Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady

The Emotional Legacy of the Holocaust with Judy Batalion

Thu, 23 May 2024 11:00:00 +0000

In this episode of Just the Right Book, Judy Batalion joins Roxanne to discuss her book, The Light of Days, out now from William Morrow & Company.

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Senator Chris Murphy: How Do We Solve the Violence Inside Us

Thu, 16 May 2024 11:00:00 +0000

This week on Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, we revisit our conversation with Senator Chris Murphy where he discussed his book The Violence Inside Us: A Brief History of an Ongoing American Tragedy. Elected in 2012 as the youngest member of the U.S. Senate, Chris Murphy has earned a reputation as a serious legislator who is willing to stand up for his principles and reach across the aisle. Since the Newtown school shooting in December 2012, he has also become the best-known leader in Congress in confronting the plague of gun violence in America. Now in his second term representing Connecticut, he and his wife, Cathy, an attorney, have two young sons, Owen and Rider. Related Episodes: Senator Will Haskell John McCain in His Own Words Discover more books at RJ Julia Booksellers.

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An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom with Ilyon Woo

Thu, 09 May 2024 11:00:00 +0000

Ilyon Woo just won the Pulitzer Prize for biography this week! Her book, Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom is now available in paperback. Buy the paperback book from RJ Julia: Master Slave Husband Wife from RJ Julia - Ilyon Woo Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

Tim Wu on the Corporate Dangers of a Return to Fascism

Thu, 02 May 2024 11:00:00 +0000

In this episode of Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, we revisit our conversation with Tim Wu to discuss his book, The Curse of Bigness, now available in paperback and which examines the history of antitrust actions in the 20th century, making the argument that breaking up today's largest high-tech titans would be good for business as well as our democracy.

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The Curse of Bigness - Tim Wu

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How to Find God in a World Full of Disappointment with Anthony Kronman

Thu, 25 Apr 2024 11:00:00 +0000

Buy the book from RJ Julia: After Disbelief: On Disenchantment, Disappointment, Eternity, and Joy

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The Reconciliation Won't Be Easy, But It's Necessary Work with Claudia Rankine

Thu, 18 Apr 2024 11:00:00 +0000

In this episode of Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, Claudia Rankine joins Roxanne to discuss her new book, Just Us. Claudia Rankine is a poet, essayist, and playwright. Just Us completes her groundbreaking trilogy, following Don't Let Me Be Lonely and Citizen. She is a MacArthur Fellow and teaches at Yale University.

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Billy Collins on the Small Poem

Thu, 11 Apr 2024 11:00:00 +0000

Poet Billy Collins joins Roxanne Coady to discuss his new collection, Musical Tables: Poems and the power and pleasure of the small poem.

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A Walk of Memory and Renewal with Neil King Jr

Thu, 04 Apr 2024 11:00:00 +0000

Neil King Jr talks about his 330 mile walk from his home in Washington DC to NYC Central Park. American Ramble is a walk across contemporary America through some of our oldest common ground. Buy the book from RJ Julia: American Ramble - Neil King Jr Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

Redefining "American" and the Inequalities of the State with George Packer

Thu, 28 Mar 2024 11:00:00 +0000

In this episode of Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, George Packer joins Roxanne to discuss his new book, The Last Best Hope: America in Crisis and Renewal, out now from Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Buy the book from RJ Julia: The Last Best Hope: America in Crisis and Renewal - George Packer Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

What Professional Poker Taught Maria Konnikova About the American Dream

Thu, 21 Mar 2024 11:00:00 +0000

In this episode of Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, Maria Konnikova joins Roxanne Coady to discuss her book, The Biggest Bluff, out now from Penguin Press. Buy the book from RJ Julia: The Biggest Bluff - Maria Konnikova Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

Has Our Thinking About Regret Been All Wrong? with Daniel Pink

Thu, 14 Mar 2024 11:00:00 +0000

In this episode of Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, Daniel Pink joins Roxanne Coady to discuss his latest book, The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward, out now from Riverhead Books. Buy the book from RJ Julia: The Power of Regret - Daniel Pink Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

Dr. Edith Eger Has Some Thoughts on Survival

Thu, 07 Mar 2024 15:01:00 +0000

In this episode of Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, Edith Eger joins Roxanne to discuss her new book, The Gift. ________________________________ An eminent psychologist and one of the few remaining Holocaust survivors old enough to remember life in the camps, Dr. Edith Eger has worked with veterans, military personnel, and victims of physical and mental trauma. She lives in La Jolla, California. She is the author of the award-winning book The Choice and The Gift. Buy the book from RJ Julia: The Gift - Edith Eger Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

A Story of Crime and Consequences in Revolutionary America with John Wood Sweet

Thu, 29 Feb 2024 12:00:00 +0000

A story about how much has changed and not changed since the first rape trial in American history. Buy the paperback book from RJ Julia: The Sewing Girl's Tale: A Story of Crime and Consequences in Revolutionary America - John Wood Sweet Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

Prophet of Freedom with David Blight

Thu, 22 Feb 2024 12:00:00 +0000

On the 100 anniversary of the death of abolitionist, orator, critic and radical patriot Frederick Douglass, we revisit the Pulitzer Prize winning biography by David Blight. In 2018, 200 years since the birth of Frederick Douglass, we received the first major biography of Douglass in a quarter century. Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom by prize-winning historian and Yale Professor David Blight is based on nearly a lifetime of research as well as letters and private documentation to which no biographer has previously had access. It’s this revealing collection that helped shed new light on Douglass, particularly in the latter third of his life. Buy the paperback book from RJ Julia: Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom - David Blight Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom with Ilyon Woo

Thu, 15 Feb 2024 12:00:00 +0000

This week we will re-air the podcast with Ilyon Woo which first ran on April 6, 2023. Her book, Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom is now available in paperback. Buy the paperback book from RJ Julia: Master Slave Husband Wife from RJ Julia - Ilyon Woo Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

What Does It Mean to Be Human with Lori Gottlieb

Thu, 08 Feb 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Lori Gottlieb is a psychotherapist and New York Times bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, which is being adapted as a television series with Eva Longoria. In addition to her clinical practice, she writes The Atlantic‘s weekly “Dear Therapist” advice column and contributes regularly to The New York Times. She is on the Advisory Council for Bring Change to Mind and has appeared in media such as The Today Show, Good Morning America, The CBS Early Show, CNN, and NPR’s “Fresh Air.” Buy the book from RJ Julia: Maybe You Should Talk to Someone - Lori Gottlieb Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

Shorts #23 - A Quick Look at What's New

Thu, 01 Feb 2024 11:00:00 +0000

In today's short Roxanne sits down with Bill Goldstein to discuss what they're reading. Buy the books from RJ Julia My Friends - Hisham Matar The Fury - Alex Michaelides You Only Call When You're in Trouble - Stephen McCauley Yellowface - R. F. Kuang Cocktails with George and Martha - Philip Gefter I will Bear Witness - Victor Klemperer Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

Study That Defined How We Diagnose Mental Illness with Susannah Cahalan

Thu, 25 Jan 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Susannah Cahalan is the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness, a memoir about her struggle with a rare autoimmune disease of the brain. She writes for the New York Post. Her work has also been featured in the New York Times, Scientific American Magazine, Glamour, Psychology Today, and other publications. She lives in Brooklyn. Buy the book from RJ Julia: Brain on Fire - Susannah Cahalan Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

The Human Costs of Pursuing Cancer with Dr. Azra Raza

Thu, 18 Jan 2024 12:00:00 +0000

According to the NIH, there has been a seventy-percent decline annually in the death rate from cardiovascular disease in the last fifty years and a one percent decline annually in the death rate from cancer over the last fifty years. How can this be when we keep hearing about great new drug discoveries and immunotherapy advances? And if true, isn't there another way to approach the nightmare that is cancer? This week on Just the Right Book, a rerun from Dr. Azra Raza who join Roxanne Coady to discuss her latest book. Buy the book from RJ Julia The First Cell: And the Human Costs of Pursuing Cancer to the Last - Dr. Azra Raza Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen with David Brooks

Thu, 11 Jan 2024 11:27:00 +0000

David Brooks dives into the topic of human connection and its importance in today’s society. Roxanne Coady sits down with the journalist and author to discuss his book, How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen Buy the book from RJ Julia: How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen - David Brooks Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

JTRB Shorts #22 - A talk with Bethanne Patrick

Thu, 04 Jan 2024 15:17:00 +0000

In today's short Roxanne sits down with The Book Maven Bethanne Patrick. She is a podcaster, author, and book critic for the LA times, The Washington Post, NPR, and Lit Hub. Bethanne's book Life B: Overcoming Double Depression Listen to Bethanne's podcast Missing Pages Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

How Private Equity Runs and Wrecks America with Gretchen Morgenson

Thu, 28 Dec 2023 12:19:00 +0000

Roxanne Coady talks with Gretchen Morgenson author of These Are the Plunderers: How Private Equity Runs—and Wrecks—America Pulitzer Prize–winning and New York Times bestselling financial journalist Gretchen Morgenson investigate the insidious world of private equity and reveal how it puts our entire economy and us at risk. Buy the book from RJ Julia How Private Equity Runs and Wrecks America - Gretchen Morgenson Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

JTRB Shorts #21 - A quick look at what's new

Thu, 21 Dec 2023 12:00:00 +0000

A look at what's new: Roxanne Coady and Bill Goldstein talk about some new books. Buy the books from RJ Julia Possession - A. S. Byatt Rubyfruit Jungle - Rita Mae Brown My Name is Barbra - Barbra Streisand Democracy Awakening - Heather Cox Richardson Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism - Rachel Maddow Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

The 2023 Holiday Gift Guide Episode!

Thu, 14 Dec 2023 12:48:00 +0000

Hear from the booksellers themselves as RJ Julia Bookseller staff Lori Fazio and Andrew Brennan join Roxanne Coady to explore the best books to give as gifts to the readers in your life. 2023 RJ Julia Holiday Book Selection Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

JTRB Short #20 - New York Times Top 10 Best Sellers

Thu, 07 Dec 2023 12:00:00 +0000

Gilbert Cruz editor of the New York Times Book Review talks about the Top 10 books of 2023 and how they get on the list. Buy the NYT top 10 bestsellers books from RJ Julia The Bee Sting - Paul Murray Chain-Gang All-Stars - Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah Eastbound - Maylis De Kerangal The Fraud - Zadie Smith North Woods - Daniel Mason The Best Minds - Jonathan Rosen Bottoms Up and the Devil Laughs - Kerry Howley Fire Weather - John Vaillant Master Slave Husband Wife - Ilyon Woo Some People Need Killing - Patricia Evangelista Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

Democracy Awakening with Heather Cox Richardson

Thu, 30 Nov 2023 12:00:00 +0000

Roxanne Coady talks with Heather Cox Richardson the bestselling author of Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America Historian and author of the newsletter Letters From An American explores the roots and complexities of American democracy, the challenges we face in the present, and the potential paths forward. Buy the book from RJ Julia Democracy Awakening - Heather Cox Richardson Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

JTRB Shorts #19 - A quick look at what's new

Thu, 23 Nov 2023 12:00:00 +0000

A look at what's new: Roxanne Coady and Bill Goldstein talk about some new books that can help keep you distracted with all that's going on in the world. Buy the books from RJ Julia Signal Fires - Dani Shapiro Edith Holler - Edward Carey Heaven and Earth Grocery Store - James McBride I Must Be Dreaming - Roz Chast Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

Enough with Cassidy Hutchinson

Thu, 16 Nov 2023 12:00:00 +0000

Roxanne Coady talks with Cassidy Hutchinson about her new book Enough. Cassidy’s desk was mere steps from the most controversial president in recent American history. Now, she provides a riveting account of her extraordinary experiences as an idealistic young woman thrust into the middle of a national crisis, where she risked everything to tell the truth about some of the most powerful people in Washington. Buy the book from RJ Julia Enough - Cassidy Hutchinson Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

JTRB Shorts #18 - A quick look at what's new

Thu, 09 Nov 2023 12:00:00 +0000

A look at what's new: Roxanne Coady and Bill Goldstein talk about new books that are educating about the facts about the crisis in the Middle East. For a complete list of books the RJ Julia recommends you can go to rjjulia.com/podcast. Buy the books from RJ Julia A Peace to End All Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East - David Fromkin A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy - Nathan Thrall The Iron Cage: The Story of the Palestinian Struggle for Statehood - Rashid Khalidi Daniel Deronda - George Eliot Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

The Adventures and Misadventures of a Publisher With John Sargent

Thu, 02 Nov 2023 11:00:00 +0000

Roxanne Coady talks with John Sargent about his many adventures in book publishing at a time when the industry met many challenges and some of the authors and other characters he worked with along the way. Buy the book from RJ Julia Turning Pages: The Adventures and Misadventures of a Publisher - John Sargent Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

JTRB Shorts #17 - A quick look at what's new

Thu, 26 Oct 2023 12:00:00 +0000

A look at what's new: Roxanne Coady and Bill Goldstein talk about new books from Lauren Groff, Adam Nagourney, and Jacques Pepin. Plus a special look at Diana Athill's Stet: An Editors Life. Buy the books from RJ Julia The Vaster Wilds - Lauren Groff The Times: How the Newspaper of Record Survived Scandal, Scorn, and the Transformation of Journalism - Adam Nagourney Stet: An Editor's Life - Diana Athill The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen - Jacques Pépin Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

Time’s Echo with Jeremy Eichler

Thu, 19 Oct 2023 11:00:00 +0000

Roxanne Coady talks with Jeremy Eichler the author of Time’s Echo: The Second World War, The Holocaust, and the Music of Remembrance – how music bears witness to history and carries forward the memory of wartime past – specifically looking at the postwar works of Strauss, Schoenberg, Shostakovich, and Britten. Buy the book from RJ Julia Time's Echo: The Second World War, the Holocaust, and the Music of Remembrance - Jeremy Eichler Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

Cooking My Way: Live with Jacques Pépin

Thu, 12 Oct 2023 11:27:00 +0000

Roxanne and Jacques sit down in front of a live audience in Madison, CT to discuss his career, his social media success, and his new book Cooking My Way: Recipes and Techniques for Economical Cooking. Buy the book from RJ Julia Cooking My Way: Recipes and Techniques for Economical Cooking - Jacques Pépin Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

Banned Books

Thu, 05 Oct 2023 12:00:00 +0000

Roxanne Coady and Bill Goldstein discuss Banned Books Week and the effect of banning books in our schools and libraries. Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

JTRB Shorts #16 - A quick look at what's new

Thu, 28 Sep 2023 11:00:00 +0000

In this week's "short" Roxanne and Bill discuss 4 books that they are excited about. Buy the books from RJ Julia Amy Winehouse: In Her Words - Amy Winehouse The Deadline: Essays - Jill Lepore The Country of the Blind: A Memoir at the End of Sight - Andrew Leland Witness: Stories - Jamel Brinkley Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

My Life As A Cosmic Rock Star with Cydny Bullens

Thu, 21 Sep 2023 11:00:00 +0000

Rock star Cydny Bullens gets very personal with Roxanne Coady about a life in rock 'n roll, meeting Elton John, grave personal loss and a late life transformation in his memoir, TransElectric: My Life As A Cosmic Rock Star. "I didn't feel safe and I still deal with that today." Buy the book from RJ Julia TransElectric: My Life As A Cosmic Rock Star - Cydny Bullens Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

JTRB Shorts #15 - A quick look at what's new

Thu, 14 Sep 2023 11:00:00 +0000

In this week's "short" Roxanne and Bill discuss 6 books that they are excited about. Buy the books from RJ Julia Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow - Gabrielle Zevin Happiness Falls - Angie Kim Golden Gate - Amy Chua Time's Mouth - Edan Lepucki Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

The Seven Deadly Sins and The Price Women Pay to be Good with Elise Loehnen

Thu, 07 Sep 2023 11:00:00 +0000

Roxanne Coady and Elise Loehnen explore the Seven Deadly Sins—the ancient ideas of morality that still control and distort women’s lives today—and how trusting our natural instincts can return us to a more balanced, peaceful, and spiritually way to live. Buy the book from RJ Julia On Our Best Behavior: The Seven Deadly Sins and the Price Women Pay to Be Good - Elise Loehnen Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

JTRB Shorts #14 - A quick look at what's new

Thu, 31 Aug 2023 13:51:00 +0000

In this week's "short" Roxanne and Bill discuss 6 books that they are excited about. Buy the books from RJ Julia Time's Echo: The Second World War, the Holocaust, and the Music of Remembrance - Jeremy Eichler The Bee Sting - Paul Murray Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow - Gabrielle Zevin Cousins - Aurora Venturini The Nix - Nathan Hill The Fraud - Zadie Smith Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

How to Find God in a World Full of Disappointment and Disenchantment with Anthony T. Kronman

Thu, 24 Aug 2023 11:00:00 +0000

In this episode of Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, she is joined by Anthony T. Kronman to discuss his book, After Disbelief: On Disenchantment, Disappointment, Eternity, and Joy, out now from Yale University Press. Anthony Kronman is Sterling Professor of Law and a former dean at Yale Law School. He is the author of Confessions of a Born-Again Pagan and Education’s End: Why Our Colleges and Universities Have Given Up on the Meaning of Life. He lives on Block Island, Rhode Island. Buy the book from RJ Julia After Disbelief: On Disenchantment, Disappointment, Eternity, and Joy Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

