“It’s bracing to see such a remarkable  and gifted group of writers come together in support of civil liberties and American ideals at this particularly troubling time in our history.”

 —JULIE OTSUKA,

 author of The Buddha in the Attic and

When the Emperor Was Divine

“An anthology that celebrates the
radical freedom of the imagination, and the power of art to redraw the lines of our shared reality.”

—KAREN RUSSELL,

 author of Swamplandia! and St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves

“If literature is ‘news that stays news,’ how often do we get to see it blaze out like this, as an audacious rebuke to the headlines? These writers will help you feel proud to live in this country again.”

—JONATHAN LETHEM,

author of A Gambler’s Anatomy,
The Fortress of Solitude, and Motherless Brooklyn

“On its own, this chorus of brilliant voices ... makes for necessary reading; that this collection also supports the ACLU, the fiercest and most noble defender of our freedoms, makes it urgent as hell.”

—LAUREN GROFF,

author of Fates and Furies, 
The Monsters of Templeton, and Arcadia

“This book is filled with powerful writers articulating what they care about so deeply: our country, depicted here with beauty and emergency. I hope many, many people read this book and help support democracy in this urgent moment.”

—MEG WOLITZER,

author of The Interestings, The Ten-Year Nap, and Belzhar

“A visceral reminder that storytelling gives us the opportunity to change our minds about strangers ... an essential tool for re-teaching empathy to a nation that is trying—

and hopefully, failing—to live with a closed heart.”

—COURTNEY MAUM,

 author of Touch and 
I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You

“A telling reflection of the America we have become in these troubled times and communicates a hope for the American we can be. For a nation consumed by anger and blindness, it is a critical salve to remind us all of what it means to be an American.”

—KURT EICHENWALD,

  Vanity Fair contributing editor and author of The Informant and Conspiracy of Fools

“There is a pitch battle in progress for the soul of our country.
The writers and artists in this anthology represent a wide spectrum of views but each speaks for and to our better nature.
... Reading and looking at their work we have reason to take heart and fight harder when the stakes could hardly be higher.”

—ROBERT STORR,

Professor, Yale University

“I can't think of a better act of #resistance than an anthology that brings together some of America’s fiercest fiction writers and visual artists to reclaim our country—and our flag—from the fever dream of Trumpism ... Read it and feel renewed.”

—BENJAMIN ANASTAS,

author of An Underachiever’s Diary and 
Too Good to Be True

“A spectacular assemblage of inspired art and thought-provoking prose, at a time when we all need to be reminded of the power of story, the urgency of the current political moment, and the precious and often precarious nature of our democracy.”

—DENISE KIERNAN,

  author of The Last Castle and 
The Girls of Atomic City

“These artists and writers ... support of our best values: the pursuit of civil liberties, the freedom to create, and the chance to live the lives we choose. It Occurs to Me That I Am America is a battle cry: We will not be silenced.”

—MATTIE KAHN,

ELLE.com writer covering politics, culture, and dangerous women

“What a remarkable thing, to see so many names, from all over the world, giving voice to our collective story. It inspires awe and hope, like America itself.”

—JOHN KENNEY,

  author of Truth in Advertising

“When the fundamental values of our country are under
attack, writers and artists pick up their pens, head to their computers, and write brilliant pieces that demonstrate the joys of our differences and the power of our shared humanity.”

—JANE ISAY,

  author of Walking on Eggshells