Book Announcement: From the Campaign Trail or Thereabouts

Political Novel to be Released Under New Humor and Satire Imprint!

NEW YORK, NY, September 3, 2019 – Humorist Books, the new imprint of comedy website the Weekly Humorist, will release its first title on September 12, 2019, From the Campaign Trail or Thereabouts, by Michael Bleicher and Andy Newton (ISBN 9780359807260 | Paperback | 320 pages | $24.99). A political satire set during the 2016 election, the episodic novel dissects America’s often-carnivalesque electoral process and the beginnings of the Trump era just as readers will be gearing up for another round at the polls in 2020.

From the Campaign Trail or Thereabouts is the story of two insulated Upper West Side journalists, Harold Carlyle, a self-serving, incompetent reporter desperate to save both his career and marriage, and his wife, Pattie, an observant, sharp-tongued, and successful television critic. When Harold is assigned to report on the 2016 Presidential Election, he hatches a scheme to save his marriage by taking his wife Pattie with him across the country, pledging that they’ll be able to reach San Diego’s idyllic shores on his publication’s dime. As Harold lackadaisically covers the Republican campaign, the couple encounters America’s absurdities and dark contradictions, from a Neo-Nazi group preoccupied with following parliamentary procedure, to Iowa state fairs, a pair of 9/11 Truthers celebrating their golden anniversary on a cross-country train trip, a Russian food cart vendor who seems to pop up at campaign events around the country, pay-by-the hour motels, online trolls, combination truck stops and adult emporiums, I Love Lucy, and the dubious efficacy of their marriage counselor’s communication exercises. Despite his elaborate schemes and quick-witted excuses, Harold’s career and marriage continue to unravel, until he stumbles upon a flash drive with transcripts of off-color conversations revealing collusion between Donald Trump and a Kremlin emissary. 

From the Campaign Trail or Thereabouts dives into the contradictory, divided, and all-too-often unsettling state of the union. Like Huck Finn meets Game Change, the novel examines the politicians and popular figures who played starring roles in 2016 and holds up a mirror to the electorate that ultimately made Trumpism possible. At the same time, the narrative is propelled by the comic friction of the reader’s two guides on this trek, a class-conscious striver continually failing upward and a sardonic workaholic with codependency issues. Characterized by brisk, witty banter, Harold and Pattie’s marriage grounds the satire in a jocose, humanizing story of a troubled relationship and foiled ambition.

Corey Brettschneider, professor of political science at Brown University and author of the book, The Oath and the Office: A Guide to the Constitution for Future Presidents, says of Michael and Andy’s work, “In their debut novel, Bleicher & Newton make it clear they are in the forefront of a new generation of political satirists.” Veteran comedian Richard Lewis writes, “I almost died laughing. In fact, I probably should be dead.”

The Webby-nominated Weekly Humorist is a comedy website that publishes cartoons and print humor, produces podcasts, and hosts a monthly standup comedy show in downtown Manhattan. Headed by Founder and Editor-in-Chief Marty Dundics and Managing Editor Kit Lively, Paste Magazine named it in their article, “7 Humor Websites You Should Be Reading.” They announced their book publishing venture in July 2018. From the Campaign Trail or Thereabouts will be the first of several planned releases from new and classic authors alike.

Michael Bleicher and Andy Newton write fiction and short humor about politics, money, and privilege. Their work has appeared in the Weekly Humorist, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, Vulture, National Lampoon, Points in Case, Public House, and Crack the Spine. Michael is a graduate of Harvard Law School. He is an attorney living in Washington, D.C. Andy has a Master’s degree in Italian literature from UCLA. He is an editor living in New York City. Their debut novel, From the Campaign Trail or Thereabouts, will be published September 12, 2019 by Humorist Books. They are above average in height and know the harmony parts to most Simon and Garfunkel songs.

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For more information about From the Campaign Trail or Thereabouts and Humorist Books, contact Michael Bleicher and Andy Newton. You may also visit the following websites:

From the Campaign Trail or Thereabouts: http://campaigntrailbook.com

Weekly Humorist: https://www.weeklyhumorist.com/

Humorist Books: http://humoristbooks.com/