Behind the Smile: A Story of Carol Moseley Braun’s Historic Senate Campaign

By Jeannie Morris
Agate Midway (September)

Morris, a local sports journalist, vividly recounts Braun’s game-changing 1992 U.S. Senate run.

The Education of a Poker Player

By James McManus
BOA Editions (October)

The best-selling author (Positively Fifth Street) channels 1950s and ’60s Catholic Chicago in these tales of an Irish-American altar boy.

Marvel and a Wonder

By Joe Meno Akashic Books (September)

In this ambitious epic, a man and his grandson embark on a cross-country journey to find a missing horse.

The Voiceover Artist

By Dave Reidy
Curbside Splendor (November)

A man attempts to overcome a paralyzing stutter through voice-over acting in this well-rendered account of the travails of show business.

Wild Hundreds

By Nate Marshall
University of Pittsburgh Press (September)

This slim, eloquent collection by newcomer Marshall illuminates growing up on the Far South Side.