American Nightmare
A Novel
$43.88
- Hardcover
304 pages
- Release Date
15 September 2026
Summary
“With its unflinching excavation of our dark past, American Nightmare is a page turner with a message.” - Tayari Jones, New York Times bestselling author of An American Marriage
In this haunting historical novel, a light-skinned Black man goes undercover to investigate lynchings in the South, only to be confronted by the very evil that has pursued him since childhood.
Clark Wendell White first encountered the Nightmare as a child during the Atlanta Race Riot of 1906, …
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9798217087204 |
|---|---|
| Author: | Kelly McWilliams |
| Publisher: | Random House USA Inc |
| Imprint: | Crown Publishing Group, Division of Random House Inc |
| Format: | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages: | 304 |
| Release Date: | 15 September 2026 |
| Weight: | 506g |
| Dimensions: | 156mm x 235mm |
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Critics Review
“Beautifully rendered and unflinchingly honest, American Nightmare is a lyrical exploration of the histories that haunt us. I was spellbound by this novel.”—Dolen Perkins-Valdez, New York Times bestselling author of Wench and Take My Hand
“American Nightmare is well-crafted, richly detailed, and an excellent drama of investigative reportage, featuring vividly drawn characters and just a tinge of the supernatural.”—CrimeReads
“With its unflinching excavation of our dark past, American Nightmare is a page-turner with a message. This is a novel uniquely suited to our current moment and beyond.”—Tayari Jones, New York Times bestselling author of Kin and An American Marriage
“A powerful, brutal, and fascinating novel about one of America’s most startling historical horrors.”—Daniel Kraus, New York Times bestselling author of Whalefall and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Angel Down
“Read this book. A page-turner that also happens to be a much-needed American history lesson. Eye-opening, brutal (for how could it not be?), and truly, truly frightening.”—Alma Katsu, author of The Fervor
“A mystical, immersive, and utterly compelling journey into a historical fight for justice that feels uniquely relevant to our times. American Nightmare is not to be missed.”—Kyra Davis Lurie, author of The Great Mann
“In McWilliams’ adult debut, the prose is strong and clear, the twentieth-century American landscape easily sucks the reader in, and the dual POV between Clark and his enemy lends the thrill of a crime novel and gives the work a page-turning momentum… . American Nightmare is a well-plotted historical thriller that can spark wider conversation.”—Booklist
Kelly McWilliams
Kelly McWilliams is a mixed-race novelist whose work examines white passing, American history, and the uncanny. She is also the author of several acclaimed novels for young adults, including Mirror Girls, a Junior Library Guild Selection. American Nightmare is her adult fiction debut. She lives in Seattle with her family.
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