This month we’re talking about CRAZY RICH ASIANS by Kevin Kwan. This book was published in 2013. This is basically a romantic comedy. In fact, a movie of the same name was released in 2018 based on this book. CRAZY RICH ASIANS is the first book in a trilogy, with the other books being CHINA RICH GIRLFRIEND and RICH PEOPLE PROBLEMS.

Rachel is an economics prof and her boyfriend Nick is a history prof at NYU. When Nick invites Rachel to accompany him on a trip back to Singapore where he’ll be best man at his friend’s wedding, Rachel finds out Nick is not just wealthy, but crazy rich. So rich, other rich people haven’t heard about him. Rachel is faced with culture shock, jealousy, prejudice, suspicion, and betrayal as she tries to figure out whether Nick is still the man of her dreams.

Linda says this is definitely a beach read type of book. We get love but we also get a lot of glitz and glamour about how the one-percenters live. In the opening chapter, Nick’s mom impulsively buys a hotel when the staff don’t welcome them.

Nancy asks Linny, since she loves a good romance, whether this is the kind of book she might typically pick up. Linny says, no, because she typically reads boys meets girl and the conclusion is that they get together. In CRAZY RICH ASIANS, Rachel and Nick are already a serious couple when we meet them. Linny said it was an enjoyable book for her to read, especially given we were in the middle of the Biafran War last month!

Linny also tells Nancy about her latest acting gig outside Washington, DC and why she understands the motivation behind arranged marriages.

Today we interview Dr. Taiwo Bello about the historical and contemporary contexts of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's HALF OF A YELLOW SUN. Nancy loves this interview because neither she nor Linda knew anything about the Biafran War. Linny likes that we then talk about lessons we can learn so we don’t repeat those mistakes.

Taiwo Bello is an Assistant Professor of African History and an affiliate faculty member of the Africana Studies Centre at Oklahoma State University. His research and teaching interests encompass gender and women's history, war and society, violence and conflict studies, the history of crime, law, and punishment, Black and diaspora studies, genocide, human rights, and humanitarian histories, as well as global and transnational history. He serves on the Editorial Review Boards of the AFRICAN STUDIES ASSOCIATION journal, HISTORY IN AFRICA, published by Cambridge University Press; and the CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF AFRICAN STUDIES journal, the CANADIAN JOURNAL OF AFRICAN STUDIES, published by Taylor & Francis. He is a founding editor of SCHOLAR’S CORNER, a subsidiary blog of the journal, GENOCIDE STUDIES INTERNATIONAL, published by University of Toronto Press.

He is revising his second book entitled SOLDIERS ON RAMPAGE: GENDER, BLOCKADE, VIOLENCE AND RESISTANCE IN BIAFRA DURING THE NIGERIAN CIVIL WAR, 1967-1970. The book examines the impact of the wartime violence between the Nigerian and Biafran soldiers on Biafran women and their families, and the women's responses to wartime atrocities. The book demonstrates how food was central to the constant violence unleashed on women in the heartland of Biafra.

His forthcoming book, INVENTING ORDER: CRIME, LAW, AND PUNISHMENT IN NIGERIA AND THE DIASPORA, adopts a multidisciplinary approach to examine the evolution of crimes (armed robbery, immigration fraud, financial fraud, drug trafficking) in Nigeria and their local and global implications.

This month we’re reading HALF OF A YELLOW SUN by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Listeners might remember Episode 88 when our guest to discuss Chinua Achebe’s THINGS FALL ABOUT, Dr. Thomas Jay Lynn, mentioned one of his favorite books about Africa was HALF OF A YELLOW SUN. We made a note of that, and here we are! Chinua Achebe’s THINGS FALL apart was one of Linny’s favorite books we’ve read. So, she was interested to read this book that takes place 80 years later. Nigeria is breaking apart and the Igbo people in southeastern Nigeria declare themselves a separate country called Biafra. This novel is set in the late 1960s immediately before and during the Biafran war and we meet a lot of characters, but for Nancy, it is really the story about the private lives of 20-something twin sisters, Olanna and Kainene and the choice they make turning this turbulent time. They come from an affluent and wealthy family and they’ve been educated in England. Olanna is the “beauty” and she is a people pleaser, and lacks confidence. Kainene is not beautiful and is blunt and is successfully assuming leadership of her father’s businesses. Neither Linny nor Nancy knew much about Biafra before reading this book. Linny said she knows there has always been lots of political unrest in Africa. Nancy talks about why she thinks that is a result of colonialization.

