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Margarita Gokun Silver, I NAMED MY DOG PUSHKIN (AND OTHER IMMIGRANT TALES): Notes From a Soviet Girl on Becoming an American Woman
Zibby is joined by writer and journalist Margarita Gokun Silver to talk about her collection of essays, I Named My Dog Pushkin (And Other Immigrant Tales), which follows her journey from growing up in the Soviet Union to America. The two discuss the role Judaism played in Margarita's upbringing and family history in the USSR, how their time at Yale overlapped by a few years, and what efforts Margarita has made to parent her daughter differently than her parents raised her. Margarita also shares the heartbreaking news of her husband's passing and how this book stands as a testament to his life as well as her own.
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Amazon: https://amzn.to/3rMpX9f
Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3G02DK4
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53. Damien Cave, PARENTING LIKE AN AUSTRALIAN: One Family's Quest to Fight Fear and Dive Into a Better, Braver Life
22:16Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3PrHiA4Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!52. Steph Catudal, EVERYTHING ALL AT ONCE: A Memoir
25:39Zibby interviews New York Times bestselling author Steph Catudal about Everything All at Once, a heart-wrenching, sincere, and lyrical memoir about her experience with grief. Steph describes what it was like to lose her father to lung cancer at fourteen and then endure her husband’s battle with the same disease during COVID. She also talks about how writing has always helped her process her emotions and explains how her vulnerable social media posts evolved into this beautiful memoir. Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/461GSY6Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!51. Elise Loehnen, ON OUR BEST BEHAVIOR: The Seven Deadly Sins and the Price Women Pay to Be Good
28:19Zibby is joined by New York Times bestselling author Elise Loehnen to discuss On Our Best Behavior: The Seven Deadly Sins and the Price Women Pay to Be Good, a groundbreaking, stunning exploration of the ancient rules women unwittingly follow in order to be considered “good.” Elise explores how the deadly sins continue to circumscribe women’s behavior, including her own (for example: a fear of gluttony drives women to ignore their appetites). She also talks about her fascinating research, her podcast, and her hopes for this book. Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/48r2y1xShare, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!Elizabeth Castellano, SAVE WHAT'S LEFT
25:14GMA Book Club Pick alert! Zibby speaks to debut author Elizabeth Castellano about Save What’s Left, an irreverent, hilarious, and unexpectedly tender novel about a sixty-year-old woman who moves to a small beach town looking for peace, only to find herself in an all-out war with her neighbors. Elizabeth describes her upbringing in a tiny Long Island beach town (her elementary school had nine students!) and her path to writing, starting with the humor column in the high school newspaper. She also shares her favorite books and authors and her best advice for aspiring writers.Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3PvdAtQShare, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!49. J. Vanessa Lyon, LUSH LIVES
25:15Zibby interviews art historian and author J. Vanessa Lyon about Lush Lives, a deliciously queer novel about bold women unafraid to fight for what they love, set in the high-stakes world of art and auction in New York City. J. Vanessa describes her lifelong love of art as the daughter of an artist and antiques dealer. She also shares what it was like to work at an auction house right after college and how she brought that subculture to life in this story. Finally, she describes her publishing journey (with Roxane Gay as her editor and publisher!) and the book she is working on next. Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/46g9ooLShare, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!48. Aparna Nancherla, UNRELIABLE NARRATOR: Me, Myself, and Imposter Syndrome
22:11Superstar comedian Aparna Nancherla joins Zibby to discuss her hilarious and strikingly astute memoir in essays, Unreliable Narrator: Me, Myself, and Impostor Syndrome. Aparna describes her writing process (as a “procrastinating perfectionist”), her relationship with her body, her history with anxiety and depression, and her unexpected, unplanned career as a stand-up comedian.Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3EHYIDAShare, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!47. Douglas Brunt, THE MYSTERIOUS CASE OF RUDOLF DIESEL: Genius, Power, and Deception on the Eve of World War I
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27:39Zibby speaks to debut author Alice Carrière about Everything, Nothing, Someone, a mesmerizing, intense, and breathtakingly honest coming-of-age story about identity, family, trauma, survival, mental illness, and psychiatric malpractice. Alice describes her life as the daughter of two self-destructive artists in the bohemian 90s and how that led to a dissociative disorder and ten years of gross overmedication. She also describes how writing has saved her life countless times and how this memoir has turned her anger into compassion and made “little Alice” very proud. Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3PK7NSRShare, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!45. Shastri Akella, THE SEA ELEPHANTS
23:59Zibby interviews debut author Shastri Akella about The Sea Elephants, an utterly immersive and spellbinding queer coming-of-age novel set in 1990s India, about a young man who joins a traveling street theater troupe as he tries to outrun the dark secrets of his past. Shastri shares how this novel suddenly became a queer love story (thanks to his professor!) and helped him come out in real life. He also shares his challenges with unsupportive family members and his decision not to return to India, where Hindu conversion therapy is prevalent. Finally, he shares how he got here, from working in tech at Google to MFA, teaching refugee art classes, and publishing this beautiful book.Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3EJhla8Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!