Why Visit America

“Matthew Baker is the rarest of writers, one who can turn complex, high-concept stories into sublime character-driven psalms. His work is both highly original and refreshingly human”
Noah Hawley creator of Fargo

“Baker's writing is taut yet lyrical, and brims with sensitivity towards the pitfalls of human experience”
The Rumpus

“How does he do it? Matthew Baker's mind is an oyster producing pearl after pearl. Each story in Why Visit America offers an eerie and unsettling vision of our possible future while remaining emotionally truthful, and, as always, incredibly damn fun”
Kelly Luce author of Pull Me Under

“Matthew Baker's Why Visit America is at once deeply heartbroken by the state of our country and world, and also deeply hopeful about what both could be. These stories critically examine the harms wrought by American xenophobia, misogyny, transphobia and capitalism while also bearing an abiding, profound love for this planet and for its people. This is a brilliant collection that shines with imagination, and with empathy”
Anna Valente author of The Desert Sky Before Us

“With his unique brand of quirky, sardonic compassion, Matthew Baker offers us a book that's like a cross-country road trip as seen through a funhouse mirror. At once trenchant and deeply tender, the stories in Why Visit America thrum with all that is exasperating, absurd, tragic, and still so compelling about life in these United States”
Naomi J. Williams author of Landfalls

“Matthew Baker's stories are wild in all the best ways but Why Visit America isn't just a triumph of weirdness - these stories use a variety of skewed lenses to offer smart critiques of the systems and beliefs humming through so much of American life. They also somehow manage to be, always, a ton of fun to read”
Lee Connell author of Subcortical