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Upward Bound: The New York Times bestselling novel about friendship, connection and the dreams that shape us
Brought to you by Penguin.
A vibrant, profoundly moving novel about friendship, connection and the dreams that shape us, set in an adult daycare centre in California.
Among the clients and staff are Carlos, a charismatic aide who lost his mother as a boy, and Jorge, who is gentle, nonspeaking and prone to escape despite Carlos’s best efforts. Tom, a beautiful young man with cerebral palsy, pines for Ann, the lifeguard for the summer who feels out of her depth. Then there’s Dave, the centre’s director. He wanted to be an actor, but finds himself on a very different path.
At the heart of Upward Bound is Walter, a recent college student returning to the company of his peers after a family tragedy. Around him, a story unfolds of friendships forged, connections missed and the dreams – some new, others almost forgotten – that shape us. With his wit, empathy and astonishing gifts as a storyteller, Woody Brown immerses us in life as we have never experienced it before.
‘Wonderfully inspirational’ PAUL BEATTY
‘Moving and funny and ringing with life’ GUARDIAN
‘A complicated joy’ RODDY DOYLE
(c) Woody Brown 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026
A vibrant, profoundly moving novel about friendship, connection and the dreams that shape us, set in an adult daycare centre in California.
Among the clients and staff are Carlos, a charismatic aide who lost his mother as a boy, and Jorge, who is gentle, nonspeaking and prone to escape despite Carlos’s best efforts. Tom, a beautiful young man with cerebral palsy, pines for Ann, the lifeguard for the summer who feels out of her depth. Then there’s Dave, the centre’s director. He wanted to be an actor, but finds himself on a very different path.
At the heart of Upward Bound is Walter, a recent college student returning to the company of his peers after a family tragedy. Around him, a story unfolds of friendships forged, connections missed and the dreams – some new, others almost forgotten – that shape us. With his wit, empathy and astonishing gifts as a storyteller, Woody Brown immerses us in life as we have never experienced it before.
‘Wonderfully inspirational’ PAUL BEATTY
‘Moving and funny and ringing with life’ GUARDIAN
‘A complicated joy’ RODDY DOYLE
(c) Woody Brown 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026
Audible Audio
First published March 31, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 554 reviews
April 9, 2026
Upward Bound is an outpatient facility for clients with diverse disabilities. What makes this story unique is that it is told from different perspectives.
From one with cerebral palsy and the frustration of not being able to communicate; from a student who works there for the summer and tries to bring some fun into mundane activities; the director, who knows so little about all his clients and only that they don’t meet his high expectations with his play productions.
This hit close to home for me. My younger brother was adopted when he was 6 months old and when he wasn’t meeting the milestones, he was diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Everyday a challenge without a schedule; everyday a challenge without being able to communicate feelings.
I feel for all those who have disabilities and just want to be seen.
Kudos to Woody Brown, he himself, has autism. Thank you for reminding us what it means to be human.
5⭐️
From one with cerebral palsy and the frustration of not being able to communicate; from a student who works there for the summer and tries to bring some fun into mundane activities; the director, who knows so little about all his clients and only that they don’t meet his high expectations with his play productions.
This hit close to home for me. My younger brother was adopted when he was 6 months old and when he wasn’t meeting the milestones, he was diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Everyday a challenge without a schedule; everyday a challenge without being able to communicate feelings.
I feel for all those who have disabilities and just want to be seen.
Kudos to Woody Brown, he himself, has autism. Thank you for reminding us what it means to be human.
5⭐️
April 6, 2026
I’ve been struggling to write a review. I applaud any book that can bring understanding and open hearts and minds to autistic individuals. Yet I can’t say I enjoyed the book.
Then I discovered it was written through the use of FC, facilitated communication, via his mother. I’ve done a bit of research and came across this official position:
“It is the position of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) that Facilitated Communication (FC) is a discredited technique that should not be used. There is no scientific evidence of the validity of FC, and there is extensive scientific evidence—produced over several decades and across several countries—that messages are authored by the "facilitator" rather than the person with a disability. Furthermore, there is extensive evidence of harms related to the use of FC. Information obtained through the use of FC should not be considered as the communication of the person with a disability.”
ETA: Watch this video and watch his typing closely, then read the comments, many written by SLPs (speech language pathologists):
https://youtu.be/tLz-5ZEOT80
This in no way is a reflection on Woody Brown or other individuals with autism, a population that deserves a voice, and should be heard.
* I received a digital review copy via NetGalley. All thoughts are my own
Then I discovered it was written through the use of FC, facilitated communication, via his mother. I’ve done a bit of research and came across this official position:
“It is the position of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) that Facilitated Communication (FC) is a discredited technique that should not be used. There is no scientific evidence of the validity of FC, and there is extensive scientific evidence—produced over several decades and across several countries—that messages are authored by the "facilitator" rather than the person with a disability. Furthermore, there is extensive evidence of harms related to the use of FC. Information obtained through the use of FC should not be considered as the communication of the person with a disability.”
ETA: Watch this video and watch his typing closely, then read the comments, many written by SLPs (speech language pathologists):
https://youtu.be/tLz-5ZEOT80
This in no way is a reflection on Woody Brown or other individuals with autism, a population that deserves a voice, and should be heard.
* I received a digital review copy via NetGalley. All thoughts are my own
March 14, 2026
Woody Brown takes his readers to a place unfamiliar to the majority of us - into the thoughts and feelings of a non speaking autistic person and others with disabilities . This is a work of fiction, but so very realistic as I learned that Brown is non speaking and autistic and if you read anything about him, it’s hard to separate him from Walter who takes us on this journey. Both had strong and persistent mothers who bucked the system to make sure their sons received an education in keeping with their abilities that would have been ignored . In addition to taking us on this journey of understanding and empathy, Brown does another thing that I have been drawn to in other novels. He brings together a diverse group of people and personalities, each with their unique story, with an emphasis on the connections people make with each other.
