Flatiron Books Acquires Book by Beto O’Rourke

This summer, Flatiron Books will publish Beto O’Rourke’s WE’VE GOT TO TRY: How the Fight for Voting Rights Makes Everything Else Possible, hitting shelves on August 23, 2022.

Here O’Rourke shines a spotlight on the heroic life and work of Dr. Lawrence Aaron Nixon, the civil rights leader who helped to win one of the most significant civil and voting rights victories in American history: the defeat of the all-white primary.

With heart, eloquence, and powerful storytelling, O’Rourke weaves together Nixon’s story with those of other great Texans who changed the course of voting rights and improved America’s democracy. While connecting voting rights and democracy to the major issues of our time, O’Rourke also shares what he saw, heard, and learned while on his own journey throughout the 254 counties of his home state. By telling the stories of those he met along the way and bringing us into the epicenter of the current fight against voter suppression, the former El Paso Congressman shows just how essential it is that the sacred right to vote is protected and that we each do our part to save our democracy for generations to come.

“I’m inspired by the work of Texans like Dr. Lawrence Nixon and communities like my hometown of El Paso. They provide the example we need right now, showing us how to meet historic challenges to the right to vote and how to overcome the deep divisions that threaten our democracy,” said O’Rourke. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to share some of these stories.”

Flatiron Editorial Director Zachary Wagman adds: “I’m thrilled to publish WE’VE GOT TO TRY. It’s a vital book—clear-eyed and resolute but brimming with hope and optimism, and told in Beto’s inimitable voice.”

WE’VE GOT TO TRY by Beto O’Rourke | 9781250852458 | on sale 8/23/22 from Flatiron Books