Make Sure You Die Screaming, Zee Carlstrom
Make Sure You Die Screaming, Zee Carlstrom
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Make Sure You Die Screaming
A Novel

Author: Zee Carlstrom

Narrator: Major Curda

Unabridged: 7 hr

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/08/2025

Synopsis

An electrifying debut about a nonbinary corporate burnout embarking on a road trip from Chicago to Arkansas to find their conspiracy-theorist father, who has gone missing—for fans of Detransition Baby and Chain-Gang All-Stars

The newly nameless narrator of Make Sure You Die Screaming has rejected the gender binary, has flamed out with a vengeance at their corporate gig, is most likely brain damaged from a major tussle with their now ex-boyfriend, and is on a bender to end all benders.

A call from their mother with the news that their MAGA-friendly, conspiracy-theorist father has gone missing launches the narrator from Chicago to deep red Arkansas in a stolen car. Along the way, the narrator and their new bestie—a self-proclaimed "garbage goth" with her own emotional baggage (and someone on her tail)—unpack the narrator’s childhood and a recent personal loss that they refuse to face head-on.

An unflinching interrogation of class rage, economic (im)mobility, gender expression, and the rot at the heart of capitalism, Make Sure You Die Screaming is the loud, funny, tragic, suspenseful road trip novel of our times.

A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books.

About Zee Carlstrom

Zee Carlstrom grew up in Illinois. They believe in Frederick Douglass’s vision of America as a composite nation, where every human person can come together to live in harmony.

About Major Curda

Major Curda is a multi-disciplinary mixed Asian-American actor/storyteller who’s collaborated on various projects for Theatre, Film, Television, and Voiceover. Regardless of medium, Major strives to find the humanity in every character and honor the stakes of each world, when narrating they especially enjoy playing with accents/dialects and bringing magical worlds to life. Major has had the privilege of voicing half a dozen audiobooks with Macmillan and they look forward to many more. Major was recently selected to be an inaugural member of the Trailblazer Cohort as part of the Anna Arts Deadline Awards. Emerging Artist/Mentee of The Actors Center. Alumnus of Carnegie Mellon, SITI Skidmore, and Cherubs. @Majorly.MC.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Kezia on April 15, 2025

Oh man, I love an unhinged story. Give me all the crazines please! This one is definitely not for everyone, since it dives into some pretty heavy political opinions throughout. Personally, I wasn’t offended by any of it. I actually really enjoyed this wild ride with the MC as he tries to piece toget......more

Goodreads review by Denise on January 17, 2025

3.5 stars rounded up. "Be gay, do crimes," substance abuse and mental breakdowns are romanticized in queer culture, but it doesn't always make them interesting to read about. Those were, however, the vibes of the book. Make Sure You Die Screaming was a short, frenetic read following a wild trip (lit......more

Goodreads review by Queralt✨ on May 21, 2025

Make Sure You Die Screaming is an unhinged road trip story following a recently nameless narrator on their way to find their missing conspiracy-theorist, MAGA-hat-wearer father. The book gets a little crazy and while I think I enjoyed it, the weirdness got old quickly (it's a road trip, crazy thing......more

Goodreads review by Shannon on March 22, 2025

This debut was a rage-fuelled bonkers road trip adventure story featuring an unnamed genderfluid, nonbinary queer on the run with their friend after being bashed in the head from their ex with a baseball bat. I loved that this was totally out there but grounded in real life concerns and fears many i......more

Goodreads review by Emily on April 30, 2025

Thank you to Goodreads for providing me a copy of this book as part of a giveaway! I was lucky enough to win for the first time, and reading this was a fun and somewhat unhinged read. Make Sure You Die Screaming is the kind of book that makes me feel like this app really needs half star capability.......more

Quotes

Praise for Make Sure You Die Screaming

Named one of the "hottest debut novels of 2025" by Goodreads
A Barnes & Noble pick for their 2025 Yearly Reading Challenge
One of Them's Most Anticipated Books of 2025
One of Debutiful's Most Anticipated Debut Novels of 2025
The Mary Sue pick for its 15 Most Anticipated LGBTQ Books of 2025


“I loved every loud, messy page. Zee Carlstrom is the first writer to make me feel better about my own life choices.” —Sam Irby, New York Times bestselling author of Wow, No Thank You

"Make Sure You Die Screaming roars to life from page one and never lets up. It’s a Fear and Loathing for the generation devastated by the generation that brought us Fear and Loathing." —Torrey Peters, author of Detransition, Baby

“This intense, shapeshifting, nightmarish debut is like a sweatier, sweeter, queerer, and somehow more mullety Natural Born Killers, where all bets are off, all rules crossed out. Even just one line will keep you up all night.” —Patrick Nathan, author of The Future Was Color

"Make Sure You Die Screaming is the debut novel our country needs (but doesn’t deserve). It’s a tight little banger about the shared delusion of family that left my heart, as Zee Carlstrom’s head-wounded unnamed narrator would say, 'as full as my bladder,' because putting it down long enough to pee was out of the question." —Ruth Madievsky, bestselling author of All-Night Pharmacy

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