Atria Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, is pleased to announce D.K. Furutani as the winner of the third annual BOOKS LIKE US First Novel Contest with his novel, THIS IS WHERE YOU ARE NOW, which will publish in Spring 2026. The aim of the Books Like Us contest is to facilitate access to the publishing process for writers from underrepresented groups, and to celebrate the diversity of readers across the United States.
Set against the backdrops of Japanese American incarceration and modern-day Los Angeles, THIS IS WHERE YOU ARE NOW follows a high school English teacher who unexpectedly receives his estranged uncle’s personal memoirs, forcing him to confront unspoken family history and explore the incremental effects of intergenerational trauma, shedding light on the often-overlooked experiences of Americans whose rights were seized and loyalties questioned before, during, and after WWII.
“The Books Like Us contest is an important effort undertaken by the staff of Atria. I am proud of the program begun by Gallery three years ago and am looking forward to working with our new author D.K. Furutani as we publish his excellent debut.” said Libby McGuire, SVP and Publisher of Atria.
“Winning the Books Like Us Contest is a dream opportunity to amplify the stories of Japanese Americans, from immigration to incarceration to resettlement and beyond,” said Furutani. “I’m so proud that ‘Books Like Us’ is a phrase attached to this novel, as it is a story that mirrors the history of my own family as well as the many thousands of other families who endured forced evacuation and displacement by the very country they were born in and loved. It is their bravery and resilience I hope to honor with this book.”
Assistant Editor and Books Like Us committee member, Jade Hui said “D. K. Furutani’s novel THIS IS WHERE YOU ARE NOW absolutely took my breath away. This is a deeply heartfelt and earnestly told story that takes us on a journey through time and across generations of a family, offering an insightful and emotionally resonant look into this critical time in history. These characters, their stories, their resilience, and the hope that echoes throughout these pages, will stay with you long after you turn the last page.”
D.K. Furutani is a fiction writer of Japanese and German descent. His work has received support from Periplus and Tin House. He was born and raised in Los Angeles where he works as a teacher and resides with his wife and three cats. Furutani is represented by Julia Kardon at HG Literary.
The annual Books Like Us First Novel Contest is rotated among Simon & Schuster’s adult imprints. Previous contests have been administered by the Gallery Books and Simon & Schuster imprints. As the nation strives for progress, Simon & Schuster aims to help catalyze that change by amplifying voices that represent us, by publishing books like us.
