Woody Brown’s Upward Bound is the latest pick for Jenna Bush Hager’s Today show book club.
Brown’s novel, published Tuesday by Hogarth, follows a group of characters who spend their days at a Los Angeles care center for adults with disabilities. A critic for Kirkus called the book “a debut novel that truly breaks new ground.”
“He has written an extraordinary story about what becomes possible when even one person believes in you,” Hager said of Brown. “This is a love story about mothers and sons—a window into a world so often misunderstood. I am confident it will open hearts and change minds.”
Hager interviewed Brown—who is autistic and nonspeaking, communicating via a letter board—alongside his mother, Mary Brown, on the Today show. Hager read a passage from the book: “Autism on my end of the spectrum is like ADHD times a thousand. It’s nearly impossible for me to untangle the many channels in my brain so that I can stay on a single station. It’s like sitting in front of a bank of monitors that are showing different events, all playing at the top volume.”
“Yes, that’s me,” Brown replied. “I want mostly for neurotypical people to see that we have inner lives and dreams like anyone else so they are more inclined to treat us like human beings.”
Hager noted that Brown’s novel contains several humorous moments.
“I’m a funny guy,” he said. “And everyone likes to laugh, even when the subject is so serious.”
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
