{"product_id":"upward-bound-a-read-with-jenna-pick-9780593979976","title":"Upward Bound: A Read with Jenna Pick","description":"\u003cb\u003eA 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--\"an explosive novel\" (Ron Charles) by a major new literary voice hailed as a \"groundbreaking debut novelist\" (\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e)\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"[A] singular debut novel.\"--\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Implosive and wonderfully inspirational.\"--Paul Beatty\u003cbr\u003e\"Great characters, great pace, great story--reading \u003ci\u003eUpward Bound\u003c\/i\u003e is a complicated joy.\"--Roddy Doyle\u003cbr\u003e\"It will change the way you look at the world.\"--Angie Kim\u003cbr\u003e\"A moving, illuminating glimpse into a world we rarely have access to.\"\u003ci\u003e--Good Housekeeping \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Woody Brown accomplishes the seemingly impossible.\"--Mona Simpson\u003cbr\u003e\"This captivating work illuminates a world too often ignored.\"--\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e (starred review)\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eA Most Anticipated Book: \u003ci\u003e The New York Times, Time, Harper's Bazaar, Good Housekeeping, \u003c\/i\u003eAlta \u003ci\u003eJournal, Publishers Weekly, Literary Hub, Publishers Lunch\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn \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, \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\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Woody Brown\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Hogarth Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/31\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 208\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.65lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.36h x 5.84w x 1.03d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780593979976\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\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 02\/01\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 01\/05\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn 2022, \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","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"Woody Brown \/ Hardcover \/ English","offer_id":47809163231389,"sku":"9780593979976","price":48.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/files\/img_ff3928a0-2c20-4f90-b0b6-974d3bb64e8d.jpg?v=1775557562","url":"https:\/\/booksdeli.com\/products\/upward-bound-a-read-with-jenna-pick-9780593979976","provider":"booksdeli.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}