISBN 978-1-250-27274-4
Ditching their abusive husbands, the but oddly intimate alliance between two The murder of sculptress Ariel Byrd in
sisters embark on a carefully orches- CIA officers who share an adversarial her West Village apartment drives best-
trated plan to seduce their way into relationship with their employer, while seller Robb’s well-crafted 52nd police
places of power. Tennessee wants to providing an intriguing look at the day- procedural set in mid-21st-century New
quit spiritualism and take up investing, to-day office politics and jostling that York City (after 2020’s Shadows in Death).
and so she hitches herself first to goes on behind Langley’s walls. Best Oddly, the 911 call reporting Ariel’s
Cornelius Vanderbilt and then to New known for her novels of psychological murder comes from the Upper East Side,
York Herald publisher James Gorden terror, Katsu shows a sure hand at a new from Gwen Huffman, the scion of a rich
Bennett Jr. Victoria joins the suffragette genre. Agent: Richard Pine, InkWell and powerful family. When Lt. Eve Dallas
movement, starts a newspaper, and Management. (Mar.) of the New York City Police and Security
declares herself a candidate for president Department questions Gwen in the com-
of the U.S. The sisters are involved in ★ The Minders pany of her lawyer-cum-fiancé, Eve finds
some of the era’s biggest events, such as John Marrs. Berkley, $16 trade paper (416p) many inconsistencies in Gwen’s story that
the 1869 Black Friday gold scandal, the ISBN 978-0-593-33472-0 are soon revealed as lies. Aided by the
passage of the 15th Amendment, and a In this high-octane near-future FBI; Eve’s husband, Roarke (a billionaire
libel case involving Henry Ward thriller from Marrs (The Passengers), a technology guru); and some plucky
Beecher, whose sister, Harriet Beecher covert program to preserve the country’s housewives, Eve and her colleagues in the
Stowe, Tennessee clashes with over most crucial records enlists citizens in a NYPSD uncover a deadly conspiracy that
Harriet’s decision to have her daughter most unusual way. Two years earlier, the includes some of the most influential men
circumcised. Hayes’s candid romp Hacking Collective infiltrated the net- in the country. Robb skillfully balances
meticulously underscores the women’s work controlling autonomous vehicles, the personal and professional lives of her
struggles for political power, self-deter- causing collisions that claimed over protagonists, all the while maintaining a
mination, and control over their money. 5,000 lives. Subsequently, the Collective quick pace that keeps the investigation
Appearances by many historical figures has launched massive ransomware attacks, squarely in the frame. The final triumph
dovetail with the indomitable sisters’ leading to fears that the National Archives of right over might will leave readers
fictional escapades. Readers will devour could also be exhilarated. This long-running series
the twists, intrigue, triumphs, and compromised. shows no sign of losing steam. Agent: Amy
occasional failures of Hayes’s spirited The radical Berkower, Writers House. (Feb.)
sisters. (Self-published) solution, to buy
time while the Blink of an Eye
security forces Iris and Roy Johansen. Grand Central, $28
Mystery/Thriller devise ultra- (352p) ISBN 978-1-5387-6288-2
secure computer In bestseller Johansen and son’s
Red Widow systems, is to engrossing eighth novel featuring FBI
Alma Katsu. Putnam, $27 (352p) ISBN 978-0- take all its con- consultant Kendra Michaels (after 2020’s
525-53941-4 tents offline by Hindsight), Kendra investigates the kid-
Lyndsey Duncan, one of two female converting the napping of superstar singer Delilah
CIA officers at the center of this quiet but data into binary code that would then be Winter from the Hollywood Bowl during
gripping espionage thriller from Katsu stored in DNA and injected into people’s a performance. When the kidnappers
(Hunger), has just returned to CIA head- brains, where it could later be retrieved. demand a ransom of $20 million, dating-
quarters in Langley, Va., her reputation Those living repositories, known as site billionaire Noah Calderon, who was
tainted by an affair she had with a British Minders, are selected after passing a test once in a relationship with Delilah, agrees
intelligence officer in Lebanon. Nonethe- that’s aimed at people with synesthesia. to provide the money, and Department of
less, she’s assigned to check out rumors of Of course, the plan doesn’t go smoothly, Justice black ops expert Adam Lynch,
a mole in the CIA’s Moscow operation. leading to several violent deaths and the who has a complicated relationship with
Lyndsey’s investigation eventually leads government losing track of the Minders’ Kendra from Hindsight, is tapped to
her to analyst Theresa Warner, who’s still whereabouts. The effective world- deliver it. When the delivery is aborted,
reeling from the apparent death of her building includes showing how DNA the kidnappers demand an additional $5
husband, an agency spy handler who dis- research extends into other realms of million and ask Kendra’s friend Jessie
appeared in Russia two years earlier while society. This page-turner never sacrifices Mercado, Delilah’s former security
on a mission. Theresa has discovered that the characters’ humanity for the sake of director, to make the delivery. Meanwhile,
her husband is still alive, in a Russian plot. Marrs has definitely upped his game. the FBI, Kendra, and Lynch tirelessly
prison, and the CIA has been lying to her. (Feb.) search for clues to the kidnappers’ identi-
An outraged Theresa has agreed to pass ties. Kendra has ample opportunity to

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display her keen deductive skills as the

suspenseful plot builds to an explosive
[Q&A] finale. Series fans will be well satisfied.
PW Talks with John Marrs Agent: Andrea Cirillo, Jane Rotrosen Agency.
(Feb.)

Data Minders Dangerous Women

Hope Adams. Berkley, $26 (336p) ISBN 978-0-
In The Minders (Berkley, Feb.; reviewed on p. 72), Marrs envisions a 593-09957-5
future in which advances in DNA technology enable massive amounts Adams’s debut transforms an actual
of data to be stored in people’s brains. 19th-century sea voyage into a striking
personal drama. In April 1841, a trans-
Where did the idea for this book come tastic neuroscientist in the U.S. who port ship sets sail from London with 180
from? assisted me in making this science women convicted of minor crimes aboard.
One evening, I found myself in an make sense to a layman like me, and to During the three-month voyage to the
internet rabbit hole and stumbled help incorporate it into my story. penal colony in Van Diemen’s Land (now
across a website dedicated to con- Tasmania), the ship’s matron, Kezia
spiracy theories. Some posters’ sug- How did the plot change from your Hayter, chooses a group of convicts to sew
gestions appeared quite credible, original conception? a presentation quilt. Near their destina-
others were utterly insane. But it left It didn’t change very much at all, with tion, someone stabs one of the quilters,
me thinking, what would it be like the exception of the very ending. Life Hattie Matthews, and it becomes clear
to know all of your country’s deepest, isn’t wrapped up in neat little pack- that another member of the group has
darkest secrets? And if they were ages with definitive explanations, and secretly stolen the place of another woman
offered to you, but you couldn’t tell sometimes I like my books to finish in on the ship in order to flee from justice for
anyone else, would a way that’s open to a much more serious crime. Evocative
you still want to find interpretation. But this sketches of those on board reveal the reali-
out? I thought it one felt it deserved ties of poor women’s lives with a gently
might make the more closure. So when I feminist, but still comfortably period,
premise for an inter- thought it was complete, aesthetic, as do the difficulties that Kezia
esting thriller. I decided to rework the has in having her insights respected by
ending to give the char- the men investigating Hattie’s stabbing.
Your plot hinges on acters and the reader a The romance that develops between Kezia
the idea that the more conclusive finish. and the ship’s captain comes off as blandly
entire contents of the inevitable, but the undercurrent of gossip
British National Do your novels share around the relationships the other women
Archives could be any themes? pursue is much juicier. Readers who like
transferred to the I didn’t think they did their historical mysteries well-grounded
minds of people with until a blogger pointed in real history will be rewarded. Agent:
an unusual form of out to me recently that Nelle Andrew, Rachel Mills Literary. (Feb.)
synaesthesia. What escape, reinvention,
was the inspiration for that? and loss are the underlying themes of Robert Ludlum’s
I was searching for a way for my many of my eight novels. While I’m
The Treadstone Exile
Joshua Hood. Putnam, $28 (384p) ISBN 978-0-
characters to carry a vast amount of very happy and content in my own
525-54262-9
information inside them and saw a TV life, I put my characters through the
Hood’s fast-paced sequel to 2019’s
program about British trip-hop band ringer as they try to discover whether
Robert Ludlum’s The Treadstone Resurrection
Massive Attack, and how millions of the grass really is greener on the other
finds Adam Hayes, a former operative for
copies of one of their albums were put side. I try to use my books to ask
Treadstone, a CIA unit that “turned him
into spray paint using synthetic DNA. readers a question about tech and
into a government-sanctioned assassin,”
The music is then stored in any morality. My books are fictional,
in Ceuta, Spain, where he’s feeling proud
painting made using the spray can. therefore I get to push boundaries of himself for not having killed anyone in
The documentary also asked the ques- and create original and thought- 152 days. He’s left his wife and child
tion, “Could DNA be the new way we provoking thrillers. At least that’s behind in America and gone on the run
store all our data?” Again, I turned to what I hope! after the U.S. government declared him
the internet for help, and I found a fan- —Lenny Picker persona non grata. In Ceuta, he becomes
involved in a smuggling ring, and the
no-kill record is soon broken. Meanwhile,

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Andre Cabot, the founder and CEO of a The Museum of Desire), a cold case preoccu- twist and turn, Naymark ratchets up the
cybersecurity firm, is in financial diffi- pies the L.A. consulting psychologist and tension. This is an original, satisfying
culty, and decides to steal his way back his friend and colleague, Lt. Milo Sturgis of roller-coaster ride for domestic suspense
into solvency. Hayes lands right in the the LAPD: the death of Dorothy Swoboda, fans. Agent: Paula Munier, Talcott Notch
middle of Cabot’s plans and must be dealt whose burned body was found in a car Literary Services. (Feb.)
with. Never mind clichéd prose (“Get the below Mulholland Drive 36 years earlier.
hell out of Dodge”), a surfeit of backstory, Dorothy’s 39-year-old daughter, Ellie Lady Jail
and voices in the heads of Hayes and other Barker, who recently sold her lucrative exer- John Farrow. Severn, $28.99 (256p) ISBN 978-
characters that yammer at them in italics. cise wear business for millions, remains 0-7278-9073-3
Few thriller fans will be able to resist as haunted by the loss of her mother, who Farrow’s enjoyable ninth Émile Cinq-
the author hauls them by their necks abandoned her when she was three. Now Mars novel (after 2020’s Roar Back) takes
down many rough roads while Hayes Ellie wants an explanation for what one the Montreal detective-sergeant to
mows down the opposition. Hood is a report at the time called a murder and Quebec’s Joliette Institution for Women
master of action. Agent: Sloan Harris, ICM another a one- (aka Lady Jail), where the inmates live in
Partners. (Feb.) vehicle accident. communal groups, to investigate the
Armed with the garroting murder of Florence, the trou-
Crimson Phoenix thinnest of case blemaker in a group of eight women.
John Gilstrap. Kensington, $26 (512p) files, Milo and Newly arrived prisoner Abigail Lauzon,
ISBN 978-1-4967-2855-5 Alex uncover a convicted in an investigation led by Cinq-
The U.S. approves an Israeli first-strike disturbing Mars of embezzling a large sum of money
to destroy Iranian nuclear weapons, in this number of mur- in a fraud case, is the leading suspect.
pallid near-future series launch from best- ders that seem The government wants the unrecovered
seller Gilstrap (the Jonathan Grave series). related to money in the fraud case back, and pres-
Given the threat of nuclear war, all mem- Dorothy, and sures Cinq-Mars to threaten Abigail with
bers of Congress are transported to an they realize that a life sentence for Florence’s murder unless
underground bunker in West Virginia, the killing spree might not yet be over. she reveals where she hid the money. As
but Victoria Emerson, a U.S. representa- Kellerman maintains pace and suspense Cinq-Mars questions the seven surviving
tive from that state, balks at entering through the interactions of the characters— women, he finds not all is as it appears,
when she’s told her two teenage sons witnesses, detectives, relatives of the vic- especially regarding each inmate’s crimes
accompanying her aren’t welcome inside. tims—all of whom are rendered in striking and the reason each was chosen for Lady
She resigns her post to go in search of her and precise detail. This entry is pure plea- Jail placement. His verbal sparring with
third son, a student at a West Virginia sure, intelligently delivered. (Feb.) Abigail is one of the book’s highlights.
military academy. When word of the gov- Bureaucratic intrigues and complications
ernment’s precautions leaks to the press, Hide in Place in Cinq-Mars’s love life enrich the plot.
Iran acts first, killing millions of Israelis Emilya Naymark. Crooked Lane, $26.99 Fans of intelligent police procedurals will
with multiple nukes and triggering a (288p) ISBN 978-1-64385-637-7 be rewarded. (Feb.)
Russian attack that takes out 13 U.S. Single mother Laney Bird, the heroine
cities, the president, and the vice presi- of Naymark’s promising debut and series Murder at Mabel’s Motel:
dent. The House speaker is left to try to launch, gave up her career as an NYPD A Granny Reid Mystery
run the country after most of America’s undercover narcotics detective and moved G.A. McKevett. Kensington, $26 (304p)
power grid is knocked out, while con- to Sylvan, N.Y., an idyllic town upstate ISBN 978-1-4967-2906-4
tending with opposition to his leadership where she believed her troubled son, Set in McGill, Ga., sometime in the
inside the facility. Implausible details— Alfie, would be safe. Three years after the 1980s, McKevett’s bittersweet third
both the president and v-p are in two settle in Sylvan, 13-year-old Alfie dis- Granny Reid mystery (after 2019’s
Washington, D.C., just hours before the appears on his way to school band practice Murder in the Corn Maze) finds Stella Reid
planned Israeli operation, leaving them one night, and Laney is forced to realize preparing for her first date with Sheriff
vulnerable—don’t help a familiar story the Hudson Valley is no safer than the Manny Gilford, much to the amusement
line. Still, fans of apocalyptic thrillers inner city. The school administration of the seven grandchildren she’s raising
may want to check this out. Agent: Molly assumes this is just one more of the behav- alone. The rare night out for the over-
Friedrich, Friedrich Agency. (Feb.) iors that already have Alfie on the verge of worked grandmother is interrupted when
expulsion. By-the-books cop Ed Boswell Manny is called to investigate an assault
★ Serpentine: is more sympathetic, but he, too, has had on 19-year-old Yolanda Ortez by local
An Alex Delaware Novel to deal with Alfie’s acting out in the past. lowlife Billy Ray Sonner and his racist
Jonathan Kellerman. Ballantine, $28.99 When Laney discovers that Alfie’s disap- gang. The attack was interrupted before
(368p) ISBN 978-0-525-61855-3 pearance is tied to her own past, she must the worst could happen, but Manny is
In Edgar winner Kellerman’s top-notch confront a vengeful ex-con as well as what anxious to find Billy Ray before he does
36th Alex Delaware novel (after 2020’s it truly means to be a parent. With each more damage, or Yolanda’s outraged

76 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y ■ D E C E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 2 0
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father gets to him. When Billy Ray’s rav-

aged body is discovered at an abandoned
motel outside of town, no cause of death is
★ Magpie Lane
Lucy Atkins. Mobius, $26.99 (368p) ISBN 978-1-78648-557-1

