Adam Mansbach

Adam Mansbach is an award-winning novelist and author of over twenty books. He is best known for his adult fiction, including “Angry Black White Boy” and “Go the Fuck to Sleep,” one of the most popular books of 2011. Throughout his career, Mansbach has explored the complexities of race and cultural identity, criminal justice, and urban life and culture.

Mansbach was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1973. As a child, his family moved to Berkeley, California, eventually settling in the Bay Area. From an early age, writing was important to Mansbach—he was already writing short stories in second grade and poetry in seventh grade. He attended Swarthmore College and earned a degree in both English and Philosophy, then went on to receive a Masters in African American Studies from Temple University.

Mansbach’s debut novel, “Angry Black White Boy” was published in 2005. It centers around the protagonist, Macon, who is the son of a white mother and a black father. The book explores the difficulties Macon experiences navigating between the two different cultures, and it won him critical acclaim immediately.

Following this success, Mansbach spent four years working on his next novel, “The End of The Jews”, which was published in 2008. This fiction novel focuses on the final chapter of a family that exists between two times and two cultures, as two lives become intertwined. It includes themes of identity, belonging, and home, and is set against the backdrop of the American and Israeli landscapes.

In 2011, Mansbach wrote a picture book for children, “Go the Fuck to Sleep.” This humorous take on the bedtime struggle between parent and child was an immediate bestseller and has been translated into more than twenty languages. More recently, Mansbach has published three novels: “Rage Is Back” (2013), “The Dead Run” (2015), and “Barry” (2016).

Today, Adam Mansbach is a faculty member at the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University, where he teaches creative writing. He is also the founder and director of the Arts + Justice Project, an interdisciplinary arts and criminal justice research initiative. He has established himself as an accomplished, multifaceted author and educator with an impressive body of work.

Mansbach’s books have been widely praised for their bold, provocative storytelling and unapologetic exploration of race and identity. He is a true literary voice, fearlessly and unapologetically tackling difficult topics and cultural issues without flinching. He is sure to continue mesmerizing readers with his layered and powerful stories for years to come.