Maid in the USA
Stephanie Land debuts at #19 in hardcover fiction with Maid, which, in its fifth week since publication, enjoyed its best print unit sales to date. “In her heartfelt and powerful debut memoir,” our starred review said, “Land describes the struggles she faced as a young single mother living in poverty.” In an October interview with PW, Land explained that one of her goals for the book is to clear up misperceptions about public assistance. “I cringe when people call me a ‘success story,’ ” she said, “because that perpetuates the idea that it’s a successful system.”
(See all of this week's bestselling books.)
Southern Hospitality
In Mom Hacks, #19 in trade paper, Darria Long Gillespie offers 100-plus tips to help new mothers eat more healthfully, get exercise, sleep better, and cultivate resilience. Gillespie, an emergency physician and a clinical assistant professor at the University of Tennessee School of Medicine, lives in Atlanta and launched the book at the Buckhead Barnes & Noble. A couple of weeks earlier, Gillespie’s alma mater, Girls Preparatory School in Chattanooga, Tenn., hosted two ticketed events with the author. Attendee preorders were substantial: the book debuts at #1 in NPD’s East South Central division, which includes Tennessee.
Chef’s Choice
In October, Little, Brown released, via Facebook Messenger, an interactive version of The Chef by James Patterson, with Max DiLallo. The free e-book, which Little, Brown says more than 100K users have downloaded, is a condensed version of the story and includes digital add-ons such as photos, video, and audio clips. It’s still available via the Messenger app; the newly released print edition is #3 in the country.
New & Notable
The Threat
Andrew G. McCabe
#1 Hardcover Nonfiction, #1 overall
Former FBI director McCabe’s “polished combination career retrospective, manifesto about the FBI’s value, and rebuttal to Donald Trump’s smears,” our review said, “is one of the better Trump-related tell-alls.”
Daughter of Moloka’i
Alan Brennert
#19 Hardcover Fiction
Our review praised “this emotional, gripping sequel to Brennert’s Moloka’i,” in which “Ruth Utagawa, daughter of lepers but not afflicted herself, is taken from an orphanage and adopted by a Japanese family, the Watanabes, who move from Hawaii to Northern California, where they start a strawberry farm in the early 1920s.”
Top 10 Overall
| Rank | Title | Author | Imprint | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Threat | Andrew G. McCabe | St. Martin’s | 66,970 |
| 2 | Becoming | Michelle Obama | Crown | 41,075 |
| 3 | The Chef | James Patterson | Little, Brown | 27,105 |
| 4 | Brawl of the Wild (Dog Man #6) | Dav Pilkey | Graphix | 26,982 |
| 5 | Where the Crawdads Sing | Delia Owens | Putnam | 25,988 |
| 6 | Girl, Wash Your Face | Rachel Hollis | Nelson | 23,409 |
| 7 | The Tattooist of Auschwitz | Heather Morris | Harper | 18,005 |
| 8 | Educated | Tara Westover | Random House | 17,461 |
| 9 | Brave, Not Perfect | Reshma Saujani | Currency | 15,236 |
| 10 | The Lost Girls of Paris | Pam Jenoff | Park Row | 14,753 |
All unit sales per NPD BookScan except where noted.