The war has a huge impact on the arc of all the characters. Olanna, because Odenigbo disintegrates, must step up and help her family survive and also becomes stronger and more confident. Kainene is confident and competent and becomes more so, eventually operating a refugee camp, becoming more a humanitarian.

Nancy thinks Ugwu’s journey from innocence to moral disintegration is a commentary on war. What does war do to people? We kill each other and perpetrate other inhumanities. Linny says by the end of the war, the characters have to figure out how to pick up the pieces of who they are and try to move on.

Today we interview Dr. Ted Hamann about EDUCATED, a memoir by Tara Westover. Ted is the Charles Bessey professor of teaching, learning and teacher education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Ted is an anthropologist of education with a primary scholarly focus on the interface between education policy and practice. He is author/editor of 14 books/monographs/journal special issues and has published almost 100 journal articles and book chapters. In 2019, Hamann served as a Fulbright Garcia-Robles U.S. Scholar at the Tijuana campus of the Universidad Pedagógica Nacional studying binational higher education collaborations that were intended to better prepare educators in both the United States and Mexico. He is an AERA fellow of the American +Education Research Association and a NEPC fellow at the National Education Policy Center.

Ted tells us education is an aspect of anthropology because it is the way peoples have decided to pass on their humanity. Ted’s work looks at education through the lens of anthropological methods at investigating what is going on in classrooms, in teacher education, in teaching communities, and so on. The imagining of who we are, such as Tara’s quest in EDUCATED, is partially an anthropological question. We delve into what education means, in general, and what it meant to Tara. Linny was mostly interested in what happened outside the classroom, but Nancy keeps insisting what happens in the classroom mattered. Ted acknowledges that "school" is helpful to some but it can also be harmful. Tara brought a unique perspective, as well as a unique set of assets to her college experience. In fact, though difficult, her learned self-reliance and persistence were likely crucial to her eventual success. Linny is skeptical that most students have the sort of engaging and life-changing experience that Tara did, and that Ted and Nancy keep talking about. She just wanted to get through school so she won't have to work in a factory! Eventually, she does talk about her Master's education and how that mattered. Ted agrees that the voluntariness and the reason for being in a classroom matters. Tara had a good reason to be in those classrooms. Ted tells us about his research in school as a community and teacher recruitment from within difficult to staff schools.

Our September book, EDUCATED, is a memoir by Tara Westover. The youngest of seven children, Tara recounts her experience growing up in a survivalist family in rural Idaho, living mostly in isolation with her family, no formal education, not much money, and few ties to the surrounding community. Against all odds, Tara decides to follow the example of an estranged brother who has gone to college. Her quest for knowledge takes her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge University, and further divides her from the family that was once her world.

Linny says this is the kind of book that Nancy and Linny could talk about for hours, laying on a bed. It was riveting and had so many components. In the end, Nancy thought it was a book about identity. Linny loved the complexity of the family’s dysfunction and mental health issues.

Tara is supposed to be home-schooled, but in reality, there is no schooling. Tara’s father owns a junkyard and presses his children into working with him with little regard to their safety. He has a terrible temper, little regard for safety, self-aggrandizing opinions, and expectes unconditional obedience, especially from his wife and his daughters.

