T. L. SIMPSON

PRAISE FOR COPE FIELD

“A wise, emotionally rich tale of a young man finding his way through family trauma.” — Kirkus Reviews [Starred]

“Cope Field is a commanding novel in which a troubled student learns difficult truths about his family and chooses a new path forward.” —Foreword Reviews

“An intense, emotional, heartfelt read, Cope Field by T.L. Simpson perfectly captures the complicated feelings of adolescence when you know your problems are bigger than you but you don’t know what to do about it yet. Craw channels all of his anger into his 95mph heater, while Hannah turns up the volume on her punk music, but somehow they see each other in a way nobody else does. Populated with memorable characters like Craw’s hilarious younger brother Big Time and his generous-but-volatile father who has the whole town fooled, Cope Field immersed me in this world of the Ozarks and pick-up trucks and grass fields and plain speaking. I read the whole book like I’d watch any baseball game—with my heart in my throat, waiting for the ones I’m rooting for to triumph in the end.” — Alicia Thompson, USA Today bestselling author of The Art of Catching Feelings

“Simpson’s frank, unflinching portrait of two defiant teens struggling to transcend brutal violence is a crackling alchemy of baseball and punk rock that shook me, made me cheer, and kept me up all night. A rare, relentless, gorgeous gem of a novel, recommended for anyone who’s ever had something to fight.” — Sarah Lariviere, Riot Act

“Cope Field is a home run. A gripping modern classic, full of so much heart and grit and punk rock tenacity, each word refuses to leave you dry-eyed. T. L. Simpson fucking nails it.” —Freya Finch, author of Rise

“With a voice that grabs hold of you and doesn’t let go until its gut-wrenching final page, Simpson weaves a heartbreaking tale of the complicated nature of love, loss, and family. A beautiful, important novel.”—MK Pagano, Girls Who Burn

“I loved Crawford’s story and the lengths he goes through to protect the people he loves. Heartbreaking, relatable, and punk rock to its core; Cope Field is a grand slam of a book.” — author of Indie Next Pick Skater Boy

Simpson has a knack for delivering entertaining reads that take on important issues teens and young adults grapple with. Cope Field is a gripping and timely read. — Jeff Wooten, author of Kill Call

“T. L. Simpson writes with a dynamic balance of yesterday, today and where we’re headed as an audience in his sublime literary hands. Cope Field provides the reader with a stunning view from a box seat, close enough to the action to both revel and win.” —Paul Volponi, bestselling author of Black and White, The Final Four, Rikers High and Top Prospect

“T. L. Simpson shines a bright light on a subject too often relegated to the shadows. A baseball book about so much more than baseball. Riveting.” —Carl Deuker

“COPE FIELD will punch you in the gut, break your heart, and somehow put it back together again. T. L. Simpson writes an unflinching story about one teen boy’s reckoning with his anger issues and the insidious truth hidden behind his father’s perfect public image. It deserves to be an instant classic.” — Trish Lundy, author of THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY WITH MURDER

“Another heart-rending achievement! Cope Field delves into the unspoken yearnings of a teen baseball player whose father demands athletic greatness at a brutal cost. A dash of romance adds sweetness to this ultimately hopeful story. I will read anything T. L. Simpson writes. Bravo!” —Jennifer Lynn Alvarez, award-winning author of Lies Like Wildfire

“Timely and timeless, Cope Field is a viscerally impactful story about much more than baseball. I couldn’t put this book down.” — Sara Farizan, Here to Stay

PRAISE FOR STRONG LIKE YOU

“A grim but not entirely hopeless picture of life in the Ozarks, threaded with tragedies both immediate and endemic.” —Kirkus Reviews

“The book explores masculinity, with Walker having a heartening insight near the end, when he realizes that with the right help, people can learn better than they were taught.” —Kirkus Reviews

“A serious look at the legacy and impact of violence, especially around the toxic culture of football, along with a compassionate view of the struggle and frequent hopelessness of rural poverty, the novel makes for a compelling read with a mixed but ultimately hopeful conclusion. Recommended for libraries serving middle and high ­schoolers.” —School Library Journal

“Strong Like You is an engaging novel in which a high school football star is forced to confront his ideas of manhood and forge better ones.” —Foreword Reviews