It isn’t only the autistic and disabled “clients “ at the Upward Bound adult day care who touch the reader’s heart, but also some of the care givers who really do care and can see in them what others don’t. It’s enlightening, touching, impactful and so inspiring. An extraordinary novel that made me cry, laugh, more empathetic . A novel that will change you.
“I wanted to show readers what it’s like to be constantly underestimated and misunderstood, what it feels like to not be seen because of disability and how it feels when people refuse to look at us.” Woody Brown (People Magazine August 21, 2025) . Brown has done that and so much more.
I received a copy of this from Hogarth through NetGalley.
It isn’t only the autistic and disabled “clients “ at the Upward Bound adult day care who touch the reader’s heart, but also some of the care givers who really do care and can see in them what others don’t. It’s enlightening, touching, impactful and so inspiring. An extraordinary novel that made me cry, laugh, more empathetic . A novel that will change you.
“I wanted to show readers what it’s like to be constantly underestimated and misunderstood, what it feels like to not be seen because of disability and how it feels when people refuse to look at us.” Woody Brown (People Magazine August 21, 2025) . Brown has done that and so much more.
I received a copy of this from Hogarth through NetGalley.
April 13, 2026
“Autism on my end of the spectrum is like ADHD times a thousand.” ~Walter
Upward Bound, the debut novel from Woody Brown, gives us a rare glimpse inside the neurodivergent world.
After his father’s death, Walter — a non‑speaking autistic man who graduated from high school with honors and attended a community college — is placed in a day program for disabled adults.
Because he can’t talk, the world assumes that Walter can’t think. In fact, he is searingly intelligent.
But at our eponymous adult day center, it's not uncommon to find grown men and women gluing macaroni to popsicle sticks or singing nursery songs.
Through Walter's sharp, sardonic internal voice, we see how disabled adults in care systems are too often infantilized as perpetual children, stripped of dignity.
I loved meeting Walter and the other "clients" at Upward Bound. Despite a myriad of communication barriers, the characters lead rich inner lives.
The novel explores echolalia, typing, eye‑blinking, and intuitive mind melds — all forms of connection that bypass speech — and exposes the chasm between who these individuals are and how the world sees them.
Perhaps what makes this debut work particularly insightful is that Brown draws from some of his own experiences as a non-verbal autistic man.
A summa cum laude graduate from UCLA, Brown went on to earn an MFA in creative writing from Columbia University in 2024.
Because he has visuospatial issues that make it difficult to focus on the words on the page, Brown's parents have read aloud to him daily since he was a small child.
Likewise, since the electronic impulses in Brown's neurodivergent brain resist performing the complex motor actions involved in typed communication, he and his Mom spent years learning and perfecting the Rapid Prompting Method (RPM), developed by Soma Mukhopadhyay.
There's currently lots of furor among the internet detectives and armchair psychologists over who actually wrote Brown's novel.
Regardless, Upward Bound is a rare work that gives voice to those who are too often silenced.
Strongly recommend.
April 1, 2026
As a father of a non-verbal autistic child, I find this book extremely upsetting. It's the product of facilitated communication.
This book is a fraud. It was not written by Woody Brown. It was written by his mother. Woody does not type letters like you or I do. He uses a letter board that his mother holds for him in midair, then his mother 'translates' what she thinks Woody is typing. This is called Spelling 2 Communicate, and is widely discredited because no one has ever been able to prove that the child and not the adult is picking the letters. The tests that have been done tend to prove it's the adult, the mother in this case, who is picking the letters subconsciously.
I think the only reason this kind of thing gets overlooked is that nobody wants to imagine the kind of deluded monsters who would use a disabled child as their own puppet like this. We would much rather imagine a world where an autistic person is overcoming their disability and proving all the naysayers wrong. It's much more convenient to talk about Woody's big heart than to realize his mother wrote this book and earned his degrees for him.
We owe it to these kids to meet them where they are and to understand them. Not to invent false narratives around their abilities to make us tear up and feel better.
I invite anyone who thinks this isn't fraudulent to watch a video of Woody picking letters and explain to us why he's often typing a few letters and his mother is reading off multiple words or larger words with many more letters. Explain why Woody is often not looking at his letter board while he types. Explain why the letters Woody is pointing to don't match up with the letters the mother is reading off.
The simple and true explanation is that this is a total fraud.
This book is a fraud. It was not written by Woody Brown. It was written by his mother. Woody does not type letters like you or I do. He uses a letter board that his mother holds for him in midair, then his mother 'translates' what she thinks Woody is typing. This is called Spelling 2 Communicate, and is widely discredited because no one has ever been able to prove that the child and not the adult is picking the letters. The tests that have been done tend to prove it's the adult, the mother in this case, who is picking the letters subconsciously.
I think the only reason this kind of thing gets overlooked is that nobody wants to imagine the kind of deluded monsters who would use a disabled child as their own puppet like this. We would much rather imagine a world where an autistic person is overcoming their disability and proving all the naysayers wrong. It's much more convenient to talk about Woody's big heart than to realize his mother wrote this book and earned his degrees for him.
We owe it to these kids to meet them where they are and to understand them. Not to invent false narratives around their abilities to make us tear up and feel better.
I invite anyone who thinks this isn't fraudulent to watch a video of Woody picking letters and explain to us why he's often typing a few letters and his mother is reading off multiple words or larger words with many more letters. Explain why Woody is often not looking at his letter board while he types. Explain why the letters Woody is pointing to don't match up with the letters the mother is reading off.
The simple and true explanation is that this is a total fraud.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
4+
Upward Bound is an adult day care facility in Southern California providing care for adults with autism and other disabilities.
The characters in this story are the clients, their families and the workers at the facility.