JTRB Shorts #13 - A quick look at what's new

Thu, 17 Aug 2023 11:00:00 +0000

In this week's "short" Roxanne and Bill discuss 5 books that they are excited about. Buy the books from RJ Julia Old God's Time - Sebastian Barry Cheri and the End of Cheri - Colette The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store - James McBride Running with Scissors - Augusten Burroughs I Meant It Once - Kate Doyle Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

The Land of Hope and Fear with Isabel Kerschner

Thu, 10 Aug 2023 13:49:00 +0000

The New York Times correspondent in Israel, Isabel Kerschner talks with Roxanne Coady about the state of Israel today, the uniqueness of this moment and the divisions among Israelis in her new book, The Land of Hope and Fear: Israel's Battle for Its Inner Soul. Buy the book from RJ Julia The Land of Hope and Fear Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

JTRB Shorts #12 - A quick look at what's new

Thu, 03 Aug 2023 11:31:00 +0000

In this week's "short" Roxanne and Bill discuss 4 books that they are excited about. Buy the books from RJ Julia The Light of Days: The Untold Story of Women Resistance Fighters in Hitler's Ghettos - Judy Batalion Onlookers - Ann Beattie Let Us Descend - Jesmyn Ward Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

Stories of Dementia, the Caregiver, and the Human Brain with Dasha Kiper

Thu, 27 Jul 2023 11:21:00 +0000

After getting a master’s degree in clinical psychology, Dasha Kiper became the live-in caregiver for a Holocaust survivor with Alzheimer’s disease. For a year, she endured the emotional strain of looking after a person whose condition disrupts the rules of time, order, and continuity. Inspired by her own experience and her work counseling caregivers in the subsequent decade, Kiper offers an entirely new way to understand the symbiotic relationship between patients and those tending to them. Her book is the first to examine how the workings of the “healthy” brain prevent us from adapting to and truly understanding the cognitively impaired one. Dasha Kiper talks about dementia and the role of the caregiver in her book, Travels to Unimaginable Lands: Stories of Dementia, the Caregiver, and the Human Brain. Buy the book from RJ Julia Travelers to Unimaginable Lands Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

JTRB Shorts #11 - A quick look at what's new

Thu, 20 Jul 2023 11:18:00 +0000

In this week's "short" Roxanne and Bill discuss 4 books that they are excited about. Buy the books from RJ Julia The Transit of Venus - Shirley Hazzard Four Thousand Weeks - Oliver Burkeman Day - Michael Cunningham My Husband - Maud Ventura Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

Tomorrow's Capitalist: My Search for the Soul of Business. with Alan Murray

Thu, 13 Jul 2023 11:12:00 +0000

Roxnne Coady and Alan Murray discuss his book, Tomorrow's Capitalist: My Search for the Soul of Business. Alan Murray talks about how corporate leaders in America are at the center of a movement for social change and economic progress. Buy the book from RJ Julia Tomorrow's Capitalist Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

JTRB Shorts #10 - A quick look at what's new

Thu, 06 Jul 2023 10:31:00 +0000

In this week's "short" Roxanne and Bill discuss 4 books that they are excited about. Buy the books from RJ Julia The 272 - Rachel L. Swarns Just Kids - Patti Smith Tom Lake - Ann Patchett Fires in the Dark - Kay Redfield Jamison Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

Ada Calhoun on Writing About Greatness and Failure

Thu, 29 Jun 2023 11:12:00 +0000

Roxanne Coady talks to Ada Calhoun the author of Also A Poet about restoring her father's legacy by a discovery of Frank O'Hara. Buy the book from RJ Julia Also a Poet Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

JTRB Shorts #9 - A quick look at what's new

Thu, 22 Jun 2023 11:22:00 +0000

In this week's "short" Roxanne and Bill discuss 4 books that they are excited about. Buy the books from RJ Julia Good Night, Irene - Luis Alberto Urrea Slouching Towards Bethlehem - Joan Didion Crook Manifesto - Colson Whitehead Kiss Me In The Coral Lounge: Intimate Confessions From A Happy Marriage - Helen Ellis Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

A Short Childhood and a Long Depression with Luiz Schwarcz

Thu, 15 Jun 2023 10:51:00 +0000

Luiz Schwarcz on his ordeal with bipolar disorder and the long echo of a Holocaust family story. The author of The Absent Moon talks with Roxanne Coady about family, generational trauma, a short childhood, and a long depression. Buy the book from RJ Julia The Absent Moon: A Memoir of a Short Childhood and a Long Depression Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

JTRB Shorts #8 - A quick look at what's new

Thu, 08 Jun 2023 09:50:00 +0000

In this week's "short" Roxanne and Bill discuss 4 books that they are excited about. Buy the books from RJ Julia King: A Life - Jonathan Eig Always Running - Luis J. Rodriguez The Guest - Emma Cline Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

Children of the State with Jeff Hobbs

Thu, 01 Jun 2023 11:58:00 +0000

Roxanne talks with Jeff Hobbs about stories of hope and survival in the juvenile justice system, Children of the State, Jeff Hobbs new book is a deep look at juvenile detention and the path to justice - how internal and external factors put so many of our youth at risk. Buy Jeff's book from RJ Julia Children of the State Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

JTRB Shorts #7 - A quick look at what's new

Thu, 25 May 2023 11:35:00 +0000

In this week's "short" Roxanne and Bill discuss 4 books that they are excited about. Buy the books from RJ Julia The Late Americans - Brandon Taylor Trust - Hernan Diaz My Hijacking - Martha Hodes G Men - Beverly Gage Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

Tiny Beautiful Things with Cheryl Strayed [replay]

Thu, 18 May 2023 11:55:00 +0000

Roxanne revisits her interview with Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild and Tiny Beautiful Things. The Portland resident, who's popular advice column Dear Sugar inspired the podcast Dear Sugars. Her book Tiny Beautiful Things has now been turned into a TV series that is now streaming on Hulu. Buy Cheryl's books from RJ Julia Tiny Beautiful Things Wild Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

JTRB Shorts #6 - A quick look at what's new

Thu, 11 May 2023 10:13:00 +0000

In this week's "short" Roxanne and Bill talk about Don Winslow, Anne Berest's The Postcard, SA Cosby and a story by Toni Morrison. Buy these books from RJ Julia The Postcard by Anne Berest City of Dreams by Don Winslow City on Fire by Don Winslow City in Ruin by Don Winslow All the Sinners Bleed by S. A. Cosby Recitatif by Toni Morrison Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

The Critics Daughter with Priscilla Gilman

Thu, 04 May 2023 11:27:00 +0000

Roxanne talks with Priscilla Gilman, author of A Critics Daughter about the inner sanctum of family and her charmed life with her critic father, Richard Gilman. Buy The Critic's Daughter from RJ Julia Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

JTRB Shorts #5 - A quick look at what's new

Thu, 27 Apr 2023 12:29:00 +0000

Roxanne and Bill talk about new books in the market and take a close look at Ann Napolitano's Hello Beautiful and Jenny Jackson's Pineapple Street. Buy these books from RJ Julia Pineapple Street Hello Beautiful Sign up for our podcast newsletter Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

A Walk of Memory and Renewal with Neil King

Thu, 20 Apr 2023 13:52:00 +0000

Neil King Jr talks about his 330 mile walk from his home in Washington DC to NYC Central Park. American Ramble is a walk across contemporary America through some of our oldest common ground. Get a signed copy of American Ramble from RJ Julia Sign up for our podcast newsletter!

JTRB Shorts #4 - A quick look at what's new

Thu, 13 Apr 2023 11:22:00 +0000

Roxanne and Bill Goldstein are back again to discuss what they are reading in the new Just the Right Book Shorts episode. The books discussed in todays episode: Hello Beautiful Old God's Time 50 Days of Solitude Sign up for our podcast newsletter!

An Epic Story from Slavery to Freedom with Ilyon Woo

Thu, 06 Apr 2023 12:47:00 +0000

Roxanne discusses the remarkable story of Ellen and William Craft, who escaped slavery through determination and disguise with Ilyon Woo, the author of Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Story from Slavery to Freedom. Buy Master Slave Husband Wife from RJ Julia Sign up for our podcast newsletter!

JTRB Shorts #3 - A quick look at what's new

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 19:57:00 +0000

Roxanne and Bill Goldstein discuss what they are reading, bestsellers, and what coming up that is keeping them awake at night in the new Just the Right Book Shorts. Sign up for our podcast newsletter!

Every Family Has A Story with Julia Samuel

Thu, 23 Mar 2023 13:32:00 +0000

Psychotherapist Julia Samuel joins Roxanne to discuss transgenerational trauma. They discuss the twelve touchstones for family well being and also explore the idea that the relationships that touch us the most are often the ones that can hurt us the most. Buy Every Family Has a Story from RJ Julia Sign up for our podcast newsletter!

JTRB Shorts #2 - A quick look at what's new

Thu, 16 Mar 2023 13:57:00 +0000

Roxanne is joined again by Bill Goldstein to talk about what they are reading now, the bestsellers and what's coming out soon that has caught their eye. What we are reading now: Burnam Wood Perish Bestsellers we are talking about: Its OK to be Angry About Capitalism The Silent Patient What’s new that we are excited about: The Lost Americans American Ramble: A Walk of Memory and Renewal Sign up for our podcast newsletter

American Women and the Fight for Equality with Elisabeth Griffith

Thu, 09 Mar 2023 13:00:00 +0000

Elisabeth Griffith discusses the history of equal rights for women, the 19th Amendment, and how a century later all women are still grappling to secure their rights. Buy the book here Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com Sign up for our podcast newsletter

JTRB Shorts #1 - A quick look at what's new

Thu, 02 Mar 2023 13:00:00 +0000

Roxanne introduces a new biweekly podcast, Just the Right Book Shorts in conversation with Bill Goldstein. Find out about new books, what they’re reading now, and commentary on bestsellers. What are we reading now I Have Some Questions for You The Absent Moon: A Memoir of a Short Childhood and a Long Depression Best Seller Lessons in Chemistry It Starts With Us New and exciting! Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age Hang the Moon Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

Unscripted by James B Stewart and Rachel Abrams

Thu, 23 Feb 2023 11:00:00 +0000

Roxanne and James Stewart discuss the family drama and boardroom backstabbing in his new book co-authored with Rachel Abrams, Unscripted: The Epic Battle for a Media Empire and the Redstone Family Legacy. Buy the book here Just The Right Book Subscription Promo Code (15% off): Podcast Email us at: podcast@rjjulia.com

Courtney Maum on Exploring Depression and Forgiveness Through Horseback Riding

Thu, 09 Feb 2023 13:00:00 +0000

In this episode of Just the Right Book, Courtney Maum talks about her exploration with depression and forgiveness in her memoir, The Year of the Horses, by revisiting her past and finding an old love in horseback riding. Courtney Maum is the author of the novels Costalegre, Touch, and I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You, and an award-winning guide for writers, Before and After the Book Deal. A writing coach and educator, Courtney's mission is to help people hold on to the joy of art-making in a culture obsessed with turning artists into brands. Courtney's essays and articles about creativity have been widely published in outlets like The New York Times, The Guardian, and Interview. She lives in Litchfield County, Connecticut, with her family, where she runs a nonprofit learning collaborative for artists called The Cabins.

Billy Collins on the Small Poem

Fri, 27 Jan 2023 14:41:00 +0000

Poet Billy Collins joins Roxanne Coady to discuss his new collection, Musical Tables: Poems and the power and pleasure of the small poem.

Looking back at Paul Newman and The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man

Thu, 12 Jan 2023 13:00:00 +0000

Clea Newman Soderlund and editor, David Rosenthal talk with Roxanne on the process of finding and compiling a series of interviews conducted over a period of time and writings from Paul Newman to create the posthumous memoir of an ordinary man who led an extraordinary life. Listen in as we discover the celebrated actor, husband and father, Paul Newman who does not hold back in this intimate and candid memoir.

Jacques Pepin and The Art of the Chicken

Thu, 29 Dec 2022 14:00:00 +0000

Legendary chef and painter, Jacques Pepin shares the story of his life with Roxanne Coady. The award-winning chef looks at life through the essence of the bird - the chicken, the most democratic food in the world.

The 2022 Holiday Gift Guide Episode!

Thu, 15 Dec 2022 13:45:00 +0000

Join Roxanne Coady and the staff of RJ Julia Booksellers as we explore the best books of the year to give as gifts to the readers in your life. See the full list of books discussed here.

Why Is Samuel Adams the Forgotten Founding Father?

Thu, 01 Dec 2022 08:00:00 +0000

Thomas Jefferson considered Samuel Adams the earliest, most active, and most persevering of the revolution. Yet when we think of the founders, his name is often missing, submerged by other founders, his cousin John Adams or John Hancock, or obviously Washington and Jefferson himself. Now, Stacy Schiff does what she does brilliantly in The Revolutionary: Samuel Adam, using her Pulitzer Prize0winning skills as a biographer to bring to life the revolution, the politics, the propaganda, and the man who insidiously and deliberately became a revolutionary of the first order. Resurrecting a man history has almost forgotten, a man without whom our history might have taken a different course. ________________________________ Stacy Schiff is the author of Véra (Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov), winner of the Pulitzer Prize; Saint-Exupéry, a Pulitzer Prize finalist; A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America, winner of the George Washington Book Prize and the Ambassador Book Award; Cleopatra: A Life, winner of the PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award for biography; and most recently, The Witches: Salem, 1692. Schiff has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the Center for Scholars and Writers at the New York Public Library. A member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, she lives in New York City. Roxanne Coady is owner of R.J. Julia, one of the leading independent booksellers in the United States, which—since 1990—has been a community resource not only for books, but for the exchange of ideas. In 1998, Coady founded Read To Grow, which provides books for newborns and children and encourages parents to read to their children from birth. RTG has distributed over 1.5 million books. Related Episodes: George Packer on Redefining "American" Can We Salvage Patriotism? Should We?

How the Injustices of Racism and Inequality Continue to Reverberate Through the Generations

Fri, 18 Nov 2022 12:56:00 +0000

It is not often that you read a book that is both heartbreaking, infuriating, inspiring, eye-opening, and riveting. Nicholas Dawidoff’s new book, The Other Side of Prospect, brilliantly uses the particular story of the Newhallville neighborhood of New Haven, Connecticut, and a young black man wrongly convicted of murder to tell the universal story of the violence, poverty, and injustice that exists in too many of our American cities. There is a reason Nicholas has been a finalist for the Pulitzer, a Guggenheim Fellow, and the recipient of a slew of other honors and fellowships. He wraps his compassion and journalistic devotion to research and details into a story that takes us into his grip, leaving us more informed, more understanding, and hopefully more committed to being part of a solution. As James Baldwin said, “If one wishes to know how justice is administered in a country, one does not question the policemen, the lawyers, the judges, or the protected members of the middle class. One goes to the unprotected.” The unprotected could not be in better, wiser hands than Nicholas Dawidoff. ________________________________ Nicholas Dawidoff is the critically acclaimed author of five books, including The Catcher Was a Spy and In the Country of a Country. He is a Pulitzer Prize finalist and has also been a Guggenheim, Berlin Prize, and Art for Justice Fellow. Roxanne Coady is owner of R.J. Julia, one of the leading independent booksellers in the United States, which—since 1990—has been a community resource not only for books, but for the exchange of ideas. In 1998, Coady founded Read To Grow, which provides books for newborns and children and encourages parents to read to their children from birth. RTG has distributed over 1.5 million books. Buy the Book: The Other Side of Prospect Related Episodes Steve Luxenberg: We Need to Rethink Precedents Julia Samuel: How Do We Process Grief?

Dani Shapiro: How Writing Fiction Can Expose More of Yourself Than Writing Memoir

Thu, 03 Nov 2022 20:51:00 +0000

Signal Fires is Dani Shapiro’s first novels in fifteen years, and has everything most of us want in fiction: indelible characters, a book we can’t put down, and the ability to provoke how we think about our lives by understanding of their lives. She joins Roxanne Coady for a live conversation held at RJ Julia Booksellers. Dani Shapiro is a best-selling novelist and memoirist and host of the podcast Family Secrets (now in its seventh season). Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Vogue, and Time. She has taught at Columbia and New York University and is the co-founder of the Sirenland Writers Conference. She lives in Litchfield County, Connecticut. Roxanne Coady is owner of R.J. Julia, one of the leading independent booksellers in the United States, which—since 1990—has been a community resource not only for books, but for the exchange of ideas. In 1998, Coady founded Read To Grow, which provides books for newborns and children and encourages parents to read to their children from birth. RTG has distributed over 1.5 million books.

