Book Gang

Amy DuBois Barnett draws on her editorial career for If I Ruled the World—a vibrant novel of magazine publishing, ambition, and reinvention in 1990s media.

I’m honored to warmly welcome Amy DuBois Barnett to Book Gang as she shares the story behind her debut novel, If I Ruled the World. Drawing on her groundbreaking career in magazine publishing, Amy brings us a vibrant, sometimes gritty, and always honest exploration of ambition, identity, and reinvention in 1990s print media.

Today we explore Amy’s decades-in-the-making fiction journey, what inspired her to finally tell this story, and how her editorial background influenced her process as a novelist.

If I Ruled the World follows Nikki, a thirty-something woman navigating the cutthroat world of late-90s print media after bravely reporting a powerful colleague’s misconduct. As she hustles to revive a struggling hip hop magazine, Nikki’s journey is marked by career chaos, personal missteps, and a search for her true voice amid shifting alliances and expectations.

With wit and candor, Amy unpacks the complexities of identity, representation, and legacy as she crafts a story that is both an insider’s look at magazine publishing and a deeply personal tale of transformation.

In this week’s fascinating episode, we discuss:

📚 The Writing Journey: Amy shares how she made history as the first Black woman to helm a major mainstream U.S. magazine and how decades in editorial shaped her fiction. We discuss why writing this debut novel in her fifties was the perfect moment,  and celebrating that long-awaited “yes.”

📚 Representation & Identity: We talk about Amy’s trailblazing career and how this experience shaped her leadership, and what she borrowed from her own life to bring Nikki’s biggest triumphs and trials to life in this story.

📚 Building a Magazine: Step inside the electric world of 1990s magazine publishing—where iconic covers were gambles, backstage drama was real, and Nikki’s story was born from Amy’s lived experience. Amy shares a high-stakes celebrity cover story that blurred the lines between art and life, plus her perspective on the reckoning in hip hop she witnessed firsthand in this #metoo moment.

FREE BONUS BOOK LIST: 13 Books About Magazines to Light Up Your Analog Heart— This curated list dives into the page-turning, messy, and fascinating world of magazines, both real and fictional. Patrons will receive a printable book list and an exclusive spoiler-filled episode with Amy DuBois Barnett!

Meet Amy DuBois Barnett

Amy DuBois Barnett is an award-winning media executive and author who earned national acclaim as editor in chief of Honey, Ebony, and Teen People—where she made history as the first Black woman to helm a major mainstream U.S. magazine—and as deputy editor in chief of Harper’s Bazaar. She has held senior leadership roles at Paramount, Hearst, Disney, Time Inc., and several independently owned brands. Barnett has a BA from Brown University and an MFA in creative writing from Columbia University. She resides in Los Angeles. If I Ruled the World is her debut novel and is available on store shelves now.

NEW BOOK LIST: 13 Books About Magazines to Light Up Your Analog Heart (FREE TO BROWSE ON PATREON THIS WEEK)

SUPPORT OUR FAMILY: Download the 2026 Summer Reading Guide (57-Pages of Bookish Fun With 70 Tried-and-True Recommendations): http://buymeacoffee.com/bookgangpodcast/e/535779

SUPPORT OUR FAMILY: Join the Book Gang- patreon.com/momadvice

2026 MomAdvice Book Club Books (All 12 Selections)

Daughters of Shandong by Eve J. Chung

Inside the Creation of Daughters of Shandong with Eve J. Chung (Book Gang Podcast)

If I Ruled the World Playlist

If I Ruled the World by Amy DuBois Barnett

The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris

Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

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Amy Chozick discusses her debut, With Friends Like You—a twisty thriller set in New York that explores friendship, motherhood, and reinvention.

Editor’s Note: Today’s episode is marked as explicit.

We’re kicking off a truly special Book Gang episode with Amy Chozick, who brings both warmth and wit to the conversation around her fiction debut thriller, With Friends Like You. This intimate story is set in New York City’s hidden corners—a story of friendship, motherhood, and the reinvention that comes after everything changes.

Today we explore Amy’s transition from political reporting to penning a propulsive, confessional thriller about the high-wire act of modern motherhood and the secrets that shape our closest friendships.

In With Friends Like You, Emily is still reeling from a harrowing birth experience and struggling to find solid ground as a new mother in Manhattan. Missing the woman she was before, she is drawn into a search for her enigmatic former roommate, Daisy. When Daisy reappears with plans for an exclusive wellness center, old wounds are reopened, and the cracks in their friendship threaten to unravel Emily’s fragile world. Together, they create a space for New York moms—complete with IV vitamin infusions, nap rooms, and communal childcare—as they navigate secrets, betrayals, and the longing for connection.

