Thirty-one year old attorney Baron Tapley suspends a burgeoning legal career to run against heavily-favored two-time incumbent David Westfall for Nebraska's Senate seat. Dubbed the "citizen candidate," Baron's brand of plain, authentic talk and unbridled idealism strikes a chord with a public all too familiar with the powerlessness and pessimism of the times. But Baron finds his ideals at odds with more than just the political establishment. While his crude, calculating opponent is missing in action on the campaign trail, Baron discovers that the world around him appears at a crossroads. With...

From the author of The Nostalgist and Admissions comes this whimsical novella about a minor league ballplayer slowly losing his grip on the highly-structured life he has aspired for himself. Craig Burton was the Cincinnati Reds' top draft pick out of high school but when his advancement through the minor leagues stalls, he struggles to understand what his life and work mean beyond the pursuit of success. With a cast of characters both real and imagined, The Playground is a thoughtful, lighthearted story about identity and balancing expectations when the things we count on don't come true....