Books published by publisher Akashic Books

A Reader's Digest "25 Funniest Books of All Time""Nothing has driven home a certain truth about my generation, which is approaching the apex of its childbearing years, quite like this."--The New Yorker"A parenting zeitgeist"--Washington Post"A hilarious take on that age-old problem: getting the beloved child to go to sleep."--National Public Radio"A new Bible for weary parents"--New York Times"Resonates powerfully with almost everyone"--Boston Globe"Go the F*** to Sleep challenges stereotypes, opens up prototypes, and acknowledges that shared sense of failure that comes to all parents who weary of ever getting their darling(s) to sleep and briefly resuming the illusion of a life of their own."--Midwest Book ReviewGo the F*** to Sleep is a bedtime book for parents who live in the real world, where a few snoozing kitties and cutesy rhymes don't always send a toddler sailing blissfully off to dreamland. Profane, affectionate, and radically honest, California Book Award-winning author Adam Mansbach's verses perfectly capture the familiar--and unspoken--tribulations of putting your little angel down for the night. In the process, they open up a conversation about parenting, granting us permission to admit our frustrations, and laugh at their absurdity.With illustrations by Ricardo Cortes, Go the F*** to Sleep is beautiful, subversive, and pants-wettingly funny--a book for parents new, old, and expectant. You probably should not read it to your children.Seriously, Just Go to Sleep, a children's book inspired by Go the F*** to Sleep and appropriate for kids of all ages, is also available, as well as Seriously, You Have to Eat for finicky ones everywhere!

A New York Times Best SellerOne of BookRiot's Must-Read Books from Indie Presses for 2014One of Flavorwire's 50 Best Independent Fiction and Poetry Books of 2014"You Have to F***ing Eat makes parents of picky eaters smile."--TODAY Parents"Adam Mansbach...will delight exhausted and exasperated parents everywhere for a second time with You Have to F**king Eat--another children's book that is most definitely not for children."--Entertainment Weekly"An equally hilarious ode to kids at the table."--Huffington Post"Parents, Adam Mansbach gets you. He understood that sometimes your kids just won't go the f**k to sleep. And, in his new foulmouthed bedtime book for parents out Wednesday, he understands that sometimes they just won't f**king eat. And he knows, well, it's really f**king annoying. So how about some f**king comic relief?"--GQ"A likeable variation on a universal f***ing theme."--Kirkus Reviews"A hilarious sendup of the eternal fight between kids and their parents over what to eat and when--if at all."--New York Journal of Books"If you're a frustrated parent with a picky child, or even just one who appreciates 'deranged' humor, especially humor that rhymes, this is a terrific read for you...Parents will enjoy a good chuckle and subtle reminder that everything is better, including parenthood, if tackled with a little bit of humor."--San Francisco Book Review"You Have to F**cking Eat, Sequel to Go the F**k to Sleep, Is Finally F**king Coming...It will arrive just in time to gift it to your brother-in-law, who, upon unwrapping it, will clutch it immediately to his chest and shake his head furiously at his waist-high daughter as she claws at him with her chewed up nails. 'No, no, it's not for you,' he'll say, laughing and crying at the same time."--Flavorwire"An uproarious spoof of bedtime board books."--San Francisco Chronicle"A 21st-century bedtime story for the ages (and all ages) if there ever was one."--Bay Area Reporter"Parents, when your precious angel rips you from your three hours of sleep to demand food that he won't actually eat, you'll want this f'ing book."--Mashable"Forthcoming new book by genius funnyman Adam Mansbach."--BoingBoing"Mansbach freely, fabulously curses out the uncensored truth; Brozman makes sure you'll recognize your irresistible, equitably diverse mini-mes with those all-too-familiar expressions, from utter disdain to overwhelming trust and every little eyeball roll in between."--BookDragon/Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center"If your kid has never presented you with some new mind-boggling preference at mealtime, I suspect you're lying."--Persephone Magazine"This book is genius. It is what every parent is thinking when their child refuses dinner."--Old School/New School Mom"With this soon-to-be crude classic, Adam Mansbach has nailed it with his undeniable animal/child comparisons all cozily complimented by Owen Brozman's humorous illustration--we dare you not to giggle into your eggnog."--Curious Mom"Illustrations are just as enjoyable and the narrative again paints the perfect picture."--Roundtable ReviewsFrom the author of the international best seller Go the F*** to Sleep comes a long-awaited sequel about the other great parental frustration: getting your little angel to eat something that even vaguely resembles a normal meal. Profane, loving, and deeply cathartic, You Have to F***ing Eat breaks the code of child-rearing silence, giving moms and dads new, old, grand- and expectant, a much-needed chance to laugh about a universal problem.A perfect gift book like the smash hit Go the F*** to Sleep (over 1.5 million copies sold worldwide!), You Have to F***ing Eat perfectly captures Mansbach's trademark humor, which is simultaneously affectionate and radically honest. You probably shouldn't read it to your kids, so there's a kid-friendly version, Seriously, You Have to Eat.

