“You might think that a megalopolis of 20 million people wouldn’t lend itself to an intimate portrait. But David Lida has given us one, a weaving of memoir and reportage that is at turns funny and haunting, a personal journey into the crazy geography and tortured psychology of a place called Mexico City.”

Héctor Tobar

David Lida

Author

David Lida is the author of four books. His first, the short story collection Travel Advisory, was chosen by Barnes & Noble for their Discover Great New Writers program. His second, First Stop in the New World, a street-level panorama of contemporary Mexico City, was hailed by the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and the Chicago Tribune, and chosen by the San Francisco Chronicle for its Best Books of the Year list. His third, Las Llaves de la Ciudad -- written in Spanish, a language he acquired as an adult -- was lauded by Críticas magazine as one of the twelve best books of the year. Already heralded by Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews and the Mexican press, One Life is his first novel.

Photo by Christophe von Hohenberg.


Books by David Lida

One Life

Richard helps save the lives of the guilty. With his parents dead and a failed marriage behind him, he now lives in Mexico City. His work as a mitigation expert is a tidy fit for an ex-novelist and a guy not too keen on attachments. Hired by defense teams on capital cases, he investigates the often traumatic personal histories of clients potentially facing the death penalty. His speciality: undocumented Mexican defendants standing trial in the United States. In Richard’s business, success isn’t exoneration or proof of innocence, but life in prison. Read more...

Hardback: N/A

Paperback: $15.99 

eBook: $10.00