THE BOOK FOR THE NEXT MOMENT: Serious, educational works about antiracism, such as How to Be an Antiracist and White Fragility, have taken over the bestseller lists. Ziwe’s book will be the perfect next step for the people flocking to those books: It goes beyond a theoretical understanding of racism to show readers how it functions in their day-to-day lives and the pop culture landscape.
EXPLODING ONTO THE SCENE: Ziwe is the host of Showtime’s Ziwe. Over the last year, she has also guest-starred on HBO’s Succession, sold out shows at Brooklyn’s Bell House, and joined Pete Davidson as the face of the brand Rowing Blazers.
IMMEDIATE EXCITEMENT: Within 24 hours of Ziwe announcing her book deal, she was flooded with enthusiasm from the likes of Gabrielle Union, Janelle Monáe, Pachinko author Min Jin Lee, Keep It host Ira Madison III, publisher and former National Book Foundation director Lisa Lucas, and thousands of others. In the first day, Abrams received press requests from New York magazine and The New Yorker.
NATIONAL BESTSELLER
From the writer crowned one of the smartest, funniest voices in modern America, this hotly anticipated debut collection of essays offers “a precious glimpse into how Ziwe’s uniquely fearless mind functions” (New York Magazine)
Ziwe made a name for herself by asking guests like Alyssa Milano, Fran Lebowitz, and Chet Hanks direct questions. In Black Friend, she turns her incisive perspective on both herself and the culture at large. Throughout the book, Ziwe combines pop-culture commentary and personal stories, which grapple with her own (mis)understanding of identity. From a hilarious case of mistaken identity via a jumbotron to a terrifying fight-or-flight encounter in the woods, Ziwe raises difficult questions for comedic relief.
