BARTLEBY AND ME: Reflections of an Old Scrivener by Gay Talese
On sale 9/19/23
In what Publishers Weekly calls “a delight”, Gay Talese (now 91) revisits a legendary career marked by his fascination with the world’s hidden characters – and introduces readers to one final, unforgettable story: the strange and riveting tale of Dr. Nicholas Bartha, who blew up his Manhattan brownstone—and himself—rather than relinquish his claim of the American dream. Inspired by Melville’s great short story “Bartleby the Scrivener,” Talese remembers the unforgettable “nobodies” he has profiled in his pioneering career—from the New York Times’s anonymous obituary writer to Frank Sinatra’s entourage. In the book’s final act, a remarkable piece of original reporting titled “Dr. Bartha’s Brownstone,” Talese introduces readers to a new “Bartleby,” an unknown doctor who made his mark on the city one summer day in 2006. Gay Talese’s byline has been synonymous with legendary portrayals of the city’s characters, high and low. BARTLEBY AND ME continues that tradition, concluding with an examination of a single 20’ x 100’ New York City building lot, its serpentine past, and the unexpected triumphs and disasters encountered by its residents and owners—an unlikely cast featuring society wannabes, striving immigrants, Gilded Age powerbrokers, Russian financiers, and even a turncoat during the War of Independence. Concise, elegant, tragic and whimsical, this is the capstone of a master journalist.
Digital Review Copy + Full Pitch
OF TIME AND TURTLES: Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell by Sy Montgomery
On sale 9/19/23
National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestselling author Sy Montgomery—whom the Boston Globe once described as “part Indiana Jones and part Emily Dickinson”—turns her journalistic curiosity to the wonder and wisdom of our long-lived cohabitants: turtles. Drawing readers deep into the world of these beloved but little-understood animals who embody patience and stability in our frenzied age, Sy shares their inspiring stories of hope and rescue, providing astonishing new perspectives on time and healing. Elegantly blending science, memoir, and philosophy, Montgomery reveals the lessons turtles can teach us about slowing down, celebrating the beauty of imperfection, and honoring the effects of time. OF TIME AND TURTLES is already being praised as “a celebration of a magnificent species” (Kirkus), with Montgomery being hailed as “an entrancing storyteller who illuminates facts and feelings with sterling precision” (Booklist starred review).
Digital Review Copy + Press Kit
TO RESCUE THE CONSTITUTION: George Washington and the Fragile American Experiment by Bret Baier
On sale 10/10/23
Bret Baier is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and Fox News Channel’s Chief Political Anchor. His previous bestsellers—To Rescue the Republic, Three Days at the Brink, Three Days in Moscow, and Three Days in January—were all critical and commercial successes that have served to introduce new readers to the complex realities of American history. Now, in this blockbuster new biography, Baier focuses on George Washington’s return from retirement to lead the Constitutional Convention and secure the future of the United States. In this colorful and moving portrait of America’s early struggles, when the fight for survival was constant, Baier captures the dramatic moments when Washington’s leadership brought the nation from the brink of collapse. Baier exposes an early America that is grittier and far more divided than it is often portrayed—one we can see reflected in today’s conflicts. Among the terrific early praise: “a masterful exploration of the electrifying struggle to unite a young United States” (Jay Winik), “a stylish portrait of the Foundingest Father of them all” (Joseph J. Ellis), “could not be more timely as the country again seeks leaders of dignity and courage, resolve and restraint” (Hugh Hewitt), “the scenes have striking relevance in today’s fractured political climate, underscoring the need for constant vigilance to protect the values of our republic” (Mark Levin), and “Baier once again proves that he is a first-rate popular historian” (Douglas Brinkley).
