The wildly inventive debut collection of stories by the Oscar-nominated star of The Social Network. “Hilarious . . . It’s a hoot” (People, The Best New Books). Jesse Eisenberg, known for his iconic film roles, his regular pieces in the New Yorker and two critically acclaimed plays, proves himself “a deeply original comic voice” in these 28 stories” about the funniness, sadness, and strangeness of everyday life and they really made me laugh” (Roz Chast). Moving from contemporary LA to the dorm rooms of an American college to ancient Pompeii, Eisenberg throws the reader into a universe of social misfits, reimagined scenes from history, and ridiculous overreactions; a college freshman forced to live with a roommate is stunned when one of her ramen packets goes missing (“She didn’t have ‘one’ of my ramens. She had a chicken ramen.”); Alexander Graham Bell has teething problems with his invention (“I’ve been calling Mabel all day, she doesn’t pick up! Yes, of course I dialed the right number—2!”); and in the title story, a precocious and privileged nine-year-old boy finds himself in the uncomfortable position as an amateur restaurant critic. Featuring illustrations by award-winning cartoonist Jean Jillian, this “alphabet soup of sketches, riffs, and innovations” (Seattle Times) explores the various insanities of the modern world, “playfully bringing both familiar and wholly original scenarios to life” (Marie Claire). A Fall Books Preview Selection by Audible One of the Wall Street Journal’s 15 Books to Read This Fall One of USA Today’s Weekend Picks for Book Lovers One of People Magazine’s Best New Books

Nobody likes Ben. Even Ben doesn't like Ben. He bullies everyone in his life, including his roommate Kalyan, an earnest Nepalese immigrant. When Ben discovers that his school crush is marrying a straight-laced banker, he sets out to destroy their relationship and win her back. Jesse Eisenberg's The Spoils was first produced by the New Group in New York. It was transferred by Lisa Matlin and Ambassador Theatre Group to Trafalgar Studios, London, where it received its UK premiere in May 2016.

This fresh, smart novel in the guise of a celebrity memoir probes the inner life of a mega-famous pop star Honestly, what amazes me the most with a lot of the people I meet is that they think they’re so big. They think, ultimately, that the universe revolves around them. And I’m beginning to think that it’s only when you live a life like mine—it’s only when you’re in a position where you don’t even really own yourself, when you can’t even really say that you’re a citizen of any particular country—that you realize that we’re all just tiny pieces of cosmic dust floating through the void until we disappear forever and we’re never heard from again. So begins the life story of our uber famous twenty-two year old narrator. A teen idol since he was twelve, when a video of him singing went viral, his star has only risen since. Now, haunted by the suicide of his manager-father, unsettled by the very different paths he and his teenage love (and girl pop-star counterpart) “Mandy” have taken, and increasingly aware that he has signed on to something he has little control over, he begins to parse the divide that separates him from the “normal people” of the world. Sneakily philosophical, earnest and funny, Justin Kuritzkes's Famous People is a rollicking, unforgettable look at the clash between fame and the human condition.

THE STORY: David arrives in Poland with a crippling case of writer’s block and a desire to be left alone. His seventy-five-year-old second cousin Maria welcomes him with a fervent need to connect with her distant American family. As their tenuous relationship develops, she reveals details about her complicated post-war past that test their ideas of what it means to be a family.

A suburban woman with a love for community theater attempts to play matchmaker in this play by the Academy Award–nominated actor. Lorraine is a saint of the suburbs. On top of trying to save her dying mother, miserable husband and estranged daughter, she’s starring as Bloody Mary in the Jewish Community Center production of South Pacific. When her mother’s home aide, Serbian immigrant Ljuba, asks for help finding a husband, Lorraine takes on her most challenging role to date: matchmaker. In Jesse Eisenberg’s hysterical and devastating play, Happy Talk, he reveals the absurd lengths people go to save themselves in the name of saving others.

THE STORY: Edgar and Vinny are not racist. In fact, Edgar maintains a blog condemning American imperialism, and Vinny is three-quarters into a Ph.D. in Black Studies. When a young Filipina woman named Asuncion becomes their new roommate, the boys h

The seventh edition of Buzz Books is a treasure-trove of substantial excerpts from dozens of the most highly-touted books to be published this fall/winter. Our “digital convention” features such major authors as Geraldine Brooks, Lauren Groff, Alice Hoffman, Janice Lee, Ron Rash, and Adriana Trigiani. We showcase debut novelists you’ve already heard of—Sloane Crosley, Jesse Eisenberg, and Amy Stewart—and anticipated new voices such as Virginia Baily (Early One Morning) and Claire Vaye Watkins (Gold, Fame, Citrus). Our nonfiction selections range from Mary Karr’s The Art of Memoir to revelations on aging by Dick Van Dyke; new work from New York Times bestselling authors Jane McGonigal and Eric Weiner; and a memoir by Dan Marshall that will be featured at this year’s Book Expo America convention on the Editors Buzz panel: Home is Burning. Many of our Buzz Books authors also will be in attendance at BEA. We’ve grouped titles into sections for fiction, debut fiction, and nonfiction titles. If these great samples aren’t enough to fill your fall reading lists, we start with an extensive report on the entire fall/winter publishing season, with over 100 notable forthcoming books in all that you will find covered and promoted in the months ahead. Start reading some of the best future books right now, and invite your friends and book groups to download their own free copy of the ebook from any major ebookstore or at buzz.publishersmarketplace.com. And for the best in children’s literature, be sure to look for Buzz Books 2015: Young Adult Fall/Winter (9780990835363), also available now.