How Much Has Changed—And Not Changed—Since the First Rape Trial in American History

Thu, 20 Oct 2022 11:12:00 +0000

John Wood Sweet is a professor of history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the former director of UNC’s Program in Sexuality Studies. He has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Mellon Foundation, the National Humanities Center, the Institute for the Arts and Humanities at UNC, and the Gilder Lehrman Center at Yale, among others. His first book, Bodies Politic: Negotiating Race in the American North, 1730–1830, was a finalist for the Frederick Douglass Prize. He was named a Top Young Historian by the History News Network and has served as an Organization of American Historians Distinguished Lecturer. He lives in Chapel Hill with his husband, son, and daughter. Related Episodes: Richard Haass on Why History Matters Has Our Thinking About Regret Been All Wrong? Elizabeth Strout Knows "Anything Is Possible"

David Dennis, Jr.: Why American Civil Rights Activists Should Be Treated as War Veterans

Thu, 06 Oct 2022 13:29:00 +0000

Many of us may know the broad outline of the civil rights movement of the 1960s. But for most of us, the details, the headline names, the level of malevolent violence and the horrific sacrifices were, at best, vague. But David Dennis, Jr., in his new book, The Movement Made Us: A Father, a Son, and the Legacy of a Freedom Ride, poignantly and vividly gives us an intimate portrait of the personal side of the civil rights movement. David wrote this book in collaboration with his father, David Dennis, Sr. His father had a pivotal role in the civil rights movement as an organizer and hero of the Freedom Rides, lunch counter sit-ins, and voter registration drives, as well as an official of the Congress of Racial Equity. Dennis, Sr.’s story exposes the risk, the relationships, and repercussions on families and lives that brings the movement to life for us. Dennis David, Jr. is an award -winning journalist and educator creates the stories of his father and the movement that has lingered in my mind and forced me to rethink today’s movement for Black Rights and safety. DAVID J. DENNIS JR. is a senior writer at The Undefeated. His work has been featured in Atlanta magazine, The Atlantic, the Washington Post, and Huffington Post, among other publications. Dennis is the recipient of the 2021 American Mosaic Journalism Prize, is a National Association of Black Journalist Salute to Excellence award winner, and was named one of The Root’s 100 Most Influential African Americans of 2020. He lives in Georgia with his wife and two children and is a graduate of Davidson College. Related Episodes: Claudia Rankine: The Reconciliation Won't Be Easy, But It's Necessary Work David Blight on the Prophet of Freedom

Tina Brown: While the Monarchy Will Not End, It Will Shrink Nevertheless

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 13:48:00 +0000

In this episode of Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, she is joined by Tina Brown to discuss her new book, The Palace Papers: Inside the House of Windsor—the Truth and the Turmoil, out now from Crown. Please note: This episode was recorded before the recent death of Queen Elizabeth II. Tina Brown is an award-winning writer, the former editor in chief of Tatler, Vanity Fair, and The New Yorker, and the founder of The Daily Beast and of the live event platform Women in the World. She is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Diana Chronicles, and in 2017 she published The Vanity Fair Diaries, chosen as one of the best books of the year by Time, People, The Guardian, The Economist, Entertainment Weekly, and Vogue. In 2000 she was awarded the CBE (Commander of the British Empire) by Queen Elizabeth II for her services to journalism. She lives in New York City. More to listen: Senator John McCain In His Own Words: A Tribute How Can We Stay Human in a F*cked Up World? Sheryl Turkle on Why Some Stories Take Time Roxanne Coady is owner of R.J. Julia, one of the leading independent booksellers in the United States, which—since 1990—has been a community resource not only for books, but for the exchange of ideas. In 1998, Coady founded Read To Grow, which provides books for newborns and children and encourages parents to read to their children from birth. RTG has distributed over 1.5 million books.

Anthony T. Kronman on How to Find God in a World Full of Disappointment and Disenchantment

Thu, 08 Sep 2022 07:00:00 +0000

In this episode of Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, she is joined by Anthony T. Kronman to discuss his new book, After Disbelief: On Disenchantment, Disappointment, Eternity, and Joy, out now from Yale University Press. ________________________________ Anthony Kronman is Sterling Professor of Law and a former dean at Yale Law School. He is the author of Confessions of a Born-Again Pagan and Education’s End: Why Our Colleges and Universities Have Given Up on the Meaning of Life. He lives on Block Island, Rhode Island. Roxanne Coady is owner of R.J. Julia, one of the leading independent booksellers in the United States, which—since 1990—has been a community resource not only for books, but for the exchange of ideas. In 1998, Coady founded Read To Grow, which provides books for newborns and children and encourages parents to read to their children from birth. RTG has distributed over 1.5 million books.

How Do We Eradicate the Great Challenge of Our Age: Unconscious Bias and Discrimination?

Thu, 25 Aug 2022 14:51:00 +0000

In this episode of Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, we revisit our conversation with Jessica Nordell discussing her book, The End of Bias: A Beginning: The Science and Practice of Overcoming Unconscious Bias, out now from Metropolitan Books. Subscribe and download the episode, wherever you get your podcasts! ________________________________ Jessica Nordell is a science and culture journalist whose writing has appeared in the Atlantic, the New York Times, the New Republic, and many other publications. A former writer for public radio and producer for American Public Media, she graduated from Harvard University and the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The End of Bias is her first book. Roxanne Coady is owner of R.J. Julia, one of the leading independent booksellers in the United States, which—since 1990—has been a community resource not only for books, but for the exchange of ideas. In 1998, Coady founded Read To Grow, which provides books for newborns and children and encourages parents to read to their children from birth. RTG has distributed over 1.5 million books.

Elizabeth Alexander: How Do You Keep Yourself Safe But Not Live in Fear?

Thu, 11 Aug 2022 14:03:00 +0000

When we think of racism, we often think of actions, obstacles, systems. What we often overlook is the power of images, movement, art, and words. They represent the power of both harm and hope. Elizabeth Alexander in her new book, The Trayvon Generation, uses this prism to share poetry, art, and film. And along with her exquisite, evocative language, we find ourselves educated, provoked and challenged. Elizabeth is singularly equipped to tell us this story. She is a poet. Many were introduced to her when she read her poem “Praise Song for the Day” at President Obama’s inauguration. She is a bestselling, award-winning author and is now the president of the Mellon Foundation, the nation’s largest funder in the arts, culture, and humanities. But at her core, she is an educator, having had that role as chair of African-American studies at Yale University. In her new book, that is just what she does. She educates us, and the poet in her delivers the education with lyrical beauty. Elizabeth Alexander is a prize-winning and New York Times bestselling author, renowned poet, educator, scholar, and cultural advocate. Her most recent book, The Trayvon Generation (2022), is a galvanizing meditation on the power of art and culture to illuminate America’s unresolved problem with race and the challenges facing young Black America. Among the fifteen books she has authored or co-authored, her memoir, The Light of the World, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Biography and the National Book Critics Circle Award in 2015 and her poetry collection American Sublime was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry in 2006. Notably, Dr. Alexander composed and recited “Praise Song for the Day” for President Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration. Over the course of an esteemed career in education, she has held distinguished professorships at Smith College, Columbia University, and Yale University, where she taught for fifteen years and chaired the African American Studies Department. Dr. Alexander is currently president of the Mellon Foundation, the nation’s largest funder in the arts, culture, and humanities. * Roxanne Coady is owner of R.J. Julia, one of the leading independent booksellers in the United States, which—since 1990—has been a community resource not only for books, but for the exchange of ideas. In 1998, Coady founded Read To Grow, which provides books for newborns and children and encourages parents to read to their children from birth. RTG has distributed over 1.5 million books.

Julie Orringer and Rebecca Frankel: Why We Still Need to Tell the Stories of the Holocaust

Thu, 28 Jul 2022 13:15:00 +0000

This week on Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, Julie Orringer and Rebecca Frankel joins Roxanne to discuss their books, The Invisible Bridge and Into the Forest: A Holocaust Story of Survival, Triumph, and Love as well as Mala Kacenberg’s new book Mala’s Cat: A Memoir of Survival in World War II. Julie Orringer is the author of the award-winning short-story collection How to Breathe Underwater, which was a New York Times Notable Book. She is the winner of The Paris Review’s Discovery Prize and the recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, Stanford University, and the Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers at the New York Public Library. She lives in Brooklyn, where she is researching a new novel. Rebecca Frankel is a longtime editor and journalist. She is the author of New York Times best-selling book War Dogs: Tales of Canine Heroism, History, and Love and Into the Forest: A Holocaust Story of Survival, Triumph, and Love, which was named one of "The Ten Best History Books of 2021" by Smithsonian Magazine, and a 2021 National Jewish Book Award finalist. She was formerly executive editor at Foreign Policy magazine and managing editor of Moment magazine. Her editing work has garnered multiple accolades including a Polk Award for coverage of the 2015 MSF Hospital bombing in Kunduz, Afghanistan. Rebecca's articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, and The Washington Post and elsewhere. She's been a guest on Conan, PBS NewsHour, The Diane Rehm Show, and BBC World News, among others.

Zain Asher: Never Let the Perception of Yourself Hold You Back

Fri, 15 Jul 2022 13:16:00 +0000

Zain Ejiofor Asher was born to first-generation Nigerian parents in South London. She was raised by her mother after losing her father in a tragic car accident when she was just 5. A graduate of Oxford University and Columbia University, she is currently the anchor of One World with Zain Asher on CNN International. Ejiofor Asher’s brothers are Oscar-nominated actor Chiwetel Ejiofor, successful entrepreneur Obinze. Her sister Kandibe is a medical doctor. She is passionate about her family, career, and being of service. She lives in New York City with her husband and two sons. Buy the book.

What Should You Read This Summer?

Thu, 30 Jun 2022 11:57:00 +0000

Whether you’re traveling or not this summer, right now is the perfect time to catch up on all the great books that have recently been published. In this episode of Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, Roxanne talks with critic and book reviewer Bill Goldstein to guide you through which books you want to read, have read, are thinking about reading, or you should know about. Books discussed include: Geraldine Brooks, Horse (Viking) Margot Jefferson, Constructing a Nervous System (Pantheon) Ann Hood, Fly Girl (W.W. Norton) Meredith Hall, Beneficence (David R. Godine Publisher) Claire Keegan, Small Things Like These (Grove Press)

Linda Greenhouse on When the Republican Party Was the Party of Reproductive Choice

Thu, 16 Jun 2022 12:38:00 +0000

This week on Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, Linda Greenhouse returns to discuss the recent Roe v. Wade investigation leak and her book, Before Roe V. Wade: Voices That Shaped the Abortion Debate Before the Supreme Court’s Ruling. Listen to our prior conversation with Linda here. ________________________________ Linda Greenhouse, recipient of the Pulitzer Prize and other major journalism awards, covered the Supreme Court for The New York Times for nearly thirty years. Since 2009, she has taught at Yale Law School and written a biweekly op-ed column on the Court as a contributing writer for the Times. She is a graduate of Radcliffe College, Harvard, and earned a master of studies in law degree from Yale Law School. * Roxanne Coady is owner of R.J. Julia, one of the leading independent booksellers in the United States, which—since 1990—has been a community resource not only for books, but for the exchange of ideas. In 1998, Coady founded Read To Grow, which provides books for newborns and children and encourages parents to read to their children from birth. RTG has distributed over 1.5 million books.

Senator Chris Murphy: How Do We Solve the Violence Inside Us

Thu, 02 Jun 2022 12:20:00 +0000

Sunita Puri: Why a Life Well Lived Is a Good Death

Thu, 19 May 2022 08:00:00 +0000

A lot of times there’s an interview that just sticks in your brain and stays there and pops up periodically. And one of those interviews for us was with Dr. Sunita Puri, who’s an assistant professor of clinical medicine at the University of Southern California and medical director of the Palliative Medicine Unit at Keck Hospital, and the author of That Good Night: Life and Medicine in the Eleventh Hour, out now in paperback from Penguin Press. The reason we’re revisiting this conversation this week on Just the Right Book is because we hear too many times about somebody who was diagnosed with cancer or some other life-threatening disease, and a lot of times medical doctors goal is to cure you, even if it kills you. However, what these palliative care doctors do is become your advocate for the notion that a life well-lived is a good death. Dr. Sunita Puri is an assistant professor of clinical medicine at the University of Southern California, and medical director of palliative medicine at the Keck Hospital and Norris Cancer Center. She has published essays in The New York Times, Slate, The Journal of the American Medical Association, and JAMA-Internal Medicine. She lives in Los Angeles. Roxanne Coady is owner of R.J. Julia, one of the leading independent booksellers in the United States, which—since 1990—has been a community resource not only for books, but for the exchange of ideas. In 1998, Coady founded Read To Grow, which provides books for newborns and children and encourages parents to read to their children from birth. RTG has distributed over 1.5 million books.

Anna Quindlen: You're Never Alone When You Read Great Novels

Thu, 05 May 2022 09:37:00 +0000

In this episode of Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, Anna Quindlen joins Roxanne Coady to discuss her latest book, Write For Your Life, out now from Random House. Anna Quindlen is a novelist and journalist whose work has appeared on fiction, nonfiction, and self-help bestseller lists. She is the author of many novels: Object Lessons, One True Thing, Black and Blue, Blessings, Rise and Shine, Every Last One, Still Life with Bread Crumbs, and Miller’s Valley. Her memoir Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake was a #1 New York Times bestseller. Her book A Short Guide to a Happy Life has sold more than a million copies. While a columnist at The New York Times she won the Pulitzer Prize and published two collections, Living Out Loud and Thinking Out Loud. Her Newsweek columns were collected in Loud and Clear.

Has Our Thinking About Regret Been All Wrong?

Thu, 21 Apr 2022 12:05:00 +0000

Introducing Storybound

Wed, 20 Apr 2022 21:24:00 +0000

Now celebrating its fifth season, Storybound is a radio theater program designed for the podcast age. Hosted by 2021 KCRW Radio Race winner Jude Brewer, Storybound presents the voices of today’s best writers reading accomplished works of fiction and non-fiction. You’ll also hear original music specially composed for the respective text. Needless to say, it’s an immersive storytelling experience. The episode we’re sharing today features Stephanie Danler reading from her Stray, a memoir about what happens after you’ve achieved success without fully processing your past. It’s a bracing, honest, and sometimes painful book, and on Storybound, you hear it straight from Stephanie. If you enjoy what you hear, make sure to follow Storybound (for free) wherever you get your podcasts.

Barry Nalebuff: Don't Fight Fire With Fire; Fight Fire With Water

Thu, 07 Apr 2022 11:35:00 +0000

On this week's episode, Roxanne talks with leading Yale expert and serial entrepreneur Barry Nalebuff about his new book, Split the Pie: A Radical New Way to Negotiate. Barry Nalebuff is the Milton Steinbach Professor at the Yale School of Management, where he has taught for over thirty years. An expert on game theory, he has written extensively on its application to business strategy. His bestsellers include Thinking Strategically, The Art of Strategy, and Mission in a Bottle. This is his seventh book. He has advised the NBA in their negotiations with the Players Association and several firms in major M&A transactions. Nalebuff has been teaching the Split the Pie method to MBAs and executives at Yale and online at Coursera. His Introduction to Negotiation course has over 350,000 enrolled students and a 4.9/5.0 rating. He is also a serial entrepreneur; his ventures include Honest Tea, Kombrewcha, and Real Made Foods. A graduate of MIT, a Rhodes Scholar, and a Junior Fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows, Nalebuff earned his doctorate at Oxford University.

Freedom Must Still Be Defended: Remembering Madeleine Albright

Thu, 31 Mar 2022 04:16:00 +0000

With Madeleine Albright's passing, we thought it might be useful, interesting, even fun to revisit our conversation with the American diplomat and political scientist from January of 2019, when her latest book came out called Fascism: A Warning. This conversation, given what's going on in the world today with Ukraine and the role of NATO, provides insights into the foreign policies over the last 50 years that might have contributed or mitigated the aggression we're now seeing by Russia. So while the conversation is from three years ago, Madeleine Albright had a lot to share that is extremely pertinent to what we're seeing today.

Nick Davis on Writing Himself Into a Biography–And Taking Himself Out

Thu, 24 Mar 2022 11:40:00 +0000

In this episode of Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, Nick Davis joins Roxanne Coady to discuss his latest book, Competing with Idiots: Herman and Joe Mankiewicz, a Dual Portrait, out now from Knopf. ________________________________ Nick Davis is a writer, director, and producer. His most recent film is Once Upon A Time in Queens about the 1986 Mets. He lives in New York City with his wife and daughters. Roxanne Coady is owner of R.J. Julia, one of the leading independent booksellers in the United States, which—since 1990—has been a community resource not only for books, but for the exchange of ideas. In 1998, Coady founded Read To Grow, which provides books for newborns and children and encourages parents to read to their children from birth. RTG has distributed over 1.5 million books.

Amy Bloom: Grief is the Price You Pay for Love

Thu, 10 Mar 2022 08:00:00 +0000

In this episode of Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, Amy Bloom joins Roxanne Coady to discuss his first book, In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss, out now from Random House. ________________________________ Amy Bloom is the author of Come to Me, a National Book Award finalist; Love Invents Us; A Blind Man Can See How Much I Love You, nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award; Normal; Away, a New York Times bestseller; Where the God of Love Hangs Out; Lucky Us, a New York Times bestseller; and White Houses. Her stories have appeared in The Best American Short Stories, The O. Henry Prize Short Stories, The Scribner Anthology of Contemporary Short Fiction, and many other anthologies here and abroad. She has written for The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, Vogue, Slate, Tin House, and Salon, among other publications, and has won a National Magazine Award. She is the Shapiro-Silverberg Professor of Creative Writing at Wesleyan University. Roxanne Coady is owner of R.J. Julia, one of the leading independent booksellers in the United States, which—since 1990—has been a community resource not only for books, but for the exchange of ideas. In 1998, Coady founded Read To Grow, which provides books for newborns and children and encourages parents to read to their children from birth. RTG has distributed over 1.5 million books.