"This title is an honest and in-depth account of the story of an uncompromising, experimental, never boring band...Through a first-person narrative, an abundance of photos, and solid data (including an extensive discography and list of tour dates) these musicians have produced the template for rock (auto) biography. This is unmitigated Garbage. Refuse to settle for anything less."--Library Journal (starred review)"In the book, [Shirley] Manson is seen with a bob cut and smudged black eyeliner, power posing for magazines and shredding guitar solos onstage. You'll also find candid interviews, cocktail recipes (one reads 'fill your glass with garbage'), and hundreds of archival photos from the road."--The Cut/New York Magazine"Look at the band's just released funny, engaging and defiant coffee table book, This Is The Noise That Keeps Me Awake. Written with journalist Jason Cohen, the tableau tells the story of the band's rise to success to the tune of more than 17 million albums sold and the ups and downs that came with that, mixed in with the group's custom cocktail recipes, sidebars on the worst foodborne illnesses they have had, Manson's love for the San Antonio Spurs and the rest of the band's affinity for the Green Bay Packers and celebrity encounters like Bono and Bill Clinton."--Forbes"Garbage will release a coffee-table book full of artifacts, photos, and anecdotes that capture their long history: pages of lyrics with penciled-in edits, cocktail recipes--like one for 'Vodka With Anything'--and snapshots from a forgotten era where Manson wore her hair boy-short and platinum blonde."--The Cut/New York Magazine, from a feature on Shirley Manson"With input from all four of the band's members, the book looks at Garbage's musical process and how they’ve coexisted as a band for over two decades."--Dazed"This Is the Noise That Keeps Me Awake is ultimately a tale of survival. The band fought constantly against record companies, illnesses, trends, and a million other headaches to become an international success...Against the odds, Garbage has remained one of the only survivors of the post-grunge era, one that continues to push their own boundaries and explore what they're capable of."--Noisey/VICE"All I know is, if you call yourself Garbage, you’re going to start hanging out with garbage, and the next thing you know, you will be garbage."Carrie Elizabeth Erickson (1920-2012) to her son Douglas "Duke" Erikson, 1995Garbage are known around the world for songs that mix pop sweetness with the dour thunder of industrial music and the rhythmic punch of hip-hop. Now, for the first time, the four band members tell the story of that music in their own words. Packed with rare photos and personal snapshots, this book examines how Garbage make their music, and how they've kept it together (or not) for more than twenty years.The beautifully designed, large-format coffee-table book is bound with an embossed cloth hardcover and finished with a dust jacket. The edges of the text pages, printed on luxurious matte art paper in six colors, are finished with a stunning pink spot color. This Is the Noise That Keeps Me Awake is a must-have (and perfect gift) for Garbage's fans.Excerpt (In the words of Butch Vig, drummer):"It was 1995, we were finishing our debut album, and I was stressed. A lot of music business people had told me it was a mistake to give up full-time music production to start a band. So I ignored them all and took a leap of faith. The simplest reason was that I just wanted to be in a band with my friends. I'd been playing with Duke and Steve for several years, and now we had a new beginning with an X factor: a Scottish singer named Shirley. She seemed like a good fit for our little club of misfits. So we all took that leap."