Digital Review Copy + Full Pitch
COACH PRIME: Deion Sanders and the Making of Men by Jean-Jacques Taylor
On sale 10/10
COACH PRIME is an exclusive insider account with unprecedented access to Deion Sanders and his players, over the course of one electrifying, near-perfect college football season. In his two full seasons as JSU’s head coach, Sanders achieved tremendous success and brought national attention to a suddenly rejuvenated football program. Television cameras turned up for national broadcasts, gameday attendance skyrocketed, the economic impact was in the tens of millions, JSU facilities received a makeover, and NFL scouts took renewed interest. Meanwhile, off the field, Sanders showed an uncanny ability to connect with his players emotionally. Weekly chat sessions about life and love became the norm. His unyielding commitment to guiding his young players to become exceptional men raised the bar on what parents and players should expect from college coaches. Now at Colorado, Sanders is preparing to do it all again. With access that no other reporter has been granted, veteran sports journalist Jean-Jacques Taylor, takes readers inside one full season with Deion Sanders, to show the heart, mind, and culture of America’s most daring football coach and his team of would-be champions.
Digital Press Kit + Full Pitch
THE DISH: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food by Andrew Friedman
On sale 10/17/23
Focusing on previously unheralded, unsung kitchen and farm workers—and on related issues such as immigration, operating expenses, and sustainable sourcing—has been a focal point in the news lately. For fans of FX’s The Bear, acclaimed “chef writer” Andrew Friedman’s THE DISH stitches together all these threads by profiling the key restaurant and farm employees whose lives and work culminate in a single dish at an independent Chicago restaurant. Told in real time during a dinner service, the book tracks one dish (a deceptively simple composition of aged strip loin, tomato, and sorrel) at Wherewithall restaurant from the moment it’s ordered by the guests at a table to when it’s completed and presented to them. During the intervening hour, as elements of the dish are prepared, cooked, and brought together on the plate, we meet the people who made the dish possible. Kirkus Reviews calls it “an entertaining, eye-opening investigation…[THE DISH] offers a lively look into what goes into the production of one meal, on one day, in one restaurant.”
Digital Review Copy + Full Pitch
THE NIGHT PARADE: A Speculative Memoir by Jami Nakamura Lin
On sale 10/24/23
A genre-bending memoir for fans of Carmen Maria Machado, Michelle Zauner, Akwaeke Emezi, and more. With abundant honesty and empathy, debut author Jami Nakamura Lin uses mythology and ancestral storytelling as a framework to reflect on a life with undiagnosed bipolar disorder, confronting monsters, and her father’s cancer. The book features gorgeous illustrations by Jami’s sister Cori, and it draws upon yōkai—a class of supernatural entities and spirits in Japanese folklore—to interrogate the cultural narratives around mental illness, grief, and fear of difference. Author Sequoia Nagamatsu describes THE NIGHT PARADE perfectly: “Impossible to put down, gut-wrenching, and magical. I cannot think of a writer who has written so personally while acknowledging ancestral and cultural grief with such grace and honesty. A crucial and groundbreaking entry for the literature of the Asian Diaspora and explorations of mental illness.”
Poets & Writers feature: The New Nonfiction
A BRIEF HISTORY OF INTELLIGENCE: Evolution, AI, and the Five Breakthroughs That Made Our Brains by Max Bennett
On sale 10/24/23
Equal parts Sapiens, Behave, and Superintelligence, but wholly original in scope, A BRIEF HISTORY OF INTELLIGENCE offers a paradigm shift for how we understand neuroscience and AI. Artificial intelligence entrepreneur Max Bennett chronicles the five “breakthroughs” in the evolution of human intelligence and reveals what brains of the past can tell us about the AI of tomorrow. Bennett bridges the gap between neuroscience and AI to tell the brain’s evolutionary story, revealing how understanding that story can help shape the next generation of AI breakthroughs. Deploying a fresh perspective and working with the support of many top minds in neuroscience, Bennett consolidates this immense history into an approachable new framework, identifying the brain’s most important evolutionary leaps forward. Each breakthrough brings new insight into the biggest mysteries of human intelligence. Containing fascinating corollaries to developments in AI, A BRIEF HISTORY OF INTELLIGENCE shows where current AI systems have matched or surpassed our brains, as well as where AI systems still fall short. Simply put, until AI systems successfully replicate each part of our brain’s long journey, AI systems will fail to exhibit human-like intelligence. Endorsed and lauded by many of the top neuroscientists in the field today, Bennett’s work synthesizes the most relevant scientific knowledge and cutting-edge research into an easy-to-understand and riveting evolutionary story.