Senator Will Haskell on Why We Should Feel Optimistic About Politics

Thu, 24 Feb 2022 09:00:00 +0000

In this episode of Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, Senator Will Haskell joins Roxanne Coady to discuss his first book, 100,000 First Bosses: My Unlikely Path as a 22-Year-Old Lawmaker, out now from Avid Reader Press. Will Haskell was elected in 2018 to represent seven towns, including his hometown, in the Connecticut State Senate. Just a few months after graduating from college, he and his roommate-turned-campaign manager unseated a Republican incumbent who had been in the legislature for longer than Will had been alive. Their campaign activated an army of young volunteers who were energized by the fight to end gun violence, and together they broke a tie in the Senate by flipping the district Blue. In the Senate, Will serves as the Chair of the Transportation Committee and the Vice Chair of the Government Administration and Elections Committee. His spent his first term focusing on college affordability, transportation improvements, and voting rights. In 2019, he helped create Connecticut’s free community college program, so that every high school graduate has an opportunity to pursue a degree. He lives in Westport, Connecticut, and is still dating his lab partner from high school physics. 100,000 First Bosses is his first book. Roxanne Coady is owner of R.J. Julia, one of the leading independent booksellers in the United States, which—since 1990—has been a community resource not only for books, but for the exchange of ideas. In 1998, Coady founded Read To Grow, which provides books for newborns and children and encourages parents to read to their children from birth. RTG has distributed over 1.5 million books.

Beth Macy on the Future of Families and Communities in the Opioid Epidemic

Thu, 10 Feb 2022 09:00:00 +0000

In this episode of Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, Beth Macy joins Roxanne Coady to discuss her landmark book, Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America, out in paperback from Back Bay Books and now a critically-acclaimed TV series from Hulu. ________________________________ Beth Macy is the author of the widely acclaimed and bestselling books Truevine and Factory Man. Based in Roanoke, Virginia for three decades, her reporting has won more than a dozen national awards, including a Nieman Fellowship for Journalism at Harvard. Roxanne Coady is owner of R.J. Julia, one of the leading independent booksellers in the United States, which—since 1990—has been a community resource not only for books, but for the exchange of ideas. In 1998, Coady founded Read To Grow, which provides books for newborns and children and encourages parents to read to their children from birth. RTG has distributed over 1.5 million books.

Oliver Burkeman on What It Means to Be Finite Creatures With Infinite Minds

Thu, 27 Jan 2022 05:00:00 +0000

In this episode of Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, Oliver Burkeman joins Roxanne Coady to discuss her new book, Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, out now from Farrar, Straus & Giroux. Oliver Burkeman is the author of The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking. He wrote a long-running weekly column on psychology for The Guardian, This Column Will Change Your Life, and his work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Psychologies, and New Philosopher. He lives in New York City. Roxanne Coady is owner of R.J. Julia, one of the leading independent booksellers in the United States, which—since 1990—has been a community resource not only for books, but for the exchange of ideas. In 1998, Coady founded Read To Grow, which provides books for newborns and children and encourages parents to read to their children from birth. RTG has distributed over 1.5 million books.

Sarah Ruhl on Why We Should Love Imperfection and Asymmetry

Thu, 13 Jan 2022 10:00:00 +0000

In this episode of Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, Sarah Ruhl joins Roxanne Coady to discuss her new book, Smile: The Story of a Face, out now from Simon & Schuster. Subscribe and download the episode, wherever you get your podcasts! ________________________________ Sarah Ruhl is a playwright and writer of other things. Her fifteen plays include In the Next Room (or the Vibrator Play), The Clean House, and Eurydice. She has been a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist, a Tony Award nominee, and the recipient of the MacArthur “genius” Fellowship. Her plays have been produced on- and off-Broadway, around the country, internationally, and have been translated into many languages. Her book 100 Essays I Don’t Have Time to Write was a New York Times Notable Book. Her other books include Letters from Max, with Max Ritvo, and 44 Poems for You. She has received the Steinberg Playwright Award, the Samuel French Award, Feminist Press Under 40 Award, the National Theater Conference Person of the Year Award, the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, a Whiting Award, a Lily Award, and a PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater Award for mid-career playwrights. She teaches at the Yale School of Drama, and she lives in Brooklyn with her husband, Tony Charuvastra, who is a child psychiatrist, and her three children. You can read more about her work at SarahRuhlPlaywright.com. Roxanne Coady is owner of R.J. Julia, one of the leading independent booksellers in the United States, which—since 1990—has been a community resource not only for books, but for the exchange of ideas. In 1998, Coady founded Read To Grow, which provides books for newborns and children and encourages parents to read to their children from birth. RTG has distributed over 1.5 million books.

Ending the Year With Bishop Michael B. Curry

Thu, 30 Dec 2021 07:00:00 +0000

To end the year on Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, we revisit our conversatoin with Bishop Michael B. Curry as he discussed his latest book, Love Is the Way: Holding On to Hope in Troubled Times. This week's sponsor: This episode is presented by Audible.

Dorie Greenspan Still Finds Joy in Baking

Thu, 16 Dec 2021 05:00:00 +0000

In this episode of Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, Dorie Greenspan joins Roxanne Coady to discuss her new book, Baking with Dorie: Sweet, Salty & Simple, out now from Mariner Books. Subscribe and download the episode, wherever you get your podcasts! ________________________________ Inducted into the James Beard Foundation’s Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America, Dorie Greenspan is the author of 14 cookbooks, including Baking with Dorie; Dorie’s Cookies, a 2017 James Beard Award-winner for Best Baking and Dessert book; Around My French Table, a New York Times bestseller that was named Cookbook of the Year by the IACP; Baking Chez Moi, also a Times bestseller; and Baking: From My Home to Yours, a James Beard Award winner. She lives in New York City, Westbrook, Connecticut, and Paris.

The 2021 Holiday Gift Guide Episode!

Thu, 09 Dec 2021 18:41:00 +0000

Join Roxanne Coady and the staff of RJ Julia Booksellers as we explore the best books of the year to give as gifts to the readers in your life. Books discussed include: The Baseball 100 – Joe Pasnanski 50 Hikes with Kids New England - Wendy Gorton Zorrie – Laird Hunt All of the Marvels – Douglas Wolk Oh William! - Elizabeth Strout Smile: The Story of a Face – Sarah Ruhl Bewilderment – Richard Powers American Christmas Stories – Ed. Connie Willis Pajamas Pilates – Maria Mankin Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint British Village - Maureen Johnson See the full list here.

Who Does the Supreme Court Belong to Now?

Thu, 02 Dec 2021 05:00:00 +0000

In this week's episode, Roxanne Coady talks with Linda Greenhouse about her recent book, Justice on the Brink: The Death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, The Rise of Amy Coney Barrett, and Twelve Months That Transformed the Supreme Court. Linda Greenhouse has reported on and written about the Supreme Court for The New York Times for more than four decades, earning numerous accolades, including a Pulitzer Prize. She currently writes an opinion column on the court and teaches at Yale Law School. She lives in New Haven, Connecticut, and Stockbridge, Massachusetts.

Kati Marton Observes the Transformative Power of Angela Merkel

Thu, 18 Nov 2021 05:00:00 +0000

In this episode of Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, Kati Marton joins Roxanne to discuss her book, The Chancellor: The Remarkable Odyssey of Angela Merkel, out now from Simon & Schuster.

Jessica Nordell on What We Don't Realize About Unconscious Bias

Thu, 04 Nov 2021 12:13:00 +0000

In this episode of Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, Jessica Nordell joins Roxanne to discuss her book, The End of Bias: A Beginning: The Science and Practice of Overcoming Unconscious Bias, out now from Metropolitan Books. Subscribe and download the episode, wherever you get your podcasts! ________________________________ Jessica Nordell is a science and culture journalist whose writing has appeared in the Atlantic, the New York Times, the New Republic, and many other publications. A former writer for public radio and producer for American Public Media, she graduated from Harvard University and the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The End of Bias is her first book. Roxanne Coady is owner of R.J. Julia, one of the leading independent booksellers in the United States, which—since 1990—has been a community resource not only for books, but for the exchange of ideas. In 1998, Coady founded Read To Grow, which provides books for newborns and children and encourages parents to read to their children from birth. RTG has distributed over 1.5 million books.

Robert Draper on the Smoldering Wreck of Foreign Policy Still Alive Today

Thu, 21 Oct 2021 11:55:00 +0000

In this episode of Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, Robert Draper joins Roxanne to discuss his book, To Start a War: How the Bush Administration Took America into Iraq, out now from Penguin Press. Robert Draper is a writer at large for the New York Times Magazine and a contributing writer to National Geographic. He is the author of several books, including the New York Times bestseller Dead Certain: The Presidency of George W. Bush. He lives in Washington, DC.

Evan Osnos on Collective Intervention and Moments of Social Transition

Thu, 07 Oct 2021 04:00:00 +0000

In this episode of Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, Evan Osnos joins Roxanne to discuss his new book, Wildland: The Making of America’s Fury, out now from Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux. ________________________________ Evan Osnos is a staff writer at The New Yorker, a CNN contributor, and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. Based in Washington D.C., he writes about politics and foreign affairs. Roxanne Coady is owner of R.J. Julia, one of the leading independent booksellers in the United States, which—since 1990—has been a community resource not only for books, but for the exchange of ideas. In 1998, Coady founded Read To Grow, which provides books for newborns and children and encourages parents to read to their children from birth. RTG has distributed over 1.5 million books.

Bill Goldstein Has Some Thoughts on What You Should Read Next

Thu, 23 Sep 2021 13:00:00 +0000

The number of big books coming out this fall is unprecedented. In this episode of Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, Roxanne talks with critic and book reviewer Bill Goldstein to guide you through which books you want to read, have read, are thinking about reading, or you should know about.

Anne Sebba on Ethel Rosenberg's Early Days

Thu, 09 Sep 2021 04:00:00 +0000

In this episode of Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, Anne Sebba joins Roxanne to discuss her new book, Ethel Rosenberg: An American Tragedy, out now from St. Martin's Press. Subscribe to Just the Right Book!

George Packer on Redefining "American" and the Inequalities of the State

Thu, 26 Aug 2021 13:52:00 +0000

In this episode of Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, George Packer joins Roxanne to discuss his new book, The Last Best Hope: America in Crisis and Renewal, out now from Farrar, Straus and Giroux. George Packer is a journalist, novelist, playwright, and staff writer for The New Yorker. His latest book is Our Man: Richard Holbrooke and the End of the American Century, which the members of the Whiting Award grant jury—from whom Packer was awarded a grant to complete the work—say is “irreverent, fast-paced, and unfailingly rigorous. . . an enthralling nonfiction picaresque that offers incisive clues to the complexities this country faces today.” Packer’s other works include the nonfiction titles The Unwinding, recipient of the National Book Award for Nonfiction in 2013; The Assassins’ Gate, which was named one of the ten best books of 2005 by the New York Times Book Review and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize; and Blood of the Liberals, which won the 2001 Robert F. Kennedy Book Award. He was a Guggenheim Fellow and has taught writing at Harvard, Bennington, and Columbia. Roxanne Coady is owner of R.J. Julia, one of the leading independent booksellers in the United States, which—since 1990—has been a community resource not only for books, but for the exchange of ideas. In 1998, Coady founded Read To Grow, which provides books for newborns and children and encourages parents to read to their children from birth. RTG has distributed over 1.5 million books.

Robert Ballard, the Man Who's Discovered More Than Just the Titanic

Thu, 12 Aug 2021 10:11:00 +0000

For many reasons, when you hear the name Robert Ballard, you might think of the discovery of the Titanic. But, forgive us for this, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There are the other discoveries of shipwrecks like the Bismarck, the Lusitania, and the PT-109. There is the pioneering development of remote submersibles and telepresence that have escalated undersea exploration exponentially. There’s also the discovery of hydrothermal vents on the floor of the ocean that could eventually be a source of food and energy. Most profoundly, there is Robert Ballard’s restless enthusiasm for discovery and adventure and the commitment to creating the oceanic exploration version of the Lewis and Clark expedition. In this episode of Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, Robert Ballard joins Roxanne Coady to discuss his new memoir, Into the Deep: A Memoir From the Man Who Found Titanic, out now from National Geographic.

Ursula Burns on the Dangers of Exceptionalism

Thu, 29 Jul 2021 04:00:00 +0000

In this episode of Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, Ursula Burns joins Roxanne Coady to discuss her new memoir, Where You Are Is Not Who You Are, out now from Amistad Press. Ursula M. Burns was the chair and CEO of VEON from mid 2019 to early 2020, a senior advisor to Teneo LTD, Nestlé, Exxon Mobil, and The Ford Foundation among others. She is a member of the board of directors of Uber. She served as CEO of Xerox from 2009 to 2016, and as chairwoman from 2010 to 2017. In 2014, Forbes rated her the 22nd most powerful woman in the world. She was a leader of the STEM program of the White House from 2009 to 2016, and Vice Chair and then Chair of the President's Export Council for the Obama Administration. She lives in London and New York. Today's sponsor: Noom. Ready to learn how to live healthier? Sign up for Noom today at noom.com/justtherightbook.

What Professional Poker Taught Maria Konnikova About the American Dream

Thu, 15 Jul 2021 04:00:00 +0000

In this episode of Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, Maria Konnikova joins Roxanne Coady to discuss her book, The Biggest Bluff, out now from Penguin Press. This week's sponsor: Talkspace. Get $100 off of your first month with code JUSTTHERIGHTBOOK.

Gigi Georges on the False Narratives of Rural America

Thu, 01 Jul 2021 13:03:00 +0000

In this episode of Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, Gigi Georges joins Roxanne Coady to discuss her book, Downeast: Five Maine Girls and the Unseen Story of Rural America, out now from Harper. Today's Sponsors: Noom. Ready to learn how to live healthier? Sign up for Noom today at noom.com/justtherightbook. Scribd. Get a 60-day free trial at try.scribd.com/jrb. Realm. Starring Emmy award-winning actress Tatiana Maslany, Realm presents the official continuation of the hit TV series Orphan Black. Listen to Orphan Black: The Next Chapter, available wherever you get your podcasts.

Sherry Turkle on Why Some Stories Take Time

Thu, 17 Jun 2021 12:35:00 +0000

In this episode of Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, Sherry Turkle joins Roxanne Coady to discuss her book, The Empathy Diaries, out now from Penguin. Talkspace. Get $100 off of your first month with code JUSTTHERIGHTBOOK.

Judy Batalion on the Emotional Legacy of the Holocaust

Thu, 03 Jun 2021 13:50:00 +0000

In this episode of Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, Judy Batalion joins Roxanne to discuss her book, The Light of Days, out now from William Morrow & Company. Today's Sponsors: Scribd. Get a 60-day free trial at try.scribd.com/jrb. Noom. Ready to learn how to live healthier? Sign up for Noom today at noom.com/justtherightbook. Realm. Starring Emmy award-winning actress Tatiana Maslany, Realm presents the official continuation of the hit TV series Orphan Black. Listen to Orphan Black: The Next Chapter, available wherever you get your podcasts.

Can We Salvage Patriotism? Should We?

Thu, 20 May 2021 11:53:00 +0000

When did patriotism become a lightning rod, and why? On the right, it has become aligned with nationalism, and on the left, it is seen as an impediment to acknowledging exclusions and flaws in our founding documents and theories. Can we even resurrect common values and salvage patriotism? In this episode of Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, Steven Smith joins Roxanne to discuss his book, Reclaiming Patriotism in an Age of Extremes, out now from Yale University Press. This episode's sponsor: Talkspace: Get $100 off your first month with Talkspace. Visit talkspace.com and use promo code JUSTTHERIGHTBOOK.

Tim Wu on the Corporate Dangers of a Return to Fascism

Thu, 06 May 2021 04:51:00 +0000

Bishop Michael B. Curry on Hopeful Lessons from the Civil Rights Movement

Thu, 29 Apr 2021 12:51:00 +0000

In this episode of Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, Bishop Michael B. Curry joins Roxanne to discuss his new book, Love Is the Way: Holding On to Hope in Troubled Times. This week's sponsor: This episode is presented by Noom. Ready to learn how to live healthier? Sign up for Noom today at noom.com/justtherightbook.

Janice P. Nimura on the Case for Admiring "Unlikable" Women

Thu, 08 Apr 2021 04:47:00 +0000

In this episode of Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, Janice P. Nimura joins Roxanne to discuss her new book, The Doctors Blackwell. This week's sponsor: This episode is presented by Noom. Ready to learn how to live healthier? Sign up for Noom today at noom.com/justtherightbook.

The 2020 Holiday Gift Guide Episode!

