“Everything you need to know to write social fiction is in this book. One of the best-written methods books I have ever read, it is accessible, clear, and detailed. The examples demonstrate the fiction concepts, and the pedagogical elements provide valuable advice and questions to think about in order to get a writing project started.”

—Sandra L. Faulkner, PhD, School of Media and Communication, Bowling Green State University


“Leavy does a wonderful job of introducing social fiction. The flow and style are confident and easy. There are humorous sections that keep the reader engaged in a way that is often missing in dry academic research methods texts.”

—Kenya E. Wolff, PhD, Department of Teacher Education, University of Mississippi


“This book is excellent at explaining both the theory behind fiction as method and the practical 'how-tos' of doing it well. The exemplars from Leavy's own novels are instructive. Leavy's reflections on how she writes—how fiction is structured, what's going on behind the scenes—are so helpful. This book will be especially valuable for students coming from disciplines where fiction is not normally used, but where it could serve to make research accessible to a broader audience. I will use it in my own class.”

—Jessica Smartt Gullion, PhD, Department of Sociology, Texas Woman’s University


“This text would be great as either a supplemental text or central text for any course exploring truth and fiction. It is especially powerful for thinking about truth in inquiry. This book resonates well with our work through the Feminist Research Collective.”

—Barbara Dennis, PhD, Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology, Indiana University