Men Like Us

“With Men Like Us, Markland debuts fully-formed, a master storyteller who takes as her subject a place we used to know and hope to know again, that complex land we called America. Her Bobby is one of the great literary characters—part Hamlet, part Nick Carraway, part Wizard of Oz, yet wholly individual—and her understanding of the dynamic bonds between siblings places her among the finest writers of her generation. The Kennedys are looked at here with such honesty that the reader may feel they never knew the family at all. And yet with every pitch-perfect sentence, it is ever more clear that the author knows them and knows us as well. A masterpiece for our times.” —Brian Castleberry, author of Nine Shiny Objects and The Californians

"Carson Markland’s debut novel, Men Like Us, is on its surface a book about the Kennedys. But more than anything, it’s about big, messy families and what happens when too many siblings are vying for their parents’ love and approval; it’s about ambition and the trade-offs that come with that ambition; and it’s about grief and regret and the loyalty we feel toward the people we grew up with. In prose that reads like a prayer, Markland tenderly portrays the relationship between two brothers, and the sacrifices they make for each other. The fact that we know how the story ends does nothing to lessen the impact of the quiet moments when these two men dream of what could be. I loved this book.”—Rachel Beanland, author of The Half Life and Florence Adler Swims Forever

“[Carson Markland's] behind-the-scenes look into the fascinating family is filled with scandalous drama and evolving alliances. Bobby’s vantage from inside the political dynasty throughout John F. Kennedy’s senatorial campaign and his presidential election creates a captivating private view of a very public family.”

"Men Like Us is riveting from the opening page. Tracing the years before that 'brief shining moment,’ it is at once a propulsive political tale and a deeply sensitive, thoughtful story of family ties."—Phil Melanson, author of Florenzer

"The paradox of young Camelot comes alive in Markland’s hands—the Kennedys are ruthless yet inspiring, power-hungry yet called to serve, glamorous and doomed. Written with immediacy and grace, the story leaves off just at the moment when their tragic fates will become woven into the story of the nation."