“Engaging…hugely accomplished first novel…There is a great deal to admire in this foray into fiction. With wit, acuity and tenderness, Laskin paints a vivid portrait of a young man coming of age…timely and engrossing.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune

"A vivid portrait of adolescence and New York City in the 1970s." —Seattle Times

"Fresh and entertaining...it races to the finish as a compelling read well worth your time...A sweet novel that holds our interest to the last page." —New York Journal of Books
 
"... an aching story about loss of innocence...Laskin adroitly integrates heartache, rock 'n' roll and violence, and references to the pumping songs of the era, to kick this one up a notch." —Shelf Awareness

“A big-hearted novel, full of empathy and compassion and hope, that does what all important stories aspire to do:  leverage the power of story-telling to change the world.” —Garth Stein, New York Times bestselling author of The Art of Racing in the Rain

“David Laskin enlivens the compelling urgency and confusion of the 1960s and 70s in Samuel Stein, a smart young man coming of age on Long Island, who turns his back on his family in pursuit of love, only to find that love resides in humility, and often much closer to home than we realize.” —Robin Oliveira, New York Times bestselling author of Winter Sisters

“A powerful coming-of-age novel that’s shockingly contemporary and undeniably relevant. Both brilliantly complex and relentlessly page-turning, devastating and tender.” —Deb Caletti, National Book Award Nominee author of Honey, Baby, Sweetheart
 
“An engrossing, timely, beautifully written book, What Sammy Knew reveals the perils of coming-of-age in a country fraught with instability, inequality, distrust, and strife.” —Julie Barton, New York Times bestselling author of Dog Medicine
 
“Irresistible. The story begins with teenage lust and humor but swiftly turns to idealism and recklessness en route to its exciting climax.” —Jim Lynch, bestselling author of The Highest Tide