Thu, 17 Dec 2020 14:49:00 +0000

Join Roxanne Coady and the staff of RJ Julia Booksellers as we explore the best books of the year to give as gifts to the readers in your life. Books discussed include: The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X – Les Payne Eleanor: A Life – David Michaelis The Luckiest Man – Mark Salter Modern Comfort Food – Ina Garten Jacques Pepin: Quick & Simple Winter Cocktails : Mulled Ciders, Hot Toddies, Punches, Pitchers, and Cocktail Party Snacks – Maria del Mar Sacasa The Choice – Dr. Edith Eger The Gift – Dr. Edith Eger Maybe You Should Talk to Someone – Lori Gottlieb – (mentioned, not discussed) Classical Mythology A to Z: An Encyclopedia of Gods & Goddesses, Heroes & Heroines, Nymphs, Spirits, Monsters, and Places - Annette Giesecke Chasing Chopin – Annik LaFarge The Fire Next Time - James Baldwin Begin Again – Eddie Glaude Jr. Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You : A Remix of the National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning – Jason Reynolds, Ibram X. Kendi Just Us – Claudia Rankine Citizen I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings – Maya Angelou This episode is presented by Green Chef. Go to greenchef.com/justtherightbook80 to receive $80 off and free shipping!

Ijeoma Oluo, Leslie Gray Streeter, and Jennifer Palmieri on Writing—and Thriving—in a World of Mediocre White Men

Thu, 19 Nov 2020 13:19:00 +0000

In this episode of Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, in partnership with Hachette, Ijeoma Oluo (Mediocre), Jennifer Palmieri (She Proclaims), and Leslie Gray Streeter (Black Widow) join Roxanne to discuss their new books. ________________________________ Ijeoma Oluo is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller So You Want to Talk About Race. Her work on race has been featured in the New York Times and the Washington Post. She has twice been named to the Root 100, and she received the 2018 Feminist Humanist Award from the American Humanist Association. She lives in Seattle, Washington. Jennifer Palmieri is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dear Madam President. She was the Director of Communications for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. She has previously served as the White House Communications Director for President Barack Obama and as National Press Secretary for the John Edwards presidential campaign in 2004 and the Democratic Party in 2002. She is currently President of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, frequently appearing on television, radio outlets, and lectures throughout the country. Leslie Gray Streeter is an entertainment columnist for the Palm Beach Post. Her writing has been featured in the Miami Herald, Modern Loss, and elsewhere. Streeter’s many speaking engagements include annual appearances at Camp Widow, a national organization for widowed people reaching nearly 500,000, and a series of book club events for women. Leslie lives in West Palm Beach with her mother, Tina, and her son, Brooks. * Roxanne Coady is owner of R.J. Julia, one of the leading independent booksellers in the United States, which—since 1990—has been a community resource not only for books, but for the exchange of ideas. In 1998, Coady founded Read To Grow, which provides books for newborns and children and encourages parents to read to their children from birth. RTG has distributed over 1.5 million books.

Dr. Edith Eger Has Some Thoughts on Survival

Thu, 12 Nov 2020 11:18:00 +0000

In this episode of Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, Edith Eger joins Roxanne to discuss her new book, The Gift. ________________________________ An eminent psychologist and one of the few remaining Holocaust survivors old enough to remember life in the camps, Dr. Edith Eger has worked with veterans, military personnel, and victims of physical and mental trauma. She lives in La Jolla, California. She is the author of the award-winning book The Choice and The Gift. * Roxanne Coady is owner of R.J. Julia, one of the leading independent booksellers in the United States, which—since 1990—has been a community resource not only for books, but for the exchange of ideas. In 1998, Coady founded Read To Grow, which provides books for newborns and children and encourages parents to read to their children from birth. RTG has distributed over 1.5 million books.

Claudia Rankine: The Reconciliation Won't Be Easy, But It's Necessary Work

Thu, 05 Nov 2020 09:00:00 +0000

How Reading Hemingway Shaped John McCain’s Honor Code

Thu, 29 Oct 2020 08:00:00 +0000

In this episode of Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, Mark Salter joins Roxanne to discuss his book The Luckiest Man: Life with John McCain. This podcast is brought to you by Catapult, publishers of White Tears/Brown Scars: How White Feminism Betrays Women of Color by Ruby Hamad. ________________________________ Mark Salter has collaborated with John McCain on all seven of their books, including The Restless Wave, Faith of My Fathers, Worth the Fighting For, Why Courage Matters, Character Is Destiny, Hard Call, and Thirteen Soldiers. He served on Senator McCain’s staff for eighteen years. * Roxanne Coady is owner of R.J. Julia, one of the leading independent booksellers in the United States, which—since 1990—has been a community resource not only for books, but for the exchange of ideas. In 1998, Coady founded Read To Grow, which provides books for newborns and children and encourages parents to read to their children from birth. RTG has distributed over 1.5 million books.

Mark Salter on Why the Republican Party’s Future Is Bleak

Thu, 22 Oct 2020 12:48:00 +0000

NPR’s Guy Raz Is Cheering You On

Thu, 15 Oct 2020 13:06:00 +0000

In this episode of Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, Guy Raz joins Roxanne to discuss his book How I Built This.

Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman on Racism Manifesting in Friendships

Thu, 08 Oct 2020 11:31:00 +0000

In the fourth episode of our new season on Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, Ann Friedman and Aminatou Sow join Roxanne to discuss their book, Big Friendship. Aminatou Sow is a writer, interviewer, and cultural commentator. She is a frequent public speaker whose talks and interviews lead to candid conversations about ambition, money, and power. Aminatou lives in Brooklyn. Ann Friedman is a journalist, essayist, and media entrepreneur. She is a contributing editor to The Gentlewoman. Every Friday, she sends a popular email newsletter. Ann lives in Los Angeles. Together, Aminatou and Ann host the long-running podcast Call Your Girlfriend. Big Friendship is both Aminatou and Ann’s first book. * Roxanne Coady is owner of R.J. Julia, one of the leading independent booksellers in the United States, which—since 1990—has been a community resource not only for books, but for the exchange of ideas. In 1998, Coady founded Read To Grow, which provides books for newborns and children and encourages parents to read to their children from birth. RTG has distributed over 1.5 million books.

Annik LaFarge on Chasing Chopin Across Three Centuries, Four Countries, and a Half-Dozen Revolutions

Thu, 01 Oct 2020 09:00:00 +0000

In the fourth episode of our new season on Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, Annik Lafarge joins Roxanne to discuss her new book, Chasing Chopin. Annik LaFarge is a writer, photographer, lecturer, and author of the much-praised On the High Line: Exploring America's Most Original Urban Park, winner of the IPPY award for Travel Guidebook. She has been writing about the High Line and urban landscapes since 2009 on the blog Livin The High Line. Her most recent book is Chasing Chopin: A Musical Journey Across 3 Centuries, 4 Countries, and a Half Dozen Revolutions. She lives in New York City.

We Need to Give Everyone Permission to Feel Things

Thu, 24 Sep 2020 12:59:00 +0000

In the third episode of our new season on Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, Marc Brackett joins Roxanne to discuss his book, Permission to Feel. Marc Brackett, Ph.D., author of Permission to Feel, is the founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and a professor in the Child Study Center at Yale University. Marc has published 125 scholarly articles on the role of emotions and emotional intelligence in learning, decision making, creativity, relationships, health, and performance. He is the lead developer of RULER, an evidence-based, systemic approach to social and emotional learning that has been adopted by more than two thousand schools, pre-K through high school, across the United States and in other countries. Marc has received numerous awards and is on the board of directors for the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). He is co-founder of Oji Life Lab, a digital emotional intelligence learning system for businesses. Marc also consults regularly with corporations like Facebook, Microsoft, and Google on integrating emotional intelligence principles into employee training and product design.

Has America Ever Had a Unified Vision of Itself?

Thu, 17 Sep 2020 08:00:00 +0000

In the second episode of our new season on Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, Jordan Blashek and Chris Haugh join Roxanne to discuss their book, Union: A Democrat, a Republican, and a Search for Common Ground. Jordan Blashek is a businessman, military veteran, and attorney from Los Angeles, California. After college, Jordan spent five years in the U.S. Marine Corps as an infantry officer, serving two combat tours overseas. He holds degrees from Yale Law School, Stanford Graduate School of Business, and Princeton University. Jordan is based in New York, where he invests in entrepreneurial efforts to grow the American middle class as a part of Schmidt Futures, a philanthropic initiative founded by Eric and Wendy Schmidt. Christopher Haugh is a writer from Kensington, California. After graduating with highest honors from the University of California, Berkeley, Chris attended Oxford University and started speechwriting as an intern in the Obama White House. He went on to join the U.S. Department of State’s Policy Planning Staff where he served as a speechwriter to the Secretary. In 2018, Chris graduated from Yale Law School where he was a Yale Journalism Scholar. Chris is based in the San Francisco Bay Area and New York.

Senator Chris Murphy on Who's to Blame For Rioting in American Cities

Thu, 10 Sep 2020 13:22:00 +0000

In the first episode of our new season, Senator Chris Murphy joins Roxanne to discuss his book The Violence Inside Us: A Brief History of an Ongoing American Tragedy. Elected in 2012 as the youngest member of the U.S. Senate, Chris Murphy has earned a reputation as a serious legislator who is willing to stand up for his principles and reach across the aisle. Since the Newtown school shooting in December 2012, he has also become the best-known leader in Congress in confronting the plague of gun violence in America. Now in his second term representing Connecticut, he and his wife, Cathy, an attorney, have two young sons, Owen and Rider.

Jenny Odell: There Is No Work Without Care and Maintenance

Thu, 03 Sep 2020 10:43:00 +0000

This week, we revisit our 2019 conversation with Jenny Odell as she discusses her book How To Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy with Roxanne Coady. JENNY ODELL is an artist and writer who teaches at Stanford, has been an artist-in-residence at places like the San Francisco dump, Facebook, the Internet Archive, and the San Francisco Planning Department, and has exhibited her art all over the world. She lives in Oakland. How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy is her first book.

James Forman Jr. Talks Crime and Punishment in Black America

Thu, 27 Aug 2020 08:00:00 +0000

In today's episode, we revisit our conversation with James Forman, Jr. from 2018 as he discusses his book Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America. James Forman Jr. is a professor of law at Yale Law School. He has written for The New York Times, The Atlantic, numerous law reviews, and other publications. A former clerk for Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, he spent six years as a public defender in Washington, D.C., where he cofounded the Maya Angelou Public Charter School.

Lisa Taddeo on the Discovery-Making of Immersive Journalism

Thu, 20 Aug 2020 19:13:00 +0000

This week, we revisit our conversation with Lisa Taddeo on her book Three Women, now out in paperback. Lisa Taddeo has contributed to New York magazine, Esquire, Elle, Glamour, and many other publications. Her nonfiction has been included in the Best American Sports Writing and Best American Political Writing anthologies, and her short stories have won two Pushcart Prizes. Lisa Taddeo's debut nonfiction book, Three Women, poignantly, provocatively, and perceptively describes the emotional landscape that she studied for eight years, resulting in a book that Refinery29 descries as "a book that pays deep and solemn attention to the link between a woman's body and heart and sense of self."

Steve Luxenberg: We Need to Rethink Precedents

Thu, 13 Aug 2020 10:28:00 +0000

Steve Luxenberg is the author of Separate: The Story of Plessy v. Ferguson, and America's Journey from Slavery to Segregation and the critically acclaimed Annie’s Ghosts: A Journey into a Family Secret. During his thirty years as a Washington Post senior editor, he has overseen reporting that has earned numerous national honors, including two Pulitzer Prizes. Separate won the J. Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Award. He lives in Baltimore, Maryland. This episode was originally aired on October 24, 2019.

Dr. Sunita Puri on Moving Towards the Difficulty in Ourselves

Thu, 06 Aug 2020 10:26:00 +0000

Doctors are acculturated and socialized to maintain life. Sometimes at all costs, even the human costs of suffering. The relatively new field of palliative care looks for the way that medicine can embrace and relieve the tension of seeking to preserve life while embracing life’s temporality. Dr. Sunita Puri explores the issues with exquisite elegance and humanity in her book That Good Night, out now in paperback from Penguin Press. Dr. Sunita Puri is an assistant professor of clinical medicine at the University of Southern California, and medical director of palliative medicine at the Keck Hospital and Norris Cancer Center. She has published essays in The New York Times, Slate, The Journal of the American Medical Association, and JAMA-Internal Medicine. She lives in Los Angeles.

Casey Schwartz: The Disillusions of an Adderall World

Thu, 30 Jul 2020 04:00:00 +0000

In the 1990s, three to five percent of American children were believed to have what was referred to as "disordered attention." By 2013, 11 percent were believed to have disordered attention. In 1990, six hundred thousand children were on Ritalin, and by 201 three and a half million children were on stimulants. So was this better diagnosing of the problem? Is the diagnosis actually reliable? And is there an ironic result of treating the problem pharmacologically? All these questions are explored in Casey Schwarz's book, ]Attention: A Love Story, but the telling is enhanced by your own personal romance with Adderall. This week on Just the Right Book, Roxanne Coady and Casey explore her explanation of what brilliant writers like David Foster Wallace have to say about attention and just why attention might be the key to a full life. Casey Schwartz is the author of Attention: A Love Story and In the Mind Fields: Exploring the New Science of Neuropsychoanalysis. She contributes regularly to The New York Times and lives in New York City.

Dan Heath: How to Solve Problems Before They Happen

Thu, 23 Jul 2020 04:00:00 +0000

Why is putting out the fire more fascinating than preventing the fire? And why do we think we don't have the money to prevent something, even if the lack of prevention creates a cost? Or worse, cost lives or quality of lives? We seem to be addicted to response, recovery and rescue. All that can change to our collective good., and in dramatic ways. In Upstream: The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen, best-selling author Dan Heath provides the road maps, the rationale ,and dozens of incredible real examples of how thinking upstream can change anything and everything.

David Kamp on the Children's Television Revolution That Changed America

Thu, 16 Jul 2020 04:00:00 +0000

David Kamp is an author, journalist, humorist, lyricist, and a charter member of the Sesame Street—viewing audience. A longtime contributor to Vanity Fair, he has profiled such cultural icons as Johnny Cash, Sly Stone, Lucian Freud, Bruce Springsteen, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Among his books are the national bestseller The United States of Arugula, a chronicle of America’s foodways. His first musical as a lyricist, Kiss My Aztec!, a collaboration with John Leguizamo, had its world premiere at Berkeley Rep in 2019. He began his career at Spy, the legendary satirical monthly. He lives with his family in New York City and rural Connecticut.

Richard Haass on Why History Matters

Thu, 09 Jul 2020 04:00:00 +0000

Dr. Richard Haass is president of the Council on Foreign Relations. An experienced diplomat and policymaker, he served as the senior Middle East adviser to President George H. W. Bush, as director of the Policy Planning Staff under Secretary of State Colin Powell, and as the U.S. envoy to both the Cyprus and Northern Ireland peace talks. A recipient of the Presidential Citizens Medal, the State Department's Distinguished Honor Award, and the Tipperary International Peace Award, he is also the author or editor of fourteen other books, including the best-selling A World in Disarray.

Bess Kalb on How Comedy Saves Her

Thu, 02 Jul 2020 13:40:00 +0000

BESS KALB is an Emmy-nominated writer for Jimmy Kimmel Live. Her writing for the show earned her a Writer's Guild Award in 2016. She has also written for the Oscars and the Emmys. A regular contributor to The New Yorker's "Daily Shouts," her work has been published in The New Republic, Grantland, Salon.com, Wired, The Nation, and elsewhere. She lives in Los Angeles. This episode is sponsored by Care/Of. For 50% off your first Care/of order, go to TakeCareOf.com and enter the code book50.

How Can We Stay Human in a F*cked Up World?

Thu, 25 Jun 2020 10:15:00 +0000

How do we respond to the immensity of suffering that confronts us and overwhelms us without losing our compassion or sanity? This week, we revisit Roxanne Coady's conversation with Tim Desmond as they discuss his book, How to Stay Human in a F*cked-Up World: Mindfulness Practices for Real Life. Tim Desmond is a psychotherapist, student of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, and author of Self-Compassion in Psychotherapy. He has dedicated his life to creating peace and compassion in the world through meditation, psychotherapy, conflict resolution and nonviolent social change. This episode is sponsored by Care/Of. For 50% off your first Care/of order, go to TakeCareOf.com and enter the code book50.

Dr. Beverly Tatum: Are We More Color Blind or Just Color Silent?

Thu, 18 Jun 2020 12:13:00 +0000

Dr. Beverly Tatum's 1997 book on race relations, Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?, has become a modern classic found in many classrooms. In this week's episode of Just the Right Book Podcast, the former Spelman College president joins Roxanne for a live event at Wesleyan RJ Julia to talk about the 20th anniversary edition of her time-honored book and how race relations has evolved in the past two decades.

Mitchell S. Jackson: This Isn't Our Eden and Never Will Be

Thu, 04 Jun 2020 11:03:00 +0000

This week, we revisit our conversation with Mitchell Jackson. The legacy of growing up black in a state whose original constitution stated "no free negro or mulatto not residing in the state at the time of the adoption of this constitution shall come, reside or be within the state or hold any real estate or make any contracts or maintain any suit therein. And the Legislative Assembly shall provide by penal laws for the removal by public officers of all such negroes and mulattoes, and for their effectual exclusion from the state and for the punishment of persons who shall bring them into the state or employ or harbor them." This legacy is explored with brutal honesty and humor, poetry, and above all, with love for the family that is Mitchell Jackson's American family. It is a memoir that uses original storytelling methods to encompass a vibrant personal journey of race, violence, manhood and tragedy. But it is defined by survival within that chaos.

