THE DAWN OF EVERYTHING by David Graeber and David Wengrow continues to receive enthusiastic praise. In a review for the New Yorker, Gideon Lewis-Kraus writes: "THE DAWN OF EVERYTHING is a lively, and often very funny, anarchist project that aspires to enlarge our political imagination by revitalizing the possibilities of the distant past....The result is an almost hallucinatory vision of the human epic as a series of idiosyncratic digressions. It is the story of how we made it up as we went along—of how things could have been different and, perhaps, still might be." The New Republic describes the book as “historical and theoretical brilliance,” and Vulture calls it "[e]pic in ambition." For the Boston Review, Emily Kern writes: “THE DAWN OF EVERYTHING is a fascinating, radical, and playful entry into a seemingly exhaustively well-trodden genre, the grand evolutionary history of humanity. It seeks nothing less than to completely upend the terms on which the Standard Narrative rests…Erudite, compelling, generative, and frequently remarkably funny.” Lastly, The New York Times ran a feature on the book by Jennifer Schuessler titled “What if Everything You Learned About Human History Is Wrong?” where she notes that the book “took as its immodest goal nothing less than upending everything we think we know about the origins and evolution of human societies.” Allen Lane published the UK edition of the book on October 19, 2021, and Farrar, Straus, and Giroux will publish the US edition on November 9, 2021.

Celebrated poet Yrsa Daley-Ward’s first work of prose, THE HOW, received a stunning review from Nayantara Dutta for NPR. She raves: “I have followed Daley-Ward’s poetry for years, through her books and popular Instagram page – for its tenderness and warmth…[THE HOW] feels like a meditation and a guide, a therapy session and a cup of chamomile tea…This is a book to be taken in slowly, in the minutes before bedtime, or to return to in times of need. It's a map that takes us from where we are to where we want to be, and has helped me feel hopeful and prepared to start the journey.” Yrsa Daley-Ward spoke with Rachel Cargle on November 3 in a virtual event sponsored by The Strand and Elizabeth Bookshop & Writing Center to promote the book. She also spoke at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow on November 1, where she delivered an electric new poem to open the proceedings. In the poem, Daley-Ward exhorted world leaders to hold themselves accountable for the outcomes of the conference: “Nothing will be saved without you. It is important to begin with the fact. This is your invitation to lead with light.” Penguin Books published THE HOW on November 2, 2021.

Continuing its streak of positive reviews, SCIENTIST: E.O. WILSON: A LIFE IN NATURE by Richard Rhodes received another stellar review, this time from The Wall Street Journal. The reviewer raves that the book “is cause for celebration…providing succinct, nuanced summaries of some of [Wilson’s] major insights, enriched by frequent forays into the history of modern biology.” Doubleday will publish the book on November 9, 2021.

ON FREEDOM by Maggie Nelson continues to generate positive praise. The book received a glowing review from Commweal: “Nelson is, above all, a writer of prose and poetry often startling in its aptness, precision, and unexpectedness…[ON FREEDOM] is a subtle and elegant book…What is important about this book is not only its argument but also that it is an excellent example of the practices it commends.” Meanwhile, Ruminate raves: “The intellectual method of this poet, essayist, critic, and MacArthur genius grant recipient, is to focus her attention where the thicket of our inherited ideas is its thorniest, where mutually antagonistic concepts, practices, and values are knotted. This is where her subtle and nuanced thinking is at its best…Nelson is our day’s ur-thinker for nuance, our own private Susan Sontag.” Nelson also sat down to discuss ON FREEDOM with Christina Quarles for Artforum’s “Writers on Artists” series. Graywolf Press published ON FREEDOM on September 7, 2021.

MICKEY7, Edward Ashton’s forthcoming science fiction adventure novel, received an early positive review from Publishers Weekly. The reviewer writes: “Ashton (THE END OF ORDINARY) crafts a unique hero in amateur historian Mickey Barnes, the breezy narrator of this far-flung, far-future adventure…Sci-fi readers will be drawn in by the inventive premise and stick around for the plucky narrator.” St. Martin’s press will publish the book on February 15, 2022.

In a starred-review, Publishers Weekly praises Gina Apostol’s upcoming novel BIBLIOLEPSY. The reviewer writes: “Filipino author Apostol’s extraordinary latest (her debut in the Philippines, arriving here after THE REVOLUTION ACCORDING TO RAYMUNDO MATA) is a feverish tale of love and longing for the written word…Apostol’s language is a constant delight, frank and full of felicitous turns of phrase and abundant humor. Layered and fully realized, it’s deserving of several readings.” Soho Press will publish the book on January 4, 2022.

Booklist awarded WHEN I WAKE UP, the forthcoming picture book by Seth Fishman and illustrator Jessixa Bagley, a starred-review. “Charming, richly detailed watercolor-and-pencil illustrations of the child’s surroundings and experiences judiciously employ color and perspective in this cleverly told story,” writes the reviewer. “This artful, engaging portrayal of a child’s imagination and view of their world, as well as the reassurances and comfort of family and home, is likely to strike a chord with kids and their adults.” The book also received a glowing review from Publishers Weekly: “[R]eaders should come away admiring their mischievousness, creativity, independence, and curiosity.” Greenwillow Books will publish the book on December 14, 2021.

Jennifer Marie Brissett’s epic space opera DESTROYER OF LIGHT received generous praise from The Los Angeles Review of Books. Reviewer Steven Shaviro writes: “DESTROYER OF LIGHT has a wonky, science-fictional feel to it, which is something that still deeply appeals to me, even though fantasy, horror, and weird fiction seem to be more widespread and popular these days. Brissett plays with and transforms a number of familiar science-fictional tropes…creat[ing] a weird and alien world, but one that resonates deeply with our own contemporary concerns.” Meanwhile, Brissett spoke to Den of Geek on the book’s inspiration and ambitious narrative structure: “What inspired this multiplicity of perspectives is my imaginative self-thinking of what it might be like to experience being at the speed of light when time no longer moves forward or backwards, but everything happens at once.” Tor Books published DESTOYER OF LIGHT on October 12, 2021.

Garden and Gun magazine named CHILD IN THE VALLEY by Gordy Sauer one of its must-read titles for this fall. Executive Editor Amanda Heckert writes: “Murder, greed, redemption—this debut novel by the Texas native Gordy Sauer chronicling one man’s lawless journey from Missouri to California to strike it rich during the Gold Rush landed on my to-read list after I saw Publisher’s Weekly call it ‘an accomplished literary western,’ and no less than the late Larry McMurtry deem it ‘vividly brutal and haunting.’ Deal me in.” Hub City Press published the book on August 24, 2021.

HarperCollins selected THE MOVEMENT MADE US by David J. Dennis, Jr. and David J. Dennis, Sr. for their Summer 2022 Diverse Voices award. A reading committee made up of volunteers from different levels and departments at HarperCollins selects only three titles per year for this internal award, which aims to promote awareness and appreciation of their diverse lists. Harper will publish the book on May 10, 2022.