I have waited for this morning for three years.
Today MAN IN THE MIRROR is in the world. I’ve never been prouder of anything I have made, except for tomato jasmine broth.
You’ve heard me talk about this book and kept me company through its making. And now, finally, I get to put it in your hands.
As a special gift to you, I have included the opening three chapters of the audiobook for you to listen to. But if you’ve been waiting for today, too, and are ready to begin:
It is available wherever books are sold, including: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop, Powell’s, Target, Books are Magic, or, for a signed copy, McNally Jackson. It’s available in hardcover, e-book, and audio.
MAN IN THE MIRROR represents my return to the shoe-leather reporting with which I began my career two decades ago in India. It took root in the tragic story of Jordan Neely and Daniel Penny and a subway death in New York. And then I followed the story to places I hadn’t expected to go: a Marine Corps base in North Carolina, a community of Michael Jackson impersonators; a Harlem church; a suburb on Long Island; and Penn Station after midnight.
And, indeed, I found in this story so much of our common story today. This is a story of home, belonging, health and illness, security and fear, love, family, democracy. It is an opera about our struggle to live together.
My ambition was to write a book you couldn’t put down — because I know what else is sitting on your nightstand. I wanted to steal your attention away from that phone, with storytelling that felt propulsive. But I also wanted to show you something deeper — about how America works now, about how we might get out of these dark times.
Writing this book required me to change some of the habits that had crept into me in recent years, and that I believe have crept into so many of us: instant reactivity, reflexive dismissal, knowing what we think in advance about whatever comes down the pike. Reporting this book forced me back in the direction of curiosity.
If you have experienced some of this same thing, my hope is that reading the book will help you recover your own curiosity. Stories have the power to make other people more real to us. Democracy means sharing a country with people you didn’t choose; it depends on all of our ability to see each other as people rather than categories.
This community enables my work. Your commitment to independent reporting gives me the freedom to go deep, spend time, and follow a thread wherever it may lead. That is an extraordinary gift to give a writer.
In the months ahead, we’re going to read together and talk about what we find. I’m looking forward to hearing from you.
I couldn’t be more grateful to have you in my corner. Thank you for making this morning the moment I’ve dreamed of.
Anand
P.S. Some more tidbits for you to follow.
The first three chapters for you to listen to right away
I’m delighted to share chapters 1 through 3 from the audiobook. Take a listen:
The audiobook is now available from Apple, Audible, Libro.fm, Spotify, among others.
Let’s meet…
Tomorrow, Wednesday, September 30, at 6 p.m. Eastern, I will launch the book at the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan, in conversation with the remarkable Tina Brown. I’d love to see you in the room and meet up afterward during the signing. If you’re elsewhere, you can join us by livestream.
I’ll also be coming to see you on book tour starting later this week. More locations and dates coming in the days ahead!
Help the book find its readers
Launching a book is a barn raising. So many of you have already ordered, shared a piece, or asked how you can help. Thank you for your kindness, which moves me so.
If you’re wondering what you might do to support the cause:
Post on social media. Could be a photo, or just a note that you’re excited to read this title, or a video of you reading a passage out loud. Whatever platform you favor. Tag me (@AnandWrites) and use the hashtag #maninthemirrorbook
Drop it into your group chat. Give your friends and family something to talk about. Drop either or both of these in your group chats: this New Yorker excerpt and/or this New York Times essay. Bonus points for dropping in a tempestuous parent group or Indian-relatives Whatsapp.
Review it. On whatever platform you buy on, or on Goodreads.
Choose it for your book club: The themes of this book are the themes of American life today — and of life in so many places. Bring this work to your book club and I guarantee you lively discussions.
Lean on your librarian. Librarians want to know what books the community actually wants. Give them a strong rec.
Gift it. If you have people in your life who enjoy stories, cities, America, immersive experiences, empathy for other people, true crime, or feeling moved, gift them this book. Better gift than wine.
For organizations and hosts: If your company or nonprofit or civic group would be interested in reading the book, Porchlight Books can help with bulk orders. And if you’d like to invite me to speak to your organization, contact Trinity Ray at trinity@goliathjones.com.
Once again, my deepest thanks to you for being with me along this journey. It’s here, and I cannot wait for you to experience what I’ve long dreamed of sharing with you.
For those of you good enough to scroll all the way down, some items to catch up on:
The first day of my three-day residency on “Morning Joe,” talking about the book.
The New York Times review of MAN IN THE MIRROR:
A New Yorker excerpt:
My New York Times essay on abandonment as a defining political emotion of the age:
Anand — I have read your earlier work and used it in my graduate-level classes on social impact and philanthropy. It is always thoughtful and compelling. I have been thoroughly enjoying the discussion of this new book on Morning Joe. My copy comes this week and I look forward to digging into it. Thank you so much for the work you do and the perspectives you bring to us.
Wonderful news! My book is out on delivery and will arrive tomorrow! I so admire your commitment to reporting, writing, and thinking deeply about what it means to be human and an American.