A READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK
A 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 Doyle
Among 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 Housekeeping
A BOOK FOR THE YEAR IN THE NEW YORK TIMES, TIME, HARPER’S BAZAAR, GOOD HOUSEKEEPING AND LITERARY HUB
Genre: Literary Fiction
A 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 Doyle
Among 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 Housekeeping
A BOOK FOR THE YEAR IN THE NEW YORK TIMES, TIME, HARPER’S BAZAAR, GOOD HOUSEKEEPING AND LITERARY HUB
Genre: Literary Fiction
Praise for this book
"Implosive and wonderfully inspirational, Upward Bound is acutely aware that be it indigo, autism, social class, or the gamma ray, everything and everyone is on the spectrum." - Paul Beatty
"Reading Upward Bound reminded me of why stories matter. Woody Brown's writing carries an earned wisdom that remains with us long after the final page." - Jacqueline Crooks
"Great characters, great pace, great story - reading Upward Bound is a complicated joy." - Roddy Doyle
"A wondrous and distinctly brilliant debut novel, Upward Bound gives 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." - Rivka Galchen
"Upward Bound is a highly original, captivating, brilliantly observed novel about the power of human relationships and the complexities of communication." - Caoilinn Hughes
"With remarkable poise, generosity, and humor, Woody Brown has created a dazzling array of characters so real that I rooted for them, laughed and cried with them, and fell in love. Reading Upward Bound is deeply moving and wholly immersive, an experience that will change the way you look at the world. This novel is a gift, and I want to put it into the hands of every reader I know." - Angie Kim
"Upward Bound offers an illuminating chronicle from inside the world of adult daycare for so-called disabled adults, many of whom cannot speak. Woody Brown accomplishes the seemingly impossible: He gives voice to a character with a sensibility both intelligent, ironic, and loveable, who cannot himself speak." - Mona Simpson
"Deft, wry, gorgeous, and, most important, humanist, Upward Bound is one of those novels you want to give to everyone in your life. To help them understand the world a little better, to feel more deeply, to laugh, to know they are part of something greater." - August Thompson
"Reading Upward Bound reminded me of why stories matter. Woody Brown's writing carries an earned wisdom that remains with us long after the final page." - Jacqueline Crooks
"Great characters, great pace, great story - reading Upward Bound is a complicated joy." - Roddy Doyle
"A wondrous and distinctly brilliant debut novel, Upward Bound gives 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." - Rivka Galchen
"Upward Bound is a highly original, captivating, brilliantly observed novel about the power of human relationships and the complexities of communication." - Caoilinn Hughes
"With remarkable poise, generosity, and humor, Woody Brown has created a dazzling array of characters so real that I rooted for them, laughed and cried with them, and fell in love. Reading Upward Bound is deeply moving and wholly immersive, an experience that will change the way you look at the world. This novel is a gift, and I want to put it into the hands of every reader I know." - Angie Kim
"Upward Bound offers an illuminating chronicle from inside the world of adult daycare for so-called disabled adults, many of whom cannot speak. Woody Brown accomplishes the seemingly impossible: He gives voice to a character with a sensibility both intelligent, ironic, and loveable, who cannot himself speak." - Mona Simpson
"Deft, wry, gorgeous, and, most important, humanist, Upward Bound is one of those novels you want to give to everyone in your life. To help them understand the world a little better, to feel more deeply, to laugh, to know they are part of something greater." - August Thompson
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