The New Republic - Salon at the Strand (with Kevin Nguyen)

Doors open 30 minutes before the start of the event.

Join us in the Rare Book Room for a meeting of the New Republic's Salon at the Strand! Each month, the New Republic will sit down with a lauded author to discuss their latest work in depth, and their works in progress.

Kevin Nguyen dives into the New York City tech world in New Waves, his wry, edgy debut novel, as he follows Margo and Lucas, one start-up's sole black employee and a low-paid Asian service rep, who decide to steal their tech start-up's user database in an attempt at revenge. The heist takes a sudden turn when Margo dies in a car accident, and Lucas is left reeling, wondering what to do with their secret--and wondering whether her death really was an accident. When Lucas hacks into Margo's computer looking for answers, he is drawn into her secret online life and realizes just how little he knew about his best friend.

With a fresh voice, biting humor, and piercing observations about human nature, Kevin Nguyen brings an insider's knowledge of the tech industry to this imaginative novel. A pitch-perfect exploration of race and start-up culture, secrecy and surveillance, social media and friendship, New Waves asks: How well do we really know each other? And how do we form true intimacy and connection in a tech-obsessed world?

Pre-order the book here for pick up at the start of the event.

Kevin Nguyen is the features editor at The Verge and was formerly a senior editor at GQ. He's written for The New York Times Book Review, The Paris Review, The Atlantic, The New Republic, and The Millions. He's a member of the National Book Critics Circle and the National Book Foundation Junior Committee, and has served as a judge for the PEN Open Book Award. Nguyen has been named one of 100 Most Influential People in Brooklyn Culture by Brooklyn Magazine and a Star Watch Honoree by Publishers Weekly. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Rumaan Alam’s writing has appeared in the New York Times, Bookforum, the Nation, and elsewhere. He’s the author of the novels Rich and Pretty and That Kind of Mother; his third novel will be published in 2020.

Admission Options: This event is free to attend. The event will be located in the Strand's Rare Book Room, on the 3rd floor at our store at 828 Broadway at 12th Street. Doors open 30 minutes before the start of the event