What to Read While You Wait for What’s Next
A new book about The West Wing is coming this summer
This week, Melissa Fitzerald and Mary McCormack announced a new book: What’s Next: A Backstage Pass to The West Wing, Its Cast and Crew, and Its Enduring Legacy of Service.
If you know their names but can’t quite place them, Melissa Fitzgerald played Carol Fitzpatrick, CJ’s assistant, in all seven seasons of the long-running political drama, while Mary McCormack was a Season Five addition, playing Commander Kate Harper, Deputy National Security Advisor.
Nowadays, Melissa Fitzgerald is Director of Strategic Engagement at All Rise, an organisation based just outside DC which advocates for treatment courts, so that veterans and others with mental health issues receive the treatment they need alongside mentoring and accountability to help them heal from trauma and addiction. On her instigation, members of the West Wing cast — Martin Sheen, Bradley Whitford, Dulé Hill, Richard Schiff, Allison Janney, and Janel Moloney, as well as Mary McCormack — were part of a Public Service Announcement video for Veterans Treatment Courts in 2016, and have consistently supported her work, along with others such as Josh Malina. (I wrote more about this here.)
Josh Malina is also a big fan of pranks, and when Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack teased the cover reveal of their book, What’s Next, he strongly hinted that the announcement they would be making had to do with a reboot of The West Wing. If you’ve followed Josh Malina on social media for longer than five minutes, you know he’s always teasing this, and it will most likely never happen. Nevertheless, people fell for it.
Within hours of the announcement, the book was in the top 20 across the entire Amazon US store, and #1 in categories such as Drama and Social Activism. It’s safe to say that West Wing fans are excited. And for good reason: with a foreword by Aaron Sorkin and an introduction by Allison Janney, the book promises a behind-the-scenes look at the making of their (our) favourite show, and an update on what the cast have been up to since it stopped airing in 2006.
The on-sale date is August 13 (a day after my birthday, so I’m hoping it sneaks its way onto some shelves early), and that’s a good few months off yet. So, if you can’t wait, here are some other books to tide you over until its release.
Walk With Us: How The West Wing Changed Our Lives, ed. Claire Handscombe (yes, that’s me)
A few years ago, I put together a short anthology of quotes and essays by fans of The West Wing. They reflected on how the show had changed their careers, their relationships, their teaching style, the way they deal with difficult times, and more. It was a real joy to put together and I’m super proud of it.
Bookshop US | Bookshop UK | Blackwell’s | Amazon
The Hopefuls, by Jennifer Close
Jennifer Close is a long-time DC resident, and she writes really insightfully about the city, its vibe, and the people whose lives revolve around politics and campaigns. I really enjoyed this novel about a young couple navigating all of that as they figure out marriage.
Dear Mr You, by Mary-Louise Parker
Quirky, smart, playful, trippy at times — this is exactly how I imagine Mary-Louise Parker to be, and it’s how her book is, too. This beautifully written memoir-in-letters is full of heart and tenderness, witty at times, almost unbearably sad at others. It was fascinating to get an insight into who Mary-Louise Parker was before she was The West Wing’s Amy Gardner — perennially unpopular at school, and, in what might be my favourite chapter, incapable of learning to juggle. Hope for us all, maybe?
Bookshop US | Blackwell’s | Amazon
They Said This Day Would Never Come, by Chris Liddell-Westefeld
If you’re one of the people who loves seasons six and seven — when the show pivots to more of a hopey, changey campaign vibe as the first Latino candidate runs for President — don’t miss this oral history by the people who were in the thick of the action when Barack Obama made history.
Bookshop US | Bookshop UK | Blackwell’s | Libro FM |Amazon
West Wingers, ed. Gautam Raghavan
This collection of essays by Obama staffers is infused with the kind of hope and idealism that draws many of us back to The West Wing — especially in times when it’s hard to cling to those things.
Bookshop US | Blackwell’s | Libro FM | Amazon
I’ve put together a list of books for West Wing fans here. They include memoirs by Rob Lowe and Marlee Matlin, books about the history of the White House, and novels with a West Wingy vibe. Hopefully, these will keep you going until What’s Next hits the shelves in August.
Note that I use affiliate links for Blackwell’s, Bookshop.org, Libro.fm, and Amazon. When you buy books after clicking, you help support my writing. Thanks for doing that!