With raw honesty and a fiercely contemporary lens, Amy unpacks her real-life inspiration, the transition from journalism to fiction, and the emotional terrain of motherhood, friendship, and ambition.

In this juicy conversation, we discuss:

📚 The Writing Journey: Amy shares how the Hollywood Writers Strike became an unusual catalyst for finding the time and headspace to write fiction. We discuss the questions that drove her from political reporting to fiction, the early premise, her path from outline to final draft, and what it’s like to land her first fiction book deal.

📚 Reporting as Inspiration: Amy discloses how many of her journalistic pieces ended up becoming important elements in her story, from the high-rise setting to reporting on Stormy Daniels, which gave her a firsthand look at secrets, power, and reinvention that now pulse through the novel.

📚 New Motherhood and Pelvic Floor Therapy: We delve into the realities of new motherhood and the absence of villages and third space for mothers, why pelvic floor therapy is a crucially under-discussed part of postpartum recovery, and how Amy’s fiction sheds light on the emotional and physical challenges faced by new mothers—topics that deserve more open conversation in both literature and life.

BONUS BOOK LIST: My Top Books of the Year (So Far) – I’m sharing the fifteen books that have wowed me after reading sixty-eight titles through June! Patrons receive a printable list and a sneak peek at two book club picks for our 2027 book club year.

Meet Amy Chozick

Amy Chozick is a bestselling author, screenwriter, and award-winning journalist who has covered the biggest stories in politics, business, and media for The New York Times. She is the author of the New York Times bestseller Chasing Hillary, which was adapted into the HBO Max series The Girls on the Bus. Her writing has appeared in Vogue, Vanity Fair, and more. Amy is currently adapting With Friends Like You into a major motion picture with Fifth Season and Academy Award-winning producer Brad Weston. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and son.

NEW BOOK LIST: My Top Books of 2026 (So Far) Book List (FREE TO BROWSE ON PATREON THIS WEEK)

SUPPORT OUR FAMILY: Download the 2026 Summer Reading Guide (57-Pages of Bookish Fun With 70 Tried-and-True Recommendations): http://buymeacoffee.com/bookgangpodcast/e/535779

SUPPORT OUR FAMILY: Join the Book Gang- patreon.com/momadvice

2026 MomAdvice Book Club Books (All 12 Selections)

Daughters of Shandong by Eve J. Chung

Inside the Creation of Daughters of Shandong with Eve J. Chung (Book Gang Podcast)

With Friends Like You by Amy Chozick

This Year You Write Your Novel by Walter Mosley

David Carr

Chasing Hillary by Amy Chozick

The Girls on the Bus

Shark Heart by Emily Habeck

Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe

Margo’s Got Money Troubles

Towers of Secrecy

Rosemary’s Baby

Somewhere

The Big, Controversial Business of The Wing, Explained

Panera Sips Club

The Bee Sting by Paul Murray

Pagebound

How the Pagebound App Reinvents Social Reading (Podcast)

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Molly Fader joins us to discuss Lady X, her soapy and subversive 1970s historical novel blending female-driven mystery, revenge, and legacy.

This week on Book Gang, I’m thrilled to welcome returning guest Molly Fader, an acclaimed voice in historical fiction and romance, for a deep-dive conversation about her latest soapy novel, Lady X. It blends the revenge vibes of The Change with the emotional punch of Husbands & Lovers.

Readers meet Margot, whose husband’s humiliating scandal sends her back to her childhood home just as her mother’s memory fades. An attic discovery—a photo linking her mother to the infamous 1970s vigilante group Lady X—launches Margot and her daughter into a cross-generational mystery that’s as much about rage and legacy as it is about revenge.

With wicked graffiti, oodles of secrets, and a freshly fierce examination of what women inherit when they stop apologizing, we unbox Molly’s real-life inspiration, reading life, and the demands of a mixed-media reading experience.

In this thought-provoking conversation, we discuss:

📚 Inspiration & Crafting Mythic Narratives: Molly discusses the mythic question at the heart of Lady X: What if the woman your family dismissed was once the most feared vigilante in New York? She shares how the story’s seeds were planted, the journey from idea to page, and the creative decisions behind her use of mixed media—such as newspaper clippings—to build a larger-than-life legend.

