Emily St. James

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 Post One of Vox's and Chicago Public Library'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 Pick An 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. Erica Skyberg is thirty-five years old, recently divorced--and trans. Not that she's told anyone yet. Mitchell, South Dakota, isn't exactly bursting with other trans women. Instead, she keeps to herself, teaching by day and directing community theater by night. That is, until Abigail Hawkes enters her orbit. Abigail is seventeen, Mitchell High's resident political dissident and Only Trans Girl. It's a role she plays faultlessly, albeit a little reluctantly. She's also annoyed by the idea of spending her senior year secretly guiding her English teacher through her transition. But Abigail remembers the uncertainty--and loneliness--that comes with it. Besides, Erica isn't the only one struggling to shed the weight of others' expectations. As their unlikely friendship evolves, it comes under the scrutiny of their community. And soon, both women--and those closest to them--are forced to ask: Who are we if we choose to hide ourselves? What happens once we disappear into the woodwork? Detransition Baby meets Fleishman is in Trouble in this remarkable debut novel from an incisive contemporary voice. A story about the awkwardness of growing up and the greatest love story of all, that between us and our friends, Woodworking is a tonic for the moment and a celebration of womanhood in all its multifaceted joy. "A testament to the power of intergenerational trans stories . . . dazzling." --VOGUE "Big-hearted and hilarious, an ode to authenticity and a must-read in our current times." --Shelby Van Pelt, New York Times bestselling author of Remarkably Bright Creatures

“Big-hearted and hilarious, an ode to authenticity and a must-read in our current times.” —Shelby Van Pelt, New York Times bestselling author of Remarkably Bright Creatures“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 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, and LGBTQ Reads’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. Erica Skyberg is thirty-five years old, recently divorced—and trans. Not that she's told anyone yet. Mitchell, South Dakota, isn't exactly bursting with other trans women. Instead, she keeps to herself, teaching by day and directing community theater by night. That is, until Abigail Hawkes enters her orbit. Abigail is seventeen, Mitchell High’s resident political dissident and Only Trans Girl. It’s a role she plays faultlessly, albeit a little reluctantly. She's also annoyed by the idea of spending her senior year secretly guiding her English teacher through her transition. But Abigail remembers the uncertainty—and loneliness—that comes with it. Besides, Erica isn’t the only one struggling to shed the weight of others’ expectations. As their unlikely friendship evolves, it comes under the scrutiny of their community. And soon, both women—and those closest to them—are forced to ask: Who are we if we choose to hide ourselves? What happens once we disappear into the woodwork? Detransition Baby meets Fleishman is in Trouble in this remarkable debut novel from an incisive contemporary voice. A story about the awkwardness of growing up and the greatest love story of all, that between us and our friends, Woodworking is a tonic for the moment and a celebration of womanhood in all its multifaceted joy.“A testament to the power of intergenerational trans stories . . . dazzling.” —VOGUE

A comprehensive critical companion to the blockbuster TV show LOST, revisiting its core themes, lore, and impact on culture For fans of one of the most successful and highly discussed shows in recent memory, LOST: Back to the Island is both a delightful time capsule and a rousing work of entertainment criticism. Before it premiered in the fall of 2004, LOST looked doomed to be an expensive, disastrous plane crash of a TV show. Instead, LOST was a massive hit, debuting with the biggest audience for a new drama on ABC in over a decade, reaching heights of over 23 million viewers at its peak, and holding on to a hefty fan-base for its entire six-season run. The elements that made the series seem like a boondoggle proved, instead, to be a big part of its appeal. Audiences loved the exotic island setting, became invested in the morally compromised characters, and feverishly tried to unravel the show’s many mysteries. In LOST: Back to the Island, TV critics and veteran LOST recappers Emily St. James and Noel Murray revisit what made the show such a success and an object of enduring cultural obsession, twenty years later. Through essays, episode summaries, and cultural analysis, they take us back to the island and examine LOST’s lasting impact—and its complicated, sometimes controversial legacy—with a clear-eyed and lively investigation.

Raw, real emotion about being a wife in a less-than-ideal marriage, about being a mom in a less-than-supportive situation, about being a Christian in a less-than-perfect existence. The poet addresses unfaithfulness, emotional scars, depression, and finding who she really is buried beneath the burdens and responsibilities of everyday life.