B
apparent, but the door is duct-taped from
the outside. Stella knows only too well y chance, Scottish nanny Dee, the unreliable narrator
that even good people are capable of dia- of this brilliantly orchestrated thriller from British
bolical acts. McKevett poignantly evokes author Atkins (The Night Visitor), meets Nick Law,
how difficult and all-consuming raising the newly appointed master of an Oxford University
seven children can be, but in Stella she has college, who’s in desperate need of her services. Nick, a
created a woman strong and loving former BBC director who was hired, some say, because
enough to do it. Readers will hope this of his useful celebrity contacts, is facing opposition from
series has a long run. Agent: Richard Curtis, the academic old guard. His beautiful, young, ebullient
Richard Curtis Assoc. (Feb.) Scandinavian wife, Mariah, a restorer of historic wallpaper,
isn’t helping matters. Meanwhile, Nick’s eight-year-old
Murder by Numbers:
daughter from his first marriage, Felicity, has been
A Langham and Dupré Mystery
selectively mute since the death of her mother four years
Eric Brown. Severn, $28.99 (208p) ISBN 978-
earlier. When meeting Dee for the first time, Mariah burbles, “Honestly, Nick’s
0-7278-9077-1
right, it feels like kind of a miracle he met you. You’re like Mary Poppins, dropping
Brown’s solid seventh mystery featuring
onto our roof!” But is Dee a benign presence or a sinister one? The answer to that
private detective and thriller writer
question continually shifts with each new and illuminating revelation about the Law
Donald Langham and his wife, literary
agent Marie Dupré (after 2019’s Murder household and Dee’s history. When Felicity vanishes one night, all that speculation
Served Cold), opens on December 3, 1956, comes under the jaundiced eye of the police. Fluid prose, peppered with original
when Maria receives an invitation, marked metaphors, carries the reader along. This is an intelligent, witty, spooky, un-
with the number 6, to “attend a death” put-downable novel. Agent: Judith Murray, Greene & Heaton (U.K.). (Feb.)
that evening. The sender is artist Maxwell
Fenton, whom Maria struck and scarred
with a fireplace poker after he made freshman at Parker College in Bristol, grandmother and autistic brother, Zach,
aggressive sexual advances decades before. Mass., vanishes. The police investigation she runs into Ray Strickland, recently
At the artist’s Essex home, a gaunt and unfolds over five weeks, from Lowell’s dis- released from prison after serving some 20
barely recognizable Fenton details his appearance to the case’s resolution. years for murder, in a bar. Ray’s drunken
grievances against each of the six guests Though there’s not much action, Waugh mumblings (“Folks have a way of disap-
and then shoots himself. Witnessing his builds suspense by raising doubts about pearing ’round here, gator feed”) start
suicide seems to be Fenton’s revenge, until motive and character. Did Lowell run Jori on a relentless crusade to solve the
three of the guests he assembled are mur- away? Is she dead? The search for answers unsolved disappearance of her high school
dered in the order indicated by the numbers to these and other questions will keep sweetheart, Deacon Cormier, and his
on their invitations to Fenton’s death. readers turning the pages, though some family 13 years earlier in 2006. Jori has a
Maria is clearly in danger, but who’s com- will be put off by the cruelly casual form of synesthesia that allows her to
mitting crimes motivated by a dead man’s sexism: “girls” only go to college to find a “hear” colors, and it becomes her secret
grudges? Langham investigates an actor husband, and the “only reasonable expla- weapon in discovering what happened the
friend of Fenton’s who disappeared around nation” for a teenage girl’s disappearance night the Cormiers went missing. Jori’s
the time of the shooting. Though copious is her sneaking off to have an illegal abor- snooping reveals family secrets best left
backstory slows the early chapters, clever tion. Series editor Leslie Klinger’s annota- unspoken, and also draws the attention
plot twists soon spin the dramatic premise tions offer fascinating insights into the of a killer. The stakes rise after Zach is
into a gripping tale. Agatha Christie fans postwar milieu. Those looking for a kidnapped. Herbert keeps the reader
will have fun. Agent: John Jarrold, John period mystery where ordinary cops are guessing as to the killer’s identity. Those
Jarrold Literary (U.K.). (Feb.) the good guys will be rewarded. (Feb.) with a taste for Southern gothic will be
satisfied. Agent: Ann Leslie Tuttle, Dystel,
Last Seen Wearing Not One of Us Goderich & Bourret. (Feb.)
Hillary Waugh. Poisoned Pen, $15.99 trade Debbie Herbert. Thomas & Mercer, $15.95
paper (240p) ISBN 978-1-4642-1305-2 trade paper (326p) ISBN 978-1-5420-2492-1 Jordan’s Branch:
Originally published in 1952, this Soon after Mobile, Ala., event coordi- A Willie Black Mystery
entry in the Library of Congress Crime nator Jori Trahan, the resourceful narrator Howard Owen. Permanent, $29.95 (232p)
Classics series from MWA Grand Master of this unsettling psychological thriller ISBN 978-1-57962-643-3
Waugh (1920–2008) stands as one of the from Herbert (Cold Waters), returns home Early in Owen’s engrossing 10th
first and best police procedurals. On Mar. to Bayou Enigma in Alabama swamp Willie Black mystery (after 2020’s Belle
3, 1950, 18-year-old Lowell Mitchell, a country to care for her cognitively impaired Isle), Willie, a world-weary reporter for a

W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY. C O M 77
 Review_FICTION

struggling Richmond, Va., newspaper, The Ancient Dead: back. Left for dead, she wakes to find the
jumps at the chance to write the memoirs An Amanda Doucette Mystery ship listing in a harbor and the crew and
of Stick David, an old drinking buddy, Barbara Fradkin. Dundurn, $16.99 trade other passengers gone. On land, an
after Stick offers him $50,000, with paper (344p) ISBN 978-1-4597-4381-6 unlikely trio offers help in her effort to
$5,000 up front, for the job. Stick hints The starkly beautiful badlands of the rescue the missing passengers and crew: a
he’ll reveal some secret information that province of Alberta, Canada, home to 10-year-old boy with a vendetta against
will make the book a bestseller, but by the one of the world’s richest collections of the pirate leader, a heroin-addicted
time Willie’s halfway through the first dinosaur bones, provide the backdrop American doctor, and the doctor’s preg-
draft, Stick has spoken about little beyond for Arthur Ellis Award winner Fradkin’s nant teenage girlfriend. Fortunately,
his sexual adventures. Following a missed atmospheric fourth Amanda Doucette Sentro’s memory issues amount to senior
appointment, Willie shows up at Stick’s mystery (after 2018’s Prisoners of Hope). moments and have little impact on her
apartment to find him shot to death. While photographer Todd Ellison is ability to battle bad guys. The complexity
Willie’s investigations into the murder scouting for images for his local history of her character makes up in part for the
lead him into the world of homegrown book, Ghosts of the Ancient Dead, he stock action. Fans of the action flicks will
terrorism, and he stumbles on partial plans stumbles on what he at first believes to enjoy this. Agent: Victoria Sanders, Victoria
for an attack. The only problem is that be a dinosaur bone, only to make the Sanders & Assoc. (Feb.)
Willie and the police “don’t know what, disturbing discovery that it’s of human
when, or where, and the clock is ticking.” origin. Amanda, the dynamic and Blood on Their Hands
The bracing narrative is studded with wit resourceful founder of a cross-Canada Bob Brink. TouchPoint, $17.99 trade paper
and insight, as well as kick-butt action. charity “that offers a glimpse of hope and (306p) ISBN 978-1-946920-96-6
Readers will agree that it’s a pleasure to inspiration to families and youth in At the start of this provocative legal
spend time in Willie’s company. (Feb.) need,” begins to suspect that Todd’s find thriller from Brink (Murder in Palm
may be connected to her uncle, Jonathan Beach: The Homicide That Never Died),
★ Checkmate to Murder Lewis, who disappeared in the area some racist Florida defense attorney Hiram
E.C.R. Lorac. Poisoned Pen, $14.99 trade 30 years earlier. As Amanda probes Garbuncle happens to witness an act of
paper (224p) ISBN 978-1-4642-1509-4 Jonathan’s life, she becomes immersed in police brutality. Two white cops pull over
Set in WWII London, this excellent a mire of deceit. Fradkin keeps readers a Black man, Alec Monceau, supposedly
fair-play mystery from Lorac (1894–1958) guessing about the deceased’s identity as because of a broken taillight. Though
opens on a dramatic note. One evening, each new possibility opens up a new set of Monceau is fully cooperative, one of the
artist Bruce Manaton is in his studio motives and suspects, and the eloquently cops smashes him in the head with his
painting the portrait of an actor while two described landscape is a visceral part of billy club, and the other joins in
other men, a civil servant and a govern- the plot. Fans of regional mysteries will assaulting him before placing him under
ment chemist, are playing chess. Shortly find much to like. (Feb.) arrest for resisting. Garbuncle later meets
after Manaton’s sister pops outside briefly Monceau when he goes shopping at the
to make sure that blackout precautions Water Memory computer store where Monceau works.
have been observed, Special Constable Daniel Pyne. Thomas & Mercer, $24.95 After Monceau goes out of his way to help
Lewis Verraby, who has arrested Canadian (366p) ISBN 978-1-5420-2502-7 Garbuncle by paying a house call to set up
soldier Neil Folliner for murder, intrudes Aubrey Sentro, the heroine of this ini- his new purchase, Garbuncle, despite his
on the quartet. After noticing the front tially slow-moving thriller from Pyne racism, agrees to represent Monceau at
door of the building next to the studio (Fifty Mice), once did covert ops in the trial. Garbuncle convinces the judge that
open, Verraby went inside and found military, but she now does similar work he should be allowed to serve both as
Folliner near the corpse of the soldier’s for a private security firm in Bethesda, defense counsel and eyewitness, setting
great-uncle, Albert, who’d been shot in Md. Suffering from short-term memory up a dramatic courtroom scene. Brink
the head. Folliner insists that Albert was loss from too many blows to the head, makes the depictions of biased policing
already dead when he arrived. Scotland Sentro is in need of a vacation, and books a ring true. (Self-published)
Yard’s Chief Insp. Robert Macdonald, place on a cargo
Lorac’s series sleuth, looks beyond the ship headed to
obvious—that Folliner is guilty—at the South America SF/Fantasy/Horror
possible motives of the others on the along with a few
scene, including Verraby. The astute other passen- We Are Satellites
Macdonald’s interrogations and deduc- gers. The pace Sarah Pinsker. Berkley, $16 trade paper
tions lead to a satisfying resolution. The picks up when (400p) ISBN 978-1-984802-60-6
characters are all well-delineated, and the pirates storm Nebula Award winner Pinsker’s cold
clues artfully hidden. First published in the ship, and and cerebral latest (after A Song for a New
1944, this British Library Crime Classic Sentro uses her Day) revolves around technological haves
more than deserves that status. (Feb.) military and have-nots who are divided by class,
training to fight disability, and ideology. Teacher Val and

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 Review_FICTION

political staffer Julie come from under- The Apocalypse Seven the group’s daily efforts to survive provide
privileged backgrounds, and their marriage Gene Doucette. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, more satisfaction than the abrupt revela-
has immersed them in suburban life, $15.99 trade paper (384p) ISBN 978-0-358- tions of the finale. Despite the under-
with two kids and a money pit of a house. 41894-8 whelming denouement, Doucette’s
Enter the Pilot, a new technology for Seven people awake to the revelation vibrant prose and unique premise make
enhancing brain function via a stimu- that Boston and the surrounding area are for an enticing adventure. (May)
lating implant. It quickly becomes a fad: abandoned, overgrown, and teeming with
first Val’s wealthy students and then coywolves in this riveting postapocalyptic The Reincarnationist Papers
Julie’s congressman boss sport the Pilot’s outing from Doucette (The Spaceship Next D. Eric Maikranz. Blackstone, $15.99 trade
tell-tale blue lights at their temples, and Door). Harvard students Robbie and Carol paper (432p) ISBN 978-1-09-415495-4
soon David, the couple’s teenage son, are the first to find each other in this Maikranz’s spellbinding dark fantasy
has one. The family, though, shies away strange, deserted world. They soon join debut offers a fresh take on the concept of
from the implications of his enhanced up with computer programmer Touré, reincarnation. Professional arsonist Evan
capabilities until he announces his deci- and the three discover juvenile delinquent Michaels has vivid, unexplained visions
sion to join the military’s new program Bethany while searching for food and from his two previous lives as WWI
for people with Pilots. Meanwhile, answers. Doucette draws a contrast soldier Vasili and six-year-old Bobby.
David’s sister Sophie, whose epilepsy between this scrappy group’s struggle for When a death-defying arson job in a Los
makes her ineligible for implantation, survival in Boston and the confident Angeles warehouse leaves Evan incapaci-
must confront being a have-not in a know-how of two characters outside the tated and very nearly apprehended by
neural-enhanced world. It’s a slow-devel- city: nondenominational pastor Paul, who the authorities, he is rescued by Poppy, a
oping narrative, marred by slight charac- jury-rigs his truck and fills it with guns Reincarnationist from a Switzerland-
terization and check-the-box inclusion of and supplies; and marketing executive based secret society called Cognomina,
topical issues. Pinsker raises fascinating Win, who adopts a blasé approach to whose members are similarly capable of
questions about technology that will facing down mountain lions. Closest to remembering past lives. Evan longs for
appeal to fans of hard science fiction, but uncovering what happened is Ananda, an the answers that Cognomina can provide,
the story itself too often reads like dry MIT astrophysicist whose discovery of a but to join their ranks he’ll have to pass a
reportage. Agent: Kim-Mei Kirtland, mysterious device suggests extraterres- trial called the Ascension. And, once he’s
Morhaim Literary. (May) trial interference. Subtly eerie occurrences in, the lure of wealth and power proves
propel the story past the midpoint, and impossible to resist. Presented as a true
account of the Cognomina society
unearthed from an antique store in Rome,
★ Machinehood this nail-biting mystery builds slowly,
with Evan’s search to understand his
S.B. Divya. Saga, $27 (416p) ISBN 978-1-982148-06-5

T
identity propelling the plot forward
before the action kicks into high gear in
his stunning near-future thriller from Divya (Runtime)
the final act. The high stakes and clever
tackles issues of economic inequality, workers’ rights,
premise of Maikranz’s thrilling debut
privacy, and the nature of intelligence. Bodyguard
successfully evoke a sense of wide-eyed
Welga Ramírez is a disillusioned former Special
awe. Agent: Scott Miller, Trident Media. (May)
Forces soldier who makes her living protecting CEOs
and celebrities, using mechanical implants and a course
Unity
of high-tech drugs to enhance her combat skills. It’s
Elly Bangs. Tachyon, $16.95 trade paper
much more exciting work than the other options (304p) ISBN 978-1-61696-342-2
available to humans: “babysitting” the bots that have Chock-full of both big ideas and high-
taken over most skilled labor or scrounging for low-paying energy action, Bangs’s thrilling debut
online gigs. Welga especially enjoys the opportunity to centers on a mad chase across a dystopian
perform for the ubiquitous microdrone swarms that film Earth in search of a collective conscious-
and broadcast her every move. She even adds stylish action moves to her fights to ness that could save humanity from itself.
improve her tips from her viewers. But when a job goes wrong, Welga faces a Danae works as an often overlooked tech
mysterious pro-AI terrorist group called The Machinehood. Determined to learn servant to a criminal syndicate that con-
who they are and what they want, Welga heads into the very heart of The trols an underwater metropolis, but she is
Machinehood’s operation, despite a worrying medical issue. Divya keeps the pace secretly a severed piece of a group mind
rapid, and her crack worldbuilding and vivid characters make for a memorable, that encompasses hundreds of people.
page-turning adventure, while the thematic inquiries into human and AI labor Determined to get back to her larger self,
rights offer plenty to chew on for fans of big idea sci-fi. Readers will be blown she hires Alexei, a mercenary with a death-
away. Agent: Cameron McClure, Donald Maas Literary. (Mar.) wish, to help her escape her employers.
With Danae’s lover, Naoto, tagging along,

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the trio flees the city and heads to what world inspired by Northern Africa and
was once Arizona—but they are doggedly delves into an international political
pursued by bounty hunters and a shadowy conflict that draws on real histories of
figure from Danae’s past. Bangs pulls no
punches when it comes to plot or character-
colonialism and conquest in their excel-
lent debut, the first in the Magic of the
If You’re
ization, but fails to fully flesh out her
innovative settings, making it difficult to
Lost series. Touraine was kidnapped from
Qazāl as a child and trained as a soldier for Not Reading
visualize events. Because of this hazy scene- neighboring nation, Balladaire. Over the
setting, the first act drags. But by the time
the characters reach dry land, the pace has
years, she rises through the ranks of the
Balladairan
Children’s
picked up, leading to a riveting final
sequence packed with firefights and fasci-
army, eventu-
ally becoming
Bookshelf,
nating ruminations on identity. This gritty,
thought-provoking cyberpunk adventure
does the genre justice. Agent: Russell Galen,
lieutenant. But
when her bri-
gade is sent to
You Don’t
Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary. (Apr.) quash a rising
rebellion in
Know
Lord of Order
Brett Riley. Imbrifex, $27 (440p) ISBN 978-1-
945501-41-8
Qazāl, now a
colony of the
Balladairan
What You’re
Riley (Comanche) presents a convinc-
ingly bleak vision of the future in his
empire, Tou-
raine must return to the homeland she
Missing.
latest. Set at a time when “even the word only hazily remembers. Straddling the
country sounded archaic” given the dis- line between colonizer and colonized, she
array the United States has fallen into, struggles with both her identity and her The biggest
the story is framed by an unnamed man
taking his two children to a cemetery to
allegiance as she faces hard realities about
who she is and the world she lives in. stories
tell them the story of a generations-old Clark’s precise, thorough worldbuilding
struggle within the cult that has taken
over the government. After fundamen-
allows this remarkable novel to dive deep
into the intricate workings of colonialism,
The latest trends
talist Christian Jonas Strickland was exposing how power structures are main-
elected president, he wiped out all of
America’s electronic technology in an
tained through social conditioning and
exploring the emotional toll of political
The broadest
event called the Purge. Now Strickland’s
successor, Matthew Rook, plans a second
conflict. The result is a captivating story
that works both as high fantasy and skillful
coverage of
Purge, killing all those he considers
opposed to his regime. But his plan to
cultural commentary. Agent: Mary C.
Moore, Kimberley Cameron and Assoc. (Mar.)
U.S. children’s
convert New Orleans into a prison runs
into unexpected resistance from Gabriel Galactic Hellcats
& YA publishing
Troy, that city’s Lord of Order, after Troy Marie Vibbert. Vernacular, $9.99 trade paper
learns that the mass incarceration is a pre- (378p) ISBN 978-1-952283-07-9 All for free.
lude to a scheme to annihilate the city. Even more fun than the title suggests,
The ensuing violence will be too gory for Vibbert’s debut is a rip-roaring space heist
some readers, but those who stick with it that details the origins of the Galactic JOIN 33K
will find Riley has a facility for fast-paced
action that keeps the pages turning.
Hellcats gang. Ki’s a street rat who steals,
scavenges, and scams to survive, so when
SUBSCRIBERS
Though the worldbuilding is a bit murky, she inherits a solo-flyer, designed to carry publishersweekly.com/
there’s plenty to keep readers’ attention a single passenger through interstellar bookshelf
and enough questions are left open to space, from a friend, she’s not about to
make a sequel welcome. Those who like give it up just because a repo man says she
their dystopias especially gritty will want has to. After escaping the repo man on the
to take a look. (Apr.) solo-flyer, Ki marks Margot Santiago-
Nguyen, a Sol Navy veteran who’s been
★ The Unbroken living with her wealthy parents while
C.L. Clark. Orbit, $16.99 trade paper (464p) searching for a new job, as an easy target
ISBN 978-0-316-54275-3 for a free dinner—a plan that goes awry
Clark conjures an elaborate fantasy when Earth authorities arrive and Ki is
 Review_FICTION