As Tara gets older, she starts seeing cracks in her father’s edifice. His prophecies don’t come to fruition. She notices her mother, though extremely submissive, allows her to do things, but then won’t stand up to Gene when things blow up. Instead, Tara is left to defend herself. Tara doesn’t like how her family basically disowns her brother, Luke, who decides to go to BYU. The lesson is if you disobey you are expelled. Tara suffers physical and emotional abuse but even in her journals, she downplays the problems and lies to herself about the abuse she is experiencing. Her brother Shawn is like a more violent Gene who is allowed to be physically abusive to (and nearly kill) Tara, her older sister, Audrey, and his various girlfriends and his eventual wife. No one really calls him to task but instead it isn’t happening. As she furthers her education and attempts to come to terms with her family’s view of the world, she is basically given a choice of “believe the family stories of how the world operates or be cast out.”

Linny and Nancy both say EDUCATED is a 10/10 read!

We chat with Laura Rudacille, author of this month's book, CATCHING STARS. She is an author and event speaker, specializing in women’s enrichment.  Laura has written five novels and contributed inspirational articles to four publications. She’s a licensed cosmetologist and salon owner in York, Pennsylvania. Yes, that’s where Linny lives! For ten years, Laura served as choreographer for a local high school theater program. Laura tells us she was never too much of a reader because she hated being told in school what she had to read. As a hair salon owner, she observed her clients’ reading books while their hair was drying or processing. Nora Roberts was a favorite. Then Laura found out that Nora lives nearby in Maryland. She went to some events Nora hosted and she found out Nora is just a regular person who took up writing when her kids were driving her crazy during a snowstorm. Later after Laura began trying to write, Laura’s mom brought her a box full of writing she had done that she had forgotten about. So, she was a writer as a youngster. Laura handwrote her first book, but a friend transcribed the book into digital form and urged Laura to get it published. Laura realizes now that she has always been an observer of people. She is a conversationalist, of course, behind her salon chair so she tends to be conversationally-driven. HERE’S THE THING was her first book. Her 9th grade English teacher gave her an exhaustive review that helped her improve it. One year, Laura’s family was vacationing in Chincoteague Island where she was inspired to envision a four-book series. She published SALTWATER COWBOY, the first book of the series. Then LATE TO BREAKFAST, and CATCHING STARS. She wrote INVISIBLE WOMAN, a woman’s fictional celebration about coming into her 40s. She thought another book of the series would be WAITING FOR SOMEDAY, but she skipped it and it is forthcoming, set in Philadelphia but with a visit to Chincoteague Island. Linny regales Nancy with stories of her recent trip to the shore near Chincoteague. Nancy updates Linny on her tennis game. Laughs abound.

It’s the summer of great beach reads on the Front Porch! This month we travel to Chincoteague Island. And, Linny this very next weekend is, in real life, on her way to the shore right near Chincoteague! But, in our book this month, CATCHING STARS, Lindy Colton tries to forget her violent father by leaving her beloved mom and their home on Chincoteague Island to chase her dream of becoming a famous potter. Soon, she seems to be achieving all she could ever desire, including an engagement to the rich, charismatic Hayward Livingston. But, as that relationship curdles into a replica of her mother’s abuse at the hands of Lindy’s father, Lindy travels back to Chincoteague Island to rediscover who she is and where is home. Nancy and Linny talk about the themes of intergenerational domestic violence and why they love the characters of Celeste and Tucker. Nancy recalls her recent pottery throwing class and Linny reminisces about her high school experience snaking a lump of clay into a mug.

In this episode, we’re discussing a brand-new book titled I WILL BLOSSOM ANYWAY by Disha Bose. This is a book about a young expat, Durga, who has moved from her native Calcutta, India to Ireland. Durga comes from an educated, middle-class family that observes traditional Indian ways, including “arranged” marriages. Durga is anxious to escape what she thinks of as the confines of her family and learn who she is without them around telling her who she must be. However, leaving their opinions behind is not as easy as she thinks it will be. This novel explores cultural differences and family conflicts but in a tender way. It would be a great beach read.

