Votes of Confidence 3rd Edition (2024)
From the Publisher: Every four years, coverage of the presidential election turns into a horse-race story about who’s leading the polls and who said what when. Social media and online news have made it easier to spread false information (even by accident) and harder to know what’s accurate. It can be difficult to get good information about how the election process actually works, why it matters, or how you can get involved. Civics education and information about how our government functions is necessary whether you’re a longtime voter or a soon-to-be voter. This newly revised edition includes statistics and anecdotes from recent elections alongside straightforward, nonpartisan analysis and explanation. Author Jeff Fleischer uses a fun, casual voice and real-world examples to provide an essential resource that will remain relevant long after the next president is elected. (Learn more)
Available at Bookshop.org, Indiebound, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, Walmart, and wherever you buy books. Hardcover, paperback, and ebook available.
Animal Husbandry and Other Fictions (2024)
From the Publisher: The stories in Animal Husbandry all deal in some way with mythology, from animal fables to imaginary friends to the myths people tell themselves. In some cases, the myths are fantastical: a farmer finds his cow has given birth to a surprising offspring; a guitarist tries to improve his skills with a visit to the crossroads; or a young girl meets with a visitor in the woods to plot against her neighbors. Others concern everyday mythology: a small-town ballplayer struggles to earn a nickname; a man’ s clean bill of health arrives at the worst possible time; or a long-retired screen actress receives a letter that makes her confront her past. (Learn more)
Available for preorder at Amazon or Barnes & Noble. More bookstores coming soon. Paperback and ebook available.
Civic Minded (2024)
From the Publisher: How do student loans work? What do sanctions do? Where does federal spending go, and who decides on the budget? Author and established journalist Jeff Fleischer digs into these and other relevant civics topics to explain the history behind different processes and programs, what they look like today, and why it’s important to understand them. Through engaging, well-researched text and related sidebars, this book will help readers understand and join many ongoing political conversations in the US, from spending to citizenship to international relations and more. (Learn more)
Available for preorder at Bookshop.org, Indiebound, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, and more bookstores on the way. Hardcover, paperback, and ebook available.
A Hot Mess (2021)
From the Publisher: We already know what climate change is and many of us understand the human causes. But what will climate change do to our world? Who will be affected (spoiler: all of us!) and how will our lives change in the future? Topics include sea levels, extreme weather, drought, animal and plant extinction, and human and animal migration. Drawing on real-life situations and stories, journalist Jeff Fleischer takes an informed, approachable look at how our world will likely change as a result of our actions, including suggestions on what we can still do to slow down these unprecedented effects. (Learn more)
“Jeff Fleischer’s A Hot Mess is a substantial, science-based guide that explains climate change through history, its deniers, and the current evidence, all in a candid, accessible format that invites young people to take action.”―five stars, Foreword Reviews
‘“Fleischer uses specific examples, recent scientific studies, maps, and informative sidebars… Additionally, the author’s conversational tone that includes the occasional pun will resonate well with the target audience. A wealth of information and an engaging approach are certain to have a lasting impact.”―starred, Kirkus Reviews
Foreword Indies Book of the Year finalist; Nature Generation 2022 Book of the Year nominee.
Available at Bookshop.org, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, etc. Hardcover, paperback, and ebook available.
Votes of Confidence 2nd Edition (2020)
From the Publisher: Give young adult readers clear explanations about how our election process actually works, why it matters, and how they can become involved. Using real-world examples and anecdotes, this book provides readers with thorough, nonpartisan explanations about primaries, the electoral college, checks and balances, polls, fundraising, and more. Updated with statistics and details from the 2018 elections, the revised second edition will prepare the next generation of voters for what is sure to be a fascinating 2020 election cycle. (Learn more)
“[A] very readable, engaging, and entertaining history of American elections and politics for young people. Highly recommended.”―starred, ALA Booklist
“Fleischer presents a potentially didactic subject matter in a digestible and organized manner. Recommended for middle to high school students, educators, and others interested in becoming civically informed and engaged.”―School Library Journal
2020 International Book Awards winner for best in category Young Adult Nonfiction.
Available at Bookshop.org, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, Walmart, etc. Hardcover, paperback, and ebook available.