forced to flee the scene. Margot impul- them into mortal retirement—but she worthwhile pick for anyone interested in
sively follows, and the pair end up on the fails to fully decommission Laloran- idea-driven speculative fiction. (Mar.)
planet Ratana, where Margot is promptly morna, the god of warm ocean waves, who
arrested by the fascist Ratana government. retains command over some ocean water ★ Of One Blood
Ki teams up with Ratanian local Zuleikah even as a mortal. So when a luxury hotel Pauline Hopkins. Poisoned Pen, $14.99 trade
Mangan to free her, and in return, Ki and construction site is flooded in an act of paper (208p) ISBN 978-1-4642-1506-3
a reluctant Margot agree to help Zuleikah sabotage, Thirty-Seven is ordered to ques- Mysticism, horror, and racial identity
save Ratanian Prince Thane from his tion the elderly god to see if he sought merge fluidly in this thrilling tale of love,
abusive family. Tongue-in-cheek humor, revenge on the project’s destruction of obsession, and power, first serialized in
delightfully absurd (if sometimes over coastal land. Laloran-morna denies it, but Colored American Magazine from 1902 to
the top) action, and heartening themes uses the interrogation to entreat Thirty- 1903. Hopkins (1859–1930) takes
of found family keep the pages turning. Seven to make a dedication to his former readers on a journey from turn of the cen-
With snark and hijinks to spare, this lover, Goblet, goddess of estuaries. tury Boston to an ancient, long-hidden
high-flying adventure is sure to entertain. Meanwhile, the officers of the Civil Order Ethiopian civilization that will put
(Mar.) arrest archeologist Ninin Ateni for the readers in mind of Wakanda or El Dorado.
crime, as Ninin has been vocal in his Reuel Briggs, a
The Fiends of Nightmaria belief that the site holds the key to white-passing,
Steven Erikson. Tor, $13.99 trade paper learning about the region’s original mixed-race
(112p) ISBN 978-1-250-76814-8 inhabitants and long-forgotten gods. As Harvard med-
Erikson’s fourth Malazan novella (after Thirty-Seven navigates this tricky situa- ical student,
The Wurms of Blearmouth) makes its U.S. tion, careful not to reveal a dangerous falls in love
debut, delivering a wry, intricately con- family secret, Forrest skillfully blends the with the
structed ensemble adventure. Infamous oppressive society and curmudgeonly enchanting,
necromancers Bauchelain and Korbal gods with the airy tropical setting. This mixed-race
Broach have usurped the throne to evocative and ultimately uplifting story is singer, Dianthe
become king and grand bishop of Farrog, sure to please. (Mar.) Lusk, and in
respectively, instating a brutal rule. Their order to offer
first moves in power are to arrest all of How to Dispatch a Human: her a good life once they are married, he
the kingdom’s artists and strengthen its Stories and Suggestions takes a job as a researcher on an archeolog-
borders. But when the imprisoned Indif- Stephanie Andrea Allen. BLF, $16.95 trade ical expedition to Ethiopia. With an ocean
ferent God escapes his cell and runs paper (180p) ISBN 978-1-7359065-0-8 between them, Dianthe and Reuel’s rela-
amok, the duo must divert their energy Allen (A Failure to Communicate) crafts a tionship faces seemingly insurmountable
into hunting him amid rising political venturesome but uneven collection of odds as they encounter dangers both at
tensions. Meanwhile, a disbanded team speculative shorts centered on the lives of home and abroad. As Reuel’s journey
of thieves reunite to rescue their leader Black lesbian and queer women and the takes him into the heart of a lost kingdom,
from imprisonment, an ambassador from unexpected danger lurking in the seem- he learns a secret about his own identity
Nightmaria seeks to declare war on ingly mundane. Each of these 11 stories that changes everything he thought he
Farrog, and several artists find a way to presents a strange alternate world and knew—and puts his future with Dianthe
break free of their prison. Add in the explores subtly disquieting events, in further jeopardy. The suspense is tan-
scores of frustrated demons and hordes though the initial premises are frequently gible and the final reveal will leave readers
of undead summoned by Bauchelain, stronger than the execution. “Moji,” one reeling. This easily transcends the
and the result is a fast-paced, morbidly of the standouts, follows a white woman Victorian lost world genre to be relevant,
humorous adventure. Series fans will find choosing Black features for her new dig- thought-provoking, and entertaining
much to love in this jam-packed, tongue- ital avatar, with unexpected consequences. today. (Feb.)
in-cheek installment. (Mar.) A writer lies to her girlfriend to go get
coffee with a beautiful fan who turns out
Lagoonfire to be an alien predator in “Coffee Date.” Romance/Erotica
Francesca Forrest. Annorlunda, $9.99 trade In “Coral D. Cat, or How to Dispatch a
paper (162p) ISBN 978-1-944354-55-8 Human” a spoiled cat plots the murder of ★ Yes & I Love You
Regret, perseverance, and love drive its owner’s best friend. The concepts are Roni Loren. Sourcebooks Casablanca, $14.99
Forrest’s sparkling second Tales of the original and exciting, but Allen doesn’t trade paper (384p) ISBN 978-1-7282-2961-4
Polity fantasy (following The Inconvenient always stick the landing, with pacing With this charming contemporary
God). Plucky administrator Thirty-Seven issues and inconsistent, ambiguous end- romance, Loren (The One for You) delivers
works for the Ministry of Divinities in the ings undermining the stories’ intensity. a thoroughly satisfying, slow-burning
tropical totalitarian state of Sweet Harbor. The ideas are strong enough, however, account of a relationship that feels both
Her job is to find deities who have lost that readers will be musing on them long inevitable and earned. New Orleans
their worshippers and decommission after the final page is turned. This is a blogger Hollyn Tate is a local favorite as

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Miz Poppy, her nom de plume, but her complicated relationships will win over nearby Raven-
Tourette’s syndrome and anxiety make it fans of love triangle tropes, and the crest, is imme-
difficult to have a social life outside of her unconventional dynamics of Penny’s diately drawn to
online persona. Then she meets part-time close-knit family create plenty of laugh- Phoebe’s fiery
barista and improv actor Jasper Deares, out-loud moments. This is sure to please. red hair and
who’s funny, hot, and totally into her, tics (Feb.) affable demeanor.
and all. Relationship-shy Jasper, who has When Franklin
ADHD, offers to be a “practice boyfriend” Much Ado about You wins a wager
for lonely Hollyn, and the pair embark on Samantha Young. Berkley, $16 trade paper against Phoebe’s
an enthusiastic friends-with-benefits (384p) ISBN 978-0-593-09948-3 three older
arrangement—though media-savvy Immaturity and angst overshadow the brothers, it
Hollyn knows how this sort of plot usually joy in this disappointing romance from leads to him
works out. The sex is great, the compan- Young (the On Dublin Street series). spending more time with the Jamison
ionship is a welcome change, and soon When 33-year-old Chicagoan Evangeline family, and as he becomes increasingly
enough, the two catch real feelings for one Starling is passed over for a promotion attracted to Phoebe he makes known his
another. But when success and stardom and stood up for dinner after a month of desire to court her. Though Phoebe still
beckon, their individual careers threaten online flirtation, she quits her job and pines for William, she can’t deny she’s
to tear them apart. Hollyn and Jasper have radically reevaluates her life, adopting the drawn to Franklin—especially after he
excellent chemistry, both socially and sex- mantra “No more men who made me risks his own life to save her from a horse-
ually, and they talk through their issues doubt myself. No more job that made me back riding accident. And when a kid-
in a refreshingly mature fashion. Hollyn’s feel like a failure.” Conveniently, the napper known as the Bride Snatcher tar-
Tourette’s and Jasper’s ADHD are depicted owner of quaint English bookshop Much gets Phoebe’s friend Hannah, Phoebe is
sensitively without overwhelming the rest Ado About Books needs someone to mind determined to rescue her, while Franklin
of the story, while a fleshed-out supporting her store for a month, and Shakespeare- will do whatever it takes to keep Phoebe
cast further brings the world to life. obsessed Anglophile Evie jumps at the safe. Linton’s appreciation for Jane
Intelligent, sweet, and fun, this romance chance. She meets local Roane Robson Austen’s England shines through as the
succeeds on all levels. Agent: Sara Megibow, after risking her life to save his beloved witty, intelligent characters navigate the
KT Literary. (Mar.) Great Dane from being hit by a car, strict rules of their society. This fast-
instantly earning his respect. Roane is a paced, heartfelt romance is a treat. (Feb.)
The Love Square charming, earnest suitor, and their meet-
Laura Jane Williams. Avon, $15.99 trade cute is lovely, but Evie herself is recycled Jackson
paper (352p) ISBN 978-0-00-841403-0 from rom-com stereotypes. She meddles LaQuette. Sourcebooks Casablanca, $8.99
Williams (Our Stop) spins a touching in local affairs like a modern-day Emma mass market (360p) ISBN 978-1-4926-9453-3
rom-com about difficult romantic and is rewarded rather than criticized for A Texas Ranger falls for a do-gooder
choices. Unlucky in love Penny Bridge, her interference. Her incoherent resis- attorney in this sassy, suspenseful romance
owner of a popular café in bougie North tance to romance, though, is a superficial from LaQuette (Lies You Tell). Attorney
London, has been single for the past five salve for her insecurities and puts a serious Aja Everett transforms her family’s land in
years. But that changes when Francesco damper on the love story. Though billed Fresh Springs, Tex., into Restoration
Cipolla, one of London’s most famous as a romantic comedy, there’s more melan- Ranch, a retreat that will offer a second
pastry chefs, walks into her café and the choly than humor here, and not enough chance to ex-convicts. But when the ranch
pair quickly hit it off. They begin dating depth to back up the heavy emotions. is vandalized and strange accidents on the
and their relationship convinces Penny This is a let down. Agent: Lauren Abramo, property become increasingly dangerous
that love is possible—but then her Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Feb.) and frequent, many try to pin the mischief
beloved uncle has a heart attack, and on Aja’s ex-con employees. Aja refuses to
Penny leaves both London and Francesco Forever, Phoebe believe her staff, who have become like
behind to take over her uncle’s gastro pub Chalon Linton. Covenant Communications, family, could be involved, so Texas Ranger
in the countryside. A perceived betrayal $15.99 trade paper (224p) ISBN 978-1-5244- Jackson Dean and his team are sent in
by Francesco before she leaves sours her 1688-1 undercover to protect Aja and catch the
feelings for him, making her receptive to Linton follows Escape to Everly Manor true culprit. Physical attraction between
the advances of Thomas, a former school- with this enticing Regency romance set in Aja and Jackson is immediate, and emo-
mate she reconnects with, and Priyesh, Somerset, England. Eighteen-year-old tional attachment soon follows, but they
the pub’s prim wine merchant. But as Phoebe Jamison aspires to be a proper both have troubled pasts, and their lin-
both men vie for her affections, Penny and lady in hopes of attracting the attention of gering guilt and pain present roadblocks
Francesco tentatively start communi- William Mason, a friend of one of her on their way to happily ever after. As their
cating again—and his surprise announce- brothers, who sees Phoebe as a little sister, romance heats up, so does the mystery,
ment that he’s coming to visit forces not a romantic prospect. In contrast, with a vast list of subjects and a tangled
Penny to make a difficult decision. The Franklin Everly, the recent inheritor of maze of possible motives making it clear

W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY. C O M 83
 Review_FICTION

that all is not what it seems in Fresh funds from his mother, so he and
Springs. Jackson and Aja are both head- Persephone come to an agreement: he’ll Inspirational
strong and determined, making for an protect her, and in exchange, she’ll help
entertaining battle of wits, and LaQuette him land a respectable bride—though ★ ’Til I Want No More
infuses the writing with Southern charm unbeknownst to Persephone, she’s the one Robin W. Pearson. Tyndale, $25.99 (464p)
and humor. Readers will be eager to he’s chosen. Series fans will be delighted ISBN 978-1-4964-5057-9
return to Fresh Springs. Agent: Latoya to get better acquainted with Coll, the Pearson (A Long Time Comin’) delivers a
Smith, LCS Literary. (Feb.) oldest and last of the MacTaggert brothers satisfying tale of one woman’s secrets
to be paired off, and he and Persephone returning to haunt her. Maxine Owens is
Until Then make a formidable couple. But as their preparing for her wedding to Theodore
Heidi McLaughlin. Montlake, $12.95 Trade relationship heats up, the list of suspects Charles when she decides it’s time for her
Paper (352p) ISBN 978-1-5420-2736-6 as to who might be targeting Persephone to come clean about a secret she’s been
Lifelong friends get a chance at love in grows. Though the final reveal feels a bit keeping from Theodore and his family:
McLaughlin’s heartfelt second Cape out of left field, the sizzling sensuality and Maxine’s 13-year-old adopted sister,
Harbor romance (after After All). Seattle constant surprises make the journey well Celeste, is actually her daughter. Maxine,
attorney Rennie Wallace returns to her worth it. With this captivating mixture who was 17 and unprepared for mother-
home town of Cape Harbor, Wash., to of romance and suspense, Enoch sends the hood, gave up rights to Celeste, and even
visit her best friend. While there, she series out on a high note. (Feb.) Celeste still believes Maxine is her sister.
reunites with Graham Chamberlain, the As Maxine debates how and when to tell
close childhood friend and college ★ Gentleman Jim Theodore, her
hookup for whom she’s always carried a Mimi Matthews. Perfectly Proper, $16.99 ex-husband, JD,
torch—and whom she hasn’t seen in the trade paper (376p) ISBN 978-1-73305-699-1 comes back to
15 years since a tragic accident in their Matthews (Fair as a Star) charms with town to help
friend group. Though seeing Graham this Regency tale of love, mistaken iden- with his moth-
again resurrects Rennie’s feelings for him, tity, and revenge. Maggie Honeywell, er’s illness and
she already has a boyfriend, Theo Wright. heiress of Somerset’s Beasley Park, has to connect with
But while Rennie and Theo are on a pledged her love to Nicholas Seaton, the the daughter he
skiing trip, she discovers a devastating bastard son of a scullery maid and the never met.
secret about their relationship and texts infamous highwayman Gentleman Jim. When Maxine
Graham to come pick her up and drive When Nicholas’s nemesis, Frederick and Theodore
her back to Cape Harbor. Their romance Burton-Smythe, accuses Nicholas of meet with
blossoms from there, with Graham and theft, Maggie helps him flee for his life Maxine’s pastor and his wife for their pre-
Rennie working to transform their and promises to wait for him to make his marital counseling sessions, Maxine is
friendship into a lasting love. Authentic, fortune and return to her. Ten years pass. reminded that she is not condemned for
imperfect characters enhance the emo- Now Maggie is financially dependent on her past and her faith plays a vital role in
tional story line. Series fans will find Frederick as the executor of her father’s her healing. As Maxine comes to feel her
plenty to root for in this earnest romance. will and years of illness and mourning “sins are... only a hair’s breadth” away, her
Agent: Marisa Corvisiero, Corvisiero Agency. have left her physically weak. But her desire to confront her past intensifies and
(Feb.) spirit remains unbridled, so when she tension rises between Maxine and the
learns that the Viscount St. Clare has people who know her secrets and those
Hit Me with Your Best Scot challenged Frederick to a duel, she who don’t. Pearson’s excellent characters
Suzanne Enoch. St. Martin’s, $7.99 mass mar- makes a late-night visit to St. Clare’s and plotting capture the complexity and
ket (336p) ISBN 978-1-250-29642-9 estate to ask him to call it off. Upon beauty of family, the difficulty of recti-
The Regency theater world takes center meeting the dashing Viscount, Maggie fying mistakes, and the healing that comes
stage in the delightful finale to Enoch’s becomes convinced that this aristocratic from honesty. Pearson rises to another level
Wild Wicked Highlanders series (after gentleman is her childhood friend in with this excellent story. (Feb.)
Scot Under the Covers). Actress Persephone disguise—a fact he strenuously denies.
Jones’s finest performance takes place off- There’s no denying the chemistry When Twilight Breaks
stage, where she hides her true identity as between them, however. But with Sarah Sundin. Revell, $15.99 trade paper
the missing Lady Temperance Hartwood, Maggie’s inheritance and St. Clare’s (384p) ISBN 978-0-8007-3636-1
daughter to a marquis. But when a series earldom at stake, the pair must decide In this gripping inspirational, Sundin
of mysterious accidents make her believe how much they’re willing to risk to be (Sunrise at Normandy) takes an affecting
that someone is targeting her, she calls on together. The plot is exhilarating, com- look at the rise of the Nazi Party and
burly highlander Coll MacTaggert, plete with mystery, adventure, and plenty Jewish persecution in Germany through
Viscount Glendarril, to protect her. Coll of shocking reveals. This page-turner the eyes of an American journalist. In 1938
has four weeks to marry an English shouldn’t be missed. (Self-published) Munich, Evelyn Brand, a foreign corre-
woman if he hopes to continue receiving spondent with the American News Service,

