Lakewood (Nomad Edition)

NPR Book of the Year 2020

Electric Literature: One of 55 Books by Women and Nonbinary Writers of Color to Read in 2020 | Lit Hub & The Millions: Most Anticipated Books of 2020 | Ms. Magazine: Anticipated 2020 Feminist Books | Refinery29: Books by Black Women We are Looking Forward To Reading | One of The Millions’ Most Anticipated Reads of 2020 | An Audible Editor’s Pick | An Essence Pick| A Glamour Must Read | A Ms. Magazine Anticipated Read of 2020

A stunning debut novel about class and race “reminiscent of Jordan Peele’s terrifying film Get Out” (Essence), that delves fearlessly into diabolical medical experimentation on African Americans, now available in a convenient pocket-sized portable Nomad Edition.

When Lena Johnson’s beloved grandmother dies, and the full extent of the family debt is revealed, the black millennial drops out of college to support her family and takes a job in the mysterious and remote town of Lakewood, Michigan.

On paper, her new job is too good to be true. High paying. No out of pocket medical expenses. A free place to live. All Lena has to do is participate in a secret program—and lie to her friends and family about the research being done in Lakewood. An eye drop that makes brown eyes blue, a medication that could be a cure for dementia, golden pills promised to make all bad thoughts go away.

The discoveries made in Lakewood, Lena is told, will change the world—but the consequences for the subjects involved could be devastating. As the truths of the program reveal themselves, Lena learns how much she’s willing to sacrifice for the sake of her family.

Provocative and thrilling, Lakewood is a breathtaking novel that takes an unflinching look at the moral dilemmas many working-class families face, and the horror that has been forced on black bodies in the name of science.

Megan Giddings is an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota. Her novel, Lakewood, was one of New York’s 10 best books of 2020, one of NPR’s best books of 2020, a Michigan Notable book for 2021, a nominee for two NAACP Image Awards, and a finalist for a 2020 Los Angeles Times Book Prize in The Ray Bradbury Prize for Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Speculative Fiction category. Her second novel, The Women Could Fly, was named one of The Washington Post’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy novels of 2022, one of Vulture’s Best Fantasy books of 2022, and was a New York Times Editors’ Choice. Her work has received support from the Barbara Deming Foundation and Hedgebrook. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

• Publisher: Amistad
  
• Publish Date: November 03, 2026
  
• Pages: 448
  
• Language: English
  
• Type: Paperback
  
• EAN/UPC: 9780063569027
  
• Dimensions: 5.9 X 4.1 X 0.0 inches | 10.4 pounds
  
• BISAC Categories: Popular Fiction, Literary Fiction, Romance, Science Fiction