{"product_id":"the-adjunct-9781668089972","title":"The Adjunct","description":"\u003cb\u003eA \u003ci\u003eLit Hub \u003c\/i\u003eMost Anticipated Book of 2026 * \u003ci\u003eGlamour\u003c\/i\u003e's Best Books for Book Clubs 2026 * \u003ci\u003eBustle\u003c\/i\u003e's Best New Books of March\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom the acclaimed author of \u003ci\u003eHow to Be Eaten\u003c\/i\u003e, a fresh take on the campus novel that follows an adjunct professor gigging her way through academia's poor job market when she crosses paths with her old PhD adviser, whose new novel might be about her--for readers of \u003ci\u003eWorry\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eVladimir\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eLess.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSam, an adjunct professor at a public university in Baltimore, takes a last-minute gig at the private liberal arts college down the road. Overworked and underpaid, she lives in a blur of back-to-back classes, side hustles, and job applications for an ever-dwindling number of tenure-track positions. Her already precarious existence is thrown into disarray when she runs into her former grad school adviser, Dr. Tom Sternberg, on campus. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Tom and Sam have a complicated history, and it's the last thing she wants to think about as she navigates academic politics, institutional hurdles, and romantic entanglements with men and women that further complicate a sexuality not even she can define. Then she learns that Tom left his old job for undisclosed reasons--and his long-awaited second novel is about a professor reckoning with his checkered past. As rumors spread that Sam is the inspiration behind a central character, she fights to regain control of the story. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA hilarious yet sobering look at how hustle culture has come to define modern academia, \u003ci\u003eThe Adjunct \u003c\/i\u003eoffers a bold twist on a tangled MeToo story and turns Sam's downward spiral into a searing critique of class and the hollow promises of the American dream.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Maria Adelmann\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Scribner Book Company\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/31\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 352\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.92lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.67h x 6.38w x 1.20d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781668089972\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e 01\/01\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eShelf Awareness\u003c\/i\u003e 01\/01\/0001\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 02\/15\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 01\/01\/2026 pg. 52\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 01\/05\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMaria Adelmann is the award-winning author of the story collection \u003ci\u003eGirls of a Certain Age\u003c\/i\u003e and the novel \u003ci\u003eHow to Be Eaten\u003c\/i\u003e, an NPR book of the year and Belletrist book club pick. She has written for \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eTin House\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003en+1\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eElectric Literature\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eMcSweeney's\u003c\/i\u003e, and many other publications, and her work has been distinguished by The Best American Short Stories. Adelmann has worked variously as a hotel reviewer, product tester, and copywriter, and once sailed around the world while teaching on Semester at Sea. She has lived in Baltimore and Copenhagen and now resides in Philadelphia.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"Maria Adelmann \/ Hardcover \/ English","offer_id":47809131380893,"sku":"9781668089972","price":49.71,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/files\/img_4628bcb8-1fe0-4d84-b993-7a61749b802a.jpg?v=1775557023","url":"https:\/\/booksdeli.com\/products\/the-adjunct-9781668089972","provider":"booksdeli.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}