84 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y ■ D E C E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 2 0
 Review_FICTION

struggles in her male-dominated field and The Orchard House

constantly challenges bureau chief George Heidi Chiavoroli. Tyndale, $15.99 trade paper
Norwood, who heavily edits her work. (432p) ISBN 978-1-49643-473-9
George asks his friend, Peter Lang, a PhD Chiavoroli (Tea Chest) delights with this
candidate teaching in Germany, to arrange homage to Louisa May Alcott’s Little
benign interviews with his German college Women, featuring a time-slip narrative of
students. Peter believes Hitler has been two women connected across centuries. In
good for the German people and its 1995, 13-year-old foster child Taylor is
economy, a view devout Evelyn finds adopted by the family of her best friend,
abhorrent. When Nazis begin attacking Victoria Bennett. Both are aspiring
Jewish synagogues and Jewish businesses writers, and pursue their calling at the Jo
are boycotted, Peter’s outlook changes, as March Writing Camp at Orchard House.
does his relationship with Evelyn. Using But a competitiveness among the two
his contacts within the Nazi Party, Peter also takes root. Several years later, Taylor
infiltrates meetings to gather information walks in on her boyfriend and Victoria
for Evelyn to report on. As they conspire to kissing and, in a fit of rage, she packs up
expose Hitler’s misdeeds, their lives are and hits the road. In 1863, Louisa May
placed in jeopardy, and their plans to Alcott asks her friend Johanna Suhre to
escape the country are thwarted. Sundin come to Orchard House and care for her
combines suspense and romance to great parents while she travels to Europe.
effect, leaving readers guessing the fate of Devout Johanna believes God has led her
Evelyn and Peter to the final pages. to the Alcotts and falls in love with their
Inspirational fans who like high-octane neighbor, Nathan Bancroft, but her
action will enjoy this thrilling story. (Feb.) happily ever after disintegrates soon after
their wedding, as Nathan’s drunken
The Moonlight School abusiveness comes out. Jumping to 2019,
Suzanne Woods Fisher. Revell, $15.99 trade Victoria implores the now bestselling
paper (320p) ISBN 978-0-8007-3501-2 author Taylor to come home to reconcile
Fisher (On a Coastal Breeze) introduces with their ill mother. In the process, she
readers to a little-known literacy crusade in and Victoria stumble onto Johanna’s
this enjoyable romance set in turn-of- poetry, which may hold lessons for their
the-20th-century rural Kentucky. own lives. Chiavoroli easily slips between
Nineteen-year-old Lucy Wilson, the fic- narratives and includes many subtle lit-
tional cousin of real-life literacy advocate erary references that will please close
Cora Wilson Stewart, leaves Lexington readers. Fans of Alcott who also enjoy
when the opportunity arises to help school inspirationals will love this. (Feb.)
superintendent Cora as an assistant in the
small mountain town of Morehead. Moving REAL FANS READ
to the poverty-stricken area is a shock for Comics
Lucy, and it takes time for her to settle into
the country way of life among the mostly United States of Banana:
illiterate and proud townspeople. Along A Graphic Revolution
with Brother Wyatt, a singing school- Giannina Braschi and Joakim Lindengren.
master dedicated to helping others out of Mad Creek, $19.95 trade paper (136p)
poverty, Lucy sets up “moonlight classes” ISBN 978-0-8142-5786-9 B Y P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY
for adults to learn to read and write. As Braschi (Empire of Dreams) adapts her The Insider’s Guide to Comics,
Lucy meets and teaches more people, those poetry collection, with Swedish artist Culture & Graphic Novels
she encounters give her new insight into Lindengren, into an incisive if sometimes
Get your Fanatic on at
the world beyond her privileged upbringing mystifying critique of colonialism in
PUBLISHERSWEEKLY.COM/FANATIC
and encourage her to look inward. Mean- graphic form. Braschi, Zarathustra, and
while, a slow-burning romance also Hamlet sustain a conversation with the
develops between Lucy and Wyatt. Lucy’s Statue of Liberty that morphs into the
transition from haughty outsider to dedi- story of Segismundo, a Puerto Rican man
cated teacher plays out nicely alongside her obsessed with unpacking Puerto Rico’s
newfound devotion to her faith. Fisher’s colonial history. This core conceit is
fans will love this sweet tale. (Feb.) wrapped in layers of strangeness, mean-
dering subplots, and bizarre elements.
 Review_FICTION

Besides the four main characters, the O’Dwyer, Tess O’Dwyer Nonprofit action figure, but the cast beyond her is
tale is packed with appearances by a Management. (Mar.) thinly drawn. Ava is especially stereotyped:
variety of historical figures and art that the tension between her stylish, spin-class-
echoes myriad influences. Donald Bad Mother attendee facade and illegal activities
Trump and Don Quixote occupy neigh- Christa Faust and Mike Deodato Jr. Upshot, intrigues, but goes nowhere except some
boring panels, poet Rubén Darío pops $9.99 trade paper (128p) ISBN 978-1- peeks up her skirt. Deodato’s jaggedly
up, and artists such as Edvard Munch, 953165-02-2 inked visuals lend a satisfying grit to the
Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso, René A suburban mom’s descent into the suburban setting, and he gives April a
Magritte, and M.C. Escher all make criminal underworld makes for a bloody solid realism, but recalling his 1990s
cameos. The amalgamation is stimu- yet oddly flat action-satire from Faust Wonder Woman R-rated pinup, he slides
lating to the point of overwhelming, (Peepland). April, a middle-aged mother of in opportunities to pulp things up, ren-
presented as an exercise in “thinking two, lives a strained life dealing with a sassy dering catty moms shopping for produce
through big ideas aloud,” but absent teen daughter, her younger son (who’s off to in a bikini top and miniskirt, for example.
the explainer introduction by a pair of camp for the first time), PTA meetings, and At its worst, the characters are reduced to
academics, the density of imagery and loads of laundry. But when her daughter is shabby noir cliches, as when Ava derides
allusion in this heady mix begs for more kidnapped by henchmen of Ava, the queen April’s life for being like a “Lifetime movie
organizing structure. Metatextuality, of the local drug trade, April’s motherly of the week,” whereas she prefers “R-rated
pastiche, and intertextuality coexist instincts turn out to be the only thing that content.” This satirical comic sparks off
with David Bowie, pop culture, and might be able to save the day. It’s hard not with an attention-grabbing premise but,
Abraham Lincoln, but nothing gets to love April, who manages to build a bomb unfortunately, just fizzles. (Feb.)
enough space to shine. Agent: Tess with household cleaners and a discarded

A Manga Memoir in Two Parts

Tamosan’s debut and its sequel delve into her life in, and departure from, a Christian sect in Japan.

The Day I Was Forced to Marry God The Day I Divorced God
Tamosan, trans. from the Japanese by Ailie Brotherton. Digital Tamosan, trans. from the Japanese by Ailie Brotherton. Digital
Manga, $15.95 mass market (146p) ISBN 978-1-56970-390-8 Manga, $15.95 mass market (128p) ISBN 978-1-56970-391-5
In this emotionally raw debut memoir manga, Tamosan Tamosan follows up The Day I Was Forced to Marry God by
describes growing up in, and eventually breaking with, a opening up about life with her husband and their young son
Jehovah’s Witness congregation in Japan. Tamosan’s conversion on their “journey toward reclaiming ‘normal.’ ” Now sepa-
begins with her mother taking her to “English lessons” that rated from their congregation and feeling the “25 years
consist of reading religious tracts. Over time, Tamosan is forced spent believing were a complete waste,” Tamosan discovers
out of “worldly” activities and pushed toward a that she lacks many of the crucial skills of
future in “pioneering,” or constant evangelizing, “worldly” society, such as holding down
and becomes troubled by the congregation’s employment and enrolling her child in sec-
insularity, encouragement of child abuse, and ular school. She lands a job at a bakery, learns
practice of shunning sinners and ex-members. to save money, discovers mainstream holidays
But she meets a like-minded young man in the and customs, and is baffled by the basics of
Witnesses and builds a stable marriage, until fashion (“It’s farewell to all my floral-print
their young son’s need for a blood transfusion forces a crisis of dresses!”). All the while, her mother and mother-in-law, still
faith, given the Witnesses’ opposition to the procedure. members of the Witnesses, fight to bring Tamosan and her
Tamosan doesn’t mince words in her belief that her former reli- husband back into the fold. Tamosan’s art has grown consid-
gion is a cult and a “poverty industry.” Written originally for a erably more polished in this sequel, but remains simple,
Japanese audience that is less familiar with Christianity in readable, and emotionally direct, equally effective at
general, let alone its fundamentalist sects, the framing is as an expressing fiery family arguments and the quiet joy of
exposé of exotic practices. Some details will be known to indulging in a once-forbidden Frappuccino. Though
Westerners (handing out copies of The Watchtower), while others Tamosan and her family often struggle, the overall mood is
are unique to Japan (Jehovah’s Witness–branded chopsticks). of discovering joy in the day-to-day. “To think I believed
The wobbly art features big-headed characters emoting against that this gentle, kind world would be destroyed in
scribbly backgrounds. There are some rough edges in this Armageddon,” she marvels. That perspective-granting
outing, but Tamosan’s vulnerability and anger make for a capti- glimpse into her recovery sums up the hopeful tone of this
vating account of life in a restrictive religious community. (Jan.) autobio charmer. (Jan.)

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Nonfiction
Nuclear Folly: A History of the
Cuban Missile Crisis
Serhii Plokhy. Norton, $35 (464p) ISBN 978-0-
393-54081-9
Harvard history professor Plokhy
(Forgotten Bastards) offers a comprehensive
study of the 1962 Cuban missile crisis
focused on the “misjudgments and mis-
understandings” that nearly led to
nuclear war. Bolstered by “ideological
hubris” and afraid of appearing weak,
President John F. Kennedy and Soviet
leader Nikita Khrushchev “marched from
one mistake to another,” Plokhy asserts, yet
both held back from pushing the button
because they feared the consequences of
nuclear entanglement. (Kennedy’s military
advisers informed him there would be Early environmentalist Aldo Leopold (l.) poses on the family property that inspired his book A Sand
600,000 American casualties if a single County Almanac, in a 1938 photo from Michelle Nijhuis’s Beloved Beasts (reviewed on this page).
missile reached a major U.S. city.) Plokhy
dives deep into the events leading up to the Act and undermining Reconstruction killing of men and women as much as the
crisis, documenting Khrushchev’s boasts measures passed by Congress. Levine is at Romans,” Southon writes. The beating
and lies as he used the threat of escalating his best documenting the evolution of death of populist politician Tiberius
tensions in Berlin to “distract [Kennedy’s] Stevens’s views on slavery, from the seeds Gracchus over his proposed land reforms
attention from Cuba.” Drawing on first- of abolitionist thinking planted as a in 133 BCE set off a century’s worth of
hand accounts, Plokhy also spotlights the student at Dartmouth to his rise in the political murders that culminated in the
Soviet military personnel who arrived in tentatively anti-slavery faction of the assassination of Julius Caesar and the end
Cuba to unload and prepare the missiles for Whig Party in the 1840s, brief alignment of the Roman Republic, according to
deployment, unaware of the high-level with the nativist Know-Nothings in the Southon. Other case histories include
diplomatic maneuvers to defuse the conflict, 1850s, and pivotal role as a leader of the Emperor Tiberius’s investigation into the
and describes how Khrushchev attempted radical Republicans pushing for the death of a military commander’s daughter
to assuage Fidel Castro’s wrath when the Emancipation Proclamation and a consti- in 24 CE (her husband claimed she’d
Cuban leader learned the Soviet missiles tutional amendment abolishing slavery. thrown herself out of their bedroom
wouldn’t stay on the island. Though the Though he provides valuable historical window, but Tiberius discovered signs of
storytelling bogs down in places, history context and ably tracks the era’s landmark a struggle) and Locusta, who mixed the
buffs will savor this balanced and richly legislation through Congress and the poisons that Emperor Nero used to kill
detailed look at both sides of the crisis. (Apr.) White House, Levine falls short in his stepbrother and possibly his aunt (he
explaining how Stevens accrued and had to kill his mother by sword because
Thaddeus Stevens: exerted his outsized political power. Still, she took multiple antidotes every day).
Civil War Revolutionary, this is an accessible and well-researched Along the way, Southon works in
Fighter for Racial Justice introduction to one of the most conse- intriguing history lessons about Roman
Bruce Levine. Simon & Schuster, $28 (320p) quential lawmakers in U.S. history. (Mar.) law, politics, marriage, and sport, and
ISBN 978-1-4767-9337-5 makes breezy yet enlightening analogies
Historian Levine (The Fall of the House A Fatal Thing Happened on the (obscene epigrams ridiculing elite Romans
of Dixie) reassesses the life of abolitionist Way to the Forum: Murder in were like a “much ruder Daily Show”). This
congressman Thaddeus Stevens in this Ancient Rome colorful chronicle of ancient Rome has an
fascinating yet flawed biography. Levine Emma Southon. Abrams, $27 (352p) appealingly modern sensibility. (Mar.)
traces Stevens’s rise from poverty in ISBN 978-1-4197-5305-3
Vermont, where he was born with a club Historian Southon (Agrippina: The Most Beloved Beasts: Fighting for Life
foot in 1792, to chairman of the House Extraordinary Woman of the Roman World) in an Age of Extinction
Ways and Means Committee during the returns with a spirited look at ancient Michelle Nijhuis. Norton, $27.95 (320p)
Civil War and early supporter of the Roman history through a true crime lens. ISBN 978-1-324-00168-3
impeachment of President Andrew Johnson “Few other societies have revelled in and Efforts to prevent the loss of wildlife are
in 1868 for violating the Tenure of Office revered the deliberate and purposeful “likely as old as the images of steppe bison

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painted on cave walls,” writes journalist breasts in movies and on social media a worldwide
Nijhuis (The Science Writer’s Essay platforms. Digressions on her father’s community that
Handbook) in this thorough history of collection of Playboy magazines, the his- revolves around
wildlife conservation movements. She tory of the Hooters restaurant chain, and fungi in this
begins with the bison, a species nearly the popularity of breast augmentation comprehensive
driven to extinction by humans in the late surgery in the U.S. mingle with frank and enthusiastic
19th century, and details how efforts to details about Lehr’s battle with breast debut. “If I am
protect them led to the early conservation cancer and the stresses in women’s lives any kind of -ist
movement in America. From there, that contribute to the disease, which, she at all,” Bierend
Nijhuis describes the Migratory Bird notes, kills more than 42,000 American writes, “it is a
Treaty Act (which passed in 1918 and women every year. Lehr’s engrossing and generalist”
put an end to the plume trade, for which empathetic account will appeal to women when it comes
millions of birds were killed for their of all ages. (Mar.) to fungi, and here he aims to prove that
feathers) and outlines the work of environ- one does need to be an “expert” to “do
mentalist Aldo Leopold, who, during the The Subversive Simone Weil: beautiful things with and about fungi.”
Depression and Dust Bowl, advocated for A Life in Five Ideas Readers join the author on an eye-opening
an “ecological concept of habitat.” Until Robert Zaretsky. Univ. of Chicago, $20 trade tromp through the woods in search of
then, Nijhuis observes, conservation paper (200p) ISBN 978-0-226-54933-0 mushrooms of all shapes, sizes, and colors,
“meant protecting animals from bullets, Historian Zaretsky (A Life Worth and follow him on trips to mushroom
not protecting shrubbery and wetlands.” Living: Albert Camus) delivers an uncon- festivals (among them, the Telluride
As she lays out the origins of environ- ventional study of French philosopher Mushroom Festival, held since 1980).
mental groups including the World Simone Weil. “A pacifist who fought in Bierend peers into the dark side of fungi
Wildlife Fund and Nature Conservancy, the Spanish Civil War, a saint who refused (such as poisonous “death caps”) and
Nijhuis warns that organizations and baptism,” Weil (1909–1943) contained explains “microdosing” on psychedelic
governments are not doing enough to “a series of contradictions,” Zaretsky mushrooms, a practice he suggests is de
stave off mass extinction. To that end, she writes, and here he sets out to explore five rigueur in the technology industry.
argues conservationists must “revive key themes in Weil’s work “that still reso- Though at times technical, Bierend’s
humans’ sense of responsibility towards nate today”: affliction, attention, rooted- survey offers glimpses into mushroom-
all species.” Nijhuis’s comprehensive ness, resistance, and goodness. Affliction is centric communities across the globe: He
survey is sure to delight nature enthusiasts a translation of Weil’s concept of le mal- visits the POC Fungi Community at an
and those concerned with disappearing heur and consists of “psychological degra- event in the Adirondacks and writes of a
species. (Mar.) dation”—the chapter dedicated to it puts group in Ecuador attempting to use fungi
a spotlight on Weil leaving her job as a to treat cancer. Beyond merely being
A Boob’s Life: How America’s professor to work in a factory in 1934. edible, Bierend writes, mushrooms’ “most
Obsession Shaped You—and Me “Resistance” touches upon her brief promising power” is their ability to
Leslie Lehr. Pegasus, $27.95 (312p) ISBN 978- involvement in the Spanish Civil War in “bring people together, and to shift per-
1-64313-622-6 1936, a decision she made, Zaretsky spectives.” This fascinating, informative
Novelist and screenwriter Lehr (Wife writes, because she felt that “to do any- look into a unique subculture and the
Goes On) blends memoir, history, and thing less was a betrayal of oneself and fungi at its center is a real treat. (Mar.)
cultural criticism in this witty and inci- one’s fellow human beings.” Zaretsky
sive look at American attitudes toward keenly brings Weil’s thinking up to the Fans: How Watching Sports
women’s breasts. She tracks the evolu- present: her ideas on paying attention, he Makes Us Happier, Healthier,
tion of her feelings about her own writes, apply to social media, and he ties and More Understanding
breasts from pubescence to flat-chested the lessons she learned from working in Larry Olmsted. Algonquin, $30 (320p)
young adulthood, breastfeeding, plastic the factory to today’s Amazon workers. ISBN 978-1-61620-846-2
surgery (aiming for a B cup, she ended This memorable survey delivers a rich Journalist Olmsted (Real Food/Fake
up size 32D), and surviving breast portrait of the intellectual currents that Food) dives into the benefits of sports
cancer. Lehr’s appealing sense of humor shaped a one-of-a-kind thinker. Those fandom in this ambitious if flat narrative.
runs throughout, as does her sharp anal- curious about Weil’s work will find this Drawing on the research of Daniel L.
ysis of broader social issues such as the to be a welcome place to start. (Mar.) Wann, a psychology professor at Murray
messages girls receive about being smart State University, Olmsted asserts that
versus being pretty, the “bro culture and In Search of Mycotopia: Citizen false stereotypes—such as “the corpulent
tribe mentality” of the Senate Judiciary Science, Fungi Fanatics, and the lazy guy” sitting on the couch, or “the
Committee during Brett Kavanaugh’s Untapped Potential of Mushrooms screaming, face painted, jersey-wearing
Supreme Court confirmation hearings, Doug Bierend. Chelsea Green, $24.95 (336p) maniac”—abound, when in reality, he
the marketing techniques of lingerie ISBN 978-1-60358-979-6 writes, fandom helps to meet basic psy-
brands, and the censorship of women’s Journalist Bierend introduces readers to chological needs, such as “higher self-

