How to Dodge a Cannonball, the second book from Writing alum and Adjunct Assistant Professor Dennard Dayle ’17 is being released in hardcover on June 17, 2025 from Henry Holt and Co., an imprint of Macmillan.
Set during the American Civil War, the satirical novel follows Anders, a white teenager who enlists with an all-Black regiment of the Union Army in the hopes of escaping his domineering mother. What begins as an awkward relationship with his new comrades in arms, soon becomes an unlikely story of friendship and family in the middle of America’s deadliest conflict.
“Dayle’s second book certifies his talent,” said fellow professor and New York Times bestselling author Gary Shteyngart. “I can’t think of a wittier, more hilarious or more relevant young writer.”
New York Times bestselling author Jason Pargin called the book, “A sharp and chaotic skewering of everything America believes about itself.”
Dayle’s previous book, Everything Abridged, is a collection of short stories that similarly dealt with the state of the nation, bringing his eye for absurdity to American inequality in the near future. Published by Abrams in 2022, it was named a Best Book of the Year by The New Yorker.
Dayle’s work has also appeared in publications including 1-900-HOTDOG, The New Yorker, The Baffler, Clarkesworld, Slackjaw, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, and Points in Case. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