Tara Westover: Why Tell Your Story Now?

Thu, 28 May 2020 13:11:00 +0000

No birth certificates, no school, no doctors, no registered existence, and abuse at the hands of one of her brothers. Westover’s first book “Educated” describes how she escaped a traumatic childhood to graduate from Brigham Young, Harvard, and Cambridge University with a PhD. Also in this episode, Roxanne discusses some of her favorite memoirs and some of yours!

What Would the Founding Fathers Say About America Today?

Thu, 21 May 2020 12:03:00 +0000

Joseph J. Ellis is the author of many works of American history including Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation, which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, and American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson, which won the National Book Award. He lives in Amherst, Massachusetts with his wife and is the father of three sons.

Julia Samuel: How Do We Process Grief?

Thu, 14 May 2020 18:33:00 +0000

Julia Samuel’s first book Grief Works: Stories of Life, Death, And Surviving is organized by the type of loss; losing a parent, losing a child, and confronting your own death. Is the way which someone grieves different by the loss or is it more defined by who they are? Samuel, a psychotherapist specializing in grief who spent the last 25 years working with bereaved families describes grief as a process that's unique to every person, but universal in the need to be experienced and discussed.

Robert Kolker Takes Us Inside the Mind of an American Family

Thu, 07 May 2020 04:00:00 +0000

The Galvins looked like the manifestation of the post-World War II American Dream. Hard work. Upward mobility. A handsome, accomplished dad. A remarkable mother of twelve. But all was hardly what it seemed. Shockingly, six of the ten boys were diagnosed with schizophrenia, creating chaos of breakdowns, violence, abuse, and secrets. How could this happen to one family? How could this family even remain a family in the midst of such disruption and damage? And scientifically, what does this kind of concentration of this disease teach us?

Dr. Azra Raza on the Human Costs of Pursuing Cancer

Thu, 30 Apr 2020 04:00:00 +0000

According to the NIH, there has been a seventy-percent decline annually in the death rate from cardiovascular disease in the last fifty years and a one percent decline annually in the death rate from cancer over the last fifty years. How can this be when we keep hearing about great new drug discoveries and immunotherapy advances? And if true, isn't there another way to approach the nightmare that is cancer? This week on Just the Right Book, Dr. Azra Raza join Roxanne Coady to discuss her latest book, The First Cell: And the Human Costs of Pursuing Cancer to the Last, out now from Basic Books.

David Blight on the Prophet of Freedom

Thu, 23 Apr 2020 04:00:00 +0000

During our time practicing social distancing, in between new conversations we are revisiting some of our favorite interviews from our archives. In 2018, 200 years since the birth of Frederick Douglass, we received the first major biography of Douglass in a quarter century. Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom by prize-winning historian and Yale Professor David Blight is based on nearly a lifetime of research as well as letters and private documentation to which no biographer has previously had access. It’s this revealing collection that helped shed new light on Douglass, particularly in the latter third of his life. Today's episode is brought to you by Skylight Frames. As a special holiday offer for Just the Right Book listeners, you can get $10 off your purchase of a Skylight Frame when you go to SkylightFrame/BOOK and enter the code BOOK.

How Can Boys Truly Move Forward as Better Men? Peggy Orenstein on Navigating the New Masculinity

Thu, 16 Apr 2020 16:20:00 +0000

Peggy Orenstein is the New York Times bestselling author of Cinderella Ate My Daughter, Waiting for Daisy, Flux, and Schoolgirls. A contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine, she has been published in USA Today, Parenting, Salon, the New Yorker, and other publications, and has contributed commentary to NPR's All Things Considered. She lives in Northern California with her husband and daughter. Today's episode is brought to you by Why We Swim by Bonnie Tsui, out now from Algonquin Books, and Skylight Frames. As a special holiday offer for Just the Right Book listeners, you can get $10 off your purchase of a Skylight Frame when you go to SkylightFrame/BOOK and enter the code BOOK.

Anne Bogel: Stop Overthinking Everything!

Thu, 02 Apr 2020 13:42:00 +0000

Anne Bogel is the author of Reading People and I'd Rather Be Reading and creator of the blog Modern Mrs Darcy and the podcasts What Should I Read Next? and One Great Book. Bogel's popular book lists and reading guides have established her as a tastemaker among readers, authors, and publishers. She lives in Louisville, Kentucky. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. Today's episode is brought to you by Then the Fish Swallowed Him by Amir Ahmadi Aarian, out now from HarperVia.

Bill Burnett and Dave Evans on How to Thrive and Find Happiness at Work

Thu, 19 Mar 2020 04:00:00 +0000

Over a forty-year span of working forty hours a week, which most of us will do, we will spend eighty-thousand hours in what poll after poll shows that almost seventy percent of the employed are disengaged. Globally, almost 85 percent are unhappy and unhappy with work likely means unhappy with life. Is this the way it has to be? It is work. Well, the answer is delightfully an unequivocal no. Bill Burnett is the executive director of the Stanford Design Program, and was a product leader for Apple's groundbreaking PowerBook business. He directs the undergraduate and graduate program in design at Stanford. Dave Evans is the co-director of the Stanford Life Design Lab, and a cofounder of Electronic Arts, one of the world's largest interactive entertainment companies. He holds a BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford

Mitchell S. Jackson on Holding Up a Mirror to Whiteness

Thu, 12 Mar 2020 15:37:00 +0000

The legacy of growing up black in a state whose original constitution stated "no free negro or mulatto not residing in the state at the time of the adoption of this constitution shall come, reside or be within the state or hold any real estate or make any contracts or maintain any suit therein. And the Legislative Assembly shall provide by penal laws for the removal by public officers of all such negroes and mulattoes, and for their effectual exclusion from the state and for the punishment of persons who shall bring them into the state or employ or harbor them." This legacy is explored with brutal honesty and humor, poetry, and above all, with love for the family that is Mitchell Jackson's American family. It is a memoir that uses original storytelling methods to encompass a vibrant personal journey of race, violence, manhood and tragedy. But it is defined by survival within that chaos.

Kate Murphy: When Was the Last Time You Really Listened to Someone?

Thu, 05 Mar 2020 14:05:00 +0000

We spend a lot of time talking and listening. But are we really listening and are we being heard? Do you fail to register the name of a person that you were just introduced to? Do you find that someone is texting or looking at their phone while you're having a conversation with them? And why, with all the connecting that we're doing, are more people lonely and unheard? Kate Murphy is a Houston, Texas-based journalist who has written for The New York Times, The Economist, Agence France-Presse, and Texas Monthly.

Dr. Sunita Puri on the Human Costs of Suffering

Thu, 27 Feb 2020 12:29:00 +0000

Erik Larson on How Winston Churchill Still Shows Us True Leadership During Political Turmoil

Thu, 20 Feb 2020 05:00:00 +0000

A fine spring and a beautiful evening on May 10, 1940, didn’t seem the type of day that would portend a sequence of events that would define our world to this day. Yet, on Winston Churchill’s first day as Prime Minister, Hitler invaded Holland, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Poland and Czechoslovakia had already fallen, and that succeeding year, May 1940 to May 1941, saw the death of 45,000 Britains through a blistering series of bombings amounting risks that Germany would occupy and rule all of Europe, and the emergence of Churchill as a man that would define for all time true leadership. Erik Larson again brings his extraordinary talent in making history relevant and riveting to his latest book, The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz.

Richie Jackson on What It Takes to Be Gay in America Right Now

Thu, 13 Feb 2020 14:37:00 +0000

Richie Jackson is currently producing Harvey Fierstein's Torch Song on Broadway. He executive produced Showtime's Nurse Jackie (Emmy and Golden Globe nominee for "Best Comedy Series") for seven seasons and co-executive produced the film Shortbus, written and directed by John Cameron Mitchell. He and his husband, Jordan Roth, were honored with The Trevor Project's 2016 Trevor Hero Award. They live in New York City with their two sons.

Sylvia Ann Hewlett on #MeToo in the Corporate World

Thu, 06 Feb 2020 14:08:00 +0000

The #MeToo movement is thriving. Matt Lauer and Charlie Rose have lost their seats. Harvey Weinstein is on trial for rape. The veil of secrecy and shame has been lifted. Does this mean that we can check that box—mission accomplished? Not really. The real corporate world has yet to do all that it will take for environments to fundamentally change. Sylvia Ann Hewlett in her new book, #MeToo in the Corporate World: Power, Privilege, and the Path Forward uses data, analysis, interviews, and her considerable and award-winning skills to help us understand the day-to-day contributing factors of corporate culture that must change. In her fourteenth book, she gives us another critically acclaimed book that is practical, smart, and slightly optimistic.

Richard Stengel on How to Save Our Democracy

Thu, 30 Jan 2020 14:19:00 +0000

Our democracy is dependent on the free flow of information, but it is as critically dependent on the reliability of that information. Since waging an information war is easier and cheaper than buying tanks and tridents, we’re at a critical stage of protecting our democracy. We could have no better guy to this conversation than Rick Stengel. Among his esteemed positions and experience—being Time magazine’s editor in chief and serving three years as President Obama’s Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Affairs. In his latest book, Information Wars: How We Lost the Global Battle Against Disinformation and What Can We Do About It, we have a lively front seat into what’s happening right now and whether democracy is safe.

Ada Calhoun on Defining the Midlife Crisis for Women

Thu, 23 Jan 2020 10:27:00 +0000

Men have defined the space of midlife crisis for decades — the sporty cars, the affairs, etc. But what does a midlife crisis look like for women, and do Gen X women have a particular vulnerability? Ada Calhoun has used her uncanny ability to define the zeitgeist along with countless interviews, research, and data to answer these questions, resulting in her latest book, Why We Can’t Sleep. In this episode of Just the Right Book, Roxanne Coady talks with Calhoun about her latest book and how seemingly having it all can make you miserable.

Gail Collins on the Adventures of Older Women in American History

Thu, 16 Jan 2020 05:00:00 +0000

From colonial times when qualities valued for sought-after wives were that she should be civil and up to fifty, to proposed legislation in 1915 that would have made it illegal for a woman over forty-four to wear cosmetics for the purpose of making a false impression, to today when we celebrate Ruth Bader Ginsburg lifting weights and issuing wise Supreme Court decisions, we are reminded that the stature of older women has been a roller coaster rides over U.S. history. These tidbits are a smidgen are what we learn in Gail Collins’s new book, No Stopping Us Now: The Adventures of Older Women in American History, out now from Little, Brown.

How Beck Dorey-Stein Ended Up at the White House From a Craiglist Ad

Thu, 09 Jan 2020 13:28:00 +0000

A graduate of Wesleyan University, BECK DOREY-STEIN worked as a White House stenographer from 2012 to 2017. Previously she worked as a high school English teacher in Hightstown, New Jersey, Washington, DC, and Seoul, South Korea. This is her first book.

How Should We Define Free Speech at Universities? Wesleyan President Michael Roth Argues for "Safe Enough Spaces"

Thu, 19 Dec 2019 05:00:00 +0000

Has confidence in our universities eroded? Is the price for making people feel included making universities inhospitable to controversial ideas? Have we become too politically correct or not politically correct enough? And, most critically, have our colleges become political institutions rather than institutions that are creating lifelong learners that are willing to engage in honest debate and equipped to effectively navigate in a heterogenous world? In his new book, Safe Enough Spaces: A Pragmatist Approach to Inclusion, Free Speech, and Political Correctness on College Campuses Michael Roth answers these questions and more. His book presents a much-needed template for honest conversations and he grounds these provocative topics in reality versus hype, and characterizes a path forward for our universities to fulfill their mission of developing self-awareness, subtlety of thought, and openness to the possibility of learning from others.

Stephen A. Schwarzman on What It Takes to Be Successful

Thu, 12 Dec 2019 13:04:00 +0000

Stephen Schwarzman, with his cofounder Pete Peterson, built Blackstone into the largest private equity firm in the world, with over half a trillion dollars under management. Yet at the beginning, that success did not seem inevitable. In 1985, they sent out almost five hundred letters to potential investors and received two responses. Two years later, they closed an eight-hundred million fund, and they closed it on the eve on the largest one-day percentage drop in stock market history. Along the way, Steve Schwarzman became one of the sought-after advisors to business, governments, and leaders around the world as well as an incredibly active philanthropists in China, England, and the United States. In this episode of Just the Right Book with Roxanne Coady, Schwarzman joins Roxanne Coady to discuss his new book, What It Takes: Lessons in the Pursuit of Excellence, out now from Avid Reader Press. This episode is sponsored by Amistad Books and the upcoming novel Africaville by Jeffrey Colvin, a stunning debut inspired the true history of a settlement in Halifax, Nova Scotia, whose black population—largely the descendants of slaves from the American South and the Caribbean-- carved out a community against the harsh maritime landscape and against bigotry and racism. Africaville by Jeffrey Colvin is available now wherever books are sold.

Just the Right Book: Special Holiday Episode!

Tue, 10 Dec 2019 14:25:00 +0000

This week, Roxanne Coady and two members of the RJ Julia Booksellers staff, COO Lori Fazio and head book buyer Andrew Brennan, share their picks of the holiday season, including The Boy, the Mold, the Fox, and the Horse, The Martini Cocktail, Jubilee, The Complete Goal Manual, and much more. Listen and find the perfect gift for everyone on your list this holiday season!

Ta-Nehisi Coates on the Most Intimate Evil of Enslavement

Thu, 05 Dec 2019 06:31:00 +0000

How does memory create power? How do you define freedom, and how does the emotional savagery of selling and separating members of a family destroy and define a human being? And, most powerfully, in the midst of trauma and loss, how does one find courage and how does love survive? These ideas and more are explored in Ta-Nehisi Coates’ first novel, The Water Dancer. In partnership with RJ Julia Booksellers, this event was recorded live at the Shubert Theater in New Haven, Connecticut.

Hillary Rodham Clinton & Chelsea Clinton on The Book of Gutsy Women

Thu, 28 Nov 2019 09:14:00 +0000

THE BOOK OF GUTSY WOMEN: Favorite Stories of Courage and Resilience is the first book that Secretary Clinton and Chelsea have written together, and they are excited to welcome readers into a conversation they began having when Chelsea was a little girl. Join them as they discuss the women throughout history who have had the courage to stand up to the status quo, ask hard questions, and get the job done. Inspired by women whose tenacity blazed the trail, the two global leaders lay out a vision for how these stories of persistence can galvanize women and men, boys and girls around the world. There’s Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old climate activist whose Asperger’s syndrome has shaped her advocacy. Civil rights activist Dorothy Height, LGBTQ trailblazer Edie Windsor, and swimmer Diana Nyad, who each kept pushing forward, no matter what. Writers like Rachel Carson and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, historian Mary Beard, who used wit to open doors that were once closed, and activists like Harriet Tubman and Malala Yousafzai, who looked fear in the face and persevered. And so many more. This groundbreaking celebration of gutsiness is a call to action – not just for women, but for all of us, especially now. The authors write, “Ensuring the rights, opportunities, and full participation of women and girls remains a big piece of unfinished business of the twenty-first century. Finishing it is going to take all of us standing shoulder to shoulder, across the generations, across genders. This is not a moment for anyone to leave the fight, or sit on the sidelines waiting for the perfect moment to join.” The event took place at the Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale on October 29, 2019.

How Do We Escape Family Secrets? Adrienne Brodeur on Her New Memoir

Thu, 21 Nov 2019 14:16:00 +0000

Adrienne Brodeur began her career in publishing as the co-founder, along with filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, of the fiction magazine Zoetrope: All-Story, which won the National Magazine Award for Best Fiction three times and launched the careers of many writers. She was a book editor at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for many years and, currently, she is the Executive Director of Aspen Words, a program of the Aspen Institute. She has published essays in the New York Times. She splits her time between Cambridge and Cape Cod with her husband and children.

Mo Rocca on His New Book That Brings New Life to Forgotten Stories

Thu, 14 Nov 2019 13:49:00 +0000

Mo Rocca is a correspondent for CBS Sunday Morning, host of The Henry Ford’s Innovation Nation, and host and creator of the Cooking Channel’s My Grandmother’s Ravioli, in which he learned to cook from grandmothers and grandfathers across the country. He’s also a frequent panelist on NPR’s hit weekly quiz show Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! Rocca spent four seasons as a correspondent on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He began his career in TV as a writer and producer for the Emmy and Peabody Award–winning PBS children’s series Wishbone. As an actor, Mo starred on Broadway in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Rocca is the author of All the Presidents’ Pets, a historical novel about White House pets and their role in presidential decision-making.

Susannah Cahalan on the Study That Defined How We Diagnose Mental Illness

Thu, 07 Nov 2019 08:58:00 +0000

What Do We Give Our Children? Tim O’Brien Contemplates Fatherhood and Writing

Thu, 31 Oct 2019 06:09:00 +0000

Tim O'Brien received the 1979 National Book Award for Going After Cacciato. Among his other books are The Things They Carried, a Pulitzer Prize finalist and a New York Times Book of the Century, and In the Lake of the Woods, winner of the James Fenimore Cooper Prize. He was awarded the Pritzker Literature Award for lifetime achievement in military writing in 2013.