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esteem, less bouts of depression, less

alienation; more friends; and higher levels
of trust.” He also discusses how sports can [Q&A]
heal communities, citing how fans of the
Las Vegas Golden Knights found a kind of PW Talks with Katrina M. Adams
solace in the hockey team’s success after
the mass shooting at the city’s 2017 Route How to Be a Great Leader
91 Harvest Music Festival. As Las Vegas
mayor Carolyn Goodman told Olmsted, In Own the Arena (Amistad, Feb.; reviewed on p. 92), Adams,
“The pain was so deep.... Then for the former president of the United States Tennis Association,
Golden Knights to have that season and shares her philosophy of leadership.
start the healing process, the timing was
incredible.” Olmsted’s points, individu- What does it take to be a great leader? you’re out of place, so it’s a term I hope
ally, are intriguing, but the author hits You must be prepared and do your we’ll not have to use going forward as
home over and over again his premise that homework before you take a seat at the diversity increases. But in today’s
sports fans are more than just jersey- table, have the communication skills society we know that it’s still the case.
wearing followers, resulting in a fairly to share your vision with peers and
one-note and monotonous narrative. This colleagues, and know how to collabo- Tell us about the Harlem Junior
isn’t one to stand up and cheer for. (Mar.) rate so you can bring others in to shine Tennis and Education Program.
and take credit where credit is due. HJTEP is an organization founded in
The Story of the Masters: 1969 to promote tennis and education
Drama, Joy and Heartbreak at What are the moments that most in high-risk, lower-income, under-
Golf’s Most Iconic Tournament shaped your career? served communi-
David Barrett. Tatra, $35 (320p) ISBN 978-1- With USTA, putting ties. I’ve been
73222-272-4 a roof over Arthur involved since
Golf writer Barrett (Miracle at Merion) Ashe Stadium to 2005 and just
draws on his decades of experience covering secure nonstop play celebrated my
the Masters in this intelligent yet perfunc- during the U.S. 15th anniversary!
tory account. He begins in 1934, when Open for television We use tennis as a
the only attendees were cofounder Bobby was pivotal. Also, the vehicle to enhance
Jones’s closest friends, and continues construction of the the opportunity
through the rise of star golfers Arnold USTA National for our kids to
Palmer in the late 1950s, Jack Nicklaus in Campus in Orlando, earn a college
the 1970s, and contemporary up-and- because it’s a tennis scholarship. We
comers Bubba Watson and Jordan Spieth. facility and a public believe the skills
Barrett also notes the emergence of inter- facility for commu- and diligence
national golfers in the 1980s, including nity building. needed to succeed
Spaniard Seve Ballesteros, who took the Having a great team at tennis can
title in 1980 and 1983. In recounting during that process also make them
Tiger Woods’s legendary 1997 win,
helped it happen on better people.
Barrett quotes Woods’s competitor,
time and on budget which is the best
Nicklaus: “This kid is absolutely the most
anyone can ask for. You mention Althea Gibson as
fundamentally sound golfer that I have
someone who inspired you. How so?
seen.” Readers hoping for an examination
You write about the “twice as good” Althea was the first Black American,
of the tournament’s troubled history with
concept. What’s that about? male or female, to break the color
race will be disappointed; while Barrett
It’s one of those terms that we as barrier in professional tennis. She
notes the significance of Lee Elder, who in
people of color in homogenous arenas won the French Nationals in 1956
1975 became the first Black man to play
in the Masters, he overlooks an infamous don’t like to use but do all the time and both the Wimbledon and the
statement attributed to Clifford Roberts, when we feel we have to be twice as U.S. Nationals consecutively in 1957
cofounder and longtime chairman of the good to succeed in our settings. It’s an and 1958. She also won 11 Grand
Masters, that “as long as I’m alive, all aspect of human nature, but all eyes are Slams overall and was the person who
golfers will be white and all caddies will naturally on the individual that stands officially paved the way for people of
be Black.” Similarly, Barrett skims over out. There’s always someone looking to color to enter tennis.
the fact that female players weren’t slight you for the smallest thing if —Harmony Difo
allowed to compete until 2012. This is a
decent enough survey of the tournament,

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but it doesn’t break new ground. (Mar.) is no stranger to adversity—she was diag- we can, and getting cheap alternative
nosed 15 years ago with multiple sclerosis— fuels for the rest.” (Such alternatives
Make Your Own Sunshine: Inspiring but she’s managed to find benefits even in include electrofuels, which, he notes,
Stories of People Who Know How that. “I think MS has helped me be a better researchers are developing.) Gates rounds
to Find Light in Dark Times person, a better parent, a better sister, out his advice with steps for governments
Janice Dean. Harper, $26.99 (256p) ISBN 978- wife, and mom,” she notes. These heart- and individuals: he encourages citizens to
0-06-302795-4 warming stories will bring a smile to any “make calls, write letters, attend town
These joyful portraits from Fox News reader’s face. (Mar.) halls,” while Congress should financially
meteorologist Dean (Mostly Sunny) offer incentivize green policies, and state gov-
uplifting accounts of everyday heroes How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: ernments can “test policies like carbon
from across America. There’s Uber driver The Solutions We Have and the pricing” before they’re implemented
Belinda, who helps the mother of a seriously Breakthroughs We Need countrywide. Readers will enjoy Gates’s
ill infant find joy in choosing clothing for Bill Gates. Knopf, $28.95 (288p) ISBN 978-0- sometimes breezy tone (“You have to be a
her son; five-year-old Katelynn Pardee, 385546-13-3 pretty big nerd to write a sentence like
who, upon hearing that some of her class- Gates (The Road Ahead), Microsoft ‘I’m in awe of physical infrastructure’ ”),
mates didn’t have enough to eat, sold cofounder turned philanthropist, is opti- and while his scientific solutions are never
cocoa and cookies to pay off the unpaid mistic in this cogent guide to avoiding fringe, not all of his ideas strike as politi-
lunch debts of 123 students; and the “the worst effects of climate change.” cally feasible. Nonetheless, those looking
stranger who gave up his airplane seat so a Gates’s goal is to get from the 51 billion for an accessible review of how global
16-year-old who’d missed her connecting tons of greenhouse gasses added to the warming can be countered will find this a
flight could get home to see her dying atmosphere annually to zero. This is pos- handy—and maybe even hope-
mother. “You never know what kinds of sible, he writes, by making use of existing inspiring—guide. (Feb.)
burdens other people are carrying,” Dean technologies and developing new ones to
writes. “However, you never know how remove emissions: transportation’s “zero- ★ The Ten Year War:
easy it might be for you to lift a little bit carbon future,” for example, will mean Obamacare and the Unfinished
of that weight off them for a while.” Dean using “electricity to run all the vehicles Crusade for Universal Coverage
Jonathan Cohn. St. Martin’s, $28.99 (416p)
ISBN 978-1-250-27093-1
★ Tangled Up in Blue: HuffPost correspondent Cohn (Sick)
delivers an engrossing behind-the-scenes
Policing the American City account of the fight to pass the Affordable
Rosa Brooks. Penguin Press, $28 (384p) ISBN 978-0-525-55785-2 Care Act in 2010. Drawing on interviews

B
with President Obama and other key
rooks (How Everything Became War and the Military players, Cohn illustrates how the compro-
mises needed to pass the legislation
Became Everything), a journalist and Georgetown
(namely, the abandonment of the public
University law professor, delivers a nuanced and
option) left progressive advocates unsatis-
revealing chronicle of her experiences training to
fied and led to Medicare for All becoming
be a reserve police officer in Washington, D.C. Over the
a central issue of the 2020 Democratic
objections of her husband, mother (the writer Barbara
primary. Cohn also sketches the history of
Ehrenreich), and law school colleagues, Brooks took a
healthcare as a political cause, noting that
sabbatical and entered the police academy in 2016. She
President Nixon was open to universal
and her fellow recruits—most of whom came from mili-
coverage in the 1970s, and that conserva-
tary backgrounds—did push-ups, underwent firearms tives embraced Republican governor Mitt
training, and learned the academy’s central lesson: Romney’s creation of an individual mandate
“Anyone can kill you at any time.” After graduation, Brooks worked 24 hours a requiring people to purchase healthcare
month as a patrol officer, mainly in D.C.’s Seventh Police District, “the poorest, coverage in Massachusetts, before opposing
saddest, most crime-ridden part of the nation’s capital.” An observant writer with the same policy as part of Obamacare.
a sharp sense of humor, Brooks vividly sketches her patrol partners and the D.C. Supporters of the Affordable Care Act will
residents they encounter, and highlights problems caused by mass incarceration, be shocked by the sloppy wording that
racial discrimination, and lawmakers turning “trivial forms of misbehavior” into left it vulnerable to being overturned by
jailable offenses. After completing her training, Brooks helped launch a fellow- the Supreme Court, and impressed by the
ship program for new recruits to learn about these and other issues. This immer- details of Nancy Pelosi’s maneuvering to
sive, illuminating, and timely account takes a meaningful step toward bridging get it across the finish line in Congress.
the gap between what American society asks of police and what they’re trained to This is a comprehensive and essential look
deliver. Agent: Kris Dahl, ICM Partners (Feb.) at “arguably the most important and con-
troversial piece of legislation in the last

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few decades.” Agent: Kathy Robbins, the sprinkles pearls Solomon recalls being told she needed a
Robbins Office. (Feb.) of wisdom “non-Black person” to join her start-up
throughout, company before venture capitalists would
The AOC Generation: most of which invest in it. Teacher and civil rights
How Millennials Are Seizing are condensed activist DeRay Mckesson explains how
Power and Rewriting the into 12 apho- educators can make course material more
Rules of American Politics risms—“own relevant for nonwhite students. Though
David Freedlander. Beacon, $26.95 (240p) the table,” the tech industry is more heavily repre-
ISBN 978-0-8070-3643-3 “own your suc- sented than other fields, Sanders explores
Journalist Freedlander debuts with a cesses”—that a broad range of issues related to the Black
granular account of New York congress- begin the book. experience. The author’s insightful lessons
woman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Tennis fans will on how “power can be derived from trauma
political rise and the social and economic especially appreciate the lengthy, behind- and suffering” set this apart. (Feb.)
conditions that fueled it. Placing Ocasio- the-scenes look at the U.S. Open, an event
Cortez’s 2018 victory over incumbent Adams organized every year during her The Good Hand: A Memoir of Work,
Joseph Crowley within a broader context, tenure as president (2015–2018); she dis- Brotherhood, and Transformation
Freedlander examines how the 2008 cusses handling the complexities of the in an American Boomtown
financial crisis, Bernie Sanders’s 2016 event (“We put on the Super Bowl every Michael Patrick F. Smith. Viking, $29 (464p)
presidential campaign, and outrage over day for fourteen days”) and the dramatic ISBN 978-1-98488-151-9
Donald Trump’s election helped to bring 2018 match between Naomi Osaka and Smith impresses in this fascinating
left-wing ideas into the political main- Serena Williams that ended in boos due debut memoir about his 2013 move from
stream, and cites evidence that millennials to a controversial call. She also covers her Brooklyn, N.Y., to Williston, N.Dak., to
are the best educated, most diverse, and progression through the organization, from become an oil field hand. Modeling his
most liberal generation in American his- committee leader to chairman, v-p, then life on Teddy Roosevelt, who transformed
tory. Milestones from Ocasio-Cortez’s president, and her successful attempts to himself from a “squeaky-voiced four-eyed
college years, including her father’s death diversify the game by nurturing upcoming dork” to an “Indiana Jones president,”
when she was 19 and her junior year in talent from underserved communities. Smith set out to mature from a self-indul-
Niger, where she worked on maternal Adams especially shines when recalling the gent kid into a man “tough as a hickory
health-care issues, shed light on her per- unwavering support of family, mentors, knot” by being “beaten and pummeled,
sonal motivations and political acumen, and coaches who supported her along the knocked down” by hard labor. He began as
but the book’s strength lies in the attention way. This memoir inspires. (Feb.) a truck driver’s assistant and describes, in
Freedlander pays to lesser-known figures the profanity-laced language of his new
and movements. He explains how the Black Magic: What Black Leaders colleagues, how he developed a kinship
efforts of grassroots activists in the Bronx Learned from Triumph and Trauma with them. Many were abused by their
and Queens to unseat a group of Democratic Chad Sanders. Simon & Schuster, $27 (288p) fathers and Smith, likewise, recounts his
state legislators who caucused with the ISBN 978-1-982104-22-1 own memories of abuse (“Dad had threat-
Republican Party helped Ocasio-Cortez’s Screenwriter Sanders debuts with a ened to kill us, yes, but it wasn’t the first
campaign, and profiles the leaders of series of candid and informative inter- time”). He also describes how he forced
Jacobin magazine, whose reading groups views with Black professionals, exploring himself to compartmentalize his coworkers’
and “open hearted” yet “sharp” editorial how they achieved success. A former “casual, constant, continuing faucet drip of
sensibility reinvigorated the Democratic Google employee, Sanders recalls trying racism.” Over the course of a year he earned
Socialists of America. Progressive polit- to “emulate whiteness,” before discov- their respect while discovering that “a good
ical junkies will relish this deep dive into ering that his job performance improved hand... is a person who does honest work to
the forces behind Ocasio-Cortez’s turn in when he stopped pretending to be the best of their ability every day and who
the spotlight. (Mar.) someone else. He posits that the “Black offers that work as a living prayer.” Smith’s
experience... provides a set of skills and prose shines when sharing how his experi-
Own the Arena: Getting Ahead, tactics that can lead to victories in busi- ence on the oil rig shaped his idea of what it
Making a Difference, and ness, art, and science,” a theory borne out means to live a meaningful life. This page-
Succeeding as the Only One in these conversations. Ed Bailey, a sports turner delivers. (Feb.)
Katrina M. Adams. Amistad, $26.99 (288p) agent and Silicon Valley executive coach,
ISBN 978-0-06293-682-0 speaks to the importance of stepping out James Baldwin’s Another Country:
Adams, former president of the United of one’s comfort zone when it comes to Bookmarked
States Tennis Association, shares in her working in unfamiliar environments. Kim McLarin. IG, $14.95 trade paper (168p)
strong debut the leadership skills she Lynn McKinley-Grant, a Harvard- ISBN 978-1-63246-121-6
gained as an executive in a business where educated dermatologist, provides insight Novelist McLarin (Jump at the Sun)
“I was [often] the only woman, only black on maintaining confidence in the face of reflects on the personal and creative inspi-
woman, or only person of color.” She white privilege, while Jewel Burks ration she has found in Another Country,

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James Baldwin’s recounts her experience with sexual glamorous, philanthropic lives of Scottish
1962 novel, in harassment as a student, and “Ode on aristocrats John and Ishbel Gordon, who
this discerning Melancholy,” in which she asks, “What bankrolled numerous social causes in
work of criti- kind of woman am I?” While Nersessian Britain and North America even as they
cism. “Another aims for her study to appeal to nonspecial- bankrupted themselves through bad
Country is a ists, that goal is undermined by ample use investments and extravagant building
novel about fear of literary jargon (apotheosis, ekphrasis, projects. Married in 1877, the Gordons’
and love and and caesuras), and discussions of poetic honeymoon was a portent of things to
innocence and meter that will leave lay readers behind. come. Before the couple set out for Egypt,
masculinity and This astute work will be best enjoyed by burglars stole Ishbel’s extensive jewelry
white supremacy academics or Keats enthusiasts. (Feb.) collection; weeks later, she and John were
and anti-black- setting up impromptu health clinics
ness and also about the ways sexuality George Washington: The Political during a trip down the Nile River (they
intersects with all of those things,” Rise of America’s Founding Father also took on the living and educational
McLarin writes. McLarin unveils the com- David O. Stewart. Dutton, $32 (576p) expenses of four former slave boys). During
plexities of the novel’s central archetypes: ISBN 978-0-451488-98-5 John’s tenure as the governor general of
Ida, the strong Black woman suffering Historian and mystery writer Stewart Canada from 1893 to 1898, Ishbel formed
from “the lack of Black female connec- (Madison’s Gift) delivers an insightful take the Victorian Order of Nurses in Ottawa
tion,” and Rufus, who “made the fatal on George Washington’s evolution as a and initiated book drives to benefit rural
mistake of believing what white people politician. Painstaking accounts of epi- areas. Both abroad and in Scotland, where
say about him.” McLarin is both generous sodes from Washington’s life before the they were the Marquess and Marchioness
and critical of Baldwin, acknowledging American Revolution illustrate the flaws of Aberdeen, John and Ishbel designed,
the undercurrents of misogyny in his he struggled to overcome: “a meager edu- renovated, and built numerous stately
writing, and is an astute and sensitive cation, a temper that terrified those who homes; meanwhile, dodgy investments,
reader. Her introspective study is filled saw him lose it, a cockiness that could including a series of North American
with insight about interracial love (“Of make him reckless, and a deep financial ranches poorly managed by Ishbel’s
the three interracial couples in Another insecurity that could lead him close to brothers, further drained the couple’s
Country, two are doomed from the start”), greed.” Stewart delves into Washington’s resources. Welfare, who is married to the
“the fantasies” of American masculinity, mixed record as a military commander Gordons’ great-granddaughter, draws on
and the importance of Black sisterhood during the French and Indian War; his an extensive collection of family papers to
(as Ida navigates “the treacherous waters “shrewd calculation” in deciding to first provide intriguing details about the cou-
of America without sisters at her side). run for the Virginia House of Burgesses in ple’s social life and political causes. These
Baldwin fans will be delighted by this Frederick County, where he had deep con- imperfect do-gooders make for entertaining
fresh take. (Feb.) nections to the region’s largest landowner; company. (Feb.)
and his public presentation of the Fairfax
Keats’s Odes: A Lover’s Discourse Resolves, which pledged to resist the Walk in My Combat Boots:
Anahid Nersessian. Univ. of Chicago, $20 Coercive Acts by all means necessary and True Stories from America’s
trade paper (160p) ISBN 978-0-226-76267-8 helped make Washington a celebrated Bravest Warriors
Intense emotion abounds in this lit- figure at the First Continental Congress James Patterson and Matt Eversmann, with
erary blend of analysis and autobiography in 1774. Stewart’s balanced portrait of Chris Mooney. Little, Brown, $30 (416p)
from UCLA English professor Nersessian Washington also includes uncomfortable ISBN 978-0-316-42909-2
(Utopia, Limited). In six essays that examine details about his treatment of his slaves, Bestseller Patterson (Deadly Cross) and
each of Keats’s Great Odes, Nersessian whom he verbally abused and actively pre- retired U.S. Army Ranger Eversmann
tells a “kind of love story” between herself vented from filing legal claims that might gather firsthand accounts from veterans,
and the poems, and reads Keats’s work as have led to their emancipation. Even most of whom served in Iraq or Afghan-
radical (while he frequented leftist circles, readers well-versed in Washington’s life istan, to deliver a vivid and authentic
she writes, his radicalism lies “in his will learn something new from this metic- portrait of life in the modern military.
style”). In “Ode to a Nightingale,” she ulous look at how he became the “para- Many of the soldiers profiled are children
describes Keats’s “persistence of beauty mount political figure” of his era. (Feb.) of career military men and were spurred
within the ugliest situations,” and in “To into action by the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Autumn” discusses what inspired the Fortune’s Many Houses: A Victorian Their specialties range from helicopter
poem. Only two of the essays include Visionary, a Noble Scottish Family, door gunner to dentist (Maj. Gen. Ron
extended first-person narration (“The and a Lost Inheritance Silverman fixed Saddam Hussein’s broken
autobiographical dimension will not Simon Welfare. Atria, $30 (352p) ISBN 978-1- tooth after he was captured in 2003).
always be obvious,” Nersessian warns in 982128-62-3 Recurring themes include the shock of
the introduction): “Ode on a Grecian Television producer Welfare explores entering a war zone, the experience of
Urn,” in which Nersessian powerfully in this colorful debut biography the losing a friend, and battles with alcohol,

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drugs, and PTSD. Contributors express The Good Girls: An Ordinary Killing being caught in a field with a boy. In inci-
mixed feelings about their Afghan and Sonia Faleiro. Grove, $26 (352p) ISBN 978-0- sive prose, Faleiro, who offers no opinion on
Iraqi allies, doubts about the prospects for 8021-5820-8 what actually happened, examines India’s
long-term stability (“Iraqi culture isn’t In this powerful account, Faleiro family honor system and the grueling lives
wired for democracy”), respect for their (Beautiful Thing: Inside the Secret World of of lower caste women. True crime buffs will
foes (“The enemy is smart, coming up with Bombay’s Dance Bars) tells the tragic story of be fascinated. Agent: Jin Auh, Wylie Agency.
ingenious ways to blow us up”), and pride two cousins, 16-year-old Padma Shakya and (Feb.)
in their service. Some stories make clear 14-year-old Lalli Shakya, who grew up in a
that the technologies allowing for easier village in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The Don: The Story of Toronto’s
communications with the home front than Padma and Lalli, who tended the family’s Infamous Jail
in previous wars also bring immediate goats, disappeared one night in 2014. They Lorna Poplak. Dundurn, $21.99 (208p)
access to family dysfunctions. Though the were found the next morning hanging from ISBN 978-1-4597-4596-4
loose structure and lack of transitions from a mango tree. Was it rape and murder, or Historian Poplak (Drop Dead: A Horrible
one soldier’s story to the next can be disori- suicide? Months of bungling police, corrupt History of Hanging in Canada) delivers a
enting, the overall effect is powerful. This politicians, lying witnesses, and missing brisk study of Toronto’s Don Jail from its
edifying collection captures the highs and evidence resulted in the arrests of Padma’s origins as a progressive-minded reforma-
lows of the military experience. (Feb.) boyfriend, his two brothers, and two police tory in the late 19th century to its reputa-
officers in a case of a gang rape gone wrong. tion as Ontario’s “Black Hole of Calcutta”
★ We Own This City: When officers of the Central Bureau of in the 20th century and reopening as a
A True Story of Crime, Cops, and Investigation, India’s equivalent of the FBI, rehabilitation hospital in 2013. Poplak
Corruption in an American City took over the botched case, they concluded contends that the shift from an ethos of
Justin Fenton. Random House, $28 (352p) it was suicide, not murder, and the girls reform to one of punishment in the early
ISBN 978-0-593-13366-8 took their own lives out of shame after 20th century helped to remake the prison’s
Baltimore Sun reporter Fenton, whose
coverage of the Baltimore riots that fol-
lowed the death of Freddie Gray led to a
Pulitzer Prize nomination, debuts with a
★ New York, New York, New York:
searing look at that city’s recent police Four Decades of Success, Excess
corruption scandal. The Baltimore PD’s
Gun Trace Task Force was created in 2007 and Transformation
to make the streets safer by clamping Thomas Dyja. Simon & Schuster, $30 (544p) ISBN 978-1-9821-4978-9

M
down on guns and drugs; instead, under
the crooked leadership of Sgt. Wayne odern Gotham has recovered its glitter, but lost
Jenkins, Fenton writes, the task force its moral compass and its soul, according to this
members became criminals themselves—
kaleidoscopic history. Novelist and urban historian
committing robberies, dealing narcotics,
Dyja (The Third Coast) surveys New York’s 35
engaging in overtime fraud, and planting
years from near bankruptcy in the 1970s through budget
or misappropriating evidence. People of
cuts and fiscal stabilization under mayor Ed Koch,
color were stopped and harassed on false
plummeting crime and rising racial tensions under
pretexts by task force members, fostering
Rudolph Giuliani, and renewed wealth and visionary
community distrust of the police at a time
swagger under Michael Bloomberg. In each municipal
when Fenton believed an increase in violent
advance, Dyja locates a loss: intensified policing brought
crime meant that ethical policing was
more needed than ever. Jenkins and his harassment of minority communities, big-box stores
crew were federally indicted in 2017, and, bankrupted neighborhood shops, Wall Street booms and burgeoning artists’ lofts
subsequently, all seven members of the sparked gentrification that drove out the working class, and Disneyfied redevel-
GTTF were convicted of crimes including opment extinguished Times Square’s squalid glamour. Dyja’s omnivorous curiosity
racketeering, robbery, illegal searches takes in city bureaucracies, investment bankers, neighborhood activists, literati
and seizures, and drug dealing. Fenton’s lunching at Elaine’s, hip-hop impresarios, and downtown artists. Dyja shapes it
detailed narrative makes the tragic conse- all into a cogent narrative studded with pithy insights and vivid profiles. (“Damp
quences of the GTTF’s graft palpable. and vampiric, Giuliani was miserable on the stump [during the 1989 mayoral
Fans of TV series such as Homicide: Life on campaign], inexperienced and off-putting with the tentative humanity of a
the Street and The Wire based on journalist priest in street clothes.”) Dyja’s exhaustive knowledge of the era, dazzling
David Simon’s groundbreaking coverage prose, and all-embracing sympathy—and scorn when it’s merited—make for a
of Baltimore will be engrossed. Agent: stimulating study of New York’s never-ending upheaval. Agent: Lisa Bankoff,
Rafe Sagalyn, ICM Partners. (Feb.) Bankoff Collaborative. (Mar.)

W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY. C O M 95
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PUBLISHING
IN THE culture for the worse. He profiles inmates,
guards, and prison officials, including
reexamining how work and other responsi-
bilities coexist. Still, those looking for a

PALM
George Headley Basher, a “very strict disci- deep dive into a changing work culture will
plinarian” who oversaw the Don from 1919 be left wanting more. (Feb.)
to 1931 and viewed corporal punishment
(he preferred to call it “spanking”) as “the The Beauty of What Remains:

OF YOUR only way to control violent and defiant

prisoners.” Poplak also details numerous
How Our Greatest Fear
Becomes Our Greatest Gift

HAND.
escape attempts, riots, and executions, and Steve Leder. Avery, $26 (240p) ISBN 978-0-
tracks the deterioration of conditions due 593-18755-5
to overcrowding. Inquests and grand jury Leder (More Beautiful than Before), senior
investigations into repeated incidents of rabbi of Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Los
brutality became de rigueur at the Don, Angeles, delivers insightful thoughts on
but the original jail remained in use until death and the process of dying for the spir-
1977, when penal reforms across Canada itual and secular alike. Though Leder has
(which included an abolition of the death spent more than 30 years visiting the sick
penalty) led to its closure. (An east wing and dying and helping to arrange funerals
built in the 1950s continued to house pris- with grieving family members, he writes
oners until 2013). Poplak’s blow-by-blow that he was unprepared for his father’s long
account drags in places, but she is a dogged struggle with Alzheimer’s and eventual
researcher with an eye for telling details. death. Leder shares intimate details of his
Canadian history buffs will savor the arcane father’s illness
criminal lore gathered here. (Feb.) and reflects on
how his role as a
Flex: Reinventing Work for a rabbi has influ-
Smarter, Happier Life enced his own
Annie Auerbach. HarperOne, $22.99 (208p) relationship to
ISBN 978-0-06-305964-1 death, coming
Auerbach, the founder of a consultancy to realize his
that “helps brands understand how society “shtick” of
is changing,” suggests nine-to-five should “wisecracks”
be a thing of the past in this thin “manifesto and “exagger-
for living and working on your terms.” The ated gestures” needed to give way to his
Covid-19 pandemic, Auerbach writes, “authentic self” during his father’s final
forced companies to allow employees the days. Leder writes that he often has to dish
flexibility to work from home and focus on out tough love, such as his advice to a man
their well-being—concerns Auerbach who believed his father’s diagnosis of ter-
argues should have considered all along. minal pancreatic cancer would bring them
Working and living flexibly, Auerbach closer: “Making peace with death is really
writes, challenges “social norms like about making peace with life —accepting
women bearing the brunt of the emotional the things that cannot be changed so that
load at home,” and allows employees to be we do not exhaust ourselves, fool ourselves,
happier and more creative. She offers tips to or consider ourselves failures.” Leder’s
GET THE prevent work from carrying over into one’s
home life, such as setting up “a clear out-of-
elegant and compassionate rumination is
a worthy addition to the literature on death

PW APP office email with the times you will answer

emails and the times you are out of con-
and dying. (Feb.)

TODAY
tact,” and not checking emails within an Your Fully Charged Life:
hour of waking up. Unfortunately, she A Radically Simply Approach
offers relatively few stories of companies to Having Endless Energy
who have made workplace flexibility cen- and Filling Every Day with Yay
tral to their mission; instead, the book is Meaghan B. Murphy, with Beth Janes O’Keefe.
heavy on large-type inspirational quotes TarcherPerigee, $26 (256p) ISBN 978-0-59318-
and heavy design elements. Auerbach’s 8576
encouraging direction on “how to be Murphy, former executive editor for Good
human in a tech-driven world” will find Housekeeping, dishes up a hodgepodge of
willing ears among a workforce that’s ideas for living a happier life. She covers
 Review_NONFICTION

able to ask for help. Lima’s empathy and

★ Under a White Sky: cheer shine throughout: “We all have the
power to ignite our light and to know we’re
The Nature of the Future worthy and enough exactly as we are.” This
Elizabeth Kolbert. Crown, $28 (256p) ISBN 978-0-593-13627-0 will particularly resonate with entrepre-

P
neurs struggling with self-doubt. (Feb.)
ulitzer-winner Kolbert (The Sixth Extinction)
focuses once again on the Anthropocene in this Bronze Seeks Silver: Lessons from
illuminating study of humans’ “control of nature.” a Creative Career in Marketing
Humans have already changed the natural world, Mat Zucker. Cidiot, $14.99 trade paper
she writes, and now are innovating to counter the fallout. (178p) ISBN 978-1-64999-726-5
As she surveys climate-related discoveries, Kolbert “Every entry on a résumé has a lesson,”
writes Zucker in his debut, an upbeat
describes barriers erected to keep Asian carp out of the
memoir of his career in advertising. In
Great Lakes after the carp were brought to America in
1992, he turned down his first job offer,
1963 to “keep aquatic weeds in check.” She also tells of
from Antiques magazine, because the maga-
the divers who conduct a yearly “census” on the Devil’s
zine “wasn’t cool.” He went on to learn the
Hole pupfish, a threatened species surviving in a single pond in the Mojave Desert.
ropes at FCB, an ad agency where his
Kolbert notes the irony and ingenuity of humans battling natural processes to
youthful enthusiasm clashed with reality—
which they have contributed: the dams and levees along the Mississippi River, for
his work on an egg-replacer ad, he learned
instance, were “built to keep southern Louisiana dry” but have caused a massive
from a superior, was “not delicious.” Zucker
“land-loss crisis” due to flooding elsewhere in the state. Along the way, Kolbert
writes of the years he spent at ad house
covers interventions on the cutting edge of science, such as “assisted evolution,” Ogilvy, where he rose from freelancer to
which would help coral reefs endure warmer oceans. Her style of immersive associate creative director before being laid
journalism (which involves being hit by a jumping carp, observing coral sex, off in 2012. Though he sets out to “punc-
and watching as millennia-old ice is pulled from the ice sheets of Greenland) tuate each period of [his] career with at least
makes apparent the challenges of “the whole-earth transformation” currently one solid lesson,” his advice only comes in
underway. This investigation of global change is brilliantly executed and the last few pages of the book: he encour-
urgently necessary. Agent: Kathy Robbins, the Robbins Office. (Feb.) ages readers to innovate and to “learn from
others and pass it on.” Still, readers get to
see how the sausage is made as Zucker
myriad aspects of relationships, health, and Believe It: How to Go from counters glamorous notions of the adver-
work, and is never short on advice, though Underestimated to Unstoppable tising world (“What you probably don’t
self-help readers will be familiar with many Jamie Kern Lima. Gallery, $27 (288p) immediately think of are twenty-foot
of her suggestions, among them main- ISBN 978-1-9821-5780-7 Christmas displays at strip mall liquor
taining a gratitude journal, visualization Lima, founder and CEO of It Cosmetics, stores”). Those looking for an insider’s take
prompts, and ways to “reframe what’s lame” debuts with a cheery memoir charting her on the advertising world will find much to
in one’s mind to respond positively to meteoric rise in the sometimes-ugly beauty appreciate. (Self-published.)
feedback. There isn’t much of a guiding industry and sharing her secrets for success.
principle at play, and the magpie approach In the empowering tone of a supportive big
results suggestions borrowed from a number sister, Lima shares how she went from Religion/Spirituality
of schools: readers are encouraged to set being a broadcast journalist to an entrepre-
boundaries, meditate, listen to music for neur who developed a product that mini- Affirming: A Memoir of Faith,
motivation and to increase energy, apologize mized her rosacea and upon which she built Sexuality, and Staying in the Church
correctly, and make the bed every morning. a cosmetics company that she later sold to Sally Gary. Eerdmans, $19.99 trade paper
Murphy also divulges how her positivity L’Oreal for more than $1 billion. She orga- (240p) ISBN 978-0-8028-7917-2
suggestions helped her through health nizes her advice into three sections— Gary follows up her memoir Loves God,
struggles and depression following the believe, risk, and empower—and high- Likes Girls with this illuminating testa-
death of a friend, but these fleeting serious lights the skills that allowed her to ment that argues faith communities should
moments, and her take on the pandemic fluorish. She first counsels that listening to be more accepting of LGBTQ members
(“The lockdown reminded me that it’s okay one’s inner intuition and believing in the and invites readers to recognize that, for
to feel however you feel”), seem incongruous power of authenticity are the building many LGBTQ people, sexual and romantic
with the otherwise relentlessly sunny tone blocks to success. The second section covers relationships are an essential part of life.
(a “cycle of good deeds and good vibes will responsible risk, why one should choose to Growing up in the Church of Christ during
energize us for life”). This self-care buffet be brave rather than to be liked, dealing the 1960s and ’70s, where sexuality was
will leave readers feeling overstuffed. (Feb.) with haters, and living out one’s values. taboo and “talking about homosexuality
The final step is to empower others and be was unheard of, unless it involved hateful

