{"product_id":"upward-bound-a-read-with-jenna-pick","title":"Upward Bound: A Read with Jenna Pick","description":"\n\u003ctable align=\"center\" border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"2\" cellspacing=\"0\" width=\"100%\"\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd class=\"productDetailSmallElements\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBiographical Note\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIn 2022, \n\u003cb\u003eWoody Brown\u003c\/b\u003e became the first nonspeaking autistic graduate of UCLA, where he received the English department's top writing honors. Brown completed his MFA in creative writing at Columbia University in 2024. He lives in Los Angeles and is working on a second novel.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"I'm reading a novel, \n\u003ci\u003eUpward Bound, \u003c\/i\u003e written by a young man named Woody Brown, who was diagnosed with severe autism as a child and thought to be incapable of sophisticated communication. He still struggles with speech, as our \n\u003ci\u003eTimes\u003c\/i\u003e colleague Alexandra Alter explained in an excellent recent profile of him . . . it's a revelation that forces you to ask: How much do we overlook in people--how many gifts do we fail to nurture--by making overly hasty judgments? Woody's mom believed in him. Then college and graduate-school professors did. Then editors. Tapping letters on a board to spell out his answers to Alexandra's questions, he told her: 'I thought I would be caged my whole life, and then the door was open.' Now he's free--and he's flying.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Frank Bruni, \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Implosive and wonderfully inspirational.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Paul Beatty, Booker Prize-winning author of \u003ci\u003eThe Sellout\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Great characters, great pace, great story--reading \n\u003ci\u003eUpward Bound\u003c\/i\u003e is a complicated joy.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Roddy Doyle, Booker Prize-winning author of \u003ci\u003ePaddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"It will change the way you look at the world.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Angie Kim, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eHappiness Falls\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"An explosive novel.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Ron Charles\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A fascinating insight into the mind of an autistic person and genuinely entertaining . . . Want to know what it's like to be autistic? Read this novel.\"-- \n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Times\u003c\/i\u003e (London)\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"[ \n\u003ci\u003eUpward Bound\u003c\/i\u003e] is compassionate, insightful, funny--and at times quietly, righteously angry at the slights and prejudices the community faces. Just beautiful.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eMarie Claire\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"[This] clever, humor-filled novel delights and surprises with its interwoven narratives and sophisticated writing.\" \n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e--Parade\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"An interlocking, polyphonic portrait of a community often overlooked . . . It's a startlingly unique and fresh perspective on the world: we're lucky to exist inside Brown's creation, a deeply heartfelt exploration of humanity.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eLiterary Hub\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Tender and compassionate, this debut explores the folds and twists of its characters' inner lives and pushes conversations around disability to the forefront.\" \n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e--Bustle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A moving, illuminating glimpse into a world we rarely have access to.\" \n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e--Good Housekeeping \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A wondrous and distinctly brilliant debut novel, \n\u003ci\u003eUpward Bound \u003c\/i\u003egives us the world from the perspective of someone rarely noticed or understood, who in turn understands and notices most everyone. Generous, witty, expansive, and insightful, this novel is an unparalleled achievement and a treasure.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Rivka Galchen\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A highly original, captivating, brilliantly observed novel about the power of human relationships and the complexities of communication.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Caolinn Hughes, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Alternatives\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\" Woody Brown accomplishes the seemingly impossible: He gives voice to a character with a sensibility both intelligent, ironic, and loveable, who cannot himself speak.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Mona Simpson\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Reading \n\u003ci\u003eUpward Bound\u003c\/i\u003e reminded me of why stories matter. Woody Brown's writing carries an earned wisdom that remains with us long after the final page.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Jacqueline Crooks, author of \u003ci\u003eFire Rush\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\"[A] tender and important novel.\" \n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e--Service95\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"[ \n\u003ci\u003eUpward Bound\u003c\/i\u003e is] about love and communication and how we need to break through the noise and speed of the world we've created and consider people who are born autistic. Luckily for us, Brown is also a born writer. \n\u003ci\u003eUpward Bound\u003c\/i\u003e is a deeply moving and invaluable work . . . an exceptional book.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--\u003ci\u003eIrish Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Stunning and eye-opening.\" \n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e--Columbia Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Full of humor and charm . . . a debut novel that truly breaks new ground.\" \n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e--Kirkus Reviews\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\"Brown's sly sense of humor and ability to inhabit, without condescension, the experiences of those often marginalized, including the bumbling but well-intentioned caregivers, make the novel both quietly surprising and gently enlightening.\" \n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e--Booklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Deft, wry, gorgeous, and, most important, humanist.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--August Thompson, author of \u003ci\u003eAnyone's Ghost\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher Marketing\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNEW YORK TIMES \u003c\/i\u003eBESTSELLER - A READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK AS FEATURED ON \u003ci\u003eTODAY\u003c\/i\u003e - A wondrous, deeply affecting portrait of the interlocking lives at an adult day care center in Southern California, depicting an often overlooked community with extraordinary wit and grace--a \"triumphant\"* novel by a major new literary voice hailed as a \"groundbreaking debut novelist\"**\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\"[A] revelation that forces you to ask: How much do we overlook in people--how many gifts do we fail to nurture--by making overly hasty judgments?\"--Frank Bruni, \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\"Funny and moving and ringing with life.\"--\u003ci\u003eThe Guardian*\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\"This captivating work illuminates a world too often ignored.\"--\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e (starred review)**\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eUpward Bound is not a place anyone dreams of spending their days. The dreary adult daycare center for Los Angeles's disabled community is, for many of its clients and staff, a place of last resort. This includes Carlos, a young aide who lost his mother as a boy and now works there alongside his beloved sister, Mariana; Jorge, the gentle nonspeaking giant whom Carlos seeks to befriend (and prevent from escaping); Tom, a beautiful young man with cerebral palsy who pines for Ann, the summer lifeguard at the center's pool who feels out of her depth. Then there's Dave, Upward Bound's director, who came to L.A. to pursue an acting career but now channels his passion into staging an overly ambitious holiday show starring the center's irrepressible clients. Framing these intertwined narratives--and connecting them in surprising, shattering ways--is the riveting and sometimes ironic testimony of Walter, a recent community college graduate who, after a family tragedy, must return to the company of his disabled peers. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn \n\u003ci\u003eUpward Bound, \u003c\/i\u003e Woody Brown has created an indelible, authentic, and profoundly moving group portrait of autism and other disabilities, all illuminated by his empathy, sly sense of humor, and enormous gifts as a novelist. With remarkable sophistication, insight, and creativity, Brown depicts a community too-often invisible in literature and society. Filled with characters you won't soon forget, \n\u003ci\u003eUpward Bound\u003c\/i\u003e will inspire and touch you, teaching you as much about yourself as the tender, miraculous world behind the center's doors.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations:\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003eBooklist\u003c\/span\u003e 01\/01\/2026 (EAN 9780593979976, Hardcover)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/span\u003e 02\/01\/2026 (EAN 9780593979976, Hardcover)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/span\u003e 01\/05\/2026 (EAN 9780593979976, Hardcover) - *Starred Review\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n","brand":"Hogarth Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51496150499606,"sku":"9780593979976","price":33.6,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0857\/9910\/8886\/files\/9780593979976.jpg?v=1783054100","url":"https:\/\/lusper.myshopify.com\/products\/upward-bound-a-read-with-jenna-pick","provider":"Lusperbooks","version":"1.0","type":"link"}