Amerikaland

“With echoes of so many favorites, from DeLillo’s Underworld to Watchmen to George Saunders and even Ralph Ellison, Danny Goodman has done something remarkable in this debut novel: crafted a voice and a world entirely his own. This is a wonderful novel, destined to become a cult classic.”
—Daniel Torday, author of BOOMER1 and two-time winner of the National Jewish Book Award

“Utterly absorbing and gorgeously written, Amerikaland is the best kind of story, one I found lingering in my mind at the end of the day as if it were real. I know that Sabine and Sandy and their heartbreaking world will stay with me for a long time to come. I loved this haunting and unforgettable novel.”
—Jillian Cantor, USA Today bestselling author of The Fiction Writer

“Amerikaland is a rare blend of unexpected elements: sports, adventure, terrorism, friendship. Its characters grapple with their own moral compasses even as they put their bodies on the line—as athletes and entertainers, but also as human beings trying to make the world a better place. A debut both thrilling and tender.”
—Ilana Masad, author of All My Mother’s Lovers

“Amerikaland swallows the past, clarifies the present, and projects a future that requires unbelievable courage to survive. An unforgettable, tightly plotted adventure, this novel is a glorious achievement, as epic as Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch and enchanting as Michael Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.”
—Devin Murphy, national bestselling author of The Boat Runner

“With a page-turning plot, one that feels reminiscent of Philip Roth or Philip K. Dick, and a prescience and sensitivity that reflects the threat of today’s culture, Amerikaland is an accomplishment indeed.”
—Emily Nemens, author of The Cactus League

“In Amerikaland, Danny Goodman subtly unfolds a world that seems much like our own—until it isn’t. Lush and eerily prescient, Amerikaland is reminiscent of the works of Pynchon and DeLillo.”
—Rebecca Renner, author of Gator Country

“An elegant, ambitious examination of our world with beautifully woven interiors that enable a rare intimacy between the reader and the novel’s two protagonists.”
—Simon Van Booy, author of The Presence of Absence

“Equal parts tragedy and triumph, Amerikaland is a sweeping, absorbing story for the ages. It’s a feat to not only rebuild the world but also to reimagine it, and Danny Goodman does so with the heart of a poet and the eye of a sportscaster. Acutely felt and gorgeously crafted, Amerikaland soulfully explores the nuances of grief, hatred, humility, and love. You'll be cheering, even when it hurts—especially when it hurts.”
—Jiordan Castle, author of Disappearing Act

“Amerikaland, in its fidelity to beauty and daringness of invention in style, contributes something vital and lasting to the stories that help us make sense of our apocalyptic times.”
—Chantal James, author of None But the Righteous

“Danny Goodman’s wise and timely debut novel is as thrilling as a tie score final at-bat, with the future of humanity on the line. Yet for all its epic scope, this moving tale of family, friendship, and loyalty in the face of age-old hatreds resonates right from its parallel timeline into our equally troubled one.”
—Sarah Seltzer, author of The Singer Sisters

“Amerikaland is a reverent, haunting, and heartbreaking story of love, hate, regret, and resilience.
A masterful debut!”
—Catherine Adel West, author of The Two Lives of Sara

“This book is amazing, and I’ll never forget these characters. Sabine and Sandy live and breathe, I swear, and I’ll love them forever. Amerikaland delivers surprise after surprise—all in elegant, precise prose—and presents a rich and detailed reimagined present, more like our current-day world than we’d like to admit. Best of all, this book is a love story—the best kind—about close friends, ambition, vocation, and ethical passion in the face of true evil.”
—Miciah Bay Gault, author of Goodnight Stranger

“Like Kafka’s Amerika, Danny Goodman’s powerful and compelling Amerikaland brilliantly depicts a contemporary United States that’s both surreal and all too real. I’m not sure I’ve read another book that feels so timeless yet also torn from today’s headlines. I couldn’t put it down. It’s a novel with a huge heart, and it reminds us of the power—and responsibility—we have to build the kind of world we want to live in.”
—Andrew Ervin, author of Burning Down George Orwell’s House

“In his major literary debut, Danny Goodman establishes himself as a modern day sportswriting superhero with this vital, ferocious story of love and hate, privilege and persecution, family and chosen family, the fight for justice and the violence of silence, cloaked as a tribute to America’s beloved pastimes, in a cultural moment that could not feel more prescient or timely. Amerikaland is a gorgeous grand slam.”
—Sara Lippmann, author of Lech

“In supremely confident, sure-footed prose, gorgeous, wise, and urgent, Goodman delivers a terrifyingly real vision of a possible near-future in which the unshakeable power of friendship edges up against its shocking limits. Tense and deftly plotted, Amerikaland shows the fears and lessons and presentiments swirling in our air, all made flesh here, breaking at the doorstep in this heart-stopping debut.”
—Courtney Sender, author of In Other Lifetimes All I've Lost Comes Back to Me

“This marvel of a story offers a parallel reality that is all too familiar in its horrors and its violence, but also in the humble ways people find the strength to persist against hatred. With this novel, Danny Goodman shows us all what we might aspire to in sport, in love, in understanding, and in courage. What a beautiful, harrowing, and powerful book. Amerikaland is a story for our time and for the times to come.”
—Nicholas Mainieri, author of The Infinite

“Danny Goodman’s Amerikaland, with its pristine setting and brilliantly rendered characters, lulls you into a false sense of security. However, as you turn the pages, you start to understand you’re knee-deep in a thriller, and you question everything. Each scene is more breathless than the next until you are spinning, unsure if you should lean into hope or despair. This is a gripping read that won’t be easy to shake, nor should it be.”
—Stephanie Austin, author of Something I Might Say

“Goodman artfully warns us that our uniqueness can be the precise fodder for dangerous groupthink. That a game can take a swing at everything and everyone in proximity. And that there is a difference between wanting to be noticed and wanting to be found.”
—Claire Hopple, author of Echo Chamber