Tell Me Something, Tell Me Anything, Even If It’s a Lie: A Memoir in Essays

"If ever a man was in love with The Movement—that is, the peace and liberationist movements of the 1960s, '70s, and '80s—that man is Steve Wasserman. This collection of essays, in all its intelligent exuberance, pays full respect to that honorable devotion." Vivan Gornick, author of Taking a Long Look

"It's such a pleasure to see the cream of Steve Wasserman's writings now collected, from the remarkable tale of a bookstore owner who wouldn't let him buy the books he wanted to his brave against-the-grain take on the Black Panthers to his shrewd assessment of the fast-changing world of publishing. He is, as he says of his late friend Susan Sontag, an 'omnivore'—about politics, about literature, and about the way the rebellious currents he first encountered in 1960s Berkeley have continued to ripple through American life. The resulting volume is a feast." Adam Hochschild, author of American Midnight

"Steve Wasserman's wit and passions are on full display in this collection of fine essays, crammed full of insights and anecdotes from several (apparently very fun) decades in the literary world. Editor, publisher, agent, and bon vivant, Wasserman enjoys books, ideas, friends, and progressive politics, and his love for them all is infectious. A troublemaker of the good kind since his youth, Wasserman continues to inspire with his vigorous dedication to the life of the mind, exhibited with clarity and grace in this book." Viet Thanh Nguyen, author of A Man of Two Faces

"An intensely personal, engaging, and illuminating memoir in the form of essays published over fifty years, Tell Me Something, Tell Me Anything, Even If It's a Lie is a richly detailed account of the intellectual life of an individual upon whom, to paraphrase Henry James, 'nothing has been lost.' Here is arguably the very best concise history of Cuba and the legendary Fidel Castro; beautifully composed eulogies for two close friends of the author, Susan Sontag and Christopher Hitchens, that also trace the writer's intellectual and personal growth; sharply perceptive commentary on Daniel Ellsberg; a thrillingly candid interview with W.G. Sebald. Highly recommended." Joyce Carol Oates, author of Butcher

"With its deeply human portraits and incisive criticism, Tell Me Something, Tell Me Anything, Even If It’s a Lie is a record of a personal and intellectual journey like few others. Berkeley in the '60s! Susan Sontag! Barbra Streisand! Orson Welles! Jackie Kennedy! Steve Wasserman is a treasure of American letters and his book is a testament, above all, to a literary life lived to the fullest." Héctor Tobar, author of Our Migrant Souls

"Steve Wasserman is so open to experience—so open and articulate about history, and the new—that to not follow his quicksilver intelligence and bountiful heart in these wonderful pages would be criminal. Read, reflect, and rejoice in the bounty. What a gift." Hilton Als, author of My Pinup

"Tell Me Something, Tell My Anything, Even If It's a Lie is a tremendous lively, thought provoking read. These essays are illuminating in the breadth and depth of Wasserman's experiences in the literary world and in book culture in general. They demonstrate a writer with wonderful narrative sense and thoughtful penetrating analysis of the cultural and political conditions that have shaped our world over the past decades." Paul Yamazaki, principal buyer, City Lights Bookstore

"Steve Wasserman is a passionate witness of the upheavals of the past forty years that guided America to places unimagined before. His clear and sober reflections on the Berkeley counterculture, the Panthers in Oakland, the revolution in Cuba, the anti-war movement, Orson Welles, Susan Sontag, Laurie Anderson, the writers of Los Angeles, the transformation of newspaper journalism, and the fate of the book remind us how much in this history there is to discover and to honor." Darryl Pinckney, author of Come Back in September

"Wasserman's love of reasoned debate and good writing shines through, and he often displays an impish wit. [...] The book is a remarkable record of a well-lived life. Written with care, passion, a keen eye for fakery, and a willingness to puncture it." Kirkus Reviews

"In this boisterous debut essay collection, Wasserman, the publisher of Heyday Books, discusses his literary friendships, lefty politics, and opinions on publishing’s technological shifts. [...] Wasserman comes off as the quintessential book world insider, reflecting on his friendships with Susan Sontag and Christopher Hitchens, whose rightward turn in the early aughts Wasserman laments in an elegiac remembrance. [...] Erudite yet chatty, this gossipy grab bag of reminiscences will be catnip for book lovers." Publishers Weekly

"Throughout this wide-ranging book, Wasserman reflects on Barbra Streisand, interviews W.G. Sebald, offers shrewd commentary on Daniel Ellsberg, and summarizes the history of Cuba. Although his topics are diverse, Wasserman’s wit and intelligence are consistently on display." Alta Journal