About the Author
Emily St. James
Emily St. James is a writer and cultural critic. This is her first novel. Her journalism and criticism have appeared in The New York Times, Vox, and The A.V. Club, and her writing for television has been featured on the Emmy-nominated series Yellowjackets. She lives in Los Angeles with her family.
2025
Woodworking
LONGLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE 2025“Writing a funny book is hard. Writing a convincing takedown of one of America’s most popular prejudices is harder still. Writing a funny novel in which complex, imperfect characters make a compelling case for one of our culture’s most maligned groups—that takes smarts and heart. Fortunately for her readers, St. James is in full possession of both.” —Meredith Maran, Washington PostOne of Vox's Best Books of the Year • One of Book Riot’s and The Mary Sue’s 15 Most Anticipated Queer Books of 2025 • One of The Millions’, Kirkus’s, The AV Club’s, Them’s, LGBTQ Reads and NBC's Most Anticipated Books of 2025 • One of Vol. 1 Brooklyn’s, Autostraddle’s, LA Times’s, and BookBrowse’s Most Anticipated Reads of March 2025 • One of Bustle’s Best Books of Spring 2025 • Matty Maggiacomo’s March Book Club PickAn unforgettable and heartwarming book-club debut following a trans high school teacher from a small town in South Dakota who befriends the only other trans woman she knows: one of her students.
