Front Porch Book Club

It's children's book month for the Front Porch. In Tea with the Queen, Charlie and his grandparents go on an exciting adventure to meet the queen. Charlie learns to problem solve and that he can rely on others. A great gift for the young children in your life.

Author Dr. Meghan Winchell discusses her book about USO hostesses during World War II. We explore how USOs supported the troops, but also struggled with issues of gender, race, and class during this tumultuous time when even the military was still segregated. Since Meghan's book is about good fun, we share lots of laughter, too!

At the height of World War II, over 3,000 USO clubs served 1 million soldiers throughout the United States. Linda and Nancy discuss Dr. Meghan Winchell’s fascinating book, Good Girls, Good Food, Good Fun: The Story of USO Hostesses during World War II. The story of the USO is told through the memories of those who volunteered and visited the USO clubs, as well as through Meghan's in-depth research exploring issues of sexism, racism, and classism.

Looking for a dose of moral clarity? In this episode Laura Fabrycky joins us on the front porch to talk about her experience as a guide in Berlin's Bonhoeffer Haus, during the tumultuous years following the 2016 US presidential election. Laura invites us to consider how Dietrich Bonhoeffer's life serves as a model for moral decision-making and ethical thinking.

This historically-grounded memoir takes readers on an unforgettable journey as the author steeps herself in the life of German theologian and martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer, mapping a course for herself as a guide in his Berlin home and an American diplomatic spouse finding her way through politically turbulent times.

Love Jane Austen? You'll be fascinated hearing from Wendy Jones, author of Jane on the Brain. Her book dissects Austen's characters using current mind/brain research, showing how Austen was a master of realistic characterization. You'll gain a deeper fascination and understanding of everyone from Elizabeth to Emma to Anne. Along the way, you'll learn a lot about scientific discoveries and maybe even yourself.

Jane Austen alert! This month's book, Jane on the Brain, was a New York Times "New and Notable Selection." Wendy Jones's fun and insightful book presents how Jane Austen's characters model what we now understand to be mind/brain science. This book had Linda gushing about its smart and witty illustrations of psychological concepts using some of her favorite characters. Nancy loved the book, too -- I mean its focus is Jane Austen! If you love to dissect why people do the things they do, or if you love Jane Austen, this episode is for you! If you like both, you need to buy this book!

Author Dr. Patrice McMahon joins us on the front porch to discuss her book, The NGO Game: Post-conflict Peacebuilding in the Balkans and Beyond. This book is a front row seat to the failure of Western interests to build strong civil societies after the Balkan wars. Through public/private partnerships, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were tasked with rebuilding war-torn countries. Instead, countries were subjected to an ineffective boom of foreign capital, much of which didn't address the needs of the citizens, and then were crippled by the inevitable bust when interests drifted to other international disasters.

We have a blast on the front porch talking with Mark Snyder, Jr., author of the paranormal thriller, The Legacy. Linda and Mark go way back, and Linda asks Mark how such a wonderful, generous person could write such a disturbing book! Mark describes the genesis of the book and tells us how writing the book was a cathartic experience as he worries about adverse human impacts on the health of our planet.