📚  Why the 1970s Was the Perfect Era: Molly reflects on the research behind her 1970s timeline, the echoes of contemporary issues, and the need for solidarity when systems fail to protect women. We gossip about what other books have gotten right or wrong about capturing this era, and the current publishing trends exploring it.

📚  Revenge, Righteous Anger, and Nuance: We explore how Lady X balances the satisfaction of revenge fiction with the nuanced portrayal of both women and men, the real-life heroes who inspired the story, and the conversations Molly hopes book clubs will have about the ongoing fight for women’s voices.

BONUS BOOK LIST: 12 “Good For Her” Books- Admittedly, this is a subgenre of my own creation, as we celebrate stories where women unapologetically take up space, seize their power, and, when necessary, deliver a well-deserved comeuppance. A variety pack of fun is available to browse for free today. Patrons will receive a printable book list and a bonus spoiler conversation with Molly today.

Meet Molly Fader

Molly Fader is the author of The McAvoy Sisters Book of Secrets, The Bitter and Sweet of Cherry Season and The Sunshine Girls. The Sunshine Girls is one of Library Reads and Amazon Editor's Ten Best Books of December. Under the name Molly O'Keefe she is the award-winning and USA Today Bestselling author of contemporary romance. Lady X hits store shelves on July 14th and is available to pre-order now.

NEW BOOK LIST: 12 “Good For Her” Books- Flip some tables with me through these stories that center female revenge, joy, and autonomy in one delicious stack (FREE TO BROWSE ON PATREON THIS WEEK)

SUPPORT OUR FAMILY: Download the 2026 Summer Reading Guide (57-Pages of Bookish Fun With 70 Tried-and-True Recommendations): http://buymeacoffee.com/bookgangpodcast/e/535779

SUPPORT OUR FAMILY: Join the Book Gang- patreon.com/momadvice

2026 MomAdvice Book Club Books (All 12 Selections)

Daughters of Shandong by Eve J. Chung

Inside the Creation of Daughters of Shandong with Eve J. Chung (Book Gang Podcast)

The Change by Kirsten Miller

Husbands and Lovers by Beatriz Williams

Lady X by Molly Fader

The Sunshine Girls by Molly Fader

The Magic of Old Hollywood Books with Molly Fader (Book Gang Podcast)

Day Drinking with Authors

Joshilyn Jackson, Missing Sisters & The Meadowlyn

Day Drinking with Joshilyn Jackson

Missing Sister by Joshilyn Jackson

Vigilante Shit

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawn Walton

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins

Helen Laser

The Wedding People by Alison Espach

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

Bad Sisters by Rebecca Chance

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

The Seekers of Deer Creek by Thao Thai

One’s Company by Ashley Hutson

Inside One’s Company: Obsession, Isolation and Talking with Ashley Hutson (Podcast)

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

The Women by Kristin Hannah

The Half Life by Rachel Beanland

A Hymn to Life by Giséle Pelicot

AOC

Tarana Burke

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Eve J. Chung joins our July Book Club to discuss Daughters of Shandong, a gripping historical novel of survival, resilience, and family during wartime China.

This week on Book Gang, Eve J. Chung—acclaimed human rights lawyer, debut novelist, and storyteller inspired by her family's extraordinary past—joins us for a riveting conversation about her powerful historical novel,  Daughters of Shandong. Eve brings a deep personal history to the page, exploring the cost of survival during China's 1948 Communist Revolution.

In this episode, we’ll talk about turning family history into fiction, the ethical challenges of writing about trauma, and how Eve researched and structured a sweeping historical novel that moves with the urgency of a thriller. Eve reveals how her experience as a human rights lawyer challenged her writing process, the unique struggles of portraying women who both resist and uphold patriarchy, and the responsibility of illuminating lesser-known history for the next generation of readers.

In this thought-provoking conversation, we discuss:

📚 Transforming Family History Into Fiction: Eve shares the moment her grandmother’s story took hold of her imagination, how she balanced fact and invention, and the research process that brought 1948 China to life. She discusses the challenges and responsibilities of fictionalizing family trauma and how she honored her relatives’ experiences while protecting their privacy.

📚 Writing Women, Power, and Patriarchy: Eve explores her approach to portraying women who both reinforce and resist patriarchal systems, including complex characters like Hai’s grandmother. She explains the importance of showing both oppression and agency within one household, and how her background in human rights law shaped her understanding of these dynamics.

📚 Illuminating Hidden History: Eve discusses the little-known historical events that inspired Daughters of Shandong, her strategies for bringing lesser-documented moments to life, and the balance between emotional intensity and reader accessibility—especially in the book’s most harrowing scenes.