It is a vivid and realistic portrait of what neurodivergent/disabled daily life is like.
It is an emotional and often humorous read.
Quite an achievement for this author as
Woody Brown, is a non verbal autistic man who is the first non speaking graduate of UCLA.
I will be eagerly awaiting his next novel which will be called Alfie.
Thank you to Random House/Hogarth for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Upward Bound is an adult day care facility in Southern California providing care for adults with autism and other disabilities.
The characters in this story are the clients, their families and the workers at the facility.
It is a vivid and realistic portrait of what neurodivergent/disabled daily life is like.
It is an emotional and often humorous read.
Quite an achievement for this author as
Woody Brown, is a non verbal autistic man who is the first non speaking graduate of UCLA.
I will be eagerly awaiting his next novel which will be called Alfie.
Thank you to Random House/Hogarth for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review!
April 15, 2026
"Jorge and I are both inmates at an insane asylum that passes itself off as a day program for autistic adults."
This is the story of Walter- recently graduated college student -who is now returning to the Upward Bound daycare centre for disabled persons following a family bereavement.
This is a compendium of interwoven stories exploring life at the centre through the eyes of attendees and staff- stories of love and friendship; challenges and barriers; misunderstandings and aspirations. From non-speaking Jorge to cerebral-palsy Tom with film star looks and to Dave the manager and Mariana and Carlos- siblings working at Upward Bound.
Woody Brown has created a book of beauty and wisdom enabling us the readers to enter a world that is unknown to most of us. This is a book that will deeply move many and positively challenge us to reflect upon and change perceptions.
Hooked from the start to the finish ; this is going to be a book that I'll recommend through 2026.
A triumph !
Thank you to Jonathan Cape and NetGalley for the advance copy.
This is the story of Walter- recently graduated college student -who is now returning to the Upward Bound daycare centre for disabled persons following a family bereavement.
This is a compendium of interwoven stories exploring life at the centre through the eyes of attendees and staff- stories of love and friendship; challenges and barriers; misunderstandings and aspirations. From non-speaking Jorge to cerebral-palsy Tom with film star looks and to Dave the manager and Mariana and Carlos- siblings working at Upward Bound.
Woody Brown has created a book of beauty and wisdom enabling us the readers to enter a world that is unknown to most of us. This is a book that will deeply move many and positively challenge us to reflect upon and change perceptions.
Hooked from the start to the finish ; this is going to be a book that I'll recommend through 2026.
A triumph !
Thank you to Jonathan Cape and NetGalley for the advance copy.
March 8, 2026
Stories like Upward Bound are near and dear to my heart. My oldest son is on the autism spectrum and even though he is higher functioning, the struggles he has faced and the obstacles he's had to overcome are no less devastating. My son also attends a center for teens with disabilities a couple of hours a week (yes the name of our center is equally as silly as Upward Bound). So after reading the synopsis of Upward Bound, my heart smiled to finally see some more disability rep in literature!
Upward Bound is a magnetic, searing, heartfelt, and remarkable novel. Upward Bound takes readers inside the lives of those who are constantly misconstrued, misrepresented, minimized, and unseen while inviting readers to check our assumptions and attitudes towards the disabled. At times I found myself laughing and others tearing up. Woody Brown’s writing is beautiful and the story is unforgettable.
After finishing the book, I learned that not only is this Woody Brown’s debut novel but also that the author was the first nonspeaking person in history to graduate from UCLA. I absolutely cannot wait to read whatever this brilliant author writes next and I highly recommend it to all!
I listened to the audiobook version of Upward Bound and it is read by a full cast including, T.R. Knight, Pete Holmes, Midori Francis, Carlos Miranda, Brandon Flynn, Nikki M. James, Alex Edelman, and Daphne Rubin Vega.
Upward Bound by Woody Brown will be available on March 31. Many thanks to Penguin Random House Audio for the gifted audiobook!
Upward Bound is a magnetic, searing, heartfelt, and remarkable novel. Upward Bound takes readers inside the lives of those who are constantly misconstrued, misrepresented, minimized, and unseen while inviting readers to check our assumptions and attitudes towards the disabled. At times I found myself laughing and others tearing up. Woody Brown’s writing is beautiful and the story is unforgettable.
After finishing the book, I learned that not only is this Woody Brown’s debut novel but also that the author was the first nonspeaking person in history to graduate from UCLA. I absolutely cannot wait to read whatever this brilliant author writes next and I highly recommend it to all!
I listened to the audiobook version of Upward Bound and it is read by a full cast including, T.R. Knight, Pete Holmes, Midori Francis, Carlos Miranda, Brandon Flynn, Nikki M. James, Alex Edelman, and Daphne Rubin Vega.
Upward Bound by Woody Brown will be available on March 31. Many thanks to Penguin Random House Audio for the gifted audiobook!
April 8, 2026
This is a fictionalized autobiography, but with many viewpoints. The author and main narrator is autistic and has trouble communicating, only his mother understands him by using a letter board. Seeing a clip of Brown and his mother using the board and communicating, it appears that she interprets heavily, so maybe there are actually two authors for this book.
Despite that, the book on it’s own is heart-felt. It shows how people with disabilities can connect even when they have a hard time verbalizing words. One of the characters is so heart-breaking as he tries to communicate with blinking but no one seems to notice.
The book has the point-of-view with several of the people who go to Upward Bound, a day-care facility for adults with disabilities. The book also includes several of the people who work there, and one who does not. This one is a worker at Target, where the Upward Bound group visits every Friday morning.
There isn't a plot, but there is a trajectory of sorts, and through the different voices one can understand what this place is like. And the book while emotional, is not all heavy, there is some bits of humor as well.
I listened to an audiobook of this and it has a different narrator for each character. Most do not repeat, except for the fictionalized author, he appears for a few chapters.
