Upward Bound
$27.99
- Hardcover
208 pages
- Release Date
11 August 2026
Summary
Woody Brown’s vibrant and profoundly moving debut novel takes us to sun-bleached California, to a daycare centre for Los Angeles’s disabled community.
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…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781787336414 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 1787336417 |
| Author: | Woody Brown |
| Publisher: | Vintage Publishing |
| Imprint: | Jonathan Cape |
| Format: | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages: | 208 |
| Release Date: | 11 August 2026 |
| Weight: | 320g |
| Dimensions: | 22mm x 144mm x 225mm |
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Critics Review
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, Booker Prize winner of The Sellout
A fascinating insight into the mind of an autistic person and genuinely entertaining… Want to know what it’s like to be autistic? Read this novel * The Times *
Great characters, great pace, great story – reading Upward Bound is a complicated joy – RODDY DOYLE, Booker Prize winner of Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha
Awe-inspiring … deeply funny and eye-opening. If the highest calling of art is to open the heart to the perspective of others, thereby creating a more compassionate world, Upward Bound is a lodestar. Reading it, I felt energised to be a better person – MARIA SEMPLE, author of Where’d You Go, Bernadette
[A] revelation that forces you to ask: How much do we overlook in people – how many gifts do we fail to nurture – by making overly hasty judgments? – Frank Bruni * New York Times *
Compassionate, insightful, funny – and at times quietly, righteously angry at the slights and prejudices the community faces. Just beautiful * Marie Claire *
A luminous, eye-opening novel of human connection and hope that will stay with me for a long time. Woody Brown’s writing is deeply moving, and filled with so much heart – CECILE PIN, author of Wandering Souls
Upward Bound is a book that feels as if it was painted by David Hockney. This is a story of friendship, dreams, and rich inner worlds. Woody Brown writes with a levity that cuts to the heart, in a language that brims with light – SEÁN HEWITT, author of Open, Heaven
Upward Bound gives us the world from the perspective of someone rarely noticed or understood … Wondrous and distinctly brilliant – RIVKA GALCHEN, author of Everyone Knows Your Mother is a Witch
Reading Upward Bound reminded me why stories matter. Woody Brown’s writing carries an earned wisdom that remains with us long after the final page – JACQUELINE CROOKS, author of Fire Rush
Woody Brown
Plt;bPgt;Woody BrownPlt;/bPgt; became the first nonspeaking autistic graduate of UCLA in 2022, where he received the English department’s top writing honours. Brown completed his MFA in creative writing at Columbia University in 2024. He lives in Los Angeles.
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