📚 FREE BONUS BOOK LIST: To celebrate Eve's book, I have created a companion book list with a rather unique subgenre that I love: 21 Books About Walks.  I have gathered books where the journey on foot is the story's engine, including my all-time favorites and a few new releases I can't wait to read. You can browse the full list for free on Patreon! Patrons will receive weekly printable checklists, five hidden gem titles, and a bonus spoiler episode with Eve.

Meet Eve J. Chung

Eve J. Chung is a Taiwanese American lawyer and women’s human rights specialist. She has worked on a range of issues, including torture, sexual violence, contemporary forms of slavery, and discriminatory legislation. Her writing is inspired by social justice movements and the continued struggle for equality and fundamental freedoms worldwide. She currently lives in New York with her husband, two children, and two dogs. Daughters of Shandong is her debut novel and is available on store shelves now.

NEW BOOK LIST:: 21 Incredible Books About Walks- Take a long walk through fiction and nonfiction today! (FREE TO BROWSE ON PATREON THIS WEEK)

SUPPORT OUR FAMILY: Download the 2026 Summer Reading Guide (57-Pages of Bookish Fun With 70 Tried-and-True Recommendations): http://buymeacoffee.com/bookgangpodcast/e/535779

SUPPORT OUR FAMILY: Join the Book Gang- patreon.com/momadvice

2026 MomAdvice Book Club Books (All 12 Selections)

Daughters of Shandong by Eve J. Chung

The Young Will Remember by Eve J. Chung

Daughters of Shandong with Eve Chung on Reflecting History

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Elisa Faison joins Book Gang to discuss Skin Contact, her debut exploring the impact of an open marriage on a couple and their circle.

This week on Book Gang, Elisa Faison—acclaimed short story writer, debut novelist, and someone living openly in a nontraditional marriage—joins us for an unflinching conversation about her novel, Skin Contact. Elisa brings rare firsthand insight to the page, drawing from her own experience to challenge stereotypes and misconceptions about open marriage that have long been absent in our fiction stacks.

In this episode, we’ll talk about writing from the inside of creative work and what it means to craft intimacy and connection in this refreshing story that hits all the romance story beats. Elisa reveals how she built the intricate structure of Skin Contact, her approach to nontraditional relationships on the page, and the craft of weaving multiple storylines into a resonant whole.

In this rich conversation, we discuss:

📚 The Writing Journey & Literary Beginnings: Elisa shares her roots as a bookseller and editor, the winding path from her initial idea for Skin Contact to securing her agent and book deal, and what surprised her most about the debut journey. She reflects on outlining, the evolution of the novel’s interconnected structure, and the pivotal moments that shaped the sale of her book, including the role book scouts play in her international sales.

📚 Love, Marriage, and Literary Complexity: Elisa discusses nontraditional relationship structures, including her own experience in an open marriage and what many stories get wrong about these dynamics. She shares the craft of writing intimacy and connection, the delicate dance between genre expectations and literary ambitions, and her perspective on how literature can challenge assumptions about love and commitment.

📚 Story Structure & Creative Identity: We dive deep into Frances’s job as a ghostwriter—how invisibility, credit, and creative ownership shape her story—and what drew Elisa to this lens. Elisa discusses the challenge of writing unresolved grief and how her own experiences informed Frances’s emotional journey.

📚 FREE BONUS BOOK LIST: 17 Literary Love Stories That Linger—Discover 17 unforgettable stories that explore connection and longing, curated as the perfect companion to Skin Contact in this week’s book list. Patrons receive a printable book list, five bonus book ideas, and a bonus spoiler chat with Elisa in their inbox today.

Meet Elisa Faison

Elisa Faison is a writer and freelance editor living in Carrboro, North Carolina with her partner and two-year-old twins. She has published stories in The Missouri Review, Electric Literature, Smokelong Quarterly, and more. Her story “Motherlove” was the recipient of the 2024 Peden Prize, awarded by The Missouri Review and judged by Rachel Yoder. Her story “Group Sex” was the third most-read story of 2023 in Electric Literature. Formerly, Elisa worked as a bookseller at Flyleaf Books and as the book reviews editor at The Carolina Quarterly. She holds a PhD in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Skin Contact, this week’s featured selection, arrives June 23rd from Cardinal Press.

