March 11, 2025
New York Times calls ‘The Human Scale’ a “gripping…complex, deeply felt work.”
A review in The New York Times by Elliot Ackerman gives the new book high marks.
Wright’s visceral depiction of the Oct. 7 attacks at the novel’s climax forces us to weigh the value of a single life against another, to engage in this conflict that has turned into a human scale. Given the passions raging around the current war in Gaza, Wright’s book is a gutsy one to write. To fail as a novelist and become a partisan of one side would read as a betrayal not only of the opposing side, but also of what the best literature does: It both asserts and reconciles our humanity through perspectives that may be far from our own. Wright succeeds in this complex, deeply felt work. He shows that if it is possible to save mankind one life at a time, as the Talmud and Quran affirm, then maybe it is also possible to save our humanity, one story at a time.
July 02, 2025
New Book Club Kit for The Human Scale!
The Human Scale is a popular selection for book clubs. It’s not only a gripping page-turner, but a balanced and carefully researched history of an epochal conflict. Check out our official Book Club Kit for discussion questions, a helpful glossary of characters and terms, and a special note from the author.
Keep ReadingMarch 21, 2025
A civilized discussion in Atlanta…
A Note from Lawrence Wright:
A very civilized discussion with Dr. Benjamin Reiss in a church in Atlanta about The Human Scale. The first time I signed books in Atlanta—more than 40 years ago—the police came twice. The literary scene has settled down considerably.
March 20, 2025
Great conversation at 92Y.
A Note from Lawrence Wright:
Wonderful interview with Elliot Ackerman at the legendary 92nd St. Y. He’s a bestselling novelist himself so the interview could have gone the other way.
March 11, 2025
‘The Human Scale’ is out today, see Lawrence Wright live on tour.
Don’t miss seeing the author in person.
Tuesday, March 11 @ 7PM
BookPeople X Texas Book Festival
Joined by Rebecca McInroy
Austin, TX
Wednesday, March 12 @ 6:30 PM
Brazos Bookstore
Houston, TX
Thursday, March 13 @ 6PM
Interabang Books
Dallas, TX
Tuesday, March 18 @ 7:30 PM
The 92nd Street Y
Joined by Elliot Ackerman
New York, NY
Wednesday, March 19 @ 7 PM
Politics & Prose at The Wharf
Washington, DC
Thursday, March 20 @ 7PM
A Cappella Books at the Inman Park Church
*this event will be ticketed
Joined by Ben Reiss
Atlanta, GA
Tuesday, April 8 @ 7:30 PM
Writers Bloc Presents at Moss Theater at New Roads
*this event will be ticketed
Joined by Matt Gutman
Los Angeles, CA
February 10, 2025
New Article: “The Nuns Trying to Save the Women on Texas’s Death Row”
In his latest article for The New Yorker, Wright tells a powerful story of sisters from a convent outside Waco who develop deep ties with women on Texas’ death row.
The magazine’s executive editor, Daniel Zalewski, writes:
Keep ReadingFor the past year, Larry Wright has been regularly driving about two hours north from his home, in Austin, Texas, to the town of Gatesville, where there is a prison housing all seven of the women currently being condemned by the state to execution. Prison employees call them the ladies on death row. Wright started making these trips when he learned that something extraordinary was happening inside this locked world. The inmates, all of whom have been convicted of murderous crimes, have become close with a group of contemplative Catholic nuns who live half an hour away, in a convent in Waco. The inmates and the nuns formed an instant and intense bond the first time the nuns visited the row, in 2021. As one of the nuns, Sister Lydia Maria, told Wright, “Something from Heaven happened.”
September 02, 2024
“Mr. Texas” EP release party launches weekly fundraiser series for Austin musicians’ housing nonprofit
Austin Music Legend Marcia Ball and Pulitzer Prize-Winner Lawrence Wright Headline Benefit for HOME
AUSTIN, TX, September 2, 2024 — The Saxon Pub will host a special event on Monday, September 23, 2024, combining the best of Austin’s musical talent, literary acclaim and community support in a one-night-only performance featuring songs and scenes from "Mr. Texas," a musical in development based on the critically acclaimed novel by local Pulitzer Prize-winning author Lawrence Wright.
This event marks the beginning of a months-long series of weekly fundraisers at the Saxon Pub for Housing Opportunities for Musicians and Entertainers (HOME), an Austin nonprofit providing financial housing assistance for aging musicians in need. The night will showcase performances by the songwriters from "Mr. Texas," including local legend Marcia Ball, Gordon Wright, and Lawrence Wright, along with a number of special guest appearances by local musical luminaries.
Marcia Ball, renowned blues singer, songwriter, and pianist, is not only a featured performer but also a co-founder of HOME, which she started with a group of concerned women to address the housing needs of Austin's aging musicians.
Doors open at 5:00 PM, with the show starting at 6:00 PM. Tickets are priced at an accessible $15, with all proceeds benefiting HOME. In addition to supporting a worthy cause, attendees will receive a download code for the "Mr. Texas" EP and have opportunities to win special signed books and swag from the writers and performers.
The Saxon Pub is located at 1320 S Lamar, Austin, TX 78704. This is a 21 and over event.
July 13, 2024
Looming Tower in the NYT’s 100 best books of 21st century.
The New York Times held a vote amongst more than 500 accomplished writers to determine the 100 best books in this century. Looming Tower came in at #55.
What happened in New York City one incongruously sunny morning in September was never, of course, the product of some spontaneous plan. Wright’s meticulous history operates as a sort of panopticon on the events leading up to that fateful day, spanning more than five decades and a geopolitical guest list that includes everyone from the counterterrorism chief of the F.B.I. to the anonymous foot soldiers of Al Qaeda.
February 22, 2024
Sharing my love of Willie on Texas Monthly podcast.
John Spong interviews me for the Texas Monthly podcast, One by Willie. We talk about the time I saw him debut his tune, “Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die,” at the launch of the statue we erected through CASt.
January 25, 2024
Great review of the new ‘God Save Texas’ docu-series on HBO.
From Daniel Fienberg’s review:
“Anchored by Richard Linklater’s exceptional feature-length “Hometown Prison,” HBO‘s God Save Texas may only be a three-part anthology docuseries, but in those three parts, it manages to be wide-ranging, timely and vitally important.
“While the inspiration is Lawrence Wright’s book of the same title, and the focus is the Lone Star State, the template set by Linklater, Alex Stapleton and Iliana Sosa could be applied to personal/political hybrid storytelling delving into the fractured identities of all 50 states and the artists who call them home.”
Page 1 of 11
Next Page →