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The Names of the New World

Kawai Strong Washburn

The Names of the New World book cover image

October 6, 2026

McClelland & Stewart

  • Fiction

The Names of the New World

Kawai Strong Washburn

From the award-winning author of Sharks in the Time of Saviors, a sweeping and epic tale of resilience amidst a devastating storm.

Naomi is a fighter—a student of boxing who takes out her own personal frustrations in the classroom, with low success. But when a calamitous weather event strikes America, she is forced to enter a new fight for survival. The storm is coined “the Ultra,” causing massive levels of destruction and uprooting the lives of Naomi and Amaré, a man she meets for the first time as the Ultra forces the two of them out of their building.

As the pair seek refuge and their bond strengthens, they must navigate how to live—and how to love—in a world where environmental ruin mirrors the societal and political upheaval that feels all too familiar.