Book rating: 3.75 stars.
Thanks to Random House/Hogarth and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book. However, I listened to a published audiobook copy of the book.
Despite that, the book on it’s own is heart-felt. It shows how people with disabilities can connect even when they have a hard time verbalizing words. One of the characters is so heart-breaking as he tries to communicate with blinking but no one seems to notice.
The book has the point-of-view with several of the people who go to Upward Bound, a day-care facility for adults with disabilities. The book also includes several of the people who work there, and one who does not. This one is a worker at Target, where the Upward Bound group visits every Friday morning.
There isn't a plot, but there is a trajectory of sorts, and through the different voices one can understand what this place is like. And the book while emotional, is not all heavy, there is some bits of humor as well.
I listened to an audiobook of this and it has a different narrator for each character. Most do not repeat, except for the fictionalized author, he appears for a few chapters.
Book rating: 3.75 stars.
Thanks to Random House/Hogarth and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book. However, I listened to a published audiobook copy of the book.
Read
April 10, 2026As a disability advocate, I was excited about this book until I learned that it was written via Facilitated Communication, a technique that has been proven scientifically to be, at best, woefully inaccurate and, at worst, utterly fraudulent and abusive.
Please do some research on Facilitated Communication before reading this book. There's a documentary on Netflix called Tell Them You Love Me that involves FC. Check trigger warnings because it is a VERY difficult watch.
I cannot, in good faith, read Upward Bound, so I've removed it from my list. I am posting this as a warning to anyone who does not know about Facilitated Communication and the fact that it has long been proven to be a pseudoscience.
Research has shown, repeatedly, that it is the facilitator communicating, whether consciously or unconsciously, not the disabled person. I get that it is difficult to accept disability, especially for a parent. To an extent, I understand wanting to believe that non-verbal people or disabled people with significant support needs have a hidden ability or genius waiting to be unlocked by the right key.
But that just isn't reality. It is also ableist and devalues the lives of many disabled people.
Edit: I pulled this review up on the Goodreads app and it is saying "Review of advance copy received from Netgalley". Not sure if other people are seeing that, but I want to make it clear that this is inaccurate. I do not participate in Netgalley and never will.
Please do some research on Facilitated Communication before reading this book. There's a documentary on Netflix called Tell Them You Love Me that involves FC. Check trigger warnings because it is a VERY difficult watch.
I cannot, in good faith, read Upward Bound, so I've removed it from my list. I am posting this as a warning to anyone who does not know about Facilitated Communication and the fact that it has long been proven to be a pseudoscience.
Research has shown, repeatedly, that it is the facilitator communicating, whether consciously or unconsciously, not the disabled person. I get that it is difficult to accept disability, especially for a parent. To an extent, I understand wanting to believe that non-verbal people or disabled people with significant support needs have a hidden ability or genius waiting to be unlocked by the right key.
But that just isn't reality. It is also ableist and devalues the lives of many disabled people.
Edit: I pulled this review up on the Goodreads app and it is saying "Review of advance copy received from Netgalley". Not sure if other people are seeing that, but I want to make it clear that this is inaccurate. I do not participate in Netgalley and never will.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Upward Bound tells us the story of the users of an adult day care centre. The story is narrated by several of the "inmates" none of whom seem to be particularly well served by the ministrations of Dave, who is in charge and merely wants them to be well behaved and to look good for donors. Thankfully, some of the assistants have different ideas and make their own fun for the clients who, otherwise, would be desperately bored.
I liked the different voices of the centre's clients. Each one added a different perspective along with the views of some of the staff.
The story itself is particularly moving and by the end I was invested in what happened to every one of them.
If this is Woody Brown's debut then I look forward to the rest of his writing career. But then I don't suppose you leave UCLA with top writing honours and not be expected to produce some wonderful fiction.
Highly recommended.
Thankyou to Netgalley and Random House for the digital review copy.
I liked the different voices of the centre's clients. Each one added a different perspective along with the views of some of the staff.
The story itself is particularly moving and by the end I was invested in what happened to every one of them.
If this is Woody Brown's debut then I look forward to the rest of his writing career. But then I don't suppose you leave UCLA with top writing honours and not be expected to produce some wonderful fiction.
Highly recommended.
Thankyou to Netgalley and Random House for the digital review copy.
April 1, 2026
Warning….book gush ahead.
This takes place at an adult day program for disabled adults. Each chapter is written from the perspective of those involved- the attendees, the staff, the director, and even someone from the public who sees them on their outing.
I’ve worked in the disability field for most of my adult life, so the synopsis alone spoke to me. But inside the pages….man. I loved the perspectives and it really gave me a lot to chew on and think about. I finished it last weekend and as I move through my work week, there is so much that gave me a need to pause and reflect.
The author became the first non speaking autistic graduate from UCLA in 2022. I think it’s so important to read from Own Voices and learn about their perspectives. This also happened to be a phenomenal story.
I LOVED this book. There was nothing I would change. Zero notes. Read it in a matter of hours. All of the stars!
This takes place at an adult day program for disabled adults. Each chapter is written from the perspective of those involved- the attendees, the staff, the director, and even someone from the public who sees them on their outing.
I’ve worked in the disability field for most of my adult life, so the synopsis alone spoke to me. But inside the pages….man. I loved the perspectives and it really gave me a lot to chew on and think about. I finished it last weekend and as I move through my work week, there is so much that gave me a need to pause and reflect.
The author became the first non speaking autistic graduate from UCLA in 2022. I think it’s so important to read from Own Voices and learn about their perspectives. This also happened to be a phenomenal story.
I LOVED this book. There was nothing I would change. Zero notes. Read it in a matter of hours. All of the stars!
Read
April 13, 2026🚩 I want to believe this book was genuinely written by Woody Brown, a nonverbal autistic adult, and not his mother.
