News in December 2020

News in December 2020

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Rick Hasen, author of ELECTION MELTDOWN, published an Op-Ed in the New York Times titled “Trump’s Legal Farce Is Having Tragic Results.” ELECTION MELTDOWN published February 4, 2020 from Yale University Press.

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Kirkus Reviews praises CROSSING THE LINE by Kareem Rosser. They write: “Rosser’s aspirational tale, though full of sorrow and hardship, is one that readers will cheer.” Kareem also sat down for an interview with Publishers Weekly, where he talks about his inspiration for the book: "You can only cover so much in a 15-minute television spot or interview, so I wanted to share the full arc of how my teammates and I gained the tools and skills necessary to compete at higher levels of polo." St. Martin’s Press will publish the book on February 9, 2021.

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San Francisco Book Review calls Samantha Silva’s MR. DICKENS AND HIS CAROL “an ideal Christmas read, especially for a year when we could all use a little joy and good humor.” Flatiron Books published the book on September 22, 2020.

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WHY WE BELIEVE author Agustin Fuentes joined “On Being” podcast host Krista Tippett to discuss reinventing the systems we use to organize culture — from the economy to race to work. Yale University Press published the book on September 24, 2019.

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

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

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

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

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

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