In Washington, D.C.’s powerful Black elite, legacy is everything. When a young heir to one of the city’s most influential institutions seeks funding to cement her future, a shadowy organization offers to help—but it could cost her far more than she’s willing to give.
Nina Johnson has always taken pride in belonging to The Tenth. After all, she’s following in the footsteps of her ancestors: Her great-great-grandmother founded the prestigious DC society—a space for influential African Americans—just forty years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Nina’s been elected to helm the organization, but she’s determined to escape the influence of her mother, who has led the organization with a steadfast commitment to tradition, all while keeping Nina under her freshly manicured thumb. Nina’s determined to forge her own path and do things differently: fewer stuffy, out-of-touch meetings and boring galas, more young people, and a swankier headquarters.
To realize her ambitions, Nina needs funding. So, when a wealthy white benefactor named Sienna Masters offers financial support in exchange for her participation in a mysterious project at a former public housing complex, The Orchard, Nina ignores her initial skepticism and agrees to a partnership. But as Nina and those closest to her piece together Sienna’s true motives, they discover far more sinister forces at play, ones that exploit Nina’s community for profit, with stakes that extend far beyond her ambitions for The Tenth. But how far is Nina willing to go to shape her future? And what is she willing to sacrifice along the way?
A whip-smart and sly social commentary on the complex interplay of race, class, and family legacy, A Very Special Episode will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Available 8.18.26
In Washington, D.C.’s powerful Black elite, legacy is everything. When a young heir to one of the city’s most influential institutions seeks funding to cement her future, a shadowy organization offers to help—but it could cost her far more than she’s willing to give.
Nina Johnson has always taken pride in belonging to The Tenth. After all, she’s following in the footsteps of her ancestors: Her great-great-grandmother founded the prestigious DC society—a space for influential African Americans—just forty years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Nina’s been elected to helm the organization, but she’s determined to escape the influence of her mother, who has led the organization with a steadfast commitment to tradition, all while keeping Nina under her freshly manicured thumb. Nina’s determined to forge her own path and do things differently: fewer stuffy, out-of-touch meetings and boring galas, more young people, and a swankier headquarters.
To realize her ambitions, Nina needs funding. So, when a wealthy white benefactor named Sienna Masters offers financial support in exchange for her participation in a mysterious project at a former public housing complex, The Orchard, Nina ignores her initial skepticism and agrees to a partnership. But as Nina and those closest to her piece together Sienna’s true motives, they discover far more sinister forces at play, ones that exploit Nina’s community for profit, with stakes that extend far beyond her ambitions for The Tenth. But how far is Nina willing to go to shape her future? And what is she willing to sacrifice along the way?
A whip-smart and sly social commentary on the complex interplay of race, class, and family legacy, A Very Special Episode will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Available 8.18.26
Advance Praise for A Very Special Episode
“As inventive as it is incisive, A Very Special Episode pulls us into a world where hunger for representation leads to wicked deception. With its brilliant portrayals of both comforting and complicated Black folks—on and off the TV screen—Camille Acker offers us a biting satire about the ever-shifting ways to perform Blackness. This is a very special book.”
—Bridgett M. Davis, author of The World According to Fannie Davis
“Camille Acker joins the pantheon of great American humor writers with A Very Special Episode. A raucously hilarious, deeply felt, and imaginative novel that probes the future of Black identity in America and asks what it means to be a good daughter, sister, lover, and friend.”
—Naomi Jackson, author of The Star Side of Bird Hill
A Very Special Episode is a hilarious, moving shoutout to the generations of Black show watchers, who tried to live in TV worlds, but could only see themselves one stingy half hour at a time. Finally, in what may be the twilight of the TV era, we get Acker’s brilliant director’s cut in this satirical novel about family, class, representation, and (sort of) space travel.”
—Asali Solomon, author of The Days of Afrekete
Hella funny, and boldly irreverent, A Very Special Episode offers a glimpse into the world of the Bougie through the eyes of a badass. Satire this biting can only come from a combination of brilliance and love. Sentence by sentence, Camille Acker proves she is a rare talent with a unique ability to capture the moment.”
—Mat Johnson, author of Invisible Things
“Camille Acker’s A Very Special Episode is as smart and insightful as it is suspenseful and entertaining. Come for the laughs, stay for the spot-on commentary about race, class, and family. This is masterful storytelling from a writer I adore!”
—Deesha Philyaw, author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies
Advance Praise for A Very Special Episode
“As inventive as it is incisive, A Very Special Episode pulls us into a world where hunger for representation leads to wicked deception. With its brilliant portrayals of both comforting and complicated Black folks—on and off the TV screen—Camille Acker offers us a biting satire about the ever-shifting ways to perform Blackness. This is a very special book.”
—Bridgett M. Davis, author of The World According to Fannie Davis
“Camille Acker joins the pantheon of great American humor writers with A Very Special Episode. A raucously hilarious, deeply felt, and imaginative novel that probes the future of Black identity in America and asks what it means to be a good daughter, sister, lover, and friend.”
—Naomi Jackson, author of The Star Side of Bird Hill
A Very Special Episode is a hilarious, moving shoutout to the generations of Black show watchers, who tried to live in TV worlds, but could only see themselves one stingy half hour at a time. Finally, in what may be the twilight of the TV era, we get Acker’s brilliant director’s cut in this satirical novel about family, class, representation, and (sort of) space travel.”
—Asali Solomon, author of The Days of Afrekete
Hella funny, and boldly irreverent, A Very Special Episode offers a glimpse into the world of the Bougie through the eyes of a badass. Satire this biting can only come from a combination of brilliance and love. Sentence by sentence, Camille Acker proves she is a rare talent with a unique ability to capture the moment.”
—Mat Johnson, author of Invisible Things
“Camille Acker’s A Very Special Episode is as smart and insightful as it is suspenseful and entertaining. Come for the laughs, stay for the spot-on commentary about race, class, and family. This is masterful storytelling from a writer I adore!”
—Deesha Philyaw, author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies