Booksmith presents: Adam Johnson / The Wayfinder

The Booksmith

1727 Haight St, San Francisco, CA 94117

From $33.00

Fri, October 17th, 2025 @ 7:00PM PDT

The Booksmith is so excited to be welcoming Adam Johnson back to the shop for the launch of The Wayfinder. Purchase of a book is required for entry. Space is limited. More details to come, but please join us!

About the book

A historical epic about a girl from a remote Tongan island who becomes her people's queen.

The Wayfinder is an epic, sweeping novel set in the Polynesian islands of the South Pacific during the height of the Tu’i Tonga Empire. At its heart is Kōrero, a young girl chosen to save her people from the brink of starvation. Her quest takes her from her remote island home on a daring seafaring journey across a vast ocean empire built on power, consumption, and bloodshed.

With the grandeur of Wolf HallShogun, and War and PeaceThe Wayfinder immerses readers in a world untouched by Western influence, evoking the lost art of oral storytelling. Far from a conventional swashbuckling adventure, it conjures a world of outrigger canoes and celestial navigation, weaving a narrative that is as much about survival and self-discovery as it is about the sweeping history of the Tongan people.

In this monumental literary work, Adam Johnson explores themes of indigeneity, ecological balance, and the resilience of humanity in the face of scarcity, marking the novel as a profound meditation on both individual and cultural legacy.

About the author

Adam Johnson is the author of Fortune Smiles, winner of the National Book Award and the Story Prize, and The Orphan Master’s Son, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, and the California Book Award. Johnson’s other awards include a Holtzbrinck Fellowship at the American Academy in Berlin, a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Whiting Award, a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, and a Stegner Fellowship; he was also a finalist for the New York Public Library’s Young Lions Fiction Award. His previous books are Emporium, a short-story collection, and the novel Parasites Like Us. Johnson was born in South Dakota and is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. He now lives in San Francisco with his wife and children and teaches creative writing at Stanford University.

About the bookstore

The Booksmith is an independent bookstore located in the Haight Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco since 1976.

Please note:

  • Check-in for the event will begin at 6:45pm.
  • Purchase of a book is required for entry.
  • Space at the door on the day of the event is usually available, but not guaranteed.
  • ADA accessible. Bathrooms on site during event hours.
  • Events typically end between 8:30 and 9pm.
  • Questions? tickets@booksmith.com


Policies

Refund Policy:

No refunds or returns.

Cancellation Policy:

In the event of cancellation, you will be refunded the price of your ticket within 4 business days.

Directions
The Booksmith
1727 Haight St
San Francisco, CA 94117
415-863-8688
We Value Your Privacy

This site uses cookies to enhance your browsing experience, analyze website traffic, and keep track of your shopping cart. We recommend clicking "Accept" to leave these enabled, but you may also customize your experience via "Customize".