Elizabeth McKenzie's "The Big Creep" has been named a finalist for the 2019 Shamus Award for Best Private Eye Short Story presented by the Private Eye Writers of America!Lou Mathews's "Crab Dinners" and Dillon Kaiser's "It Follows as it Leads" have been included in the Distinguished Mystery Stories of 2018 list in The Best American Mystery Stories 2019!"It's a thrilling, whip-smart book that will dazzle local lovers of crime fiction."--Good Times Santa Cruz, Editor's Note"Santa Cruz is a place of natural beauty, ocean breezes and family-friendly tourist attractions. But a new collection of short fiction stories explores a seedier side of this beach town filled with murder and mystery."--KAZU FM"Santa Cruz Noir delivers on noir sensibilities with an extra twist: it's that California mythology...It is this noir ethos that defines Santa Cruz Noir. After arriving at California's golden shores, life surely will be better. There is no place further to go."--Book Riot"Akashic's well-traveled, always-riveting Noir series has been to some serendipitous locales over the years, cities perfectly suited to crime fiction, some boasting a long noir tradition of their very own. But for me, just in terms of sheer allure and possibility, the new Santa Cruz collection is right up there at the top. A washed out seaside pleasure palace, nestled up against the hills and the surf, home to all manner of shady types and societal misfits, proximate to great wealth but possessed of an undeniable scruffiness, and above all, beautiful, with that low California sun so conducive to good noir."--CrimeReads"Bright joins the ranks of Akashic editors to rip the lid off the California coastal town that's never seemed less laid-back."--Kirkus ReviewsAkashic Books continues its award-winning series of original noir anthologies, launched in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir. Each book comprises all new stories, each one set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the respective city. Following in the footsteps of Los Angeles Noir, San Francisco Noir, San Diego Noir, Orange County Noir, and Oakland Noir, this new volume further reveals the seedy underbelly of the Left Coast.Brand-new stories by: Tommy Moore, Jessica Breheny, Naomi Hirahara, Calvin McMillin, Liza Monroy, Elizabeth McKenzie, Jill Wolfson, Ariel Gore, Jon Bailiff, Maceo Montoya, Micah Perks, Seana Graham, Vinnie Hansen, Peggy Townsend, Margaret Elysia Garcia, Lou Mathews, Lee Quarnstrom, Dillon Kaiser, Beth Lisick, and Wallace Baine.From the introduction by Susie Bright:Every town has its noir-ville. It's easy to find in Santa Cruz. We live in what’s called "paradise," where you can wake up in a pool of blood with the first pink rays of the sunrise peeking out over our mountain range. The dewy mist lifts from the bay. Don't hate us because we're beautiful--we were made that way, like Venus rising off the foam with a brick in her hand. We can't help it if you fall for it every time..."If I lived in a place like this," visitors often say, "I'd wake up with a smile every day."Oh, we do, thank you for that. There's no beauty like a merciless beauty--and like every crepuscular predator, she thrives at dawn and dusk. You're just the innocent we've been waiting for, with your big paper cone of sugar-shark cotton, whipped out of pure nothing. We have just the ride for you, the longest tunnel ever. Santa Cruz is everything you ever dreamed, and everything you ever screamed, in one long drop you'll never forget.