Votes of Confidence (2016)
From the Publisher: With the 2016 election promising to be an interesting and hotly contested one, Votes of Confidence will be a timely resource that can generate news coverage, while written in an evergreen way that can remain relevant after the next president is chosen. Using a fun, casual voice and interesting sidebars and anecdotes that tell stories rather than just list facts, this book will provide teachers with a supplemental resource and readers with an engaging way to better understand their government. (Learn more)
“Should also be required reading for 16- to 18-year-olds as they prepare to vote for the first time. Fleischer covers a huge amount of information, but in such an orderly and lucid manner that it never feels overwhelming.”―five stars, Foreword Reviews
“In a particularly winning voice, abetted by numerous intriguing anecdotes…he issues an implicit challenge with his introduction—‘If there’s one thing we know for sure about American government, it’s that a lot of Americans don’t know much about it’—and then goes on to make sure readers buck that trend.”―starred, Kirkus Reviews
2016 Junior Library Guild young adults selection; Foreword Reviews six best YA Reads summer 2016.
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc. Paperback, audiobook, and ebook available.
Rockin’ the Boat (2015)
From the Publisher: We love to root for the underdog, and when it comes to underdogs, few are more impressive than the world’s great revolutionaries.After all, it’s pretty hard to find a more powerful opponent than the world’s biggest empires and emperors. And that’s part of why we’re drawn to the stories of revolutionaries. Many of these men and women were born into virtual dystopias, and they fought throughout their lives, against all odds, to forge a path to a better future. And whether they succeeded, failed, or succeeded only to become a new kind of enemy, there’s something inherently fascinating about that effort to change the world. (Learn more)
“The strong point of this book is Fleischer’s understanding of his audience; his grasp of history is impressive as well.”―Foreword Reviews
“Fleischer capably places the individuals in their history milieu, zeroing in on the circumstances behind their notoriety, as well as the ways their influence has endured.”―Publishers Weekly
2017 Illinois Reads selection by the Illinois Reading Council; Foreword Reviews Reviewer’s Choice 2015.
Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc. Paperback and ebook available.
The Latest Craze (2011)
From the Publisher: Each entry offers a description of the conditions that caused the situation, examples of extreme behavior, the peak of the hysteria, and the consequences (immediate and ultimate). Will we ever learn? Probably not, but it’s as entertaining as it is enlightening to see how the parade of absurdity continues to play out. The Latest Craze is an educational but fun-to-read history of bubbles, fads, hysterias and trends, featuring sixty-three crazes in seven categories.
Out of print. Used copies available at Amazon. Hardcover only.
Short Stories (2012-Present)
Jeff’s short stories have appeared in publications and anthologies including (among others): Printers Row Journal from the Chicago Tribune, The Saturday Evening Post, Shenandoah, The East Bay Review, So It Goes by the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library, Deep South Magazine, Steam Ticket, Pioneertown, LandLocked, Windmill, The Broken Plate, Chaffin Journal, HCE Review, The Sea Letter, Crossborder Journal, Slippery Elm Journal, Manhattanville Review, Glassworks, The Rush, Pendust Radio by River Cliff Books, Route 7 Review, District Lit, Scene & Heard, Hemingway Shorts by the Ernest Hemingway Foundation, Jet Fuel Review, See the Elephant, Strayllight, Mikrokosmos Journal, Cobalt, PacificREVIEW, Redux, The Bookends Review, Eastern Iowa Review, Everywhere Stories by Press 53, Osciloscope, The Brooklyn Review, Sandstorm, Sliver of Stone, Nabu Review by Paragon Press, Citron Review, Birch Gang Review, Panoplyzine, The Olive Press, Welter, Chicago Literati, Typishly, Mulberry Fork Review, Linden Avenue Literary Journal, The Write Launch, Mojave River Review, Orange Blossom Review, Zoetic Press Non-Binary Review, Two Hawks Quarterly, Underwood Press, Duende, Curating Alexandria, Thema, Helix, Indiana Voice Journal, Tower Journal, THAT Literary Review, Stepping Stones, The Stray Branch, Hare’s Paw Journal, Alcyone, Open: Journal of Arts and Letters, Door is a Jar, Avatar Review, Fear of Monkeys, Foliate Oak, Ghost Parachute, Ephimiliar Journal, Carmina, Northwest Indiana Journal and Crack the Spine.
Several issues and anthologies featuring Jeff’s work are available at Amazon or directly from individual magazines.
