In a Nutshell
Nathan Harris holds an MFA from the Michener Center at the University of Texas. His debut novel, The Sweetness of Water, was published by Little Brown in 2021, and was the summer selection of Oprah’s Book Club. It was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, and the Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, and included in President Obama’s Summer Reading List. He was honored as one of 5 Under 35 by the National Book Foundation and has had his work featured in The Best American Short Stories of 2023. He currently lives in Chicago, Illinois.
Why read his latest book Amity
It’s a sweeping, post–Civil War adventure. Amity traces the harrowing journeys of formerly enslaved siblings, June and Coleman, in the aftermath of emancipation as they struggle for freedom, reunion, and survival.
His storytelling is breathtaking. Critics praise the novel’s vivid imagery, suspenseful narrative, and sharp character voices (like Coleman’s sly humor). Nathan makes history come alive on the page.
Publishers Weekly calls it “an indelible slice of postbellum border history.” Their “Endnotes” feature also highlights how Harris wove together two fascinating and under-explored threads of history: Confederate relocation to Mexico and the legacy of the Black Seminoles seeking refuge there.
Why You’ll Want to Meet Him at Verse and Vino
He brings history to life. Whether he’s recounting how he stumbled upon the fascinating intersections of Confederate expatriates and Black Seminoles — or having a conversation with our own Sheri Lynch — Nathan’s curiosity and clarity make complex history feel personal and immediate.
He’s both thoughtful and approachable. Having grown from his celebrated debut (The Sweetness of Water, Booker Prize longlisted, Oprah’s Book Club-picked) to this deeply researched sophomore effort, Nathan blends literary chops with genuine conversational ease.
You’ll be witnessing a rising star. Amity continues to build on Harris’s early acclaim, reinforcing his status as one of today’s most compelling new voices in American historical fiction.
Extra, extra
He’s a dog person. He wrote an essay about his mother’s dog Millie.
“There was a time in my childhood where my family decided—with certainty—that my mother had gone mad. One day, she announced that she would begin competing in dog shows. Now, we had always had dogs, in the same manner that most families have dogs, but this was to be another matter entirely. Our home was now a dog show home. Things, according to her, were going to change.”
