Kid America

In the tradition of trauma-centered narratives like Wintergirls and The Serpent King, Worthman’s novel foregrounds the often invisible toll of crisis on young people—particularly those already living at the margins. Lenny emerges not only as a fully realized character but as a figure shaped by generational neglect, forced into premature adulthood in a world “someone else made.”

 --Sarah Donovan, Writer to Writer!

Kid America is a raw, clear‑eyed portrait of a boy trying to stay whole while the adults around him fracture. Worthman writes with an honesty that never turns cruel, capturing the loneliness, loyalty, and stubborn hope of a kid who’s been asked to carry far too much. It’s a story about inheritance—the kind we never asked for—and the small, human moments that keep us going anyway.

 --Douglas Rappaport, Reckoner