Today we interview Erica Slason about THE HEAVEN AND EARTH GROCERY STORE, by James McBride, and its setting in Pottstown, PA. Erica Slason joined the Historical Society of Montgomery County as archivist in 2022. Pottstown is in Montgomery County. Erica has written about the historical Pottstown portrayed in THE HEAVEN AND EARTH GROCERY STORE. We visit with Erica about the Pottstown portrayed by James McBride and learn there really is a Chicken Hill neighborhood and that Pottstown did experience an immigration boom during the 1910s-30s. In fact, Erica tells us, those interested in learning about Pottstown from that era wouldn’t go wrong in reading this book. Erica and Nancy discover many similarities between them: alma mater, musical instruments, and an affinity for spending childhood recesses in the library. Erica foregrounds for us the experience of those whose stories are not told as often as Christian White men’s stories, and also tells us what an archivist actually does! We also laugh.

We're dropping this episode a week earlier than usual since Nancy is heading to Boulder. And, we can't wait to introduce you to James McBride's recent novel - THE HEAVEN AND EARTH GROCERY STORE. This is a book about community and relationships, good and bad, in 1920s-30s Pottstown, Pennsylvania. We meet and grow to love the "outcast" people who live in the Chicken Hill neighborhood. These are the immigrants from other countries, the formerly enslaved people from the South, the non-Protestants (e.g., the Jews and the Catholics), and the poor. The first half of the book is almost a short story collection about these characters, each of whom steps forward for a momentary starring role. About half way through the book, the novel begins circling around the story of two of the characters: Chona, the proprietor of the Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, and Dodo, a young orphan boy recently deafened by an exploding stove. It's almost like a jazz piece, perhaps not a surprise given that James McBride is a jazz musician.

Allegra Goodman, author of ISOLA joins us on the front porch. Allegra is the author of seven novels. ISOLA was a Reese’s Book Club selection. Her novel SAM was a Read With Jenna Book Club selection. KAATERSKILL FALLS was a National Book Award finalist. THE CHALK ARTIST was winner of the Massachusetts Book Award. Her other books include INTUITION, THE COOKBOOK COLLECTOR, and PARADISE PARK. Allegra tells us about the 20-year gestation period for writing ISOLA, the "inspired by a fragmentary true story" novel about Marguerite, an orphaned noble in Renaissance France. We were fascinated to hear about Allegra's exploration of the danger of being a girl and how she wove that into Marguerite's story. We also talked about the realistic portrayal of Marguerite's faith journey. Allegra tells us she enjoys writing about belief and doubt and that was a key part of Marguerite's story. If you've ever wondered about the creative and research process of writing a novel, you'll enjoy this episode. We also have some hearty laughs!

ISOLA, a brand-new novel by Allegra Goodman, takes us to Renaissance France and into the life of Marguerite, a child heir to a fortune. Unfortunately for Marguerite, her deceased parents' choice for her guardian means her life does not unfold as one of prosperity and gentility. Instead, her guardian fritters away her wealth on his desire to settle New France (i.e., Canada). Marguerite is caught up in his ambitious plans and when she objects, she is left to die on a deserted Canadian island with her nanny and a man who loves her. Aside from the beautiful writing, the most amazing thing about this story, perhaps, is it was inspired by a true story. ISOLA was a Reese's Book Club Pick, a national best-seller, and was also recommended by a friend of Nancy's. It's a good one!

We are so excited to interview Eowyn Ivey about her latest book, BLACK WOODS, BLUE SKY. Eowyn was raised in Alaska and continues to live there with her husband and two daughters. Her debut novel, THE SNOW CHILD, has sold more than a million copies worldwide and is a New York Times bestseller published in more than 25 languages and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Our book, BLACK WOODS, BLUE SKY is hot off the presses - having just been published last month. This book transports us to Alaska and the remote wilderness where everyone may not be exactly who they seem to be. Birdie, a young mom, is trying to carve out a life for herself and her 6-year-old daughter, Emaleen. Arthur, a mysterious man who rarely comes to town, seems to offer everything Birdie has dreamed of. In our interview, We have a blast talking with Eowyn about the amazing character and setting of this story. Nancy gets to talk about Sandhill cranes, who also make an appearance. We also talk about the similarities between Eowyn's writing and that of one of our recent author, Louise Erdrich. We are thrilled to hear about Eowyn and Erdrich's relationship. By the end of the interview, Eowyn tells Linny and Nancy they'd fit right in at one of her community's solstice parties. Our bags are packed!!