Steve Luxenberg: "Race is Our National Conversation"

Thu, 24 Oct 2019 13:54:00 +0000

Do Brains Have a Gender? Gina Rippon Debunks the Myth

Thu, 17 Oct 2019 12:52:00 +0000

Gina Rippon is Honorary Professor of Cognitive Neuroimaging at Aston Brain Centre at Aston University in Birmingham, England. Her research involves the use of state-of-the-art brain imaging techniques to investigate developmental disorders such as autism. In 2015 she was made an Honorary Fellow of the British Science Association for her contributions to the public communication of science. Rippon is part of the European Union Gender Equality Network, belongs to WISE and ScienceGrrl, and is a member of Robert Peston’s Speakers for Schools program and the Inspiring the Future initiative. She lives in the United Kingdom.

James B. Stewart on Going Inside the "Deep State"

Thu, 10 Oct 2019 04:00:00 +0000

James B. Stewart is the author of Heart of a Soldier, the bestsellers Blind Eye and Blood Sport, and the blockbuster Den of Thieves. He is currently a columnist for the New York Times and a professor at Columbia Journalism School, and in 1988 he won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on the stock market crash and insider trading.

Tatiana Schlossberg Wants You to Be Less Serious About Climate Change

Thu, 03 Oct 2019 06:44:00 +0000

Tatiana Schlossberg is a journalist writing about climate change and the environment. She previously reported on those subjects for the Science and Climate sections of the New York Times, where she also worked on the Metro desk. Her work has also appeared in the Atlantic, Bloomberg View, the Record (Bergen County), and the Vineyard Gazette. She lives in New York. This episode was recorded live at RJ Julia in Madison, CT. Also, Dan Sheehan of Bookmarks stops by to discuss the best reviewed books this month, including: Quichotte by Salman Rushdie Ducks, Newburyport byLucyEllman Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino The Ungrateful Refugee by Dina Nayeri The Yellow House by Sarah M. Broom Fentanyl, Inc. by Ben Westhoff

What Does It Mean to Be Human? Lori Gottlieb on the World of Therapy

Thu, 26 Sep 2019 11:43:00 +0000

How Do You Become Racist? Alexandra Fuller on Her Childhood in Rhodesia

Thu, 19 Sep 2019 02:11:00 +0000

Alexandra Fuller was born in England in 1969. In 1972, she moved with her family to a farm in southern Africa. She lived in Africa until her mid-twenties. In 1994, she moved to Wyoming. Fuller is the author of several memoirs including Travel Light, Move Fast, Leaving Before the Rains Come, and Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness. On this week's episode, the memoirist discusses her latest book, her childhood in Rhodesia and the blatant racism that permeated her early life, and the death of her son.

Is the World More or Less F*cked Up Than It Used to Be? Tim Desmond on Mindfulness Practices for Real Life

Thu, 12 Sep 2019 11:06:00 +0000

How do we respond to the immensity of suffering that confronts us and overwhelms us without losing our compassion or sanity? This week, Roxanne Coady sits down with Tim Desmond to discuss his book, How to Stay Human in a F*cked-Up World: Mindfulness Practices for Real Life. Tim Desmond is a psychotherapist, student of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, and author of Self-Compassion in Psychotherapy. He has dedicated his life to creating peace and compassion in the world through meditation, psychotherapy, conflict resolution and nonviolent social change.

How Do We Write About Grief? Jayson Greene on Life After Trauma

Thu, 05 Sep 2019 04:00:00 +0000

JAYSON GREENE is a contributing writer and former senior editor at Pitchfork. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, Vulture, and GQ, among other publications. Once More We Saw Stars is his first book. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and son.

How Doing Nothing May Be the Best Way to Focus on the Real World

Thu, 29 Aug 2019 04:00:00 +0000

JENNY ODELL is an artist and writer who teaches at Stanford, has been an artist-in-residence at places like the San Francisco dump, Facebook, the Internet Archive, and the San Francisco Planning Department, and has exhibited her art all over the world. She lives in Oakland. How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy is her first book.

Was the Last Pirate of New York City Its First Gangster?

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 10:25:00 +0000

Rich Cohen is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Tough Jews, The Avengers, Monsters, and (with Jerry Weintraub) When I Stop Talking, You’ll Know I’m Dead. He is a co-creator of the HBO series Vinyl and a contributing editor at Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone and has written for The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and Harper’s Magazine, among others. Cohen has won the Great Lakes Book Award, the Chicago Public Library’s 21st Century Award, and the ASCAP Deems Taylor Award for outstanding coverage of music. His stories have been included in The Best American Essays and The Best American Travel Writing. He lives in Connecticut. The Last Pirate of New York: A Ghost Ship, A Killer, and the Birth of a Gangster Nation is his latest.

Brenda Wineapple on What We Can Learn From the First Impeachment

Thu, 15 Aug 2019 04:00:00 +0000

Brenda Wineapple is the author of the award-winning Hawthorne: A Life, Genêt: A Biography of Janet Flanner, and Sister Brother: Gertrude and Leo Stein. Her essays, articles, and reviews have appeared in many publications, among them The American Scholar, The New York Times Book Review, Parnassus, Poetry, and The Nation. A Guggenheim fellow, a fellow of the American Council of Learned Societies, and twice of the National Endowment for the Humanities, she teaches in the MFA programs at Columbia University and The New School and lives in New York City. The Impeachers: The Trial of Andrew Johnson and the Dream of a New Nation is her latest novel.

Lisa Taddeo on the Female Perspective of Sexuality

Thu, 08 Aug 2019 04:00:00 +0000

Lisa Taddeo has contributed to New York magazine, Esquire, Elle, Glamour, and many other publications. Her nonfiction has been included in the Best American Sports Writing and Best American Political Writing anthologies, and her short stories have won two Pushcart Prizes. Lisa Taddeo's debut nonfiction book, Three Women, poignantly, provocatively, and perceptively describes the emotional landscape that she studied for eight years, resulting in a book that Refinery29 descries as "a book that pays deep and solemn attention to the link between a woman's body and heart and sense of self."

One on One with the Author of "The Silent Patient"

Wed, 10 Apr 2019 15:49:00 +0000

First-time author Alex Michaelides' novel which landed #1 on The New York Times best-seller list in its first week is the debut book for Celadon, a new imprint of Macmillan. Says Roxanne "I knew it was going to be a wild and riveting ride from the opening sentence, 'Alicia Berenson was thirty-three years old when she killed her husband.'"

Searching for America's Moral Imagination & "The Common Good"

Thu, 14 Mar 2019 21:16:00 +0000

Political commentator, and college professor Robert Reich joined Roxanne to talk about his latest book The Common Good. Roxanne and Professor Reich had a far-ranging conversation that included the intersection between capitalism and progressivism, the possibility that if we didn't have Trump we would have someone just like him, and what the 2020 election might look like.

Meet the Hosts of "The Librarian Is In"

Fri, 01 Mar 2019 04:38:00 +0000

Roxanne hit the Big Apple last week to sit down with Gwen Glazer and Frank Collerius, the hosts of the New York Public Library's popular podcast The Librarian Is In, a show all about books, culture, and what to read next.

Former Obama Staffer Talks Antitrust in the New Gilded Age

Fri, 22 Feb 2019 17:26:00 +0000

Roxanne recently sat down with technology law expert and professor Tim Wu at his Columbia University office in New York City to discuss his latest book The Curse of Bigness: Antitrust in the New Gilded Age which examines the history of antitrust actions in the 20th century, making the argument that breaking up today's largest high-tech titans would be good for business as well as our democracy.

Bonus: Live with Madeleine Albright

Mon, 18 Feb 2019 17:30:00 +0000

In this special bonus episode, we take you inside the Q&A session of RJ Julia's recent live event with former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright at the Yale School of Management. Listen to Roxanne's exclusive interview with Madeleine Albright here!

Madeleine Albright: Redefining Fascism

Thu, 14 Feb 2019 20:58:00 +0000

RJ Julia recently hosted the former Secretary of State to a sold-out crowd at the Yale School of Management. Albright sat down for an exclusive interview with Roxanne to discuss her latest book Fascism: A Warning where she draws on her experiences as a child in war-torn Europe and her distinguished career as a United States diplomat to guide us through the lessons we must understand and the questions we must answer if we are to save ourselves from repeating the tragic errors of the past.

God, Rebellion, & The Beatles; A Coming-Of-Age Story

Thu, 07 Feb 2019 20:16:00 +0000

Roxanne says first-time author Erin Hosier “assuredly can tell her story and does so with the kind of wit, energy, warmth, and honesty that rivets you to the page.” The New York City native and literary agent kicked off publicity for her memoir "Don’t Let Me Down" at the JTRB studios for her podcast debut conversation!

10 Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now!

Thu, 31 Jan 2019 16:16:29 +0000

Is your smart speaker listening to your conversations? Is Google reading your emails? Jaron Lanier, the author of the international bestsellers “You Are Not a Gadget” and “Who Owns the Future?” touches on these topics and more when he recently joined Roxanne to discuss his latest book, Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now.

Dani Shapiro Uncovers Cathartic Family Secret in Latest Memoir

Wed, 23 Jan 2019 22:01:00 +0000

During a recent sold-out event at RJ Julia, Dani sat down with Roxanne to discuss her fifth memoir, Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love, how a commercial DNA kit revealed her hidden lineage, and her emotional connection to her family and faith. Roxanne says “it reflects the Zeitgeist of our times, issues of identity, family secrets, and how we tell our stories.”

The One Book That Offers 5 Principles to Being Fearless!

Thu, 17 Jan 2019 21:11:00 +0000

As a co-founder of the foundation with her husband, Steve, Jean Case has discovered and embraced the role of being fearless as a key ingredient for everyone and anyone to realize their potential and purpose. The entrepreneurial powerhouse joined us to discuss her inspiring first book, Be Fearless: 5 Principles for a Life of Breakthroughs and Purpose where she outlines her guide to living fearlessly and why embracing your failures can lead to success.

Michelle Obama in Her Own Words: An Excerpt from "Becoming"

Fri, 11 Jan 2019 20:47:00 +0000

3.4 million copies sold last year made Becoming by Michelle Obama the best-selling book of 2018! We are thrilled to share an excerpt of the memoir read by the former first lady herself.

Dorie Greenspan's Perfect New Year's Eve Menu!

Wed, 26 Dec 2018 22:59:00 +0000

Say goodbye to 2018 in style with a marvelous meal curated exclusively for Just the Right Book listeners by culinary guru Dorie Greenspan! The James Beard Award winner recently stopped by RJ Julia to talk about her thirteenth book Everyday Dorie: The Way I Cook, entertaining for the holidays and why she put her doctorate on hold to bake cookies!

How to Make the Ultimate Cheese Plate!

Sun, 23 Dec 2018 14:25:00 +0000

Hosting holiday house guests and need some tips on what to serve? Culinary guru Dorie Greenspan recently sat down with Roxanne at RJ Julia to chat about her new book Everyday Dorie and give us the scoop on making a holiday-worthy cheese platter! Make sure you tune in later this week to hear Roxanne's full conversation with Dorie Greenspan!

What The Founding Fathers Would Say About America Today

Wed, 12 Dec 2018 19:53:00 +0000

Says Roxanne, “Professor Ellis has earned a Pulitzer, a national book award, and has brilliantly navigated the tricky balance of producing books of scholarly standards with widespread, enthusiastic, appreciative readership. He now brings these considerable skills to his new book, American Dialogue: The Founders and Us, which for the first time Mr. Ellis supplies our founding history to the present time, addressing critical issues like race, equality, the law, and global reach.”

The Origins of "Outlander" with Author Diana Gabaldon

Wed, 28 Nov 2018 22:18:00 +0000

Bestselling author Diana Gabaldon recently joined Roxanne to talk about her wildly popular Outlander book series which holds the #2 spot on the list of America’s best-loved works of fiction by PBS’ Great American Read. The eight-book series has sold over 35 million copies and has been adapted into a hit TV show now in its fourth season.

Inside "The Witch Elm" with Tana French

Thu, 22 Nov 2018 03:02:00 +0000

Tana French's latest novel, The Witch Elm is her first departure from her bestselling Dublin Murder Squad series, of which there are six. The former theatrical actress who has been called “incandescent” by Stephen King and “absolutely mesmerizing” by Gillian Flynn recently joined Roxanne to talk about her latest mystery, her love of unreliable narrators, archaeology, luck, and whether she ever considers going back to acting.

Steve Jobs' Daughter Finds Her Own Voice in Revealing New Memoir

Thu, 15 Nov 2018 04:34:00 +0000

If you haven't read Lisa Brennan-Job’s memoir “Small Fry” yet, you will likely hear about it because Lisa's father was Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple. But this is not a biography of Steve Jobs. Rather, it is a portrait of growing up in California in the eighties and one woman's quest to understand her family, her place in that family and her place in the world.

Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom

Thu, 08 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +0000

2018 marks 200 years since the birth of Frederick Douglass, and we now have the first major biography of Douglass in a quarter century. Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom by prize-winning historian and Yale Professor David Blight is based on nearly a lifetime of research as well as letters and private documentation to which no biographer has previously had access. It’s this revealing collection that helped shed new light on Douglass, particularly in the latter third of his life.

"Paper Chase" Author's Latest Novel Explores a Fractured Love Story

Thu, 11 Oct 2018 20:43:00 +0000

In John Jay Osborne Jr.'s new novel, "Listen to the Marriage" we are introduced to a couple who seemed to be destined for divorce. Told through the therapist's eyes, we see the couple both confront and skirt issues that have torn them apart. The former screenwriter and legal professor joined Roxanne to talk about his first novel in 37 years, his decade of experience writing in Hollywood, and how his own marriage counseling 35 years ago helped him "understand my wife for the first time".

Past #MeToo: Constraints & Imbalances That Shape Women's Lives

Thu, 04 Oct 2018 16:52:00 +0000

Bestselling National Book Award finalist Kate Walbert stopped by the Just the Right Book studios for an in depth interview on her latest book which Roxanne calls "gorgeous, restrained, and powerful." The 149 page novel is a timely story about a 15 year old girl, a charming and manipulative English teacher, a dark secret and how the protagonist Jo confronts a trauma many years later.

How Doing Nothing Can Make You More Productive

Wed, 26 Sep 2018 19:15:00 +0000

Alan Lightman is a physicist, novelist, and essayist who believes we are losing ourselves in the digital network and builds a case that the overload of Information and distraction from technology is making us less productive. The MIT professor joined Roxanne to discuss his latest book In Praise of Wasting Time. Lightman believes we need a mental attitude that values and protects stillness, privacy, solitude, and personal reflection, or at the very least, a half an hour a day to "waste time".

Anne Bogel Would "Rather Be Reading"; Lithub.com's Book Picks & More

Thu, 20 Sep 2018 21:35:00 +0000

We were delighted to welcome Dan Sheehan, the Bookmark's editor at Literary Hub to discuss what books are hot right now, and his debut novel, Restless Souls. Also in this episode, we welcome back the creator of the popular blog Modern Mrs. Darcy and the podcast What Should I Read Next?, Anne Bogel. Anne spoke to Roxanne about her latest book I'd Rather Be Reading, her experience as a bookseller...for a day, and what books she is currently loving!

Senator John McCain in His Own Words: A Tribute

Fri, 31 Aug 2018 15:25:00 +0000

Senator John McCain recorded the last chapter of his book, The Restless Wave: Good Times, Just Causes, Great Fights and Other Appreciations earlier this year and all of us at Just the Right Book thought the finest tribute would be to honor the true American patriot in his own words.

Sarah Jessica Parker Talks New Imprint, SATC’s Impact on Women & More

Wed, 29 Aug 2018 21:31:00 +0000

Sarah Jessica Parker who is best known for her iconic role as Carrie Bradshaw is also a producer, designer, and now a publisher, recently launching her own imprint, SJP for Hogarth. In a rare and revealing interview, the Sex and the City star opens up to Roxanne on several hot topics. They discuss not only the imprint, but the series’ impact on the role of women in society, the importance of pay equality for working mothers, and recent movements #MeToo and #TimesUp.

Mark Salter on McCain's Legacy, Presidential Run & His Vision for America

Thu, 23 Aug 2018 22:20:00 +0000

In part two of Roxanne’s powerful sit-down with Mark Salter, the two dive further into "The Restless Wave", the latest collaboration between Senator John McCain and his longtime aide, speechwriter and friend, Mark. Salter shares his first-hand story of McCain's 2008 run for president, including his VP choice, and we hear Senator McCain himself read the last chapter of the memoir.

John McCain's Co-Author, Mark Salter on a Great American Patriot

Wed, 22 Aug 2018 20:53:00 +0000

Mark Salter is the author, with John McCain, of several books, including Faith of My Fathers and their latest, The Restless Wave: Good Times, Just Causes, Great Fights and Other Appreciations. Salter recently joined Roxanne for an intimate conversation in the historic town of Castine, Maine to discuss his thoughts on the Trump presidency, foreign policy, his latest collaborative memoir with the Arizona Republican, and more.

Gail Honeyman Says "Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine"

Thu, 26 Jul 2018 11:35:00 +0000

Reese Witherspoon has a reputation for celebrating women's stories through "Reese's Book Club x Hello Sunshine" so its no surprise that the Legally Blonde actress has optioned Gail Honeyman's novel for the big screen. The first-time author opens up to Roxanne about how a milestone birthday inspired her to pursue her dream which led to her multi-award winning book "Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine" about loneliness and the importance of human connection.

