A READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICKA vibrant, profoundly moving novel about the interlocking lives at an adult daycare centre in southern California.‘Wonderfully inspirational’ Paul Beatty‘Moving and funny and ringing with life’ Guardian‘A complicated joy’ Roddy DoyleAmong the clients and staff are Carlos, a charismatic aide who lost his mother as a boy, and Jorge, who is gentle, nonspeaking and prone to escape despite Carlos’s best efforts. Tom, a beautiful young man with cerebral palsy, pines for Ann, the lifeguard for the summer who feels out of her depth. Then there’s Dave, the centre’s director. He wanted to be an actor, but finds himself on a very different path.At the heart of Upward Bound is Walter, a recent college student returning to the company of his peers after a family tragedy. Around him, a story unfolds of friendships forged, connections missed and the dreams – some new, others almost forgotten – that shape us. With his wit, empathy and astonishing gifts as a storyteller, Woody Brown immerses us in life as we have never experienced it before.‘Deeply funny and eye-opening’ Maria Semple‘It will open hearts and change minds’ Jenna Bush Hager‘A singular debut’ New York Times‘A luminous novel of human connection and hope’ Cecile Pin‘It will change the way you look at the world’ Angie Kim‘A story of friendship, dreams and rich inner worlds’ Seán Hewitt‘A tender and important novel’ Service95‘A moving, illuminating glimpse into a world we rarely have access to’ Good HousekeepingCENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE LONGLIST 2026A BOOK FOR THE YEAR IN THE NEW YORK TIMES, TIME, HARPER’S BAZAAR, GOOD HOUSEKEEPING AND LITERARY HUB

A READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICKA vibrant, profoundly moving novel about the interlocking lives at an adult daycare centre in southern California.‘Wonderfully inspirational’ Paul Beatty‘Moving and funny and ringing with life’ Guardian‘A complicated joy’ Roddy DoyleAmong the clients and staff are Carlos, a charismatic aide who lost his mother as a boy, and Jorge, who is gentle, nonspeaking and prone to escape despite Carlos’s best efforts. Tom, a beautiful young man with cerebral palsy, pines for Ann, the lifeguard for the summer who feels out of her depth. Then there’s Dave, the centre’s director. He wanted to be an actor, but finds himself on a very different path.At the heart of Upward Bound is Walter, a recent college student returning to the company of his peers after a family tragedy. Around him, a story unfolds of friendships forged, connections missed and the dreams – some new, others almost forgotten – that shape us. With his wit, empathy and astonishing gifts as a storyteller, Woody Brown immerses us in life as we have never experienced it before.‘Deeply funny and eye-opening’ Maria Semple‘It will open hearts and change minds’ Jenna Bush Hager‘A singular debut’ New York Times‘A luminous novel of human connection and hope’ Cecile Pin‘It will change the way you look at the world’ Angie Kim‘A story of friendship, dreams and rich inner worlds’ Seán Hewitt‘A tender and important novel’ Service95‘A moving, illuminating glimpse into a world we rarely have access to’ Good HousekeepingA BOOK FOR THE YEAR IN THE NEW YORK TIMES, TIME, HARPER’S BAZAAR, GOOD HOUSEKEEPING AND LITERARY HUB

A READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICKA vibrant, profoundly moving novel about the interlocking lives at an adult daycare centre in southern California.‘Wonderfully inspirational’ Paul Beatty‘Moving and funny and ringing with life’ Guardian‘A complicated joy’ Roddy DoyleAmong the clients and staff are Carlos, a charismatic aide who lost his mother as a boy, and Jorge, who is gentle, nonspeaking and prone to escape despite Carlos’s best efforts. Tom, a beautiful young man with cerebral palsy, pines for Ann, the lifeguard for the summer who feels out of her depth. Then there’s Dave, the centre’s director. He wanted to be an actor, but finds himself on a very different path.At the heart of Upward Bound is Walter, a recent college student returning to the company of his peers after a family tragedy. Around him, a story unfolds of friendships forged, connections missed and the dreams – some new, others almost forgotten – that shape us. With his wit, empathy and astonishing gifts as a storyteller, Woody Brown immerses us in life as we have never experienced it before.‘Deeply funny and eye-opening’ Maria Semple‘It will open hearts and change minds’ Jenna Bush Hager‘A singular debut’ New York Times‘A luminous novel of human connection and hope’ Cecile Pin‘It will change the way you look at the world’ Angie Kim‘A story of friendship, dreams and rich inner worlds’ Seán Hewitt‘A tender and important novel’ Service95‘A moving, illuminating glimpse into a world we rarely have access to’ Good HousekeepingCENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE LONGLIST 2026A BOOK FOR THE YEAR IN THE NEW YORK TIMES, TIME, HARPER’S BAZAAR, GOOD HOUSEKEEPING AND LITERARY HUB

Dieser Roman ist eine Sensation! Woody Brown schrieb Geschichte als erster nicht-sprechender autistischer Absolvent der University of California. Sein Roman ist ein literarisches Ereignis. Und ein großes Geschenk. In einer Tagesstätte für Menschen mit Behinderung begegnen sich Schicksale, die unterschiedlicher nicht sein könnten. Da ist Carlos, der Pfleger mit dem unerschütterlichen Optimismus, und der junge Tom, der sich wortlos nach einer Liebe verzehrt, die unerreichbar scheint. Und da ist Walter, der nach einem schweren Schicksalsschlag versucht, die Scherben seines Lebens wieder zusammenzusetzen.In der flirrenden Hitze Kaliforniens entfaltet sich eine Geschichte über die unsichtbaren Bande zwischen uns. Woody Brown schreibt mit einer solch feinsinnigen Beobachtungsgabe und einer Prise trockenem Humor über das Menschsein, dass man sich beim Lesen nicht nur in die Charaktere verliebt, sondern auch in das Leben selbst.

A READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICKA vibrant, profoundly moving novel about the interlocking lives at an adult daycare centre in southern California.‘Wonderfully inspirational’ Paul Beatty‘Moving and funny and ringing with life’ Guardian‘A complicated joy’ Roddy DoyleAmong the clients and staff are Carlos, a charismatic aide who lost his mother as a boy, and Jorge, who is gentle, nonspeaking and prone to escape despite Carlos’s best efforts. Tom, a beautiful young man with cerebral palsy, pines for Ann, the lifeguard for the summer who feels out of her depth. Then there’s Dave, the centre’s director. He wanted to be an actor, but finds himself on a very different path.At the heart of Upward Bound is Walter, a recent college student returning to the company of his peers after a family tragedy. Around him, a story unfolds of friendships forged, connections missed and the dreams – some new, others almost forgotten – that shape us. With his wit, empathy and astonishing gifts as a storyteller, Woody Brown immerses us in life as we have never experienced it before.‘Deeply funny and eye-opening’ Maria Semple‘It will open hearts and change minds’ Jenna Bush Hager‘A singular debut’ New York Times‘A luminous novel of human connection and hope’ Cecile Pin‘It will change the way you look at the world’ Angie Kim‘A story of friendship, dreams and rich inner worlds’ Seán Hewitt‘A tender and important novel’ Service95‘A moving, illuminating glimpse into a world we rarely have access to’ Good HousekeepingCENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE LONGLIST 2026A BOOK FOR THE YEAR IN THE NEW YORK TIMES, TIME, HARPER’S BAZAAR, GOOD HOUSEKEEPING AND LITERARY HUB

A READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICKA vibrant, profoundly moving novel about the interlocking lives at an adult daycare centre in southern California.‘Wonderfully inspirational’ Paul Beatty‘Moving and funny and ringing with life’ Guardian‘A complicated joy’ Roddy DoyleAmong the clients and staff are Carlos, a charismatic aide who lost his mother as a boy, and Jorge, who is gentle, nonspeaking and prone to escape despite Carlos’s best efforts. Tom, a beautiful young man with cerebral palsy, pines for Ann, the lifeguard for the summer who feels out of her depth. Then there’s Dave, the centre’s director. He wanted to be an actor, but finds himself on a very different path.At the heart of Upward Bound is Walter, a recent college student returning to the company of his peers after a family tragedy. Around him, a story unfolds of friendships forged, connections missed and the dreams – some new, others almost forgotten – that shape us. With his wit, empathy and astonishing gifts as a storyteller, Woody Brown immerses us in life as we have never experienced it before.‘Deeply funny and eye-opening’ Maria Semple‘It will open hearts and change minds’ Jenna Bush Hager‘A singular debut’ New York Times‘A luminous novel of human connection and hope’ Cecile Pin‘It will change the way you look at the world’ Angie Kim‘A story of friendship, dreams and rich inner worlds’ Seán Hewitt‘A tender and important novel’ Service95‘A moving, illuminating glimpse into a world we rarely have access to’ Good HousekeepingA BOOK FOR THE YEAR IN THE NEW YORK TIMES, TIME, HARPER’S BAZAAR, GOOD HOUSEKEEPING AND LITERARY HUB

A READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICKA vibrant, profoundly moving novel about the interlocking lives at an adult daycare centre in southern California.‘Wonderfully inspirational’ Paul Beatty‘Moving and funny and ringing with life’ Guardian‘A complicated joy’ Roddy DoyleAmong the clients and staff are Carlos, a charismatic aide who lost his mother as a boy, and Jorge, who is gentle, nonspeaking and prone to escape despite Carlos’s best efforts. Tom, a beautiful young man with cerebral palsy, pines for Ann, the lifeguard for the summer who feels out of her depth. Then there’s Dave, the centre’s director. He wanted to be an actor, but finds himself on a very different path.At the heart of Upward Bound is Walter, a recent college student returning to the company of his peers after a family tragedy. Around him, a story unfolds of friendships forged, connections missed and the dreams – some new, others almost forgotten – that shape us. With his wit, empathy and astonishing gifts as a storyteller, Woody Brown immerses us in life as we have never experienced it before.‘Deeply funny and eye-opening’ Maria Semple‘It will open hearts and change minds’ Jenna Bush Hager‘A singular debut’ New York Times‘A luminous novel of human connection and hope’ Cecile Pin‘It will change the way you look at the world’ Angie Kim‘A story of friendship, dreams and rich inner worlds’ Seán Hewitt‘A tender and important novel’ Service95‘A moving, illuminating glimpse into a world we rarely have access to’ Good HousekeepingCENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE LONGLIST 2026A BOOK FOR THE YEAR IN THE NEW YORK TIMES, TIME, HARPER’S BAZAAR, GOOD HOUSEKEEPING AND LITERARY HUB

Dieser Roman ist eine Sensation! Woody Brown schrieb Geschichte als erster nicht-sprechender autistischer Absolvent der University of California. Sein Roman ist ein literarisches Ereignis. Und ein großes Geschenk. In einer Tagesstätte für Menschen mit Behinderung begegnen sich Schicksale, die unterschiedlicher nicht sein könnten. Da ist Carlos, der Pfleger mit dem unerschütterlichen Optimismus, und der junge Tom, der sich wortlos nach einer Liebe verzehrt, die unerreichbar scheint. Und da ist Walter, der nach einem schweren Schicksalsschlag versucht, die Scherben seines Lebens wieder zusammenzusetzen.In der flirrenden Hitze Kaliforniens entfaltet sich eine Geschichte über die unsichtbaren Bande zwischen uns. Woody Brown schreibt mit einer solch feinsinnigen Beobachtungsgabe und einer Prise trockenem Humor über das Menschsein, dass man sich beim Lesen nicht nur in die Charaktere verliebt, sondern auch in das Leben selbst.