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EP 24: Iron Widow – Giant Robots and Gender. Jan 31, 2022.
Welcome back dear listeners to BLB, a monthly conversational podcast about two bibliophiles who like to have lively discussions about books.
In this month’s Big Little Books Book Club episode, we are diving deep into the world of Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao, initially released on September 21, 2021 by Penguin Teen. It is a sci-fi/ fantasy reimaging of China’s only female emperor, Wu Zetian, featuring giant mechas. As per usual with Book Club episodes, SPOILERS AHEAD. To start, we immediately dive into the story that blends ancient Chinese history and futuristic science fiction. Our discussion is about the story itself and the world building, but it also delves deeper into topics of gender, feminism, and the fact that this book is marketed as YA, something that is becoming more and more difficult to define. We had a lot of fun buddy reading this book via https://www.thestorygraph.com/, and hope you enjoy this discussion!
Want to know what BLB’s Book Club pick for February is? Tune in to the end of this episode (ideally after… you know, listening to entire episode first) to find out! If you think you might like to add some book club questions to the discussion, or join us in reading February’s pick, send us an email at [email protected] or DM us on Instagram @biglittlebookspod. We would love to hear from you!
EXTRA NOTES
CW – You might want to check out the author’s content warning on their website. Even though this book is marketed as YA, it includes scenes of violence, sexual assault, torture, etc.
Pronunciation – Prior to recording this episode, we practiced pronouncing the names of the characters. That said, our pronunciation is still rough at times! If you want to hear the proper pronounciation directly from Zhao, check out their YouTube video called Iron Widow – Meet the Characters. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5eW_huLBLA) It is short and sweet; a great book tease!
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By biglittlebooksWelcome back dear listeners to BLB, a monthly conversational podcast about two bibliophiles who like to have lively discussions about books.
In this month’s Big Little Books Book Club episode, we are diving deep into the world of Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao, initially released on September 21, 2021 by Penguin Teen. It is a sci-fi/ fantasy reimaging of China’s only female emperor, Wu Zetian, featuring giant mechas. As per usual with Book Club episodes, SPOILERS AHEAD. To start, we immediately dive into the story that blends ancient Chinese history and futuristic science fiction. Our discussion is about the story itself and the world building, but it also delves deeper into topics of gender, feminism, and the fact that this book is marketed as YA, something that is becoming more and more difficult to define. We had a lot of fun buddy reading this book via https://www.thestorygraph.com/, and hope you enjoy this discussion!
Want to know what BLB’s Book Club pick for February is? Tune in to the end of this episode (ideally after… you know, listening to entire episode first) to find out! If you think you might like to add some book club questions to the discussion, or join us in reading February’s pick, send us an email at [email protected] or DM us on Instagram @biglittlebookspod. We would love to hear from you!
EXTRA NOTES
CW – You might want to check out the author’s content warning on their website. Even though this book is marketed as YA, it includes scenes of violence, sexual assault, torture, etc.
Pronunciation – Prior to recording this episode, we practiced pronouncing the names of the characters. That said, our pronunciation is still rough at times! If you want to hear the proper pronounciation directly from Zhao, check out their YouTube video called Iron Widow – Meet the Characters. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5eW_huLBLA) It is short and sweet; a great book tease!