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87: Things Fall Apart
Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart is the oldest book we've discussed on the front porch; it was published in 1958 just as the European colonization of Africa was being dismantled. The book's setting is the beginning of colonization in the 1880's in what is now Nigeria, but was then Igboland. Achebe immerses us deeply into the culture of the Igbo people through the eyes of the esteemed, but highly flawed, Okonkwo. Near the end of the book,...
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18: Meghan Winchell discusses Good Girls, Good Food, Good Fun
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...
17: Good Girls, Good Food, Good Fun by Dr. Meghan Winchell
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...
16: Laura Fabrycky discusses Keys to Bonhoeffer’s Haus
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...
15: Keys to Bonhoeffer’s Haus by Laura Fabrycky
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...
14: Wendy Jones on Jane on the Brain
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...
13: Jane on the Brain by Wendy Jones
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...
12: Patrice McMahon discusses The NGO Game
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....
11: The NGO Game by Dr. Patrice McMahon
Philanthropy, peace building, and ethnocentrism pop up in our discussion about Dr. Patrice McMahon The NGO Game.
10: Mark Snyder, Jr. on The Legacy
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...
9: The Legacy by Mark Snyder, Jr.
The Legacy, by Mark Snyder, Jr., is a paranormal thriller that places humanity's future in the hands of gods who will determine whether our race deserves to survive. The book prompts Linda and Nancy to discuss their thoughts on destiny, mission, and purpose. Find out...
8: Jennie Cole-Mossman on Where the Crawdads Sing
Linda and Nancy welcome Jennie Cole-Mossman, child and family counselor, to the front porch to discuss Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. We discuss the importance of attachment and bonding to young children and relate that to the story of Kya, abandoned by her...
7: Where the Crawdads Sing
Linda and Nancy discuss Delia Owen’s New York Times bestselling book, Where the Crawdads Sing. This book tells the riveting story of Kya, a young girl abandoned by her family in the North Carolina swamp, her journey to young womanhood, and her entanglement in the...
6: Dr. Don Wilhite talks drought in This Blessed Earth
In This Blessed Earth by Ted Genoways, we read about Dr. Don Wilhite, international expert on drought. In this episode Don joins us on the front porch to tell us about the critical challenge of drought and its impact on food production. Dr. Wilhite was the founding...
5: This Blessed Earth
Linda and Nancy discuss This Blessed Earth by investigative journalist Ted Genoways. This nonfiction book follows a year in the life of a Nebraska farm family and examines the social, political, emotional, economic, and environmental challenges facing the people who...
4: Lisa Lawmaster Hess on Casting the First Stone
Author Lisa Lawmaster Hess joins us on the front porch to discuss her Christian fiction book, Casting the First Stone. The book is the first in a trilogy about three strong female characters navigating a child custody battle. Old wounds and mistakes threaten to...
3: Casting the First Stone
Linda and Nancy discuss Casting the First Stone, the first book in a trilogy by Lisa Lawmaster Hess. Three heroines face-off over a custody battle that bring out their own insecurities and past experiences. Linda and Nancy debate how, in our culture, women navigate...
2: Sarah Crawford on Lessons from Better People
Author Sarah Crawford joins us on the front porch to discuss her work, Lessons from Better People. Sarah describes her experience as a Syracuse University Remembrance Scholar visiting Lockerbie, Scotland where, 30 years ago, 35 Syracuse University students and 11...
1: Lessons from Better People
We discuss Lessons from Better People by Sarah Crawford. This fictionalized account and personal narrative blend humor, pathos, and expert characterization in an unforgettable story about a Syracuse University Remembrance Scholar who spends the summer in Europe with...
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