NEW BOOK LIST: 17 Literary Love Stories That Linger (FREE TO BROWSE ON PATREON THIS WEEK)

NEW: Download the 2026 Summer Reading Guide (57-Pages of Bookish Fun With 70 Tried-and-True Recommendations): http://buymeacoffee.com/bookgangpodcast/e/535779

2026 MomAdvice Book Club Books (All 12 Selections)

Skin Contact by Elisa Faison

Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason

Sophie, Standing There by Meg Mason

Thirst Trap by Gráinne O’Hare

Moderation by Elaine Castillo

Love is an Algorithm by Laura Brooke Robson

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

Vladimir by Julia May Jonas

Vladimir

Acts of Service by Lillian Fishman

The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff

The Bright Years with Sarah Damoff (Podcast Interview)

The Burning Side with Sarah Damoff (Podcast Interview)

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

Slanting Towards the Sea by Lidija Hilje

Slanting Towards the Sea with Lidija Hilje(Podcast Interview)

Fates & Furies by Lauren Groff

The Best Plus Size Romance Characters to Love with Julia Murphy & Sierra Simone (Podcast Interview)

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Kia Abdullah joins Book Gang to discuss Next of Kin, her gripping backlist thriller about sisterhood laced with a high-stakes courtroom drama you won’t forget.

This week on Book Gang, we’re joined by Kia Abdullah, award-winning novelist and founder of Asian Booklist, for a deeply engaging conversation about her acclaimed thriller Next of Kin. We’ll dig into Kia’s unique journey from a career in tech to her bold work as a full-time author, and explore how her advocacy is changing the landscape for British-Asian writers in publishing.

Kia share more behind the art of writing high-stakes suspense, the impact of BookTok on the thriller genre, and the real-life inspirations behind Next of Kin’s unforgettable courtroom drama. Discover the secrets to building authentic tension, crafting twisty plots, and what she hopes readers will take away from her exploration of sisterhood, responsibility, and the complexities of motherhood.

In this informative conversation, we discuss:

📚 The Writing Journey & Bold Storytelling: From a background in computer science and tech to full-time novelist, Kia shares what gave her the courage to pursue writing and how she built a career tackling controversial themes. Her reflections on confidence, resilience, and the impact of BookTok on her work offer deep insight into her evolution as a thriller writer.

📚 Crafting High-Stakes Suspense (Spoiler-Free): Kia discusses how she uses backstory, emotional stakes, and authentic courtroom drama to build suspense in Next of Kin. From the novel’s powerful opening to its exploration of sisterhood, motherhood, and responsibility, she shares her approach to writing tension-filled, thought-provoking crime fiction.

📚 Amplifying British-Asian Voices: Kia Abdullah founded Asian Booklist to spotlight British-Asian authors who are often underrepresented in publishing. Through this initiative, she’s opening doors for new and established writers, creating a much-needed space for authentic stories and diverse perspectives to reach wider audiences.

📚 BONUS FREE WEEKLY BOOK LIST: 16 Legal Thriller Books to Read Now

Discover 16 Books 16 Legal Thrillers to add to your book stack. Prepare for high-stakes courtroom drama, fascinating true crime, and the kind of page-turning suspense that keeps you up way past your bedtime. Patrons receive a printable book list, five bonus book ideas, and a bonus spoiler chat with Kia in their inbox today.

Meet Kia Abdullah

Kia Abdullah is an author and journalist from London. Her novels include Take It Back (a Guardian and Telegraph thriller of the year), Truth Be Told (shortlisted for a Diverse Book Award), Next of Kin (longlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger Award) and Those People Next Door (a Times Bestseller and Waterstones Thriller of the Month). Her new novel, What Happens in the Dark, is out now.

Kia has won a Diverse Book Award (2022) and a JB Priestley Award for Writers of Promise (2020). She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and has written for The New York Times, The Guardian, The Times, and the BBC, among others.

Next of Kin, this week’s featured selection, is on store shelves now.

NEW BOOK LIST: 16 Legal Thriller Books to Read Now FREE TO BROWSE ON PATREON THIS WEEK)

NEW: Download the 2026 Summer Reading Guide (57-Pages of Bookish Fun With 70 Tried-and-True Recommendations)

2026 MomAdvice Book Club Books (All 12 Selections)

Next of Kin by Kia Abdullah

Take It Back by Kia Abdullah

Asian Booklist Substack

Brick Lane by Monica Ali

Junie by Erin Crosby Eckstine

Zubs Uncovered

Truth Be Told by Kia Abdullah

Books with Good Plot Twists That Will Make Your Jaw Drop

The Chain by Adrian McKinty

Stealing Hollywood by Alexandra Sokoloff

The Science of Storytelling by Will Storr

What Happens in the Dark by Kia Abdullah

The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano by Donna Freitas

Elizabeth Day

Royal Society of Literature

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Travel to Ireland with Charleen Hurtubise to celebrate her US debut, Saoirse—a moving story of art, memory, and reinvention set on Donegal’s wild Atlantic coast.

