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A book uncovering “the real origins of America’s black-on-black violence” is among the first acquired by Will Hammond in his new role as editorial director at the Bodley Head.
Hammond joined the Bodley Head at the end of April from Viking, where he was commissioning editor.
Ghettoside: Investigating a Homicide Epidemic by Jill Leovy, which Hammond acquired UK and Commonwealth rights in from Caspian Dennis at Abner Stein on behalf of Farley Chase at The Chase Literary Agency, is based on almost a decade embedded with the homicide squad in south central LA.
Leovy’s book is an “utterly gripping” reconstruction into the investigation of the murder of a young black man whose father is a murder detective. It will present “universal arguments about policing and race”.
Hammond has also acquired UK and Commonwealth rights in The Weather Machine by Andrew Blum from Sally Holloway at Felicity Bryan, on behalf of Zoe Pagnamenta at The Zoe Pagnamenta Literary Agency.
The Weather Machine will be “the first comprehensive account of how we predict the weather”.
Hammond said: “These two books use immersive reportage and superb narratives to answer questions of real urgency and global importance.
“Both are based on a unique body of research and will change our understanding – in the case of Ghettoside, of the relationship between policing, race and violence, and in the case of The Weather Machine, of the relationship between human beings, technology and the elements.”
Ghettoside: Investigating a Homicide Epidemic will be published in March 2015, and The Weather Machine will be published in spring 2017.