My first novel, out November 14, 2018 from 7.13 Books. Kirkus Reviews called it “A thoughtful, caring examination of race, class, and wealth in America.”

“It may be her debut, but Jenn Stroud Rossmann’s novel shows she’s a startlingly wise and insightful writer. She effortlessly weaves together the stories of the extended Loudermilk family, a rich, complicated, and love-able cast of characters. Instantly absorbing and full of life, this is a story told with humor and heart.” —Alix Ohlin, author of Inside

“Acutely observed, full of wit, keen insight, and compassion,  The Place You’re Supposed to Laugh follows an ensemble of complicated, entirely human characters, as they seek to define, or in some cases reclaim, their own identities in a radically shifting world.” —Kate Racculia, author of Bellweather Rhapsody

"Rossmann's gift as a novelist is her keen and tender-hearted social observation of a diverse and struggling cast of characters.  The Place You're Supposed to Laugh is a wonderful and rich debut with a big heart." — Heidi W. Durrow, New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Fell From the Sky 

It’s 2002 in Silicon Valley, and the fizz has gone out of the dot-com bubbly. Chad Loudermilk is a freshman at Palo Alto High School, and his best friend’s transfer out has made him acutely aware that he’s the only black kid at Paly. His “well-meaning but nevertheless white” adoptive parents worry that they can no longer afford their rented house, resenting those who continue to prosper, especially the internet mogul next door. Chad must navigate a series of “disruptions” to figure out what comes next. With insights into race and class delivered with a comic touch, The Place You’re Supposed to Laugh offers a picture of a family and neighborhood that is both heartbreaking and hilarious, sometimes at once. 

Buy it from Bookshop here

A playlist at LargeheartedBoy

Taking My Time at Bloom

IF MY BOOK at Monkeybicycle

Research Notes at Necessary Fiction

My Shelfie at The Coil

My First Time at Quivering Pen

Interview in San Francisco Chronicle (!)