Book Gang welcomes Charleen Hurtubise, novelist and artist, to discuss her sweeping and quietly powerful novel, Saoirse. Charleen draws on her transatlantic life, her creative work as an artist, and her deep ties to Ireland and Michigan to bring this immersive story to life.

Set in 1990s Donegal, this immersive novel follows Saoirse Byrne, an artist whose life is transformed when she unexpectedly wins the prestigious Margaret Dowling Art Prize. As fame threatens to uncover long-buried secrets from her Michigan past, Saoirse must navigate a world shaped by Ireland’s social and political change, Catholic influence, and her own search for freedom.

In this layered and moving conversation, we discuss:

📚 Transatlantic Inspirations & Setting: Discover how Charleen Hurtubise’s own transatlantic life—growing up in Michigan, and building a creative career in Ireland—informs the layered world of Saoirse, and why Donegal’s landscape and history were essential to her story of reinvention.

📚 The Art and Craft of Storytelling: Go behind the scenes of Charleen’s writing process, from the novel’s earliest inspirations in true stories of hidden identities to the painstaking assembly of Saoirse’s “literary jigsaw”—a narrative woven from memory, visual art, and the secrets of the past. Learn how her background as both an artist and a writer shaped the novel’s unique structure.

📚 1990s Ireland: Explore the complex realities of 1990s Ireland for women—where issues of freedom, social change, and Catholic influence collide—and how Charleen uses Saoirse’s journey, her art, and her relationships to examine what it truly means to find autonomy, belonging, and a sense of home.

📚 BONUS WEEKLY BOOK LIST: 23 Books About the 1990s

Discover 23 Books About the 1990s with today’s NEW book list! From literary mysteries and coming-of-age gems to memoirs and multigenerational sagas, this collection celebrates the books that capture the decade’s energy, anxieties, and hopes. Browse for free, friends! Patrons will receive a printable book list and a bonus spoiler episode with Charleen.

Meet Charleen Hurtubise

Charleen Hurtubise is a novelist and artist. She is the author of The Polite Act of Drowning, published in Ireland and the UK in 2023. Saoirse is her US debut. She holds an M.Sc. from Trinity College Dublin and an MFA in creative writing from University College Dublin, where she has facilitated creative writing seminars. The sixth sister in a family of nine, she spent much of her childhood in Michigan, her early adult years in Boston, and has now lived half of her life in Ireland, which is home. Though she lives in Dublin with her Irish family, the pull of Donegal never leaves and continues to influence her drawings and writings, including Saoirse.

NEW: Download the 2026 Summer Reading Guide (57-Pages of Bookish Fun With 70 Tried-and-True Recommendations)

NEW BOOK LIST: 23 Books About the 19990s to Read Right Now (FREE TO BROWSE ON PATREON THIS WEEK)

2026 MomAdvice Book Club Books (All 12 Selections)

Saoirse by Charleen Hurtubise

Joan Eardley

The Polite Act of Drowning by Charleen Hurtubise

Pope John Paul II Becomes the First Pope to Visit Ireland 

Una Watters

Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy

Poor by Katriona O’Sullivan

Edna O’Brien

Book Club Kit for Saoirse

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Blair Fell joins Book Gang to discuss The Sign for Home, exploring the DeafBlind experience and a moving journey of autonomy and connection in this backlist feature.

Book Gang welcomes Blair Fell, acclaimed playwright, television writer, essayist, and ASL interpreter, to discuss his heartfelt and eye-opening novel, The Sign for Home. Fell’s unique life experience—including decades as an ASL interpreter for the Deaf and DeafBlind communities—shapes this deeply immersive story.

Longlisted for The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, The Sign for Home is a funny, moving, and transformative read that will leave you curious and inspired. I’m thrilled to celebrate this unforgettable debut as part of this year’s Summer Reading Guide backlist feature and to honor the community it serves. Don’t miss how Blair’s story left such an impression on a reader that they changed their will after reading it.

