Now Trending – Books in the News – September 2025

“A collection of stories about youth, loneliness, and coming to terms with the everyday and rippling violence of American life.”

This collection of essays by Dave Newman recount his experiences finding his voice as a writer amidst the gritty, industrial backdrop of Pittsburgh. His essays are a testament to Ernest Hemingway’s adage, “In order to write about life, first you must live it”: from dimly-lit bars to desolate truck stops, he offers a candid look into the trials he faced to maintain his artistic integrity while also navigating the relentless demands of everyday life.

Convinced that a big-foot-like creature took her best friend during a scouting trip, eleven-year-old Jenna sets out into the woods to find her.

“This anthology commemorates the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Pitt Poetry Series (1968-1993), which from modest beginnings has become one of the most prominent poetry series in the United States. During this period, first under the editorship of Paul Zimmer, and then Ed Ochester, 156 books by 102 poets were published.”

“Town College City Road follows Kurt Boozel from childhood in an insular Northwestern Pennsylvania steel town, to college, through the booms and busts of the financial and cryptocurrency markets, and back to his Rust Belt home.”

From the late Pittsburgh born author David McCullough. “In this posthumous collection of thought-provoking essays–many never published before–Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and bestselling author David McCullough affirms the value of history, how we can be guided by its lessons, and the enduring legacy of American ideals.”