But watch his interview on the Today Show. Read what speech and language experts are saying in the comments. Is this novel illuminating and empowering, or doing more harm than good by giving false hope? I am torn.
I cannot tag the GR review by JanB, but it’s what alerted me to the potential issue. Thank you, JanB, for sharing your thoughtful review amid a sea of 5⭐️s.
❓My review seems to disappear. I wonder if it’s being hidden/flagged for calling the authorship into question? Let me know if you’re seeing my review on your feed.
But watch his interview on the Today Show. Read what speech and language experts are saying in the comments. Is this novel illuminating and empowering, or doing more harm than good by giving false hope? I am torn.
I cannot tag the GR review by JanB, but it’s what alerted me to the potential issue. Thank you, JanB, for sharing your thoughtful review amid a sea of 5⭐️s.
❓My review seems to disappear. I wonder if it’s being hidden/flagged for calling the authorship into question? Let me know if you’re seeing my review on your feed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 15, 2025
Wow what a nice surprise to find this debut novel by this autistic non-verbal writer Woody Brown. Thanks to #netgalley and #penguinrandomhouse for the advance copy. Upward Bound is a day care center for autistic adults - some non verbal - in Southern California. It is a series of connected short stories - each story focused on one character - from staff to clients to the Target checkout girl - where the clients are taken every Friday at 11:15 for a real world outing. My partner has worked as a home help aide to this population - so i was familiar the terrain. Yet this book s special in taking a world virtually hidden from the day to day world and delving into great deal. There is a Rashomon quality to the narrative - as we often see the same events from totally different perspectives. The client who tried to communicate by blinking his eyes once for Yes and two for No. And then from the perspective of his caregiver who never realized his trying to communicate - but found him hauntingly handsome regardless. There is a final denouement I will not reveal (and honestly slightly melodramatic but also sad) from the perspective of the characters who are experiencing the event - and from the perspective of a looker on and another client. Beautifully written and unlike any other book I’ve read - i predict this will be seen as a classic. The real theme is communication - understanding and being understood. Obviously the author put a lot of his own experiences in the writing and a lot of heart. Heartbreaking in fact. I learned and felt a lot - and admired the writing. I already wonder where this writer will go from here.
April 14, 2026
4.5 stars "A wondrous, deeply affecting portrait of the interlocking lives at an adult day care center in Southern California, depicting an often overlooked community with extraordinary wit and grace—by a major new literary voice hailed as a “groundbreaking debut novelist” (Publishers Weekly)"
Upward Bound is an adult day care facility for those with autism and other abilities. Walter is a nonverbal autistic young man who is receiving an education thanks to his mother advocating for him. He is based on the author, who is a nonverbal autistic person.
The story centers around a few residents, the caregivers, and the CEO, all told in their own point of view. This book is heartwarming and emotional. It details the stress of their days and often feeling frustrated and invisible due to communication barriers. The caregivers also feel those setbacks and fatigue from the stress of their jobs. But there is also happiness and caring relationships between residents and caregivers.
Finally, the novel discusses how people with autism are often misunderstood in society and either ignored or mistreated. I found this informative, heartwarming and at times heartbreaking. It is a worthwhile read and I highly recommend it.
The full cast audiobook is outstanding and they bring the characters to life.
Many thanks to PRH Audio for the gifted advance listening copy. All opinions are my own. 🎧
Upward Bound is an adult day care facility for those with autism and other abilities. Walter is a nonverbal autistic young man who is receiving an education thanks to his mother advocating for him. He is based on the author, who is a nonverbal autistic person.
The story centers around a few residents, the caregivers, and the CEO, all told in their own point of view. This book is heartwarming and emotional. It details the stress of their days and often feeling frustrated and invisible due to communication barriers. The caregivers also feel those setbacks and fatigue from the stress of their jobs. But there is also happiness and caring relationships between residents and caregivers.
Finally, the novel discusses how people with autism are often misunderstood in society and either ignored or mistreated. I found this informative, heartwarming and at times heartbreaking. It is a worthwhile read and I highly recommend it.
The full cast audiobook is outstanding and they bring the characters to life.
Many thanks to PRH Audio for the gifted advance listening copy. All opinions are my own. 🎧
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Before I launch into my review, I would like to say a huge thank you to Woody Brown, Random House UK, and Netgalley for the Advanced Digital Reader Copy of this title. For anyone curious about this title, here is my personal review of the book to help you make up decide whether to delve in. All opinions offered are my own.
I won’t beat around the bush as I deliver what I know will be an unpopular opinion. I did not really enjoy this book. Whilst there was a lot of emotion in the book, I didn’t find the novel funny, or uplifting. To me, it was rather static until a climatical incident towards the end that moved me for a brief moment before I returned to the general mood I felt throughout the bulk of my reading.
I wasn’t blown away by the premise. Sure, it was different, unlike anything else I have ever come across, particularly in terms of subject matter, however, I was more captivated by the accomplishments of the writer to transcend his disabilities and achieve his degree and his publication. However, the multiple viewpoints wasn’t wow. We’ve seen this before, so it did not feel incredibly special, although I appreciated that every chapter was dedicated to an ‘inmate,’ staff member, or aspiring staff member. I also appreciated how each chapter was a story within a story, some seeming like a standalone incident and others a different perspective of a given scenario. That said, I felt the pace was slow and the book took me far longer to read than it should have done.
It is obvious that the book draws a lot from Woody’s own experience. I was indifferent to this until I read the mini interview with him at the end that asked about his inspiration. The aims Brown had and how he executed them rose the book up in my estimation, but again, I am more taken by the author than the book itself. And I know this is an absolute shame because every last narrator is distinct from the others.
