"McMahon's contribution to the body of immigrant literature is entrenched in questions of nationality, poverty, and family. He achieves a storytelling feat by creating an incredibly realistic narrative that is as poignant as it is breathtaking."
- Kirkus Reviews
"Dream of Another America is a tautly-spun, dark and stirring migration parable, an ode to the impoverished, powerless, and double-crossed south of the proverbial border, and a sensuous, fast-moving train hop of a read that is every migrant's nightmare, every inhabitant of Eden's duty."
- J. Reuben Appelman, author of The Kill Jar
"The 'dream' in Dream of Another America is both a noun and an imperative verb of hope: Tyler McMahon has written a Grapes of Wrath for contemporary America. Like Steinbeck's classic, Dream of Another America urges readers to confront the costs and sacrifices of the American Dream. Beautifully written, emotionally gripping, narratively propulsive, and morally important, this book should be necessary reading for every American."
- Shawna Yang Ryan, author of Green Island
"Tyler McMahon has worked this desperate material into a headlong tumble of jeopardy and escape, sweeping up a remarkable array of souls--mostly Central American--in a spell so vivid it seems straight out of the deepest recesses of the unconscious. As his protagonist Jacinto makes his way north to Los United, McMahon puts the reader too up against the worst monsters of that odyssey, now baking in the desert, now clinging to a train. The novel's likewise unsparing about the burdens on the family back in El Salvador, most impressively Jacinto's wounded but resourceful wife. Even if the man can survive the trip, and by some miracle get his family North as well, his story will long disturb the sleep of our all-too-comfortable slumber."
- John Domini, author of Movieola!
Winner of the 2015 Maria Thomas Fiction Award
"In this dark adventure tale, McMahon summons both the mystical joys of surfing and the angst of young people trying to navigate a treacherous world."
- Booklist
"With immediacy, ferocity and a deep sense of place, Tyler McMahon draws his reader into the complex world of American aid in foreign countries, in this case El Salvador. The main characters in Kilometer 99 are idealistic and sympathetic, but as they strive to protect themselves and each other in a country crumbling after a catastrophic earthquake, they are forced to make decisions that push them ever further from their moral center. In bold, tight prose, McMahon explores a world replete with drugs, corruption, money, and the undying devotion of two lovers pushed to the edge of their humanity."
- Kristiana Kahakauwila, author of This is Paradise
"Kilometer 99 is the best surf novel of the 21st Century. Set in war torn El Salvador at a time of terrible destruction, it is a world filled with drugs, danger, moral ambiguity, thrilling adventure, suspense, tragedy and triumph. The narrator, Malia, mines the essence of surf culture with spectacular authenticity. It is a coming of age story, a story of loss and redemption, a universal story. Even if you've never stepped foot in the ocean, you will love this book."
- Katie Arnoldi, author of Point Dume
"Adventure thrums in the landscapes of El Salvador, in the point breaks of the Pacific, and in the hearts of these young travelers trying to navigate love and purpose in a shaken country. The surfing passages are mesmerizing."
- David Bajo, author of Mercy 6
"A rock novel good enough to wish you had an accompanying soundtrack."
- Kirkus Reviews
"Gritty, fast-moving, hard-rocking...difficult to put down"
- Whitney Matheson, USA Today
"Conveys the exhilaration and vitality of an outsiders' music scene"
- Publishers Weekly
"A fiercely affectionate rendering"
- Michael Pucci, New York Journal of Books
"Vividly renders the anarchic, make-it-up-as-you-go spirit...Entertaining reading for music fans."
- Joanne Wilkinson, Booklist
"Compelling...hard to put down"
- Kevin McFarland, The Onion A.V. Club
"McMahon does a fine job, in this fine book, of offering us an anatomy of how and why art is made, and how the creative process often tears those who attempt it to shreds."
- Tony D'Souza, Peace Corps Writers
"The fever dream of rock and roll in spades"
- Art Edwards, The Nervous Breakdown
"Compulsively readable"
- Ben Pfeiffer, The Rumpus
"Nearly impossible to stop reading"
- Eric R. Danton, Hartford Courant
"A convincing story that documents the rise and fall of a punk rock band"
- Jim Ruland, San Diego City Beat
"How the Mistakes Were Made gets it all right"
- Laura Hamlett, Playback: stl
Interview with Josh Spilker in Vol. 1 Brooklyn
Interview with J. Caleb Winters in Fiction Writers Review
Playlist based on the book on Largehearted Boy