"Now there's a version, complete with more of the gorgeous, yet weirdly subversive illustrations. The best part? It's still funny. The rhythms, the plodding rhymes, the illustrations, the clever play on the overused trope of the world at bedtime -- they all work together to take Seriously, Just Go to Sleep beyond parody and into the realm where good children's books belong: things that parents, and children, can honestly come to from different places and enjoy together. I can imagine reading Seriously, Go to Sleep nightly, and even to the point where you're begging the child to choose something else (the ultimate compliment for a picture book) and yet still finding something to enjoy. It captures a different 'zeitgeist' of modern parenting."--New York Times"From the team that touched off the irreverent humor trend Go the F**k to Sleep, author Adam Mansbach and illustrator Ricardo Cortes, comes a new kid-friendly version of their instant comic classic. Seriously, Just Go to Sleep brings children in on the joke, helping them understand their own tactics and why their parents just want them to go . . . to sleep."--Publishers WeeklyCritical success for the original Go the F*** to Sleep, a #1 best seller at: New York Times, Amazon.com, Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, and many more!Seriously, Just Go to Sleep is the G-rated, traditional-sized, children's version of the book every parent has been talking about. Go the F*** to Sleep, the picture book for adults, became a cultural sensation by striking a universal chord for parents. Now, Adam Mansbach and Ricardo Cortés reunite with Seriously, Just Go to Sleep, inviting the children themselves in on the joke. As parents know, kids are well aware of how difficult they can be at bedtime. With Cortés's updated illustrations (including a cameo appearance by Samuel L. Jackson, who narrated the audio book version of Go the F*** to Sleep) and Mansbach's new child-appropriate narrative, the book allows kids to recognize their tactics, giggle at their own mischievousness, and empathize with their parents' struggles--a perspective most children's books don't capture. Most importantly, it provides a common ground for children and their parents to talk about one of the most stressful aspects of parenting.Seriously, Just Go to Sleep came to be when Mansbach read a highly censored rendition of the original book to his three-year-old daughter, and she recognized herself as the culprit and was delighted. "We were getting a lot of feedback from parents, saying that their kids loved the book--read in an altered form--because they recognized themselves in the character of the mischievous kid who's winning the bedtime battle, and thought it was hilarious. So we figured we’d do a companion volume that lets kids in on the fun."

Ziggy Marley in Concert was awarded a 2014 Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album!"A sweetly affectionate ode to togetherness and love."--Publishers Weekly"Lyrics inspired by an exchange with Marley's 3-year-old daughter are set to bright paintings of a multicultural cast of children and adults enjoying each other's company indoors and out...The art will draw and hold young children's attention."--Kirkus Reviews"Sure to be a hit at bedtime, the lyrical story conveys the sweet, soothing, and affirming message."--School Library Journal"The emphasis of this book is that love has no boundaries."--New York Journal of Books"This looks to be on our home charts for weeks, months, maybe even years."--Austin Chronicle"An inspiring storybook edition of the lyrics of famous reggae performer Ziggy Marley...song lyrics are surrounded and set in warm, vivid illustrations of children of many hues, laughing and playing with loving parents and grandparents in a healthy, light, balanced natural world."--Midwest Book Review"Orly Marley, 42, adores the tale husband Ziggy wrote for daughter Judah, 9."--US Weekly, Objects of Affection mention"The illustrations are simply stunning...But even more than the gorgeous illustrations is the wonderful message that this book conveys--that families and friends will always love each other."--The Mama GamesReleased simultaneously with Ziggy Marley's new album, Fly Rasta.A debut children's book by reggae icon Ziggy Marley with illustrations by Ag Jatkowska.A beautifully illustrated, multicultural children's picture book based on one of Ziggy Marley's most beloved songs, "I Love You Too." The book explores a child's relationship with parents, nature, and the unstoppable force of love. This is Ziggy's first book, though his foray into children's music is extensive and very well known. He is the singer of "Believe in Yourself," the popular theme song of the hit TV show, Arthur.Marley has been a long-time fixture in the children's entertainment arena. In 2004, he played the role of Ernie, the mischievous jellyfish in the Dreamworks animated smash, Shark Tale, and has made appearances on multiple family and children’s shows including Sesame Street, Dora the Explorer, the 2009 "Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade," and A Family Is a Family Is a Family: A Rosie O'Donnell Celebration on HBO. In 2009, Ziggy, along with his wife, children, and mother Rita Marley, joined President Barack Obama for the 131st annual White House Easter Egg Roll celebration. More recently, he has crafted the theme song for HBO's Saving My Tomorrow, is featured in the GRAMMY Museum / Cal Science Center's Exhibit "Saving the Earth with Music" and lent his voice to the PupStar franchise. Marley is also an honorary member of the board of directors for Little Kids Rock, an organization that provides free musical instruments and free lessons to children in public schools throughout the United States.From the introduction to I Love You Too by Ziggy Marley:"One day I was in my kitchen making breakfast with my then three-year-old daughter Judah. She looked at me and said, 'I love you.' I spontaneously replied to her, 'I love you too.' From that came the song and now the book based on the lyrics. I hope you share and enjoy this with your loved ones as I have with mine. I love you too."A coproduction of Akashic Books and Tuff Gong Worldwide