In this rich, humorous, and moving conversation, we discuss:

📚 Writing from Lived Experience: Fell shares what it means to craft a character as complex as Arlo, drawing from his personal career as an interpreter and from interviews with members of the DeafBlind community. Discover how authentic representation and the many years of drafting shaped every page of this coming-of-age story.

📚 The Ethics and Intimacy of Interpretation: Learn about the real-world team dynamics, physical demands, and ethical dilemmas facing ASL interpreters, and how these play out in Arlo’s story. Fell’s insider details—from tag-team interpreting to nuanced moments of tactile signing—bring the profession vividly to life.

📚 Crafting Voice and Language: Fell’s inventive narrative choices mirror the rhythms of ASL, with Arlo’s dialogue rendered in a unique cadence and interpreters’ speech in standard English. Explore how these stylistic decisions deepen readers’ immersion and illuminate the power of language.

Meet Blair Fell

Blair Fell writes and lives in New York City. His television work includes Queer as Folk and PBS’s California Connected. He’s written dozens of plays, including The Tragic and Horrible Life of the Singing Nun, the award-winning Naked Will, and the cult miniseries Burning Habits. His essays have appeared in HuffPost, Out, Daily News (New York), and more. Fell is a two-time winner of the Doris Lippman Prize in Creative Writing, including for an early draft of the USA Today best-seller Disco Witches of Fire Island, a RuPaul book club pick and Lambda Award finalist. His debut novel, The Sign for Home, was longlisted for the Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize and was selected as an Indie Next and Indie’s Introduce book by the American Booksellers Association. Blair has also worked as an actor, producer, ASL interpreter, and director. He lives in Jackson Heights, NY (Queens, New York City).

Temporary Show Notes Location with Transcript (Apologies for the web issues today!)

NEW: Download the 2026 Summer Reading Guide (57-Pages of Bookish Fun With 70 Tried-and-True Recommendations)

NEW BOOK LIST: 18 Books With Disabled Characters to Read Now (FREE TO BROWSE ON PATREON THIS WEEK)

2026 MomAdvice Book Club Books (All 12 Selections)

Join the June Book Club 6/25 at 8 PM ET (Woodworking)

The Sign For Home by Blair Fell

Disco Witches of Fire Island by Blair Fell

The Two Wills by Blair Fell

The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff

Sarah Damoff - The Bright Years Podcast Interview

Delicious Foods by James Hannaham

True Biz by Sara Nović

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Step inside a 1980s Kentucky department store as Kayla Rae Whitaker shares the family secrets and ambition behind her novel Returns & Exchanges.

Book Gang welcomes acclaimed author Kayla Rae Whitaker to discuss her much-anticipated new novel, Returns & Exchanges. Whitaker’s immersive storytelling and meticulous research bring the 1980s era and its consumer culture to vibrant life.

Set in Kentucky during the 1980s, this sweeping family drama follows Fred and Fran, a couple whose rags-to-riches ascent as department store owners brings both fortune and unexpected turmoil. As their business thrives, the family’s personal lives become increasingly complicated in this messy family saga. Through multiple perspectives and intricate subplots, the novel explores themes of identity, desire, mental health, and the complexities of the American dream in this page-turning story.

In this warm and insightful conversation, we discuss:

📚 Inside the Writing Process: It has been nine years since Whitaker’s breathtaking debut, The Animators. We discuss the pressure writers are under to write the next book and why she chose a different timeline for herself. Get insight into Whitaker’s approach to developing memorable characters, managing a sprawling narrative, and the questions she hopes book clubs and readers will debate after finishing Returns & Exchanges.

📚 Recreating 1980s Kentucky: Discover how Kayla Rae Whitaker’s meticulous research brings the sights, sounds, and family dynamics of a 1980s department store empire to life. We discuss how YouTube offered fun, immersive experiences that helped her connect the dots on stocking her store, allowing us to be immersed in the nostalgia of a well-stocked department store.

📚 Ambition, Identity & Queer Desire: Explore how the novel boldly handles themes of ambition, identity, and queer desire, as Whitaker discusses the risks she took to portray a family unraveling under the pressure of success and the true love story at the center of this moving novel. As an English teacher, she brings incredible examples of books she sees in conversation with her novel.

📚 BONUS WEEKLY BOOK LIST: Books About Malls and Retail Stores

Discover 22 must-read books about malls and stores where retail locations take center stage in their stories. Patrons receive a printable checklist and a bonus spoiler chat with Kayla Rae Whitaker, streaming today.