It's our 100th episode and this is an episode with a lot of laughter. To celebrate we reminisce about why we decided to start the podcast. Nancy and Linny have VERY different reasons! We laugh about some of our early missteps and nervousness. Nancy quizzes Linny about some of the statistics about the podcast. Linny has her own curveball quiz question for Nancy. Nancy and Linny talk about what they've learned, favorite books, and dreams for the next 100 episodes.

Black Woods, Blue Sky is set in contemporary Alaska where Birdie, a 26-year-old mom, is trying to forge a life for herself and her 6-year-old daughter, Emaleen, in a small town. When Arthur, a local misfit who spends most of his time alone in his remote cabin, starts frequenting the roadside lodge where Birdie works as a waitress, they strike up an unlikely relationship. And then things get strange! Louise Erdrich says, “Black Woods, Blue Sky is a fable about what it is to love, a tale of longing, a call to renew our deepest bonds with the living world. It will draw you along like a fast-moving stream, and you will find yourself in places you have never been.”

Nancy and Linny discover they read this book differently, but both loved it and its complex characters and vivid descriptions of remote and mystical Alaska.

In THE STORM WE MADE, Cecily, an ordinary Malayan housewife, beguiled by a Japanese propaganda that Asians should rule Asia, becomes a secret agent for the Japanese in 1935. Ten years later, suffering under Japanese oppression, she and her children (aged 7 to 17) try to survive the consequences of her deception. Told from the perspectives of Cecily and each of her three children, the novel plunges us into horrific settings with only bad choices to be made. THE STORM WE MADE by debut author Vanessa Chan is one of a relatively few Western novels that tells a World War II story from the perspective of the colonized rather than the colonizer or liberator.

Nancy is excited that we are reviewing a Louise Erdrich book, THE MIGHTY RED, her latest novel, published last year. Nancy read Erdrich's book, THE BINGO PALACE, a number of years ago (it was published in 1994) and really loved it. THE MIGHTY RED is a New York Times bestseller, A Read with Jenna book club pick, and a finalist for the Kirkus Prize for Fiction. Erdrich is a contemporary American author. Many of her writings center on the Ojibwe people of the northern Great Plains. Her novels have received the National Book Award and a Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Linny and Nancy discuss the book's themes of mothers and daughters, large-scale agricultural practices, and faith and spirituality. Linny also learns a lot about sugar beets.

We talk with John Janovy, Jr., author of our February book, Life Lessons from a Parasite. John is one of the world's preeminent experts on parasites, a best-selling author, and an artist. In this fun and wide-ranging conversation, we discuss parasites, of course, but we also talk about what it means to be a decent human being, how to evaluate ideas and words we're exposed to, how the Vietnam War changed John's approach to teaching, and the fundamental importance of curiosity. We learn about John's early roots in the outdoors and his love of painting. John also tells us about the tapeworm in Robert Kennedy, Jr.'s brain. A jam-packed episode, for sure!

Our book for January is Life Lessons from a Parasite by John Janovy, Jr. John is one of the world's pre-eminent parasitologists. In his book we learn all about parasites -- the minuscule life forms that live inside other organisms. We learn about the scientists that study them. And, we are introduced to how theories about parasites and infections help us understand how infected words and ideas become parasites in our modern-day life. Linny's traumatic experience in high school biology was a challenge for her in reading about dissection, but both Linny and Nancy learned a lot about parasites and then enjoyed discussing the generalizations into how words and ideas travel through populations.

James Clear's bestselling book, Atomic Habits, tells us that tiny changes can yield remarkable results. Clear writes, "The quality of our lives often depends on the quality of our habits. With the same habits, you'll end up with the same results. But with better habits, anything is possible." Linny and Nancy discuss their initial attempts to implement what they learned from this book. Not surprisingly, they took two very different approaches. Nancy, ever the planner, created an entire system. Linny, the free spirit, embraced good habits as they presented themselves. They share these new habits and early results.