The book is a slow burn, where not a great deal really happens. It’s suited to a reader that wants to immerse themselves in someone else’s life, the type of life that isn’t imbued with romantic notions, fantasy, or even constant drama. People with disabilities might appreciate seeing characters that endure their struggles, mirrors to themselves. Able-bodied readers may gather an understanding of how the other half live, and how they feel. Overall, I think the book is for a novel niche audience. I would welcome more books on the subject matter, but I need a bit more pizzazz in the plot, or a bigger, longer climax to hold my attention. This book just seems extremely slow until it wasn’t, but it was a ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ moment before returning to a very sedate stroll to the end. It’s going to take some more empathetic readers than I to fully appreciate this book.
I won’t beat around the bush as I deliver what I know will be an unpopular opinion. I did not really enjoy this book. Whilst there was a lot of emotion in the book, I didn’t find the novel funny, or uplifting. To me, it was rather static until a climatical incident towards the end that moved me for a brief moment before I returned to the general mood I felt throughout the bulk of my reading.
I wasn’t blown away by the premise. Sure, it was different, unlike anything else I have ever come across, particularly in terms of subject matter, however, I was more captivated by the accomplishments of the writer to transcend his disabilities and achieve his degree and his publication. However, the multiple viewpoints wasn’t wow. We’ve seen this before, so it did not feel incredibly special, although I appreciated that every chapter was dedicated to an ‘inmate,’ staff member, or aspiring staff member. I also appreciated how each chapter was a story within a story, some seeming like a standalone incident and others a different perspective of a given scenario. That said, I felt the pace was slow and the book took me far longer to read than it should have done.
It is obvious that the book draws a lot from Woody’s own experience. I was indifferent to this until I read the mini interview with him at the end that asked about his inspiration. The aims Brown had and how he executed them rose the book up in my estimation, but again, I am more taken by the author than the book itself. And I know this is an absolute shame because every last narrator is distinct from the others.
The book is a slow burn, where not a great deal really happens. It’s suited to a reader that wants to immerse themselves in someone else’s life, the type of life that isn’t imbued with romantic notions, fantasy, or even constant drama. People with disabilities might appreciate seeing characters that endure their struggles, mirrors to themselves. Able-bodied readers may gather an understanding of how the other half live, and how they feel. Overall, I think the book is for a novel niche audience. I would welcome more books on the subject matter, but I need a bit more pizzazz in the plot, or a bigger, longer climax to hold my attention. This book just seems extremely slow until it wasn’t, but it was a ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ moment before returning to a very sedate stroll to the end. It’s going to take some more empathetic readers than I to fully appreciate this book.
April 14, 2026
I thought this book was very sweet. I liked it. It is one of those books where you see the same situations and moments and characters from different perspectives which when done well in the book I loved. At other times I thought there were missed opportunities on that front. All the characters were a little one note for me.
January 20, 2026
YALL I am truly crying in da club. I’m experiencing so many purely raw and unfiltered emotions at this time and I needed a bit to process this.
Many years ago I worked as an administrative intern at an Adult Daycare center and I was not working with those clients personally, I still saw the wonderful ways in which respite care helps provide support and community for such an underrepresented group.
I am greatly in awe of this book, its author (the wonderful Woody Brown, and all that he’s accomplished thus far. I’m predicting a few shortlist wins and likely even a celebrity book club pick out of this one!
I am so thankful to Hogarth Books, NetGalley, and Woody Brown for advanced digital access before this gem hits shelves on March 31, 2026.
Upward Bound tells the tale an adult daycare center by the same name where a series of clients, staff, and bystanders convene. Some verbal, most not, provide readers with an insider view into their thoughts and feels attending/working for this program.
Brown, so dutifully, captured my heart, conveying inner thoughts and emotions of each pivotal character and the roles they play in each other’s lives. And additionally shedding light on a community who’re often left behind and not taken seriously, due to government funding cuts and a lack of human empathy.
I am still tearing up, just thinking of this book. Such a job well done.
Many years ago I worked as an administrative intern at an Adult Daycare center and I was not working with those clients personally, I still saw the wonderful ways in which respite care helps provide support and community for such an underrepresented group.
I am greatly in awe of this book, its author (the wonderful Woody Brown, and all that he’s accomplished thus far. I’m predicting a few shortlist wins and likely even a celebrity book club pick out of this one!
I am so thankful to Hogarth Books, NetGalley, and Woody Brown for advanced digital access before this gem hits shelves on March 31, 2026.
Upward Bound tells the tale an adult daycare center by the same name where a series of clients, staff, and bystanders convene. Some verbal, most not, provide readers with an insider view into their thoughts and feels attending/working for this program.
Brown, so dutifully, captured my heart, conveying inner thoughts and emotions of each pivotal character and the roles they play in each other’s lives. And additionally shedding light on a community who’re often left behind and not taken seriously, due to government funding cuts and a lack of human empathy.
I am still tearing up, just thinking of this book. Such a job well done.
December 4, 2025
Upon finishing this remarkably moving, eloquent novel (really connected short stories), I found I had to learn more about Woody Brown, its author. There was so much relativity in the stories that what I assumed turned out to be true -- that Mr. Brown was writing from his experience. And his heart. The first nonverbal graduate of UCLA, his writer's thesis was an earlier version of Upward Bound in that it consisted of vignettes told from various points of view of clients, workers and even outsiders associated with an adult daycare facility. Brown went on to get an MFA in creative writing from Columbia University. So glad to hear he's already working on a second novel because he's definitely a writer to watch.
April 13, 2026
please keep the books coming. Woody you speak to and about my heart 💕 My first thought was that I do not need to mention that I live within this autism spectrum. however, after reading some of the other reviews I feel I should mention this (Jan B )
April 10, 2026
⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4/5)
Upward Bound is a compelling and thought-provoking read that really stuck with me after I finished it. Woody Brown does a great job of blending personal growth themes with an engaging narrative, making it both inspiring and relatable.