98 P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y ■ D E C E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 2 0
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condemnation or jokes,” Gary was con-

fused by her attraction to girls. After she
no). But the message gets muddied as
Campion wanders into topics such as old
ONLINE ONLY
www.publishersweekly.com
came out at 35, Gary writes, she wrestled and new souls, soulmates, and “the ener-
with how to reconcile her faith with her getics of sexuality.” Campion’s breezy, FICTION
★ Confessions in B-Flat Donna Hill. Sideways,
sexuality, and, as covered in her previous approachable style and clearly described ISBN 978-1-64063-829-7, Nov.
memoir, came to the conclusion that, while methods make this book valuable to anyone
God accepted her, she was called to be celi- who considers themselves an empath. (Feb.) ★ Imogen Cunningham: A Retrospective
Paul Martineau and Susan Ehrens. Getty,
bate. Here, Gary explains her change of
ISBN 978-1-60606-675-1, Oct.
opinion about living in a “faithful cove- Beauty in the Browns:
nant” with another woman, and uses her Walking with Christ in the The Last Garden in England Julia Kelly.
story to consider the Christian practice of Darkness of Depression Gallery, ISBN 978-1-982107-82-6, Jan.

radical hospitality (which is about “wel- Paul Asay. Focus on the Family, $15.99 trade Looking to Get Lost: Adventures in Music
coming strangers, people who don’t fit in paper (224p) ISBN 978-1-64607-005-3 and Writing Peter Guralnick. Little, Brown,
with the rest of society”), the role of scrip- In this stirring work, journalist Asay ISBN 978-0-31641-262-9, Oct.

ture in understanding sexuality and sin (Burning Bush 2.0) offers hope and The Narrowboat Summer Anne Youngson.
(which evangelicals interpret to instill encouragement to Christians wrestling Flatiron, ISBN 978-1-250-76461-4, Jan.
“the myth that... someone who is gay has with depression or helping a loved one
The Regal Lemon Tree Juan José Saer, trans.
rebelled against God”), and the importance navigate it. Drawing from his own expe- from the Spanish by Sergio Waisman. Open Letter,
of relationships. In the end, she challenges riences as well as his son’s, Asay examines ISBN 978-1-948830-27-0, Oct.
Christians to reckon with the damage done the ways depression can intensify feel-
Win at All Costs: Inside Nike Running and
by anti-LGBTQ beliefs and practices. ings of anxiety, emptiness, insecurity, Its Culture of Deceptionon Matt Hart. Dey
“What if LGBTQ people never had to loneliness, shame, and sadness. Asay Street, ISBN 978-0-06291-777-5, Sept.
worry about not being wanted?” she asks. acknowledges that the church uninten-
“What if [that energy] was directed toward tionally “sometimes shuts down or shuts
deepening their relationship with God?” out some of the very people whom Jesus surrogate, but
Gary’s surprising, forthright story uncovers said were blessed: the poor in spirit, after she didn’t
the damage of anti-LGBTQ religious those who mourn.” However, he reas- respond to
beliefs and policies. (Mar.) sures Christian readers that they can find treatment,
redemption and purpose despite their O’Hara and her
Energy Healing for Empaths: How depression, and he shares how the prac- husband turned
to Protect Yourself from Energy tice of prayer and volunteer work have to surrogacy
Vampires, Honor Your Boundaries, helped him cope with depression. He agencies to find
and Build Healthier Relationships also considers how he’s come to view a carrier. Tiffany,
Lisa Campion. New Harbinger, $18.95 trade depression and suffering as gifts one can an experienced
paper (216p) ISBN 978-1-68403-592-2 learn and grow stronger from: “When surrogate who
In this handy work, psychic counselor depression makes me feel empty, perhaps approached the
Campion (Psychic Reiki) teaches energy God can fill me with something better.” work as a ministry, gave hope to the
management techniques to her fellow He recommends Christians embrace O’Haras and eventually gave birth to
empaths. Campion claims that empaths faith when God seems far away, seek out twins. During O’Hara’s struggles to have
(those with heightened intuitive or psychic counseling or professional help when another child, her pastor supported her in
awareness) are prone to absorbing the emo- necessary, and find joy in family. Any establishing a daily prayer ritual, a life
tional energy of others, which can bring Christian can appreciate Asay’s encour- coach taught her to focus her energy on
unexpected difficulties. She highlights aging examination. (Feb.) the positive, and friends prayed with her
issues of empathetic overload, and urges or surprised her with impromptu outings
readers to let go of feeling victimized by Angel Wings: A Story of Love, for karaoke. Though faith is an important
their sensitivity and take charge of man- Faith, Infertility, Surrogacy, and aspect of O’Hara’s life, her account offers
aging energy and maintaining boundaries. Not Giving Up Hope little theological nuance, providing only
The book’s strength are the skills Campion Stephanie O’Hara. Plum Bay Publishing, the answer “God had invented science”
shares, such as a “system check” scan to sep- $24.99 (248p) ISBN 978-1-73488-481-4 from a conversation with her pastor on
arate one’s emotions from those of others In this cheerful debut, O’Hara the morality of surrogacy and in-vitro
and ways to create personal boundaries describes how friendships and her fertilization. O’Hara’s unquestioned faith
through visualization and meditation. She Christian faith have buoyed her through and tenacity in seeing the positive in any
also describes the nature of “energy vam- infertility and expanding her family with situation shine throughout. Christians
pires” (people one finds “most draining”) the help of a gestational surrogate. who have struggled with loss will appre-
and gives suggestions to disentangle from O’Hara and her husband, after the birth ciate O’Hara’s remarkable story. (Self-
them (such as establishing boundaries and of their first child, suffered seven preg- published)
finding support if one has trouble saying nancy losses. A friend volunteered to be a

W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K LY. C O M 99
 Review_CHILDREN’S

Children’s/YA city of domed towers as others build a

rocket booster and make a pinhole
camera, which Farley (Dozens of
Doughnuts) draws in enough detail for
Picture Books readers to try making themselves.
Others explore the globe (“I’ve ante-
★ The Tale of the Mandarin Duck: loped in Africa/ and kissed a crocodile/
A Modern Fable as I was sailing all alone/ along the river
Bette Midler, photos by Michiko Kakutani, Nile”) and encounter spectacular bird
illus. by Joana Avillez. Random House, specimens in a museum. Though colo-
$18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-593-17676-4 nialist-explorer elements sound dated,
Inspired by the mysterious 2018 Wolf’s playful tone keeps the loosely
appearance of an exquisite Mandarin duck associated episodes powering forward.
in Manhattan’s Central Park, this story is Sturdy, stubby-nosed characters by
Midler, Kakutani, and Avillez create a moving
rooted in reality yet slyly surreal. As the ode to big-city connection in their picture book Farley, meanwhile, beguile, and fantasy
fable opens, New Yorkers, “world famous (reviewed on this page). landscapes divert, including a wondrous
for their liveliness... looked each other in spread that reimagines the constellations.
the eye, and pretty much liked what they legs rake the beard and carry it rever- Ages 4–8. (Feb.)
saw.” But a pall descends with the advent ently. The king proclaims that ordinary
of cell phones, as people become mesmer- subjects are not permitted beards—rule Rectangle Time
ized by the small screens in their hands breakers will be “cut into a thousand Pamela Paul, illus. by Becky Cameron.
and lose their connectedness to one pieces with a pinchy pair of nail scissors!” Philomel, $17.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-593-11511-4
another as well as to the world around In dark, stylish before-and-after spreads, Cats magically appear for cuddling
them. Enter the Mandarin duck, “some- animate and inanimate subjects show when it’s readaloud time, and Paul (How
thing so rare that he had to be seen with the law’s consequences: a broom loses its to Raise a Reader, for adults) imagines the
your own two eyes, and remembered with bristles, a pirate turns out to be naked ritual from a feline’s point of view. “Oh,
your heart.” When a perspicacious girl behind a once-ample blue beard, and a good, it’s time! They’re bringing out the
puts away her phone to revel in the duck’s cactus loses its spines. At last, the mon- rectangle,” says a self-interested calico as
splendor, others do likewise, and discover arch’s beard grows all the way around the her owners, a light brown–skinned man
“that all around them are rare and beau- world and returns to annoy the kingly and his young son, pull a book off the
tiful birds, with and without feathers.” presence, with terrible consequences (or shelf. But what happens when the
There is a crackling creative synergy just deserts, depending upon the reader’s maturing reader learns to handle “rectan-
among the book’s collaborators, each of take). Verplancke skewers narcissism and gles” on his own? As the boy grows, the
whom contributes bountifully to the sto- willful ignorance, too, as the ruler’s cat’s brash naivete elicits giggles. “Look
rytelling: actor Midler with a chipper yet belief that the Earth is flat interferes at the poor little guy,” the cat says of the
resonant text, critic Kakutani with crisp with his understanding that the invading lone child, silently reading a chapter
photos capturing the rainbow-hued duck beard might, in fact, be his own. Ages book: “He’s just... staring at the rectangle.”
against brilliant fall foliage, and artist 4–8. (Feb.) Solitary rectangle-handling, the calico
Avillez with whimsical black-and-white discovers, means less cuddling. As the cat
line art that engagingly depicts city folk No Buddy Like a Book pesters the boy, the child’s inattention and
in various pursuits. Ages 3–7. Author’s Allan Wolf, illus. by Brianne Farley. Candlewick, a swat away creates doubt for the feline
agent: Jonathan Ehrlich, Grubman, Shire, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-5362-0307-3 (“Eh, no big deal. It wasn’t on purpose. I
Meiselas & Sacks. Illustrators’ agents: (for In this snappy addition to the shelf of get it”) before a final, fuzzy rapproche-
Kakutani) Kim Schefler, Levine Plotkin & book-extolling books, Wolf (The Snow ment ends in an accommodation for all.
Menin; (for Avillez) Kate Mack, Aevitas Fell Three Graves Deep) supplies a string Placid, doll-like characters created by
Creative Management. (Feb.) of examples showing how books can Cameron (Monet’s Cat) underscore the
teach and enlighten. An unnamed nar- story’s comforting moments rather than
The King’s Golden Beard rator vacillates between offering cheery adding antic expressions or frenetic
Klaas Verplancke. mineditionUS/Russo, advice (“So step aboard the Book Express./ action. With comedy that goes right over
$18.99 (48p) ISBN 978-1-66265-039-0 It’s waiting at the station”) and divulging the head of the feline narrator, Paul’s
This clever, biting little fable looks on things learned in volumes read (“We clever, self-assured text offers owners
as a vain ruler passes a series of laws to learn why icebergs stay afloat.../ and why (and their cats) some promising rect-
protect “his kingly self and his beautiful Titanics sink”). A group of children of angle time of their own. Ages 4–8.
beard.” Readers can’t see the king; luxu- various ethnicities, including a brown- Author’s agent: Lydia Wills, Lydia Wills
riant, silvery-blond hair covers his body, a skinned child with low sight, make a Agency. Illustrator’s agent: Claire Cartey,
creepy red-lipped smile visible through series of book-led discoveries. Two of the Holroyde Cartey Ltd. (Feb.)
the thicket. Soldiers with stick arms and gang sail off in a balloon to a celestial

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 Review_CHILDREN’S

Affirmation Station
Pick up one of these picture books for a dose of positivity.

I Love You, Baby Burrito with a school of scarlet fish, and dons spectacles to fit in with a
Angela Dominguez. Roaring Brook, $18.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-250-23109-3 pair of owls. Finally, Igor meets another curious being: a long-
Dominguez offers a gentle bilingual address from two parents haired, domelike unnamed creature with arms that resemble a
to their new bebé, with Spanish words highlighted in green. A sloth’s. Vignaga subverts the expected outcome, however: “Igor
parent with upswept auburn hair, light skin, and a pink sweater is happy to have met another creature like him, but he cannot
nestles close a green-hatted newborn in a yellow onesie, as stay,” the narrator informs readers matter-of-factly, as Igor goes
another parent, who has light brown skin home to dream of his next adventure. A lean, art-focused tale
and dark hair and wears a blue long- about seeking oneself and knowing one’s goals. Ages 4–8. (Jan.)
sleeved shirt, brings stuffed animals
into a furnished nursery. The padres You Are Always Loved: A Story of Hope
introduce their infant to the home; Madeleine Dean and Harry Cunnane, illus. by Holly Clifton-Brown.
speculate on the baby’s face (“This is Random House, $17.99 (32p) ISBN 978-0-593-30924-7
your delightful carita,/ which I think Congresswoman Dean and her son Cunnane, coauthors of
looks a bit like mine”), fingers, and toes; and finally swaddle the forthcoming adult memoir Under Our Roof, offer a narra-
the newborn (“So let’s wrap you up,/ my precious gift,/ mi tive saturated with figurative language, reassuring children
regalo”). Watercolor, colored pencil, and digital illustrations that they are beloved, even in times of trouble: “So, if ever a
offer soft, expressive visualizations of the spare narrative. A storm blows through/ and something you cherish is swept
sweet gift for new parents. Back matter features a Spanish- away,/ you are not the winds,/ and you are not the rain,/ and
English glossary with pronunciations. Ages 2–5. (Jan.) you are never alone.” Clifton-Brown’s friendly hand-painted
gouache and digital illustrations introduce a brown rabbit
I Am a Kindness Hero whose parent inexplicably hops away. As a storm brews, other
Jennifer Adams, illus. by Carme Lemniscates. Sounds True, $17.99 animals assist the bunny; the refrain “Hope is a friend” reoc-
(32p) ISBN 978-1-68364-472-9 curs as the animal is supported by an owl, a deer, and a mouse.
The team behind I Am a Warrior Goddess returns for this While the sentiments may not feel innovative, the narrative is
companion picture book, which utilizes the refrain “I am” hopeful, and young readers will gladden as the rabbit’s parent
while following a dark-haired, brown-skinned child with blue returns just as the sun breaks through dissipating clouds.
eyes who is kind in all aspects of life. Lemniscates’s textural Back matter features a letter from the authors, who explain
artwork shows the child respecting flora, fauna, and fellow the story’s genesis in Cunnane’s experiences with addiction
humans: surveying a vegetable garden ready for harvest (“I am... and recovery after the birth of his daughter. Ages 4–8. (Feb.)
a guardian of the Earth”), carrying an elderly woman’s groceries
across the street (“Heroes are kind to strangers and to friends”), You Are Enough: A Book About Inclusion
defending a younger kid (“I fight for kindness when I stand Margaret O’Hair, illus. by Sofia Cardoso. Scholastic, $17.99 (40p)
up for others”), and more. Through small, individual acts, the ISBN 978-1-338-63074-9
child shows compassion and aims to make the world a better O’Hair’s third book starring Sofia Sanchez, a young actress
place. Though Adams’s text sometimes veers toward the and model with Down syndrome who was adopted from
didactic (“I battle my jealousy when I high-five the winner”), Ukraine by American parents, offers a collection of warm decla-
the book should still encourage young readers: “If I fight for rations. Beginning with a letter from Sofia’s perspective, the
kindness, then maybe others will too.” Ages 4–8. (Jan.) book continues with a series of recommendations: “Remember,
not everyone may understand you. But that doesn’t mean you
Igor can’t still be happy, just the way that you are,” one spread
Francesca Dafne Vignaga. Windmill, $27.25 e-book (32p) ISBN 978- instructs, as Sofia offers a thumbs-up to a child wearing a tutu,
1-4994-8659-9 cape, and pirate’s hat at a bus stop. In Cardoso’s cheerful, inclu-
Originally published in Italian, this spare narrative fol- sive illustrations, heavy in fuchsia and lime, another spread
lows Igor, a gray, four-inch-tall bipedal creature whose dis- (“When you fall down, get back up”) shows Sofia with Haole the
tinguishing characteristics are listed as “very furry and smiles Surf Dog, who’s part of the surf therapy nonprofit A Walk on
a lot.” Knowing nothing about his species but aware of his Water. Though the book lacks an overarching narrative, its
name and a few of his talents (doing magic tricks with blooms cheerful exhortations may serve as a source of support and
and seeds, for example), Igor embarks on a journey to find encouragement. Back matter includes a profile of Sofia Sanchez
someone else like him. Relayed through fine-lined, light-suf- with photos, and a q&a from the National Down Syndrome
fused illustrations, Igor humorously hangs with a bat, swims Society. Ages 4–8. (Mar.)

