These Books Made Me

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We are capping off Hispanic Heritage Month with a modern YA classic. I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika Sanchez has us feeling so many feelings right along with Julia. This was a familiar book for many of us, but Darlene's reread has her rethinking everything she thought she felt about the book. In this episode, we examine grief, familial pressure, and family secrets. The book can be a little heavy, but don't worry because we've got some real life happy Hawa updates and a tangentially-related-at-best quiz where we discuss the merits of egg on pizza. 

These Books Made Me is a podcast about the literary heroines who shaped us and is a product of the Prince George's County Memorial Library System podcast network. Stay in touch with us via #TheseBooksMadeMe on socials, follow us on Instagram @TheseBooksMadeMe or reach out by email at [email protected]. 

For recommended readalikes and deep dives into topics related to each episode, visit our blog at https://pgcmls.medium.com/.

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To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, we're rereleasing an episode on one of our favorites, Gabi, a Girl in Pieces, by Isabel Quintero. Keep an eye on your podcatcher for a brand new episode on I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter next week!

Our central character, Gabi, is smart, opinionated and shockingly self-aware. It's that self-awareness that helps her craft inspiring and thought-provoking poetry that tackles sexism, anti-fat rhetoric and personal family dynamics. 

Despite the novel being released 10 years ago, Gabi, a Girl in Pieces still feels fresh and relevant. It's partly helped by not relying on phones or social media, which seems intentional as it follows in the footsteps of another piece of YA media that also forewent the use of cellphones -- Juno (which is referenced in the novel). But the other part is how strongly is captures the teenage experience. It even got Heather to recall her own mortifying experience (we all sympathize, Heather!). 

These Books Made Me is a podcast about the literary heroines who shaped us and is a product of the Prince George's County Memorial Library System podcast network. Stay in touch with us via Instagram @TheseBooksMadeMe or by email at [email protected]. Or, try out our fan mail feature! For recommended readalikes and deep dives into topics related to each episode, visit our blog at https://pgcmls.medium.com/. 

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What would you do if a girl  1. you've never met, 2. have never seen and 3. whose name you've never even heard before, allegedly wants to kick your ass? Well, that's something that Piedad "Piddy" Sanchez has to contend with after having just moved to her new school. This episode, we're discussing "Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass" by Cuban-American author, Meg Medina. We discuss how the fraught mother-daughter relationship in this book compares to books we've covered in the past, the different examples of femininity portrayed and the realistic depiction of sexuality in a YA novel. We have a few gripes but they're pretty superficial - maybe Darlene isn't too happy the character with her name is irredeemable and Heather and special guest, Felix, are super confused by Piddy's decision to offer a kitten to a teenage boy who can barely take care of himself. But overall, we overwhelmingly love and recommend this book and hope you enjoy our discussion.

These Books Made Me is a podcast about the literary heroines who shaped us and is a product of the Prince George's County Memorial Library System podcast network. Stay in touch with us via Twitter @PGCMLS with #TheseBooksMadeMe, on Instagram @TheseBooksMadeMe or by email at [email protected]. For recommended readalikes and deep dives into topics related to each episode, visit our blog at https://pgcmls.medium.com/.

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We're back with Part 2 of a Super Special Baby-Sitters Club episode! We were thrilled to be joined by special guest, author Lakita Wilson (Be Real, Mercy Weaver, Sparkle, Pretty Girl County) for this episode. She's a BSC super fan and we have so much to say about Stacey. We're picking up our discussion about two books, The Truth About Stacey and Stacey and the Fashion Victim. 

We have so many questions/concerns with what is going on at Bellaire's kind of creepy, nictotine-heavy, Fashion Show. We talk about unfortunate nicknames, the realism of men having perms in the late 90s, and ghostwriters. We also discuss library visits gone wrong when Lakita brings up some light library book thievery she may have accidentally committed and Hannah brings up a book that her mom found a little too racy. And as usual, all racy library book roads lead us back to Forever. We also take a quiz and (spoiler!) while we all want to be Claudia, this time, we are not all Claudia. 

These Books Made Me is a podcast about the literary heroines who shaped us and is a product of the Prince George's County Memorial Library System podcast network. Stay in touch with us via #TheseBooksMadeMe on socials, follow us on Instagram @TheseBooksMadeMe or reach out by email at [email protected]. 

For recommended readalikes and deep dives into topics related to each episode, visit our blog at https://pgcmls.medium.com/.

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It's a Super Special Baby-Sitters Club episode! We were thrilled to be joined by special guest, author Lakita Wilson (Be Real, Mercy Weaver, Sparkle, Pretty Girl County) for this episode. She's a BSC super fan and we have so much to say about Stacey. We're tackling two books, The Truth About Stacey and Stacey and the Fashion Victim. 

We are discussing whether Stacey's diabetes (diabeetus?) is just a stand-in for bigger issues in the 80s, her very weird parents and their truly terrible parenting decisions, and sleepover antics. We're also discussing the truly disturbing events at the heart of Stacey's mystery at the fashion show. Will Stacey become the Fresh Princess of Bellair's or will she have a tragic rooftop accident? Were the gang wars between the BSC and The Agency justified and did they need to involve wearing sandwich boards? We also have thoughts on Watson and his weird relationship with cigars and whether rompers are truly workwear. 

These Books Made Me is a podcast about the literary heroines who shaped us and is a product of the Prince George's County Memorial Library System podcast network. Stay in touch with us via #TheseBooksMadeMe on socials, follow us on Instagram @TheseBooksMadeMe or reach out by email at [email protected]. 

For recommended readalikes and deep dives into topics related to each episode, visit our blog at https://pgcmls.medium.com/.