"Parents and children alike will surely welcome a pause to bond over a shared recognition that their endless battles are not theirs alone--before they get back to them."--New York Journal of Books"Everything you hoped for and more....Adam Mansbach, the author and Owen Brozman, the illustrator, have definitely hit a chord with parents."--Examiner.com"A fun title to read aloud and share!"--Midwest Book Review"This hilarious book goes into the struggle of getting children to eat and how frustrating it is for parents....With the age-old struggle of getting kids to eat, we are certain parents and grandparents alike will love this book!"--Budget Earth"Just the humor parents needs as they deal with the frustrations of a picky eater!"--Parenting Healthy, included in Holiday Gift Guide"This is a great gift for a parent because its reality in a funny, humorous way that only a child would get."--Emily’s Frugal Tips/Sew Crazy Life, included in Holiday Gift Guide"A super fun book that will have readers laughing out loud. Mansbach's quirky, clever humor is unforgettable and absolutely addicting! While Seriously, You Have to Eat is totally kid appropriate, adults will seriously chuckle too."--Word SpelunkingOn the heels of the New York Times best seller You Have to F**king Eat (a sequel to the worldwide mega-best seller Go the F**k to Sleep), now comes the version that is entirely appropriate to read to--and with--children. While the message and humor will be similar to the adult version, there will, of course, be no profanity whatsoever.Step aside Green Eggs and Ham, there's a new, 21st-century book in town that will compel all finicky children to eat!

The bigger, newly designed edition of an iconic skateboarding book, including additional never-before-seen Glen E. Friedman photos and a new C.R. Stecyk III postscript."Photographer Glen E. Friedman has taken some of the most iconic photos in skateboarding, punk rock and hip hop. Known for capturing the raw energy of a counterculture generation in its prime, his photography helped shape the way people view punk music and redefined the sport of skateboarding."--q (CBC Radio)"Veteran skateboard journalist Stecyk and photographer Friedman present a tome of eye-catching images of and articles from Skateboard magazine on the burgeoning Southern California skateboard culture of the 1970s and '80s. Friedman...captures the kinetic energy of the skateboarders as they carve the lips of backyard pools and concrete banks like waves...This insider's look at an influential subculture will appeal most to skateboard enthusiasts."--Publishers Weekly"In 2000, Friedman teamed up with journalist C.R. Stecyk III to produce the iconic book, DogTown: The Legend of Z-Boys, which has just been reissued in a bigger, newly designed edition by Akashic Books. Now spanning 1975–1985 and beyond, the book features DogTown articles written and photographed by C.R. Stecyk III along with hundreds of images from Friedman's archives, many of which appeared in the 2001 documentary film, Dogtown and Z-Boys."--Feature Shoot"Glen's reputation was built on documenting the cultures of hip-hop, punk and skateboarding but his photography is far from simple snapshots; it's the work of an artist who possesses the craft to make you experience that singular moment his camera caught each and every time."--Talk Music Talk"Nearly two decades after the release of the landmark DogTown: The Legend of the Z-Boys, the photographer is back with a revised and expanded edition."--Huck Magazine"An expanded edition of a book of Friedman's classic photographs offers an up-close-and-personal look at the birth of modern skateboarding."--Whalebone"The photos are great and as a whole it gives the reader a good idea what was going on back in the day in Southern Californian skateboarding."--Trust (Germany)In the early 1970s, the sport of skateboarding had so waned from its popularity in the 1960s that it was virtually nonexistent. In the DogTown area of west Los Angeles, a group of young surfers known as the Zephyr Team (Z-Boys) was experimenting with new and radical moves and styles in the water, which they translated to the street. When competition skateboarding returned in 1975, the Z-Boys turned the skating world on its head. DogTown: The Legend of the Z-Boys is a truly fascinating case study of how an underground sport ascended in the world. These are the stories and images of a time that not only inspired a generation but changed the face of the sport forever.This volume has been described as "the DogTown textbook" and an indispensable companion piece to the Sony Pictures Classics film Dogtown and Z-Boys. Now spanning 1975–1985 and beyond, the first section of the book includes the best of the DogTown articles written and photographed by C.R. Stecyk III as they originally appeared in SkateBoarder Magazine. The second half compiles hundreds of skate images from the archives of Glen E. Friedman--many of which appear in the movie. (Stecyk and Friedman acted as executive producers and advisors for the film.)

