The writing of the book was supported by residencies at Yaddo, MacDowell Colony, Ucross Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center; at MacDowell, Solomon was the DeWitt Wallace/Reader's Digest Fellow and later the Stanford Calderwood fellow. The book was named one of the 10 best books of 2012 by The New York Times.
The author received funding for their book through residencies at various prestigious institutions, including Yaddo, MacDowell Colony, Ucross Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center. Solomon held significant fellowships during this time, such as the DeWitt Wallace/Reader's Digest Fellowship and later the Stanford Calderwood fellowship. The book was highly acclaimed by critics, being named one of the top 10 books of 2012 by The New York Times.