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Crivens! We're tackling the first installment of the Tiffany Aching series, The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett. Tiffany is a pragmatic and precocious 9-year-old witch, whose brother has been taken by the Queen of the Fairies. She must rely on the help of tiny blue men, the Nac Mac Feegles, to navigate Fairyland to get him back. Gifted by First Sight and Second Thoughts, Tiffany uses her wit and compassion as she journeys into a world unknown to her. Full of wonder, heart and bravery, The Wee Free Men is a wonderful entryway into fantasy for any young (or old) reader! 

In this episode, we hear Hannah's deep connection to Pratchett and his Discworld series, you find out our Nac Mac Feegle names and we talk wax poetic about Pratchett's ability to write a full-fleshed female character (the bar may be a little low for male authors). We hope our fondness for the book and the main character, Tiffany, comes through in our discussion. 

These Books Made Me is a podcast about the literary heroines who shaped us and is a product of the Prince George's County Memorial Library System podcast network. Stay in touch with us via #TheseBooksMadeMe on socials, follow us on Instagram @TheseBooksMadeMe or reach out by email at [email protected]. 

For recommended readalikes and deep dives into topics related to each episode, visit our blog at https://pgcmls.medium.com/.

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Today we are rereleasing our episode on Persepolis to commemorate the life of Marjane Satrapi, the acclaimed Iranian-French writer, artist, filmmaker, and human rights advocate whose work transformed personal memory into a powerful act of witness. Satrapi died on June 4, 2026, at the age of 56, leaving behind a body of work that helped readers around the world better understand Iran, exile, identity, and the enduring importance of freedom.

Born in Iran in 1969, Satrapi rose to international prominence with Persepolis, her groundbreaking graphic memoir about growing up during the Iranian Revolution and its aftermath. Told through stark black-and-white illustrations and an unforgettable narrative voice, Persepolis brought history to life through the eyes of a child and later a young woman navigating political upheaval, cultural displacement, and the search for self. The book became a global bestseller and was later adapted into an award-winning animated film that Satrapi co-directed.

Throughout her career, Satrapi remained a fearless advocate for artistic expression, women's rights, and democratic values. "The real issue for me is human rights, it's the freedom of expression," Satrapi said in an interview. Satrapi's final book, Woman, Life, Freedom (2024) continued her life's work of amplifying issues and voices others wished to silence. Her family attributed her death to sadness over the loss of her husband a year prior. 

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For a debut novel, Brown Girl, Brownstones by Paule Marshall sure is a tour de force. Our protagonist, Selina Boyce is caught between her hopeless dreamer father, Deighton, and resilient yet hard-edged mother, Silla, as she navigates adolescence. With the fraught tension between her parents as a backdrop, Selina struggles with feeling unlovable, the complicated feelings of hating and admiring her mother and how best to carve out a space for herself.  

In this episode, we learn that sadly…Hawa did not finish this book BUT she promises to finish it in the indeterminate future. We’ll hold her to it. Heather lets us know her feelings about Deighton (spoiler: he’s worthless). And Heather and Hannah get sucked into the possible local connections to the cult Marshall took inspiration from for the novel. Be on the look out for that deep dive! 

These Books Made Me is a podcast about the literary heroines who shaped us and is a product of the Prince George's County Memorial Library System podcast network. Stay in touch with us via #TheseBooksMadeMe on socials, follow us on Instagram @TheseBooksMadeMe or reach out by email at [email protected]. 

For recommended readalikes and deep dives into topics related to each episode, visit our blog at https://pgcmls.medium.com/.

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We try to do a game or quiz that relates to the book in every episode, but for The Egypt Game, the game was pretty elaborate. Hawa, Heather, Hannah, and Darlene are attempting to play Timothy Kendall's 70's spin on the ancient Egyptian Game Senet. This game challenged us in ways we weren't expecting, from a 60 some-odd page rule book to a missing throwing stick and perhaps most crucially a typeface so small we literally needed a magnifying glass. We made it work though and now you can enjoy all the highs and lows of Passing Through the Netherworld with us. Is the game cursed? Will Hawa and Hannah ever escape the House of Waters? Will Darlene ever stop rolling? Are throwing sticks the latest greatest ASMR props? Find out as we explore the funerary fun of a very curious game.  

These Books Made Me is a podcast about the literary heroines who shaped us and is a product of the Prince George's County Memorial Library System podcast network. Stay in touch with us via #TheseBooksMadeMe on socials, follow us on Instagram @TheseBooksMadeMe or reach out by email at [email protected]. 

For recommended readalikes and deep dives into topics related to each episode, visit our blog at https://pgcmls.medium.com/.

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Were you obsessed with antiquity, myths, and homemade costumes when you were a child? If so, have we got the book for you! This episode we revisit an oldie but a goodie: Zilpha Keatley Snyder's classic children's book, The Egypt Game. We love the nuanced characters, genuinely exciting and surprising plot twists, and relate to Melanie and April's love of imagination games. Hannah relates to being "the keeper of the lashes" even though we all bemoan the health and safety concerns of continuously recycled fake lashes. We enjoyed the hijinks of our core group of five "Egyptians" (plus Security the octopus) and are thrilled by the depiction of a good librarian. We talk about the blending of pretty dark topics (parental abandonment, an actual murder of a child) with the delight of childhood imagination, friendships, and accepting others for who they are and the importance of feeling understood. 

These Books Made Me is a podcast about the literary heroines who shaped us and is a product of the Prince George's County Memorial Library System podcast network. Stay in touch with us via #TheseBooksMadeMe on socials, follow us on Instagram @TheseBooksMadeMe or reach out by email at [email protected]. 

For recommended readalikes and deep dives into topics related to each episode, visit our blog at https://pgcmls.medium.com/.