"The pictures, which include some posed portraits but are mostly concert shots, are the chief attraction. They freeze moments of adolescent release, vein-bulging intensity and sweaty communion that fuses performer and audience...Vivid and evocative."--Washington Post"Scott Crawford, the man behind the acclaimed documentary Salad Days, has given us another taste of the best-kept secret of 80s in his new book Spoke: Washington DC’s hardcore punk scene."--Dazed"With music by Minor Threat, Void, Rites of Spring, Government Issue, and many others propelling the story of hardscrabble, Reagan-era D.C. as the hotbed for a new artistic outlet in Salad Days, Crawford saw the book as a way to scoop up important narrative from the cutting-room floor and find a new home for it."--Fast Company"Pockmarked with burned-out buildings and boarded-over storefronts, Northwest DC was once home to a vibrant and sometimes violent punk movement beginning in the early 1980s. For geeky 12-year-old Scott Crawford, that changed everything: He chucked comic books for punk rock and self-published a music zine from his mother’s kitchen table in Silver Spring. This month, Crawford releases a book about those days, Spoke--a companion to his 2014 documentary, Salad Days--featuring stories from local players such as Dave Grohl, Henry Rollins, and Ian MacKaye."--Washingtonian Magazine"Spoke...adroitly uses both photographs and oral histories to capture the importance of what can best be described as a cultural revolution within the nation’s capital."--Shepherd Express"This coffee table version of the documentary [Salad Days] follows the D.C. scene’s often politically-charged brand of punk rock, from Bad Brains to Jawbox, and of course the legendary Fugazi. And there’s even the near-forgotten SOA, whose frontman Henry Rollins took his D.C. energy to L.A. where he stepped in as the singer for Black Flag."--Yellow Scene Magazine"A must-have for any rock historian or pop-culture buff...The perfect punk coffee table book."--Shockwave Magazine"Highly recommended...A must read for punk fans."--Chorus.fm/HiFiNoise"A worthy addition to the growing amount of literature on the American hardcore/punk scene, Spoke will look great on any aging punks’ coffee table as a document to a vital, electric time."--Ink19.com"A forthright testament to a kaleidoscopic community. This is a rounded collection, with surprises on every page...It’s collection that rocks."--Shelf Awareness for ReadersThe Washington, DC punk music scene of the 1980s gave birth to influential bands like Bad Brains, Minor Threat, and Fugazi. Here that era is portrayed in its purest form: an oral history by the creators themselves, including nearly two hundred photographs capturing the power and spirit of this politically progressive corner of American underground music. This stunning and intimate collection features rare images from Jim Saah, Cynthia Connolly, Bert Queiroz, and many others who documented this vibrant community. Compiled by Scott Crawford—whose critically acclaimed film Salad Days provided an unprecedented exploration into the 1980s DC punk scene—Spoke delves deeper into one of the most dynamic movements in US music history.Featuring: BAD BRAINS, THE TEEN IDLES, BLACK MARKET BABY, SOA, MINOR THREAT, GOVERNMENT ISSUE, VOID, IRON CROSS, THE FAITH, SCREAM, MARGINAL MAN, GRAY MATTER, BEEFEATER, KING FACE, RITES OF SPRING, DAG NASTY, EMBRACE, SOULSIDE, FIRE PARTY, SHUDDER TO THINK, IGNITION, FUGAZI, SWIZ, THE NATION OF ULYSSES, and JAWBOX.