One of the things I appreciated most was how the book explores ambition and perseverance without feeling overly preachy. The characters (and the journey itself) felt authentic, and there were several moments that made me pause and reflect on my own goals and mindset.
That said, there were a few sections where the pacing slowed a bit, which kept it from being a full 5-star read for me. Still, the overall message and emotional impact more than made up for it.
If you're looking for a book that encourages self-reflection and growth while still telling a meaningful story, this one is definitely worth picking up.
Upward Bound is a compelling and thought-provoking read that really stuck with me after I finished it. Woody Brown does a great job of blending personal growth themes with an engaging narrative, making it both inspiring and relatable.
One of the things I appreciated most was how the book explores ambition and perseverance without feeling overly preachy. The characters (and the journey itself) felt authentic, and there were several moments that made me pause and reflect on my own goals and mindset.
That said, there were a few sections where the pacing slowed a bit, which kept it from being a full 5-star read for me. Still, the overall message and emotional impact more than made up for it.
If you're looking for a book that encourages self-reflection and growth while still telling a meaningful story, this one is definitely worth picking up.
April 5, 2026
Ugh. Passing this off as her son’s writing is so sad. Facilitated communication is only possible if the facilitator hears the question.
April 15, 2026
Fascinating author.
He was fortunate to have such a wonderful, innovative, patient and helpful family.
Woody Brown is a nonverbal autistic man that actually graduated from UCLA, earned his MFA from Cornell & wrote this book through a unique technique.
The book is mostly about a daycare center for young adults with special needs. It’s written through the perspective of a nonverbal autistic young man.
He was fortunate to have such a wonderful, innovative, patient and helpful family.
Woody Brown is a nonverbal autistic man that actually graduated from UCLA, earned his MFA from Cornell & wrote this book through a unique technique.
The book is mostly about a daycare center for young adults with special needs. It’s written through the perspective of a nonverbal autistic young man.
November 28, 2025
Insightful set of interconnecting stories/vignettes set in a Los Angeles adult daycare centre.
The story starts in the first person with Walter, a nonspeaking autistic college graduate, who is forced by family circumstances to return to the daycare. It builds out from there, using different perspectives to describe the experience of being in a daycare: service users, staff members, and the local community they're part of. I really enjoyed reading this short novel, and the only thing that really threw me was the non-linearity of it ... a couple of timehops confused me briefly. However, all in all it's a book I'd definitely recommend, coming from a point of view rarely represented in fiction.
A quick reassurance too that this is neither superficial nor "misery lit" -- the author has a highly readable writing style that you will hopefully connect with as easily as I did.
This review is based upon a complimentary advance reading copy provided by the publisher.
The story starts in the first person with Walter, a nonspeaking autistic college graduate, who is forced by family circumstances to return to the daycare. It builds out from there, using different perspectives to describe the experience of being in a daycare: service users, staff members, and the local community they're part of. I really enjoyed reading this short novel, and the only thing that really threw me was the non-linearity of it ... a couple of timehops confused me briefly. However, all in all it's a book I'd definitely recommend, coming from a point of view rarely represented in fiction.
A quick reassurance too that this is neither superficial nor "misery lit" -- the author has a highly readable writing style that you will hopefully connect with as easily as I did.
This review is based upon a complimentary advance reading copy provided by the publisher.
January 16, 2026
I could not put this down!! It’s so special to read a book from perspectives I’ve never read before. A collection of vignettes about clients, staff, and wider community members associated with a daycare centre for disabled adults. The character of Walter had the clearest, funniest, most compelling voice and I suspect Walter is a version of the author (who is also nonspeaking). I laughed, I cried, I learned.
October 21, 2025
wow. what a beautiful and deeply compassionate book
March 30, 2026
*Thanks to PRH Audio for my ALC and Hogarth Books for my e-ARC; all opinions are my own.*
This short but extremely powerful novel in stories is set at Upward Bound - sort of an adult daycare for young adults with severe autism, cerebral palsy, Downs Syndrome, etc. Each story is told from the perspective of a different person who either works or attends there, including characters who cannot speak but yet this book lets us hear their rich inner lives.
I was just blown away by this book - it’s around 200 pages and under 5 hours but the emotional impact it had on me was profound. Even in just short stories, I felt like each character was brought to life in such an incredible way. I literally couldn’t stop crying when I finished the book.
And something that makes this book even more impactful - the author is a non-speaking autistic man. What a special own voices novel indeed. I have to give this book 5 stars but I can’t imagine ever forgetting the way it moved me.
It may sound funny to recommend this one as an audiobook given that some of the characters cannot speak, yet the audio just makes you feel that you are hearing their true inner voices. It’s a wonderful full cast book voiced mostly by actors - TR Knight, Pete Holmes, Midori Francis, Carlos Miranda, Brandon Flynn, Nikki M. James, Alex Edelman, and Daphne Rubin-Vega. Also love that at the end they announce who read which character; I wish more audiobooks would do that.
This short but extremely powerful novel in stories is set at Upward Bound - sort of an adult daycare for young adults with severe autism, cerebral palsy, Downs Syndrome, etc. Each story is told from the perspective of a different person who either works or attends there, including characters who cannot speak but yet this book lets us hear their rich inner lives.
I was just blown away by this book - it’s around 200 pages and under 5 hours but the emotional impact it had on me was profound. Even in just short stories, I felt like each character was brought to life in such an incredible way. I literally couldn’t stop crying when I finished the book.
And something that makes this book even more impactful - the author is a non-speaking autistic man. What a special own voices novel indeed. I have to give this book 5 stars but I can’t imagine ever forgetting the way it moved me.
