FINALIST FOR 2018 KIRKUS PRIZE NAMED ONE OF THE "BEST LITERARY FICTION OF 2018' BY KIRKUS REVIEWS "Sci-fi in its most perfect expression…Reading it is like having a lucid dream of six years from next week, filled with people you don't know, but will." —NPR "[Williams’s] wit is sharp, but her touch is light, and her novel is a winner." – San Francisco Chronicle "Between seasons of Black Mirror, look to Katie Williams' debut novel." —Refinery29 Smart and inventive, a page-turner that considers the elusive definition of happiness. Pearl's job is to make people happy. As a technician for the Apricity Corporation, with its patented happiness machine, she provides customers with personalized recommendations for greater contentment. She's good at her job, her office manager tells her, successful. But how does one measure an emotion? Meanwhile, there's Pearl's teenage son, Rhett. A sensitive kid who has forged an unconventional path through adolescence, Rhett seems to find greater satisfaction in being unhappy. The very rejection of joy is his own kind of "pursuit of happiness." As his mother, Pearl wants nothing more than to help Rhett--but is it for his sake or for hers? Certainly it would make Pearl happier. Regardless, her son is one person whose emotional life does not fall under the parameters of her job--not as happiness technician, and not as mother, either. Told from an alternating cast of endearing characters from within Pearl and Rhett's world, Tell the Machine Goodnight delivers a smartly moving and entertaining story about the advance of technology and the ways that it can most surprise and define us. Along the way, Katie Williams playfully illuminates our national obsession with positive psychology, our reliance on quick fixes. What happens when these obsessions begin to overlap? With warmth, humor, and a clever touch, Williams taps into our collective unease about the modern world and allows us see it a little more clearly.

When Kellyanne Conway, counselor to President Trump, coined the phrase "alternative facts" in January 2017, objectivity in public discourse--the long-held belief in a more or less agreed-upon set of verifiable truths--went into a tailspin. The use of alternative facts and narratives quickly became the go-to rhetorical strategy, especially among Trump's administration and base. Rebuttals based on fact-checking and hard data were demoted to mere choices in a media bazaar where consumers are free to source their own versions of reality. This volume explores the social and political disruption accompanying the loss of faith in objectivity, along with reflections on the disregard for truth and honesty, both within the Trump Administration and in contemporary popular culture.

"Jim Daniels is a poet of unique commitment and ability. He makes poetry an act of deep caring and recognition."—Robert Creeley

As a young girl on the idyllic Milky Way Farm, author Karen Vanderlaan initially believes life is full of magic, wonder and horses. All too quickly, however, her innocence is lost when her mother gets involved with an abusive, manipulative woman named Bunny. Bunny subjects Karen and her young siblings to unspeakable cruelties--all in the name of God. Karen's spirit is deeply scarred by Bunny's inhumanity, but the adversity serves to solidify in Karen an inner strength and calmness that carry her through even greater challenges later in life. Karen's story is at once uplifting and heart-wrenching. It reveals the best and worst of human nature in a riveting, true-life tale of the author's journey to change life for herself, her siblings, her children and her beloved horses.

"What a talented, wonderful, and complete writer."--Mel Brooks "By far the best thing about my stuff I've ever read."--Arthur Miller "These are wonderful portraits."--Edna O'Brien "The high-water mark of theatrical reportage. Exhilarating! Smart! Lahr gives as much thunderous pleasure as the great entertainers he writes about."--Richard Avedon "There's never been an American critic like John Lahr. His writing exalts, honors, and dignifies the profession and, more importantly, the art."--Tony Kushner

An unbelievably hilarous middle-grade true story from bestselling author Jordan Sonnenblick. In a typical school year, every kid has one or two things go wrong. But for Jordan, there's A LOT going wrong ALL THE TIME. Take this year. Here are some of the thing going wrong: -- His teacher hates him. Like, really hates him. Like, is totally out to get him even when he's trying to be good, and is willing to fail him on the simplest things, like show and tell. -- He has a slight breathing problem because of his asthma. And breathing is never really an optional activity. -- His pet snake has given birth to way, way, way too many baby snakes, all who need a home. -- He is finding that becoming The World's Best Drummer in no time whatsoever is maybe not the easiest goal. -- There are bullies ready to stomp him when all he has to defend himself with is a lunchbox. And all this doesn't even include the freak swing set accident, the fears inside his head, or the funniest class presentation ever. By keeping his cool (some of the time), banging on the drums (a lot), and keeping his sense of humor (all the time), Jordan's going to try to make it through the year... and grow up to write a book about it!