Paperback writer

It's hard to believe that a year has passed--it feels like two--which means that it's time for the paperback edition, a surprisingly slender volume available on February 14. Buy it for a sweetheart. Thanks to all of you who helped make The Naked Don’t Fear the Water a success: it was on TIME and the Economist's Best of 2022 lists, has been longlisted for a PEN award, and is being translated into nine languages, most recently Italian.

If you're in New York City next week, please join us for a celebration at NYU's journalism school. At 7 pm on Thursday, February 16, I'll be speaking with Rozina Ali--if you haven't read her incredible story about an Afghan child taken from her family, please do--and Suketu Mehta, whose classic book about Mumbai, Maximum City, was an early inspiration for me.

It's free and there'll be wine and other refreshments, but be sure to RSVP since they'll have a list at the door:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/book-talk-with-author-matthieu-aikins-tickets-528661329267