Short stories by an author who offers “shrewd, bitingly funny commentary on his own privileged class” (Time). In nine stories that move between nouveau riche Los Angeles and the working class East Coast, and strike a balance between comedy and catastrophe, Kevin Morris explores the vicissitudes of modern life. Whether looking for creative ways to let off steam after a day in court or enduring chaperone duties on a school field trip to the nation’s capital, the heroes of White Man’s Problems struggle to navigate the challenges that accompany marriage, family, success, failure, growing up, and getting older. “Kevin Morris is that rare writer who bridges the class divide, illuminating the lives of working class characters and affluent professionals with equal authenticity and insight. White Man’s Problems is a revelatory collection that marks the arrival of striking new voice in American fiction.” —Tom Perrotta “The echoes here are of a former generation of American writers—John Cheever, John Updike, Raymond Carver.” —USA Today “Life undermines the pursuit of success and status in these rich, bewildering stories . . . A finely wrought and mordantly funny take on a modern predicament by a new writer with loads of talent.” —Kirkus Reviews

Nine short stories depict the humorous ironies and quirks of daily life, including tales of a chaperone on a school trip in Washington, D.C. and a lawyer looking for unique ways to unwind after being in court. Original.

Praise for White Man's Problems: “Kevin Morris's voice is Updike and Cheever and Carver, chilly streets, basketball courts, backyard swimming pools…they would welcome their new neighbor…so will you.” -- Eric Roth, screenwriter of Forrest Gump, The Insider, Munich, The Good Shepherd, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button “In White Man's Problems, Kevin Morris takes us on an unforgettable tour of the American male psyche. Writing with wit, honesty, and incredible range, he illuminates the lives of lovestruck teenagers, hapless South Philly hoods, depraved Los Angeles attorneys, ex-jocks turned banking wizards, and host of other characters who have risen from their working class backgrounds only to find themselves undone by the trappings of success. These brutal and heartfelt stories will knock you out.” -- Jim Gavin, author of Middle Men “Wonderful group of stories by Kevin Morris. Buy this and you will love it.”-- Gus Van Sant, filmmaker, artist, author White Man's Problems is a collection of nine stories about nine completely different guys. Funny, sad, and right on the money, these are glimpses of characters whose outward success masks inner turmoil that complicates their lives and often baffles those around them. Stories such as “Mulligan's Travels,” about an LA banker's uncelebrated return home from New York, and "White Man's Problems," the comedic chronicle of a dubious father on a school trip to Washington, DC, exemplify Kevin Morris's poignant, clever, and entirely entertaining style. Males of all ages are confronted with difficulties—some subtle, some stark—which, as the saying goes, would appear to belong only to them. White Man's Problems will engage you with real characters, real humor, and sharp moments of truth.

In nine dazzling stories bouncing between nouveau riche Los Angeles and the working-class East Coast, Kevin Morris explores the vicissitudes of modern life. His characters self-consciously grapple with both technology and postmodern cynicism, struggling to sort out the problems that attend marriage, family, success, failure, growing up, and getting older but not necessarily wiser. Whether looking for creative ways to let off steam after a day in court or enduring chaperone duties on a school field trip to the nation's capital, these average men are simultaneously nothing special and the heroes of their own ordinary lives. The themes of these perceptive, wry and sometimes humorous tales pose philosophical questions about conformity and class, duplicity and decency, and the actions and meaning of an average guy's life. Morris's confident debut strikes the perfect balance between comedy and catastrophe - and introduces a virtuosic new voice in American fiction.

The New York Times best-selling book exploring the counterproductive reactions white people have when their assumptions about race are challenged, and how these reactions maintain racial inequality. In this “vital, necessary, and beautiful book” (Michael Eric Dyson), antiracist educator Robin DiAngelo deftly illuminates the phenomenon of white fragility and “allows us to understand racism as a practice not restricted to ‘bad people’ (Claudia Rankine). Referring to the defensive moves that white people make when challenged racially, white fragility is characterized by emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and by behaviors including argumentation and silence. These behaviors, in turn, function to reinstate white racial equilibrium and prevent any meaningful cross-racial dialogue. In this in-depth exploration, DiAngelo examines how white fragility develops, how it protects racial inequality, and what we can do to engage more constructively.

“Kevin Morris goes for a slam dunk in his debut novel” about the undoing of an American Dreamer in the Philly suburbs (Vanity Fair Hot Type). 1961. Outside Philadelphia, a soon-to-be father runs into a telephone pole while driving drunk; nine months later, his widow dies in a smashed-up T-Bird. From the start, the orphaned Joe Knight is a blank slate. Taken in by a kindly aunt in a tough-skinned suburb, Joe finds his family in high school with the Fallcrest basketball team. Fast-forward thirty years. Joe is divorced with a daughter and certain he’s unfit for love. Ever since selling the ad firm he built from the ground up for millions, he’s been wiling away his time at strip clubs to quiet his mind. Then Chris Scully, former Fallcrest teammate-turned DA, tips him off to a criminal probe into the buyout that got Joe rich years ago—a deal he shared with every member of the basketball team, except for Scully. As Joe’s possible transgressions unreel, he is forced to face the disillusionment inside himself and a secret that has haunted him for decades. A “remarkable and agonizing . . . incendiary look at modern life” (Esquire), All Joe Knight features “an anti-hero for our times . . . John Updike’s Rabbit Angstrom revised for the Trump era—more profane and straight-talking” (USA Today, 3/4 stars), a man who achieved the American Dream and is now scrambling to survive it.

In recent years, efforts to recognize and accommodate cultural diversity have gained some traction in the politics of US health care. But to date, anthropological perspectives have figured unevenly in efforts to define and address mental health problems. Particularly challenging are examinations of Native peoples’ experiences with alcohol. Erica Prussing provides the first in-depth assessment of the politics of Native sobriety by focusing on the Northern Cheyenne community in southeastern Montana, where for many decades the federally funded health care system has relied on the Twelve Step program of Alcoholics Anonymous. White Man’s Water provides a thoughtful and careful analysis of Cheyenne views of sobriety and the politics that surround the selective appeal of Twelve Step approaches despite wide-ranging local critiques. Narratives from participants in these programs debunk long-standing stereotypes about ”Indian drinking” and offer insight into the diversity of experiences with alcohol that actually occur among Native North Americans. This critical ethnography employs vivid accounts of the Northern Cheyenne people to depict how problems with alcohol are culturally constructed, showing how differences in age, gender, and other social features can affect involvement with both drinking and sobriety. These testimonies reveal the key role that gender plays in how Twelve Step program participants engage in a selective and creative process of appropriation at Northern Cheyenne, adapting the program to accommodate local cultural priorities and spiritual resources. The testimonies also illuminate community reactions to these adaptations, inspiring deeper inquiry into how federally funded health services are provided on the reservation. This book will appeal to readers with an interest in Native studies, ethnography, women’s studies, and medical anthropology. With its critical consideration of how cultural context shapes drinking and sobriety, White Man’s Water offers a multivocal perspective on alcohol’s impact on health and the cultural complexities of sobriety.