Decent People
A Novel
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Pub Date Mar 9 2027 | Archive Date Apr 5 2027
Doubleday Books | Doubleday
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Description
Omar has known Martha since childhood, but when she unexpectedly returns to their east Dallas neighborhood to finish high school after two years away, he hardly recognizes her. She’s still the bookish, defiant, overachieving girl he knew, though now in a body that every guy, including Omar, notices.
But Martha is only interested in creating a life that matches her potential, and she won’t allow the leering eyes, her devotion to her brother, or a budding friendship with Omar to change that. As we watch Martha overcome obstacle after obstacle in pursuit of a better future, we also bear witness to the lives of the three generations that preceded her: her mother, Mariana, a light-skinned beauty who’s been searching for a Prince Charming all her life; the silenced grandmother, Imelda, whom she never had the chance to know; and her great-grandmother, Ana, the fierce revolutionary who rode with Pancho Villa, only to meet a violent end. The more Martha learns about the systems that shaped these women, and the closer she grows to Omar, the more clearly she sees that someone like her was never going to be allowed to just live on her own terms.
A blistering debut set on both sides of the Texas-Mexico border, Decent People is at once a tender coming-of-age tale and a powerful reckoning with history, an unforgettable window into the ways entitlement, inheritance, and quiet violence can shape a life—especially a woman’s. In showing us that confronting our past—personal and collective—may reopen old wounds, Guel also demonstrates, with extraordinary intelligence and empathy, how owning that history offers our best hope of healing.
Advance Praise
“A brilliant, devastating debut. Decent People will break your heart and open it. Guel masterfully alternates between East Dallas teenagers and warrior women in revolutionary Mexico, tracing the connective tissue that binds them across a century. Written with depth and intelligence, Decent People asks a deceptively simple question: how much of who we become is inherited, and how much is chosen? You won’t forget these characters.”—Bsrat Mezghebe, author of I Hope You Find What You’re Looking For
“Set in an East Dallas neighborhood that goes from being one generation’s dream to the next generation’s complicated inheritance, Decent People is a panoramic portrait of a gifted girl determined to forge her own way. Guel’s striking debut broke my heart, charmed me, and utterly transfixed me. Wise, gritty, and tender, Decent People announces the arrival of a whipsmart and devastating new literary voice.”—Jemimah Wei, author of The Original Daughter
“With a tenderness and vulnerability that I found reminiscent of Kiese Laymon’s Heavy, Guel weaves a stunning, sweeping, layered, historical, coming-of-age narrative that employs the complexities of family, friendship, and politics to confront what it means to be decent people in the context of contemporary Mexican American life. In its heart wrenching, resonant aftermath, this novel teaches us that sometimes there are no winners, only survivors, but with survival comes the sweetness of hope.”—Addie Citchens, author of Dominion
“Jessica M. Guel’s Decent People is a debut novel of extraordinary ambition. Through Martha’s moving narrative, and the map of her matrilineal ancestors, the past is rendered new. The novel forces a gendered reckoning with revolutionary movements that starkly illuminates the present moment. It is a remarkable reframing of the personal and the political. But beyond those achievements, characters are rendered with such care that I was often left breathless. This debut announces Guel as a writer of exceptional talent.”—Cleyvis Natera, award-winning author of Neruda on the Park and The Grand Paloma Resort
Marketing Plan
National Review and Media Appearances, including TV, NPR, and Print/Online Features
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Author Events
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Title-Specific Social Media Promotion (i.e. Quote Tiles, Giveaways)
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Inclusion in Doubleday Influencer Program
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Discussion Guide Available
Academic Marketing
Library Marketing
Inclusion in Multicultural Month Promotion (Hispanic Heritage Month)
Inclusion in Seasonal Promotions (Spring)
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Available on NetGalley
Available Editions
| EDITION | Hardcover |
| ISBN | 9780385550741 |
| PRICE | $30.00 (USD) |
| PAGES | 368 |