It may sound funny to recommend this one as an audiobook given that some of the characters cannot speak, yet the audio just makes you feel that you are hearing their true inner voices. It’s a wonderful full cast book voiced mostly by actors - TR Knight, Pete Holmes, Midori Francis, Carlos Miranda, Brandon Flynn, Nikki M. James, Alex Edelman, and Daphne Rubin-Vega. Also love that at the end they announce who read which character; I wish more audiobooks would do that.
March 19, 2026
Thank you so much to PRH for the DRC. I’ll never be over this book. A stellar debut. I cried. It made me miss my brother so much—he was (WAS, fuck) like Tom, nonverbal spastic quad cerebral palsy, but he had so much to say and I miss him every day. This book made me feel close to him. And SO grateful for my amazing advocate parents and his wonderful 1:1 aide of the past decade. We knew he was in there and we didn’t want him to be unstimulated and bored at an adult daycare. (Not knocking those places, they’re not all the same!)
Each chapter is a POV from an individual at Upward Bound, or a caregiver. Carlos’ POV made my heart sing. There are good people out there. And [redacted] made me cry so hard. This book is going to stay in my heart forever. I need to own a physical copy immediately. Thank you Woody Brown for this phenomenal book. (Also my dad’s name is Woody, so this felt like a little sign from my brother, a little hello 💜🫡💔)
✨ A line from Walter’s chapter in the beginning really hit me: “still, his death was so shocking that my mom and I were completely paralyzed for a couple of months. My little family had been a three-legged stool. Missing a leg meant that we tottered and fell.”
This is how I feel about the death of my brother. He was the sun around which we all revolved, he was our middle stool leg (if I’m keeping that analogy) and with him gone, my family has no support in the middle of our stool.
✨ Tom, the movie star:
“The same cerebral palsy that makes his muscles and joints stiff as concrete also freezes his face and mouth. He can't speak a word and can't express emotions. He has them, god knows he has them, but he holds even the most benign feelings inside like a well-guarded secret…People don't realize that he can hear and understand everything said around him, so he has heard a lot of negative comments about how people like him are treated out there. He can't fight back. He literally can't stand up for himself. He can't speak to any abuse. He can only hope that no one takes advantage of his vulnerability in order to work off their own pain.”
✨ Ann the lifeguard:
“One day I had been goofing around with Andy, joking about being a rare native of L.A., and I broke into a verse of "California Girls." Tom was nearby and he nearly spasmed out of his wheelchair. I asked him if he liked the Beach Boys, and he made his go-to guttural noise that I had come to recognize as "Yes."” SPASMING OUT OF THE CHAIR. Just like Dalton. God I miss him so much.
✨Carlos the camraderie counselor:
“You could reasonably argue that the entire vista currently facing him qualified as a catastrophe of inhuman proportions. Twenty-eight disabled adults whose lives were being spent in shabby boredom represented to Carlos the wastage of twenty-eight glorious galaxies. He imagined his people as swirling masses of light and potential. Their existence dwelled in an off-world space, which is why people on Earth disregard them.”
Fuck that’s BEAUTIFUL. I love that.
Each chapter is a POV from an individual at Upward Bound, or a caregiver. Carlos’ POV made my heart sing. There are good people out there. And [redacted] made me cry so hard. This book is going to stay in my heart forever. I need to own a physical copy immediately. Thank you Woody Brown for this phenomenal book. (Also my dad’s name is Woody, so this felt like a little sign from my brother, a little hello 💜🫡💔)
✨ A line from Walter’s chapter in the beginning really hit me: “still, his death was so shocking that my mom and I were completely paralyzed for a couple of months. My little family had been a three-legged stool. Missing a leg meant that we tottered and fell.”
This is how I feel about the death of my brother. He was the sun around which we all revolved, he was our middle stool leg (if I’m keeping that analogy) and with him gone, my family has no support in the middle of our stool.
✨ Tom, the movie star:
“The same cerebral palsy that makes his muscles and joints stiff as concrete also freezes his face and mouth. He can't speak a word and can't express emotions. He has them, god knows he has them, but he holds even the most benign feelings inside like a well-guarded secret…People don't realize that he can hear and understand everything said around him, so he has heard a lot of negative comments about how people like him are treated out there. He can't fight back. He literally can't stand up for himself. He can't speak to any abuse. He can only hope that no one takes advantage of his vulnerability in order to work off their own pain.”
✨ Ann the lifeguard:
“One day I had been goofing around with Andy, joking about being a rare native of L.A., and I broke into a verse of "California Girls." Tom was nearby and he nearly spasmed out of his wheelchair. I asked him if he liked the Beach Boys, and he made his go-to guttural noise that I had come to recognize as "Yes."” SPASMING OUT OF THE CHAIR. Just like Dalton. God I miss him so much.
✨Carlos the camraderie counselor:
“You could reasonably argue that the entire vista currently facing him qualified as a catastrophe of inhuman proportions. Twenty-eight disabled adults whose lives were being spent in shabby boredom represented to Carlos the wastage of twenty-eight glorious galaxies. He imagined his people as swirling masses of light and potential. Their existence dwelled in an off-world space, which is why people on Earth disregard them.”
Fuck that’s BEAUTIFUL. I love that.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Upward Bound is told from the viewpoint of a number of characters. Each chapter is as engaging as the next. This book is original and has a bit of everything from humour to sadness, but most of all it is inspiring and challenges the reader to rethink preconceived ideas around neurodivergence and disability.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
September 18, 2025
Thanks to Netgalley and Hogarth for the ebook. This wonderful first novel is written by a man with autism and the book starts with Walter, a community college grad who wants to write as we see his mind dulling life during the day at a facility that serves the disabled community. As interesting as Walter is, the author expands the book to follow into the minds of other patients and also the various staff members as they swim, take a bus to the mall where they never buy anything and even put on a holiday pageant. An unforgettable glimpse into a world that so many turn their gaze away from.
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