This tale of a singer’s kidnapping in 1920s Harlem is “the best kind of historical mystery” (Lee Child). Lanie Price, a Harlem society columnist, witnesses the brutal nightclub kidnapping of the “Black Orchid,” a sultry, seductive singer with a mysterious past. When hours pass without a word from the kidnapper, puzzlement grows as to his motive. After a gruesome package arrives at Price’s doorstep, the questions change. Just what does the kidnapper want—and how many people is he willing to kill to get it? Evil hides behind the genteel facades of affluent Strivers’ Row, and stalks the ballroom of a famous drag party, in this “dark, sexy” mystery set during the Harlem Renaissance (Publishers Weekly). “Lanie has the makings of a strong series heroine. Walter Mosley fans, in particular, should look for more from this promising crime writer.” —Booklist “Black Orchid Blues works as a study of class and race, plus the debilitating effects of grief, the question of identity and the far-reaching impact of family secrets . . . Walker has a crystal clear eye for what motivates people as she explores disparity and desperation.” —South Florida Sun-Sentinel “Put a Bessie Smith platter on the Victrola, and go with the flow on this mystery/romance/history mix.” —Library Journal

Knucklehead is the only title shortlisted for the 2018 Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence!"By setting his novel in the '90s, Smyer, who lives in Oakland, has crafted some brutal deja vu. As [protagonist] Marcus reflects on Rodney King, the Million Man March and the Oklahoma City bombing, we think of Freddie Gray, Black Lives Matter and school shootings that have become a way of life. And when Marcus laments San Francisco's dwindling black population, here we are more than 20 years on, and it's only gotten worse. We should all be furious."--San Francisco Chronicle"Here is a list of things you'll need to read this book: ample space for stretching out the side stitches you'll get from laughter; half a box of tissues for the most gripping and harrowing dramas at the heart of the novel; a fresh stress ball for the tense situations the protagonist finds himself in (both of his own doing and not); and just a bit of that space in your heart to see people, in all their complexity, trying to do their best."--Pittsburgh Post-Gazette"This book is bold in how it treats the reader as an insider to the reality of American blackness. It can be, in turns, lyrically poignant, cynical, hilarious, and infuriating."--Foreword Reviews, Starred Review"In this comic debut novel, lawyer Marcus Hayes careens through the racially divisive 1990s while trying to manage his compulsive anger, chaotic love life, and economic misfortunes...Smyer gives Marcus a sardonic and hilarious voice reminiscent of a Paul Beatty protagonist and endows him with a troubled psychology that plumbs the nuances of black male identity."--Kirkus Reviews"Marcus is an intelligent, acerbic, and often hilarious narrator, bringing a fresh, biting perspective to the social and racial tensions of the time that, as debut novelist Smyer makes clear, are not particularly different from today."--Library Journal"While loss and loneliness are at its core, Knucklehead is a mordantly funny book."--San Francisco Chronicle"While not strictly a crime novel, Smyer's debut Knucklehead does contain a whole lot of guns, violence, and rage, as well as plenty of love and sadness. A black lawyer in the late 80s through the mid-90s deals with micro and macro aggressions from a society determined to treat him as a criminal. Also, there are cats. Lots of cats."--Literary Hub"While the provocative subject material will take readers to a sometimes-uncomfortable place, this brilliant debut is also deeply, darkly funny...This is one of those books that simply has to be discussed, as it managed to tackle difficult topics with unexpected humor and pathos. While Marcus is a troubled character, his journey and the choices he makes will provide rich meat for discussion about race in America and how justifiable anger can turn toxic."--IndiePicks Magazine"[A] masterpiece...In this, his debut narrative, Smyer dramatically encapsulates the ancestral trauma, the collective guilt and suffering of tens of millions of people. Indeed he has scored big. Real big...A must buy."--Kaitur News (Guyana)"Smyer's debut explores themes of the self in chaos; the prose is clean as bone and the anger is focused and piercing."--Michigan Quarterly ReviewIn Knucklehead we meet Marcus Hayes, a black law student who struggles, sometimes unsuccessfully, with the impulse to confront everyday bad behavior with swift and antisocial action. The cause of this impulse is unknown to him.When Marcus unexpectedly becomes involved with the brilliant and kind Amalia Stewart, her love and acceptance pacify his demons. But when his demons return, he is no longer inclined to contain them.