Heliotrope Books

Photo Credit: Regina A. Walker

Heliotrope Books

"THE downtown, indie press..." — Huffington Post

How to Be the Star of Your Life: Lessons from Hollywood & Beyond

“Rosenberg’s resounding message—that life is a movie and you are the star—is bolstered by a slew of sensible steps to success, making this guide as practical as it is inspirational.” —Publishers Weekly

Below Average: A Life Way Under the Bar

“…A book for anybody who has ever felt less than perfect—which, quite frankly, ought to be all of us.” —Sara Benincasa, author of Agorafabulous

Star-Crossed Lovers: James Jones, Lowney Handy, and the Birth of From Here to Eternity

"Star-Crossed Lovers is an incredible tale of James Jones, his novel From Here to Eternity, and the years he spent under the spell of his lover, Lowney Handy. Indispensable!" —Lucian K. Truscott IV, novelist and VILLAGE VOICE staff writer

“A thoroughly current thriller in which lawyers and financiers are the manipulators of Middle Eastern conflict.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Don’t miss the numerous creative and syncopated renderings and re-mixings of the Boricua Spanglish of the time, a treasure trove of New York Puerto Rican history reanimated by the ear and flow only a poet and performer like Gómez could bring..." —Urayoán Noel, director of graduate studies, departments of Spanish and Portuguese, NYU

The Last Single Woman in New York City

“Career, love, and fashion, plus the Hamptons and Manhattan—this book is the single woman’s dream.”—Stacy Livingston (a single woman in NYC)

Playing Catch with Strangers: A Family Guy (Reluctantly) Comes of Age

“A good man, Bob Brody is also an observant one. Nothing escapes his vision.” —Philip Lopate, Nonfiction Director, MFA Writing Program, Columbia University

That Lonely Spell: Stories of Family, Friends & Love

“Each story is magical, so powerful and beautifully recalled you’ll swear you were with her.” —Rick Cooper, lyricist, author of For the Record

Mario Puzo: An American Writer's Quest

“Puzo’s fans will appreciate this warm portrait.” —Kirkus Reviews

Searching for Harry Chapin's America: Remember When the Music

"By illuminating the physical and spiritual landscape of Chapin’s artistry as a songwriter and voice of the common American, Fenton delivers a gem." —T. J. English, NY Times bestselling author

“...filled with humor that comes from the paces where we hurt. This is the good stuff.” —Eddie Torres, author of Carlito’s Way

Rearranged: An Opera Singer's Facial Cancer and Life Transposed

"...her most triumphant performance to date—surviving cancer and having the strength and courage to relive the harrowing journey within the pages of this story." —Publishers Weekly

Once, Upon An Island

“A major work. All of the primary characters deserve their own novels.”—Dr. Helga Schier, former executive editor, Random House

Desire Makes Me Brave: A Bisexual Journey from California to the World

“Desire Makes Me Brave gives bisexuality a voice...that is playful, captivating, and downright sexy.” —Amy Baldwin, co-author of Shameless Sex

A Radical Romance: A Memoir of Love, Grief and Consolation

“...more than just some summing-up: it is a work of art.” —GUARDIAN

On Another Note: Making Music at Head Start (A Memoir with Classroom Exercises)

“If you want to know New York’s … classrooms and street-wise kids, you won’t find a better or more musical guide.” —Jeffrey Burke, reviewer for Kirkus and Mail on Sunday

“…This complicated, uncompromising novel … explores the things we do in ‘secret…” —Seth Kanor, author of Indian Leap

Bent But Not Broken

"...the author mines his private torments—and tormented privates—transforming them, with wit, grace and weirdness, into a riveting, original story of triumph and transcendence.” —Jerry Stahl, Author of Permanent Midnight and Bad Sex on Speed

Bankruptcy: A Love Story

“A poignant, brave, compelling story of lost money, marital break, and healing.” —Susan Shapiro, New York Times bestselling author

My Monk: A Typographic Novel

In My Monk, author Elizabeth Dembrowsky weaves a story of sadness, humor, and pathos. A...

“Uh-oh! Cybill’s witty rationalizations for her bold adventures are seeming all too rational to me.” —Kathleen Rockwell Lawrence, author of The Last Room in Manhattan

Botany, Ballet & Dinner from Scratch: A Memoir with Recipes

“Leda Meredith recounts a lifetime of urban foraging adventures… a book sure to inspire readers to find pleasure in what is close at hand." —Sandor Ellix Katz, author of Wild Fermentation

For Paris ~ With Love & Squalor

"…At once lighthearted and bittersweet.” —Kenneth Slawenski, International bestselling author of J. D. Salinger: A Life

The End of Her: Racing Against Alzheimer's to Solve a Murder

“A murder wrapped like a delicious knish around a familial love story.” —Marjorie Ingall, author of Mamaleh Knows Best

Eating Again: The Recipes That Healed Me

"This is more than a cookbook; it’s a creamy frittata for your heart and soul.” —Julie Cohen, director of Julia, the new documentary on Julia Child, and RBG

The Sharp Edge of Mercy

"The Sharp Edge of Mercy does not sacrifice craft even as it juggles a slew of historical facts and social issues....a riveting and compelling read." —The Indypendent

