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Rita Bullwinkel’s debut novel, “A Blow to the Head,” was published in 2024 and instantly became a notable phenomenon in literature. A fast-paced story about a tournament of girls’ boxers captured the attention of both readers and critics.

The book received nominations for a number of major awards, including the Pulitzer Prize and the Booker Prize.

The novel was also named Book of the Year by The New York Times Book Review, NPR, Time, Elle, Vulture, Lit Hub, and The Guardian.

Eight teenage girls arrive in Reno, Nevada, for a boxing competition—“The Cup of Daughters of America”—and each has her own personal reason to step into the ring. One tries to survive the tragedy that occurred in a swimming pool; another does her best to live up to family expectations, where victory is the only permissible goal. What matters more—controlling everything, or letting events unfold as they will? Pushing to the limit, or stopping in time? And is it necessary to be unquestionably first? Bullwinkel writes not only about bouts, but also about the past that brought the heroines to this tournament, and about the future that will begin after the final bell.