Upward Bound: A Read with Jenna Pick

A Novel

By: Woody Brown

Narrated by: T.R. Knight, Pete Holmes, Midori Francis, Carlos Miranda, Brandon Flynn, Nikki M. James, Alex Edelman, Daphne Rubin-Vega

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK AS FEATURED ON TODAY • A wondrous, deeply affecting portrait of the interlocking lives at an adult day care center in Southern California, depicting an often overlooked community with extraordinary wit and grace—a “triumphant”* novel by a major new literary voice hailed as a “groundbreaking debut novelist”**

“[A] revelation that forces you to ask: How much do we overlook in people—how many gifts do we fail to nurture—by making overly hasty judgments?”—Frank Bruni, The New York Times
“Funny and moving and ringing with life.”—The Guardian*
“This captivating work illuminates a world too often ignored.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)**

Upward Bound is not a place anyone dreams of spending their days. The dreary adult daycare center for Los Angeles’s disabled community is, for many of its clients and staff, a place of last resort. This includes Carlos, a young aide who lost his mother as a boy and now works there alongside his beloved sister, Mariana; Jorge, the gentle nonspeaking giant whom Carlos seeks to befriend (and prevent from escaping); Tom, a beautiful young man with cerebral palsy who pines for Ann, the summer lifeguard at the center’s pool who feels out of her depth. Then there’s Dave, Upward Bound’s director, who came to L.A. to pursue an acting career but now channels his passion into staging an overly ambitious holiday show starring the center’s irrepressible clients. Framing these intertwined narratives—and connecting them in surprising, shattering ways—is the riveting and sometimes ironic testimony of Walter, a recent community college graduate who, after a family tragedy, must return to the company of his disabled peers.

In Upward Bound, Woody Brown has created an indelible, authentic, and profoundly moving group portrait of autism and other disabilities, all illuminated by his empathy, sly sense of humor, and enormous gifts as a novelist. With remarkable sophistication, insight, and creativity, Brown depicts a community too-often invisible in literature and society. Filled with characters you won’t soon forget, Upward Bound will inspire and touch you, teaching you as much about yourself as the tender, miraculous world behind the center’s doors.

Must listen

I loved that this story was honest, vulnerable and raw. This story made me laugh and cry. The author through his quick wit and snarky humor truly captured the day of a disabled person and the constant struggles we face. He was able to do so with true comic genius while bringing to light the harmful biases and stereotypes of an uneducated society.

PHENOMENAL

This truly was an incredible story!!! The narration was phenomenal, and I really can’t recommend this enough. A heartfelt story about a group of non speaking people who all attend an adult daycare, upward bound. I loved this story so much and will be thinking about it for awhile

Excellent, eye opening perspectives

I would highly recommend this book and I intend to listen to any other audiobooks Woody Brown puts out.

Devastatingly Beautiful

I preordered this book and was anxiously awaiting its arrival in my inbox. I listened in one sitting. It is beautifully written, and eye opening from multiple perspectives. As the mother of an autistic adult and a former staff member of an adult foster care home, I was moved by the richness of the storyline and the development of the characters. This book should be required reading in all social service and law enforcement training programs.

Highly recommend!

This was truly one of the best books I have ever heard. Woody is a gifted author and an amazing intellect who can tell a story. Thank you for sharing yoir inner thoughts and story with the world. And thank you, Woody's Mom, for believing in this miracle son of yours. We are blessed to be given the opportunity to know you and Woody!