Not About Madonna: My Little Pre-Icon Roommate and Other Memoirs

“Moved me to tears…” —Lucinda Williams

"The plot moves along beautifully—full of large and small surprises." —Jay Neugeboren, award-winning author of The Stolen Jew

Controlled: The Worst Night of My Life and its Aftermath

“A gripping tale, not simply of survival, but of the refusal to be silenced.” — The Daily Beast

The Doctor Broad

"Her FBI file may be matched only by men whose lives she would come to save...take a life lesson from The Doctor Broad." —Marc Smerling, Emmy Award-winner

“…The most satisfying novel I’ve read this year.” —Marakay Rogers, BWW Books

Pointing Is Rude: One Father’s Story of Autism, Adoption, and Acceptance

“…illuminates the challenges, triumphs, heartbreaks and joys of parenting a child with autism…” —Ron Suskind, author of Life Animated

Forty Years Stoned: A Journalist’s Romance

“An amazing journey, filled with humor. You will be changed.” —Melissa Etheridge

The Child Who Never Spoke: 23½ Lessons in Fragility

“One of the most graceful, tender and wise books I have ever read.” —Christina Hoff Sommers, Senior Fellow Emeritus, American Enterprise Institute; author of The War on Boys

The Last Hotel: A Novel in Suites

“Bittersweet, funny, human and humane.” —Anne Roiphe

Tightrope: Balancing a Life Between Mario Cuomo and My Brother

"Rich and insightful, Tightrope probes the mysteries of family, the divergent paths of children, the consequences of their choices and the blood bond that holds them together..." —Chiara Coletti, former New York Newsday/Newsday Vice President of Public Affairs

Navigating Tweets, Feats, and Deletes: Lessons for the New Workplace

“A fun and must read for all entrepreneurs and venture capitalists.” —Ray Rothrock

Sins & CEOs: Lessons from Leaders and Losers That Will Change Your Life

This is not a treatise on the CEO as the biggest jerk in the world,...

“Destined to be a bible for anyone who has lost their sense of smell.” —Chrissi Kelly, AbScent

"The perfect New York love story, with a twist." —Tim Realbuto, award-winning writer and performer

The Summer My Sister was Cleopatra Moon

“Park’s poignant novel… comes to us as a cautionary tale about the perils of the American dream.” —The Korea Times

"...a gem of a memoir, with unfettered commitment to detail, humanity, humor, and most of all: honesty. I couldn’t put it down.” —Jennifer Pastiloff, bestselling author of On Being Human

Passport to Paris

"A moving memoir of the long ago Paris of our dreams.” —Jane Delynn, author of In Thrall

What Makes A Man Run

"...this affecting novel will remind you just how much this simple sport has to offer to your body and your spirit." —Charles R. Scott, author of Rising Son and Daunted Courage

"...Loving turns a compassionate and comic eye on the downtrodden and elevates them in his assured debut.” —Ivy Pochoda, author of These Women

Stories of Gabriel

"...a sensory experience, inviting the reader into a vibrant world sitting at the intersection of New York City and Santo Domingo..." —Lana Garland, producer, The Passing On

The Kafka Studies Department

"These deceptively simple and parable-like stories are full of wily pleasures and irreverent wisdom..." —Daphne Merkin

And You May Find Yourself...

“A fresh and humorous meditation on the trials and tribulations of a smart Gen-X young woman..." —Catherine Texier, author of Breakup

What's Never Said

“Funny and original, with a soulfulness beneath the humor.” —Ian Frazier

“A lovely, direct—even eerie—exploration of what it means to die with dignity and purpose."—Michael Cluff, president, South Jersey Humanists

Cinders: Stories of an Inner-City Survivor

“…equal parts story collection, meditation, indictment, and most of all a grievous lamentation for lost hopes …” —Neworld Review

Just Say Yes: A Marijuana Memoir

“Likely to loosen up fellow smokers…” —Kirkus Reviews

Detroit Unrequited

“Detroit is a fascinating city—whether in the 1970s, the 2010s, or today—and Cancelmo evokes it with urgency and tenderness over the course of this novel.” -Kirkus Reviews

Against the Wall: My Journey From Border Patrol Agent to Immigration Rights Activist

“An unflinching look at a Border Patrol riddled with corruption, racism, and misogyny. Raw and truthful, no one escapes judgement, not even Budd..."—Melissa del Bosque, author of Blood Lines, Lannan Reporting Fellow

To the Moon and Back

"...oozes with honesty and truth." —Kirkus Reviews

"Catherine Hiller takes on an ancient theme—the feud between women—with humor, grace and verve." —Roxana Robinson, former Authors Guild President

Looking for a Kiss: A Chronicle of Downtown Heartbreak and Healing

“Kate’s story is my story and the story of so many older women who endure a breakup in their fifties and sixties…” —Erica Manfred, author of He’s History; You’re Not

"artfully corners the question of whether we really need freedom for ourselves—or from ourselves." —Caren Lissner, author of "Carrie Pilby"

The Year Marjorie Moore Learned to Live

"Grotheim has penned a wonderful debut, a first novel full of compassion and insight, comedy and love...." —Jonathan Ames, author of 'Wake Up, Sir!' and 'The Extra Man'

“Shameless, elegant, obscene.” —Leopoldine Core

Behind the Mask

"...an intimate and impassioned account of one woman’s life during the pandemic." —Gabrielle Selz, author of UnStill Life