Overview

How do you design a system of government from scratch when you've lost faith in government itself? Carrie Davenport, a renowned constitutional law professor, has the career opportunity of a lifetime. Project Mars, the brainchild of a billionaire tech tycoon, has ambitious plans to establish the first human settlement on Mars. And Project Mars selected her-a Black, queer, publicity-shy professor in North Carolina-to design a system of government for the colony. Carrie eagerly researches how to craft a suitable constitution for space. But when she is stopped by the police one evening in a case of mistaken identity, the filmed encounter thrusts Carrie into a spotlight she never asked for, putting her at the center of the discourse on race and justice in the US. Suddenly, American democracy doesn't seem like a shining beacon to carry into space. Carrie must decide whether to speak up-against the police violence she endured, the tech-bro culture of Project Mars, and an even deeper underbelly of corruption behind the mission. Can Carrie regain faith in herself and in society to craft the ""government of the future"" and prevent the prejudices of Earth from tainting human life beyond?

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Reviews

""An engaging, well-written novel about a woman with her eyes on the stars and problems down on Earth."" - Kirkus Reviews ""Alexander's smart, provocative novel engages with the exciting premise of life on Mars while keeping its feet firmly planted in the realities of our Earth, exploring the complexities of human nature, governance, and more that would inevitably travel with us to a new world."" - BookLife Reviews (Editor's Pick) ""Nikki Alexander has written an illuminating novel that will make the reader reflect on themes of social justice, space exploration, and moral courage."" - Los Angeles Book Review ""Arc of the Universe is a searing, timely look at the relationship between space exploration and earthly politics. Can man truly conquer the stars when we've yet to create a fair world for all? Do we even deserve to?"" - Sara Koffi, author of While We Were Burning ""Ambitious in scope, deeply personal in execution, Arc of the Universe is sure to leave the reader stirred. Its complex approach to issues of race, class, and sexuality-and the intersection of them-gives food for thought regardless of one's particular identity."" - Independent Book Review ""Original, deftly crafted, compelling, thoughtful and thought-provoking,"" Arc of the Universe is a ""first class legal thriller and an inherently fascinating read."" - Midwest Book Review

""Alexander's smart, provocative novel engages with the exciting premise of life on Mars while keeping its feet firmly planted in the realities of our Earth, exploring the complexities of human nature, governance, and more that would inevitably travel with us to a new world."" - BookLife Reviews (Editor's Pick) ""Nikki Alexander has written an illuminating novel that will make the reader reflect on themes of social justice, space exploration, and moral courage."" - Los Angeles Book Review ""Ambitious in scope, deeply personal in execution, Arc of the Universe is sure to leave the reader stirred."" - Independent Book Review

Author Information

Nikki Alexander is a Harvard educated lawyer who has studied race, gender, and outer space. She strives to tell the story of successful Black women navigating difficult environments in ways that are unexpected in light of traditional narratives, at the same time exploring themes that will appeal to any reader-moral dilemmas, high expectations, and romantic relationships in the face of career and family pressures. When she's not writing, she enjoys tap dancing and attempting to keep her temperamental houseplants alive.

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