“The ache and search for lost fathers drives this stirring addition to the contemporary literature of the Ozarks. Simpson offers an unflinching yet hopeful tale of hard-knock youth driven to the edge by their inherited and tragic lessons of what makes a man.” —Kelly J. Ford, Anthony-nominated author of Real Bad Things

“A resounding, powerful novel from a fresh voice in YA fiction. Sparse, poetic prose tells the story of Walker Lauderdale, an embattled teen living in the Ozarks, trying to be strong like his missing father. Wrapped in grit and danger, the story’s exploration of strength is transformative and inspiring. Strong Like You tore out my heart and put it back together again. If you read nothing else this year, read this beautiful book.” —Jennifer Lynn Alvarez, author of Lies Like Wildfire and Friends Like These

“I love Walker Lauderdale, this kid so angry—with every right to be angry—who takes it all out on the football field. He has this great courage that drives him forward into danger and truth, but also, eventually, into acceptance and the space to be moved by the love around him. Walker is so much more than some poor kid, more than a linebacker to be feared, more than a footnote in a rural tragedy. In his coming of age, he becomes graceful. This is a hell of a book.” —Geoff Herbach, author of Stupid Fast and Hooper

“T. L. Simpson’s emotionally charged coming-of-age tale drags all five of the reader’s senses across hot coals as troubled teen linebacker Walker Lauderdale struggles to cope with the searing aftermath of a hard-hearted father who has mysteriously vanished. The author’s choice to bring Walker’s story to life via a flinty, first-person, present-tense monologue is nothing short of genius.” —Craig Leener, author of There’s No Basketball on Mars

“Strong Like You is a twisty and thought-provoking mystery I can’t stop thinking about. In his engaging debut novel, T. L. Simpson takes an unflinching and insightful look at boyhood, masculinity, and what it truly means to be ‘strong.’ His vulnerable characters and enchanting prose are a breath of fresh air, making this book relatable, slightly gut-wrenching, and absolutely impossible to put down. I know I’ll be sharing this one with all the young people in my life!” —Emily Bleeker, Wall Street Journal best-selling author of When I’m Gone

“Strong Like You would have done a number on me if I read it in high school. I’m so happy to know that this book exists for the angry boys who can’t see a way out, and who are tired of being talked down to about their own lives. Simpson never forgets who he’s writing for.” —Matteo Cerilli, author of Lockjaw

“T.L Simpson’s debut hooks in from the opening page. Filled with a ton of voice and the emotional journey of what it means to not just be a teen male, but one whose father is missing. I went in expecting a contemporary story revolving around high school football, and got so much more. It had the same vibes as Winter’s Bone and cuts just as deep.” —Paula Gleeson, author of Original Twin

“Simpson’s story of one teen boy’s struggle to find his missing father and survive poverty in the Ozarks left me hopeful, even after bringing me to tears. It is a poignant, and sometimes gut-wrenching, take on toxic masculinity and an incredibly engaging, entertaining mystery. Fifteen-year-old Walker’s struggles tore my soul open, and his huge heart–which he listens to, even without realizing it at times–brought hope to the center of this beautiful story.” —Erica Rodgers, author of Lady of Steel and Straw

“I adored this book. The premise is simple: Walker, an angry teen boy who’s written off by his teachers as stupid and only good at football, searches for his missing father. With its use of the second person, immersion in an impoverished Arkansas household, and inclusion of Walker’s notes and poetry, the execution is excellent..” —Tatiana Schlote-Bonne, author of Such Lovely Skin

“Strong Like You is an absolute emotional gut punch of a debut. The voice is so strong, the message so elegantly delivered, and Walker and the supporting cast of characters so excellently portrayed. This is a beautiful story that has something to say to all young readers, male and female alike, about what it really means to be strong and the importance of walking that path, no matter how difficult it may be.” —Crystal J. Bell, author of The Lamplighter

“Strong Like You takes you by the throat and refuses to let you go, long after you’ve finished reading. Told in second-person perspective, with Walker narrating to his father, we get an up-close and personal view into poverty in the Ozarks, the sad and human lengths to which people will go when they’re desperate, and how modern expectations of manhood can be a detriment to all. The prose gets in the folds of your brain and haunts you for days after.” —Freya Finch, author of Rise