Meet Kayla Whitaker

Kayla Rae Whitaker’s work has been published in The Los Angeles Times, Buzzfeed, Electric Literature, and others. Her first novel, The Animators, was named a best book of 2017 by Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Kirkus, and BookPage. Her second novel, Returns and Exchanges, published by Random House, is on store shelves now. She is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and New York University. She writes and teaches in Queens, New York.

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NEW: Download the 2026 Summer Reading Guide (57-Pages of Bookish Fun With 70 Tried-and-True Recommendations)

NEW BOOK LIST: 22 Books About Malls and Stores to Read Now

2026 MomAdvice Book Club Books (All 12 Selections)

Janelle Brown Interview (What Kind of Paradise)

Join the May Book Club 4/30 at 8 PM ET (What Kind of Paradise)

Returns & Exchanges by Kayla Rae Whitaker

The Animators by Kayla Rae Whitaker

Commonwealth by Ann Patchett

Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

King Lear by William Shakespeare

Nixonland by Rick Perlstein

One’s Company by Ashley Hutson

Inside One’s Company: Obsession, Isolation, and Talking with Ashley Hutson

The Beheading Game by Rebecca Lehmann

Carol

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Sarah Damoff joins Book Gang to discuss The Burning Side, a powerful family saga of marriage, memory, and the secrets that bind generations.

This week’s Book Gang conversation welcomes back acclaimed author Sarah Damoff, whose new novel, The Burning Side, delivers a gripping book club premise: a multigenerational family forced to rebuild after tragedy, now under one roof.

Opening with a house fire, readers witness the unraveling of the tangled lives of April and Leo, who must seek shelter with April’s parents—only to discover old wounds and new truths simmering beneath the surface of Deb and Billy’s life as they navigate carrying a heavy secret of their own.

Damoff draws on her experience as a social worker to craft heart-wrenching, compassionate scenes of family struggle, childhood trauma, and the hard choices that shape marriage and parenthood.

In this inviting and deeply immersive conversation, we discuss:

📚 Breaking through without a platform: Sarah shares the behind-the-scenes story of launching The Bright Years—without a major social media following, publishing pedigree, or built-in audience—and how her debut still became a national bestseller and Goodreads Choice finalist. We discuss what truly drives word-of-mouth success, the role of authentic storytelling, and what her experience reveals about connecting with readers in today’s book world.

📚 What happens after “happily ever after?”: Sarah explores the overlooked middle and later years of marriage—when routines settle, old dreams fade, and couples like Leo and April or Deb and Billy face new tensions and vulnerable reckonings. We discuss how these shifting roles and quiet heroics shape both relationships at the novel’s heart.

📚 Writing memory and identity in decline: We talk with Sarah about the emotionally charged process of bringing Billy’s early-onset dementia to life on the page. She shares how she honored both the vibrant man Billy was and the person he’s becoming, capturing the heartbreak of losing not just memories, but layers of identity.

📚 FREE BONUS WEEKLY BOOK LIST: Books About Fires

Discover 19 must-read books about fires where fire ignites drama, mystery, and transformation—perfect picks for book clubs and fans of immersive stories. Patrons receive a printable checklist and a bonus spoiler chat with Sarah Damoff, streaming today.

Meet Sarah Damoff

Sarah Damoff is the author of the debut novel, The Bright Years, published by Simon & Schuster in 2025—a national bestseller and Goodreads Choice Awards finalist, now translated into fourteen languages. Her writing has appeared in Oprah Daily, Porter House Review, Ruminate Magazine, and Open Global Rights. She holds a Child Protection Certification from Harvard University and lives with her family in Dallas, Texas, where she has worked as a social worker. The Burning Side arrives in stores on May 19th.

Download Today's Show Transcript

NEW: Download the 2026 Summer Reading Guide (57-Pages of Bookish Fun With 70 Tried-and-True Recommendations)

NEW BOOK LIST: 19 Books About Fires

2026 MomAdvice Book Club Books (All 12 Selections)

Janelle Brown Interview (What Kind of Paradise)

Join the May Book Club 4/30 at 8 PM ET (What Kind of Paradise)

Sarah Damoff - The Bright Years Podcast Interview

Christina Baker Kline (The Foursome) Podcast Interview

The Burning Side by Sarah Damoff

The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff

The Sideways Life of Denny Voss by Holly Kennedy

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

The Dallas Museum of Art Arts & Letters Program

Maggie O’Farrell

Valley of Forgetting by Jennie Erin Smith

Bookshop.org pays a 10% commission on every sale and matches it with 10% to support independent bookstores.

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