W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y . C O M 101
 Review_CHILDREN’S

Can I Sit with You? natures, the friends set off, encountering cially a swim team relay, the jockeying of
Sarah Jacoby. Chronicle, $18.99 (44p) challenges en route. These include their new friendships against old, and excruci-
ISBN 978-1-4521-6464-9 own poor map-reading skills, a ferocious ating moments of embarrassment. Hagan’s
A diminutive brown hound offers loyal dog, and frogs—dressed in old-fashioned intergenerational family story offers an
companionship to a human no matter what bathing suits and straw boaters—who engaging slant on familiar early adolescent
the circumstances, a vow it voices in lyrical refuse to be hunted (“ ‘Hunt what?’ asked growing pains. Ages 8–11. (Feb.)
free verse through the refrain “Can I sit another frog. ‘Well... you,’ said Taylor, who
with you?” In opening pages, the alert dog, was a very honest hedgehog”). Gouache Cathedral of Bones
alone on the street, seems taken with a girl and colored-pencil illustrations by A.J. Steiger. HarperCollins, $16.99 (368p)
sporting straight black hair. “May I ask you Hocking (the Max Explains Everything ISBN 978-0-06-293479-6
a question?” it appears to inquire, and then series) render the companions as sweetly The Lovecraftian world of Stieger’s
launches into a lengthy, many-paged appre- expressive creatures who share their richly (When My Heart Joins the Thousand) middle
ciation. Whether the girl is “brimming like imagined environment with snails and grade debut neatly matches both audience
a ringing bell” (she faces an intimidating insects. Although the friends’ dynamic is and genre. In the city of Eidendel, the pow-
throng of children), “lonely like an empty fairly one-sided, with Sydney alternately erful Foundation oversees the training and
plate” (she walks with a lunch tray into a encouraging and pushing the anxious employment of magic users—Animists—
round, empty, gray space), crying and alone, Taylor to follow through with the desired in the service of the Continent’s Queen.
or ready for a expedition, Taylor’s perseverance (and Fourteen-year-old Simon Frost, the disap-
hug, the dog readers’) is rewarded with the satisfaction pointing, traumatized scion of a powerful
is game for of a completed journey, a return to home’s Animist family, is languishing in the
an embrace. comforts, and the suggestion that a story Foundation’s mail room when a small town
Finally, the of adventure might be a treasure equaling asks the organization for assistance in dis-
two begin a the adventure itself. Ages 6–9. (Feb.) patching a local monster. Simon knows the
life together Foundation’s institutional indifference will
and share a Reckless, Glorious, Girl result in no official help being sent, so he
cozy armchair, the girl’s face aglow with Ellen Hagan. Bloomsbury. $16.99 (224p) abandons his position to go to the town’s
love. Watercolor and pastel artwork by ISBN 978-1-5476-0460-9 aid. When the monster turns out to be
Jacoby (Rabbit and the Motorbike) offers This spirited, sometimes uneven verse something impossible—a tentacled, draco-
shifting, shimmering fields of color. Even novel follows 12-year-old Bea’s angst and nian creature that is also a human child—
the dog understands the emotional impact joys as she transitions to middle school: Simon is drawn into a web of conspiracy
of the hues: “when you need a deep blue “It’s the saying goodbye to the old me/ involving his family, the Foundation, and
dark—/ Can I sit with you?” it says, planted while having no idea/ who the new me even unspeakable eldritch horrors. Steiger’s per-
by her side on a Prussian blue winter night. is just yet.” Hagan (Watch Us Rise) roots vasive, matter-of-fact creepiness begins
The dog doesn’t worry when the girl meets the narrative in small-town Kentucky, with small, almost sweet touches—imps
friends or explores alone—“I’ll understand sketching Bea’s home life and the tension working as street sweepers—and builds in
the stray in you. It’s in my nature, too”— between her “country smarts” namesake terror as the pages turn. Many of the
offering a saintly, patient presence in this Mamaw, an avid gardener, and her but- creatures are beautifully imagined and
portrait of pure-hearted canine love. Ages toned-up widow mother, a nurse. Chapters vividly described, and a prevailing tone
5–8. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. describe how Bea is “Part Mamaw & Part of earnestness and hope balances the
(Mar.) Mom” and delineate the relatives’ one decay and dread to create an ideal first
shared trait: “Neither of Them Listens.” experience of a horror standby suited to
Pacing varies across free verse chapters, middle graders who don’t mind mild
Fiction with Bea’s voice losing power when gore. Ages 8–12. Agent: Claire Anderson-
recounting her emotional state without Wheeler, Regal Hoffman & Assoc. (Feb.)
Sydney and Taylor Explore evidence (“Everything feels so heavy”). But
the Whole Wide World observations The Deepest Breath
(Sydney and Taylor #1) about how Meg Grehan. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt,
Jacqueline Davies, illus. by Deborah Hocking. people view her $16.99 (192p) ISBN 978-0-358-35475-8
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $14.99 (80p) Kentucky home In spacious verse that mirrors a worried
ISBN 978-0-358-10631-9 ring true (“They preteen’s breathlessness, Grehan (The Space
This genial series opener by Davies see small towns/ Between) vibrantly captures the anxious
(Panda Pants) introduces two friends who where I see inner landscape of 11-year-old Stevie, an
inhabit a cozy burrow under a potting everyone I Irish girl missing her estranged father and
shed: Taylor, a hedgehog with big ideas, know”), and harboring a secret crush on her friend
and Sydney, a contented skunk. When scenes of dra- Chloe. “Knowing things/ Makes me safe,”
Taylor gets a notion to see the Whole Wide matic action she declares, a magical-thinking mantra
World, contrary to the animals’ homebody excel—espe- that inspires her to read thick books on

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 Review_CHILDREN’S

marine life. But just as often, she looks to After Intelligence: interest begin
her warm, wise mother for reassurance. The Hidden Sequence to surface, she
Her mum’s words are usually a gift, but Nicole Marie. Tandemental, $23.99 (316p) must work
they scan as an empty box when she fails ISBN 978-1-952862-02-1 through her
to see her daughter’s budding queerness As 15-year-old Charlotte Blythe and best doubts before
(“She just gave me/ Wrapping paper/ With friends Chai Murthy and Jace Templeton she sabotages
tape and ribbon and a bow/ But nothing/ begin their second year at the revered the relation-
Inside”). Though a comforting librarian Cognation Academy in the woods of the ships closest to
offers hope to the girl, Grehan effectively Pacific Northwest, a set of mysterious, her heart. In a
depicts the loneliness of growing up in a handsome new students is introduced— book containing
world where heterocentrism is the default. and revealed to be androids, Cognation’s themes remi-
Small in scope and big in heart and newest invention. Assigned the role of niscent of Julie
feeling, this novel is a tender portrait of android guide and matched with Isaac, Murphy’s Dumplin’, debut author Mal-
gay early adolescence and a strong mother- whose conduct blurs the line between donado melds sunny prose with incisive
daughter attachment. Ages 8–12. Agent: man and machine, Charlotte must ques- commentary on society’s fatphobia, com-
Karyn Fischer, Book Stop Literary. (Feb.) tion the morality and dangers behind the plex mother-daughter relationships, and
experimental technology as they grow the struggle to fully love oneself. Though
As Far as You’ll Take Me closer, while also balancing schoolwork, the story’s narrative beats tread familiar
Phil Stamper. Bloomsbury, $17.99 (320p) friendship drama and betrayals, deception territory, Charlie’s emotional arc hits all
ISBN 978-1-5476-0017-5 on an institutional level, and a potential the right notes, resulting in a warm and
Seventeen-year-old Marty Pierce is a rule love interest. When an android is blamed insightful coming-of-age tale. Ages 14–
follower who googles everything in advance for several attacks on students, and up. Agent: Tamar Rydzinski, Context
to avoid surprises. He’s also “pretty good at Charlotte’s parents remain unreachable Literary. (Feb.)
lying”—first to keep his sexuality a secret for longer than ever before, the teens must
from his religious, homophobic parents, interrogate the ethics of created life, re- What Big Teeth
and now to craft an elaborate escape plan evaluate their heroes, and concoct a plan Rose Szabo. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $18.99
from his “suffocating” life in Kentucky. His to determine the truth. Though complex (400p) ISBN 978-0-374-31430-9
folks think he’s headed to a summer music themes and explanations may deter Comparable to The Hazel Wood, Szabo’s
program in London, but he’s actually plan- younger readers, Marie credibly presents uneven debut features a pitch-black fairy
ning to use the three months to secure a the Academy’s fascinating class curric- tale atmosphere and rich, mid-century
professional oboe ulum alongside webs of lies that will keep gothic descriptions. Returning home to
gig. A chronic readers invested in this high-energy, if Maine after a violent incident at her
worrier, Marty trope-reliant, whodunit. Ages 14–up. boarding school, Eleanor Zarrin reunites
has a lot to cope (Self-published) with a family unlike any other. With a
with in London, mother who is half woman, half marine
even without Fat Chance, Charlie Vega life; several werewolf-shapeshifting rela-
constant fear Crystal Maldonado. Holiday House, $18.99 tives; and Grandmother Persephone, who
that his lies will (352p) ISBN 978-0-8234-4717-6 can see the future, Eleanor is not sure how
be found out: In this winsome, body-affirmative YA she fits in or why she was sent away for
he’s busking to novel set in New England, a self-described eight years. When her grandmother dies,
make ends meet, fat Puerto Rican American teen wrestles first instructing Eleanor to care for and
stressing about with insecurity and familial pressure to protect the family, the girl uncovers long-
his body image, and navigating relation- lose weight as she journeys toward love buried secrets and calls on her maternal
ships, including a diverse new friend group, and self-acceptance. Sixteen-year-old high French grandmother for help. But Grand-
his domineering best friend back home, schooler Charlotte “Charlie” Vega has mere’s incredible powers threaten them
and a possible first boyfriend. Stamper never dated anyone but yearns for the real- all, and Eleanor must decide whether to
(The Gravity of Us) alternates the plot with life version of the swoonworthy romances defend the family who abandoned her or
sections of the diary that Marty kept on an she writes online. In her day-to-day life, become the creature her Grandmere
earlier, mishap-filled trip. Stamper piles Charlie contents herself with daydreaming insists she is inside. Fragmented world-
problems on Marty both in London and at (“I imagine being kissed about a hundred building leads to labored plotting, yet
home, but the book’s real strength is times a day”) and hanging out with her Szabo introduces an intriguing cast of
Marty’s complexity: even when his anxiety supportive best friend Amelia, who is characters—particularly Arthur, a vam-
flares up, he finds ways to maintain his Black. That all changes, however, when pirish family guest and paramour to
mental health and cope with the things her handsome Korean classmate and many—alongside meaningful explora-
that threaten his dreams. Ages 13–up. coworker, Brian, expresses an interest in tions of identity and belonging. Ages 14–
Agent: Brent Taylor, Triada US. (Feb.) dating her. But as Charlie’s insecurities up. (Feb.) ■
about her worthiness as a romantic

W W W . P U B L I S H E R S W E E K L Y . C O M 103
 Soapbox

“More than the ARCs, the swag, the parties, and the celebrities, we came for the people.”

The Best Party on Earth

A former bookseller and rep remembers the ABA/BookExpo conventions
By Barbara Bloom

We didn’t care that it fell on the week of Memorial sightings (Captain Kangaroo, Hugh Hefner,
Day. We didn’t care that we were paying out of Billie Jean King, and Elmore Leonard, just to
pocket. We didn’t care that we’d be in a jam- name a few), and there was the chance to dis-
packed convention hall. This was BookExpo, cover new writers, new publishing houses, new
originally the American Booksellers Association illustrators, and new technologies supporting
Convention and Trade Show—and what a show it the book industry.
was. Working at iBrowse Bookstore in West Then there were the legendary parties. I always
Bloomfield, Mich., in the mid-1980s, I was maintained that if you knew the time and the
quickly aware of this bookselling tradition and dress code, it didn’t matter whether you had an
longed to go, just once, to see what it was all invitation or not. Most of the time I was a legiti-
about. I soon had the chance, and I was hooked. mate attendee... but not always. But if we hadn’t
crashed Robert Kiyosaki’s party at the Blue

I ’ve been to other trade shows before and since—food shows,

car shows—but absolutely nothing compares to a trade
show devoted to books. I probably attended a dozen shows
over the years—in Chicago; Los Angeles; Miami; New York
City; and Washington, D.C.—and was always a little obsessive
Martini in Los Angeles, we never would have been approached
with what I consider to be a great pickup line, “You look like
interesting people to talk to,” or had a chance to speak with a
small indie publisher, whose dog book and “pawtographs” were
causing a stir in her booth earlier that day.
about trying to see and do as much as I could. That meant Two receptions in Miami were standouts: one took place at
scouring the pages of PW in advance of the show and creating what was reported to be one of Madonna’s homes; the other was
three spreadsheets: one organized by booth number, one at the John Deering mansion, the Venetian-styled Villa Vizcaya.
alphabetical by publisher, and one organized by giveaways and There were fireworks at that one. A party at the FAO Schwarz
author events. With those in hand, I was ready. flagship store in N.Y.C. felt like a scene out of Big. To mark the
I remember telling my husband we’d have to drive to New launch of Berry Gordy’s biography, Warner Books threw a swanky
York for his first BookExpo. affair at the art deco Argyle Hotel in Los Angeles. Front-row seats
“Why aren’t we flying?” he asked. for Motown singer Smokey Robinson, anyone? Later that night
“We need the trunk space to bring home books,” I explained. we were dancing in the streets of the Paramount lot for a book
He thought I was exaggerating, but a hundred pounds of books celebrating the 25th anniversary of Saturday Night Live.
takes up a lot of space. Thank you, publishers, for all those ARCs. Ingram and Publishers Group West vied for the best grand-
We read every single one and shared them generously with scale get-togethers. Imagine Jimmy Buffet and 10,000 literate
friends, family, and colleagues in the bookselling community. parrotheads. And let’s not forget about the Rock Bottom
The swag was terrific: different black-and-yellow plush toys Remainders, the publishing industry’s very own rock ’n’ rollers.
from Cliffs Notes each year (what ever happened to my little More than the ARCs, the swag, the parties, and the celebri-
penguin?); a bison cookie cutter from the University of Nebraska ties, we came for the people. These were our kind of folks. People
Press (still using it!); Galloping Gourmet Graham Kerr’s auto- who worked long hours, evenings, weekends, and holidays to
graph on a pastry blade I brought for the express purpose of spread the joy of reading. It was a chance to meet people with
having him sign it (sadly, the autograph is fading—but not the whom we’d only had phone conversations, a chance to unexpect-
smiley face next to it); a treasured signed page from a Barbie edly run into an agent (and remember the elevator pitch for that
coffee-table book (Barbie is lounging in her Dream House, and undiscovered narrative nonfiction manuscript that was sitting
Batty, William Wegman’s photogenic Weimaraner, is sticking back home), and a chance to see old friends and catch up. I never
her head through the roof). went to a high school reunion, but BookExpo seemed like home-
There were the contests and random drawings. My husband coming to me every time. ■
came in second one year in the New Yorker’s caption contest. He
got some mileage out of those bragging rights. Barbara Bloom, of Bloom Ink, was also a rep for Simon & Schuster, worked
There were the photo ops (Scooby-Doo, Spider-Man, Jack at Wayne State University Press, and managed the publishing program and
Sparrow, and Austin Powers), the serendipitous celebrity bookshop at the Norton Simon Museum of Art in Pasadena, Calif.

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 Batman vs. the Joker…
this time it’s war!

BATMAN: THE JOKER WAR

Written by James Tynion IV
Art by Jorge Jiménez

THE JOKER WAR NIGHTWING: BATGIRL VOL. 8: BATMAN:

SAGA THE JOKER WAR THE JOKER WAR DETECTIVE COMICS
Written by Written by Written by VOL. 5:
James Tynion IV, Dan Jurgens Cecil Castellucci
THE JOKER WAR
Cecil Castellucci, Art by Art by
Written by
and more! Ronan Cliquet Carmine Di Giandomenico
Peter J. Tomasi
Art by and Ryan Benjamin and Robbi Rodriguez
James Tynion IV
Jorge Jiménez,
™ & © DC.

Art by
Ryan Benjamin, Brad Walker
and more!
February and March Kenneth Rocafort