Storytelling Tips & Tricks From a Moth Champion

Wed, 11 Jul 2018 20:53:00 +0000

Internationally bestselling author, storyteller, podcaster, and 35-time Moth StorySLAM champion, Matthew Dicks recently stopped by our studios to share his numerous tips and tools to help us all become storytellers with his new book “Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life through the Power of Storytelling.”

Is This Your (Financial) Year?

Wed, 27 Jun 2018 22:20:00 +0000

We’re more willing to talk about sex than money. New York Times correspondent John Schwartz discusses our discomfort with financial planning in his new book, “This is the Year I put My Financial Life in Order.” Schwartz (who didn’t have a will until age 58) covers everything from wills and retirement to investments, and more, making this book a must-read for anyone who has put off managing money or establishing a financial future.

“I Don't Know How She Does It” Author Does It Again!

Wed, 20 Jun 2018 18:43:00 +0000

Allison Pearson's latest book, “How Hard Can It Be” has already been optioned for TV by the producer of HBO’s hit series “Big Little Lies.” The book’s prequel, “I Don't Know How She Does It” sold over 4 million copies and inspired a film starring Sarah Jessica Parker. Roxanne recently sat down with the bestselling author to discuss her hilarious new book, raising children, and how stay-at-home moms can transition back into the work place.

Michael Chabon: A Look at Fatherhood & Writing

Wed, 13 Jun 2018 20:32:00 +0000

Pulitzer prize-winning, best-selling author Michael Chabon joined us for a conversation about his new book of essays called Pop's: Fatherhood in Pieces. Roxanne says “there is no shortage of books exploring the world of motherhood...but there aren't enough books exploring the world of fatherhood. Along comes Michael Chabon with seven essays that beautifully explore the meaning, the magic, and the mysteries of fatherhood.” Also, in this episode, we hear some of our listeners’ book recommendations

Beyond #MeToo: Addressing Gender Roles in the Workplace

Wed, 06 Jun 2018 20:46:00 +0000

Joanne Lipman, the bestselling author of the book, “That's What She Said: What Men Need to Know (and Women Need to Tell them) About Working Together” brings her experience as deputy editor at the Wall Street Journal, and editor-in-chief at USA Today to the seemingly age-old conversation of gender equality in the workplace and how men can join that conversation to close that gap. Also in this episode, some book recommendations from BookRiot Associate Editor and fellow podcaster, Sharifah Williams.

Tara Westover: From Harrowing Childhood to Cambridge PhD

Wed, 30 May 2018 21:05:00 +0000

Rachel Kushner Goes Inside a Women’s Prison in “The Mars Room”

Wed, 23 May 2018 22:26:00 +0000

Two-time National Book Award finalist Rachel Kushner’s new book, “The Mars Room” tells the story of Romy Hall who was serving two consecutive life sentences plus six years at the Stanville Women's Correction Facility in California’s Central Valley. Also in this episode, we welcome back Lissa Muscatine, the owner of Politics & Prose in Washington DC for our segment “What’s on The Front Table.”

Re-release: Our Very First Episode with Luvvie Ajayi

Thu, 17 May 2018 19:15:00 +0000

Luvvie Ajayi dished on meeting Oprah, moving to the US from Nigeria, and raising awareness of HIV/AIDS among women in our inaugural episode! The comic phenom and award winning author's first book I’m Judging You: The Do-Better Manual became an instant New York Times best seller! Also in this episode, we debuted our very first installment of “What’s on the Front Table” with Lissa Muscatine, former speech writer for Hillary Clinton and owner of the Politics and Prose bookstore in Washington,

Re-release: Asking "Ask Amy" About her New Memoir

Thu, 10 May 2018 21:30:00 +0000

Amy Dickinson chats about finding love at middle-age, the heartbreak of caring for an ailing parent at the end of life and moving back to her hometown of Freeville, NY. The nationally syndicated advice columnist's book, “Strangers Tend to Tell Me Things: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Coming Home” is out on paperback now!

Re-release: Our Guest Elizabeth Strout

Thu, 26 Apr 2018 17:37:00 +0000

Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout gives us the scoop on the Emmy Award-winning HBO series based on her book Olive Kitteridge and shares her thoughts on Frances McDormand as the title character. We celebrate the paperback release of her renowned novel Anything is Possible. Roxanne also talks to super-fan, Kim Nelson-Layman, who got a special surprise when she heard who else was on the phone!

James Forman Jr. Talks Slavery and His Own Surprising Prejudices

Thu, 05 Apr 2018 18:33:00 +0000

In part two of Roxanne’s sit-down with James Forman Jr., the two dive further into James’ first book Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America. Forman tells us his first-hand story of the criminal justice system from his experience as a public defender and shares his incredulity over his results of Harvard’s Implicit Association Test in this season finale.

James Forman Jr. on Political Activism

Thu, 29 Mar 2018 14:16:00 +0000

The Wall Street Journal says, “If we are going to have a national conversation about race in the United States, a book like [James Forman Jr.'s] Locking Up Our Own ought to set the tone." James and Roxanne explored the intricacies of political activism and discuss the current gun debate, the decriminalization of marijuana, James’ father, civil rights leader James Forman Sr. and his first book, Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America.

"Tiger Mom” Amy Chua Does It Again

Thu, 22 Mar 2018 21:52:00 +0000

She flipped the notion of parenting on end with her last book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. Now she takes her latest shot and claims the way we act is destroying the world. Her latest book, Political Tribes: Group Instinct and the Fate of Nations offers a bold new remedy for reversing foreign policy failures and overcoming our own destructive political tribalism at home.

Is Democracy in Danger?

Thu, 15 Mar 2018 18:33:00 +0000

Our guest Yascha Mounk’s new book, "The People Vs. Democracy: Why Our Freedom is in Danger and How to Save It" is “a provocative must read,” according to Roxanne. Roxanne and Yascha will explore how we got to where we are and what we can do about it. Yascha, the Executive Director at the Tony Blair Institute, lectures at Harvard and write The Good Fight column at Slate as well as hosts a podcast by the same name. This is an important show you won’t want to miss.

8 Simple Steps to Help You Through Grief

Fri, 09 Mar 2018 19:00:00 +0000

Amy Bloom Reads From "White Houses"

Tue, 06 Mar 2018 20:49:00 +0000

Roxanne recently sat down with author and friend Amy Bloom to talk about her new book White Houses, inspired by one of the most intimate relationships in history between Eleanor Roosevelt and journalist Lorena Hickok. Listen to Amy read an excerpt from her latest bio-fiction in this week's episode. Also, stay tuned for a sneak peek into our next episode featuring Julia Samuel where she discusses her latest book Grief Works: Stories of Life, Death, and Surviving.

YOU May Be Related to Hillary Clinton

Thu, 01 Mar 2018 22:11:00 +0000

A.J. Jacobs, journalist and contributing writer for Esquire, shares how he chronicled his three-year journey to help build the biggest family tree in history in his latest book, "It's All Relative: Adventures Up and Down the World's Family Tree." We also speak to Gael LeLamer, Book Buyer at Books & Books in Miami who shares what is on their front table and the books the changed her life.

5 Books From Bustle; A Biofiction on Eleanor Roosevelt's Secret White House Romance

Fri, 23 Feb 2018 15:23:00 +0000

In this episode, Bustle's Senior Books Editor Cristina Arreola talks to Roxanne about everything from BookCon to Broadway and their shared love of Cheryl Strayed. Also in this episode, we hear from author Amy Bloom who was at RJ Julia recently to launch her new book White Houses. The bio-fiction which USA Today called "irresistibly audacious" is inspired by one of the most intriguing relationships in history- between Eleanor Roosevelt and journalist Lorena Hickok.

A.J. Jacobs Reads from "It's All Relative"

Wed, 21 Feb 2018 03:59:00 +0000

A.J. Jacobs is an author, journalist, and contributing writer for Esquire. His latest book "It's All Relative: Adventures Up and Down the World's Family Tree" chronicles Jacobs's three-year journey to help build the biggest family tree in history. In this week’s Bookmarks, we give you a special look inside the book with an excerpt read by A.J. Jacobs himself. Later this week, you can hear author Amy Bloom talk about her latest book "White Houses." Stay tuned for a sneak peek in this week's Bookmark

Marriage and the Art of Living Together

Thu, 15 Feb 2018 21:50:00 +0000

On this week's episode we meet Daphne De Marneffe, the author of "The Rough Patch: Marriage and the Art of Living Together." She takes us through some of the major stressors of marriage like money and sex, and offers tips for couples who might be going through rough patches or want to avoid them. Also in this episode, we hear from the patrons of RJ Julia who share what's on their nightstand.

Dear Match Book; Min Jin Lee's "Pachinko" Live

Thu, 08 Feb 2018 23:23:00 +0000

Nicole Lamy is a writer, book critic and literary matchmaker for The New York Times' Match Book column. Nicole joined Just the Right Book to talk book recommendations, the most outrageous letter that she has ever received, and the books that changed her life. And stay tuned after Roxanne’s conversation with Nicole to hear a recent live event with author Min Jin Lee who talks about her book “Pachinko”, her “hysterical shyness”, how she has read The Bible six times, and even the merits of kimchi.

Inside the WSJ's Book List; Jeff Goodell's "The Water Will Come"

Thu, 01 Feb 2018 20:01:00 +0000

Looking for a good book to curl up with this winter? We've got you covered! In this week's episode of Just the Right Book Podcast Roxanne is joined by Ellen Gamerman, the Arts and Culture reporter for the Wall Street Journal. Also in this episode, Roxanne speaks to author, journalist and Rolling Stone contributor Jeff Goodell about his latest book, "The Water Will Come." The book details how oceanside places are becoming more and more vulnerable to rising seas due to global warming and climate change.

Einstein and the Rabbi: Searching for the Soul

Thu, 25 Jan 2018 18:39:00 +0000

In Einstein and the Rabbi: Searching for the Soul, Rabbi Naomi Levy dives into the mystery of what prompted one of the greatest scientific minds in history to write so eloquently about the human condition and what it says about our own interconnectedness. Rabbi Levy joined Just the Right Book Podcast to take us on this journey of discovering other dimensions of Einstein and the backstory of this grieving father. Also in this episode, we hear what some of the folks in New Haven are reading.

"Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?"

Wed, 29 Nov 2017 23:50:00 +0000

Dr. Beverly Tatum's 1997 book on race relations, Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria has become a modern classic found in many classrooms. In this week's episode of Just the Right Book Podcast, the former Spelman College president joins Roxanne for a live event at Wesleyan RJ Julia to talk about the 20th anniversary edition of her time-honored book and how race relations has evolved in the past two decades.

Isabel Allende Finds Love “In the Midst of Winter”

Thu, 23 Nov 2017 01:33:00 +0000

llende, who’s novels include “The House of the Spirits” and “City of the Beasts,” joined our Roxanne Coady at a live event hosted by RJ Julia to chat about her latest work, "In the Midst of Winter." And in case you missed it, Roxanne gives you the titles of the 2017 National Book Award winners!

"Mad Men" Creator Talks Rejection, Tenacity & Debut Novel

Thu, 09 Nov 2017 01:19:00 +0000

In this week's episode of Just the Right Book Podcast, Mad Men creator, Matthew Weiner joins Roxanne in New York City to dish on his debut book, Heather The Totality. The 138 page work which Weiner refers to as "novel concentrate" explores the intertwining lives of a privileged Manhattan couple, their beautiful daughter Heather and a sociopathic stalker. The screenwriter-turned-author also talks about his upcoming TV series The Romanoffs and the books that have changed his life.

A True Story of Heroism in Nazi-Occupied Paris

Tue, 31 Oct 2017 22:48:00 +0000

The heroic story of Suzanne Spaak who risked everything and gave her life to save hundreds of Jewish children from deportation in Nazi-occupied Paris to Auschwitz is one of many untold stories of the Holocaust. Just the Right Book welcomes author Anne Nelson who tells Spaak's story in her latest book, Suzanne's Children: A Daring Rescue in Nazi Paris. Also in this episode, some fantastic book recommendations from co-founder and president of The Book Report Network, Carol Fitzgerald.

Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact

Tue, 24 Oct 2017 21:22:00 +0000

Why do certain moments influence us so strongly? In this week's episode of Just the Right Book Podcast, we speak to Dan Heath, one half of the dynamic writing team which includes his brother Chip Heath. Dan explains how their latest book, The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact is about defining the moments that bring special meaning to our lives and the importance of creating them.

Claire Messud Reads From "The Burning Girl"

Fri, 20 Oct 2017 16:57:00 +0000

In today's Tidbits episode, we hear Claire Messud read a passage from her latest book, The Burning Girl. Roxanne describes the novel as "a fascinating look at friendships between young girls and how they arc over time." Also in today's Tidbits, we give you a sneak peek at next week's interview with novelist Dan Heath, who spoke to Roxanne about his new book, The Power of Moments. Listen to the full interview with Claire Messud here

Cheryl Strayed...Into the "Wild" & On to Advice Columns

Wed, 18 Oct 2017 21:00:00 +0000

You may know Cheryl Strayed from her #1 New York Times bestselling memoir Wild, which inspired the blockbuster film starring Reese Witherspoon or from one of her other bestsellers, Tiny Beautiful Things or Brave Enough. The Portland resident, who's popular advice column Dear Sugar inspired the podcast Dear Sugars is also the co-author of The Sweet Spot advice column in the New York Times Thursday Styles section.

"Hamilton" Author's Latest Bio Uncovers a Heroic U.S. Grant

Wed, 11 Oct 2017 11:00:00 +0000

Ron Chernow is the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer who wrote the biography which became the inspiration for the record-breaking, hip-hop Broadway musical Hamilton. Chernow joins Roxanne to talk about his latest expository biography on Ulysses S. Grant. Chernow reveals that after getting thrown out of the Army for drinking on payday, Grant must beg his father for a menial job selling leather goods while working below his two younger brothers.

"The Burning Girl" Blisters With Growing Pains

Wed, 27 Sep 2017 20:50:00 +0000

The New York Times best-selling author of The Emperor's Children joins Just the Right Book to discuss her latest novel, The Burning Girl, which explores the unraveling of two adolescent girls' friendship as they set out on a dangerous journey. Roxanne describes Claire as "one of the finest storytellers today about women's friendships."

25 Books That Will Change Your Life

Wed, 30 Aug 2017 17:54:00 +0000

One of the questions that Roxanne loves to ask all of our guests is "What is the book that changed your life?" "The stories are often poignant, personal or funny", says Roxanne "and inevitably they become a list of books that you are dying to read." On a special edition of Just the Right Book Podcast, we take a look back at some of our favorite stories from the past forty episodes. Looking to start a new book this Labor Day weekend? We have 25 suggestions for you to choose from!

Elizabeth Strout Knows "Anything is Possible"

Wed, 26 Jul 2017 10:00:00 +0000

One of Roxanne's favorite authors, Elizabeth Strout joins Just the Right Book Podcast to talk about her latest novel, Anything is Possible. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author also gives us the scoop on the Emmy Award-winning HBO series, Olive Kitteridge (based on Strout's book of the same name) and shares her thoughts on Frances McDormand as the title character. "You read Strout, really for the same reason you listen to a requiem: to experience the beauty in sadness," says Jennifer Senior of the New York Times. We also talk to our first JTRB book club winner, Kim Nelson-Layman, who got a special surprise when she heard who else was on the phone with Roxanne. Be sure to like us on Facebook and join our mailing list to hear more news about Just the Right Book Podcast We’re trying to get a better demographic handle on the people like yourself who listen to Just The Right Book Podcast. Just go to our website, www.BookPodcast.com, and click on the “Listener Survey,” it should take you about 30 seconds and be most helpful to us. Thank you in advance for this! Books in this episode: Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson Check out Kim Nelson-Layman's Blog!

An Exciting Retelling of a Classic Greek Tragedy

Wed, 19 Jul 2017 10:00:00 +0000

Colm Toibin is the bestselling, award-winning author of seven novels, including The Master and Brooklyn. The Irish-born author joins Just the Right Book Podcast to talk about his new novel, House of Names, a retelling of the Greek myth of Clytemnestra, Agamemnon, and their children. And later in this episode, we hear from Miriam Sontz, CEO of the famous Powell's Books in Portland Oregon for a special installment of "What's on the Front Table." Be sure to like us on Facebook and join our mailing list to hear more news about Just the Right Book Podcast We’re trying to get a better demographic handle on the people like yourself who listen to Just The Right Book Podcast. Just go to our website, www.BookPodcast.com, and click on the “Listener Survey,” it should take you about 30 seconds and be most helpful to us. Thank you in advance for this! Books in this episode: House of Names by Colm Toibin News of the World by Paulette Jiles Exit West by Mohsin Hamid The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone by Olivia Laing Marie Curie by Lola M. Schaefer, Wyatt Schaefer, Gail Saunders-Smith (Editor)

Inside the Language of Women's Friendships

Wed, 05 Jul 2017 14:43:00 +0000

Deborah Tannen is a mega bestselling author and renowned Georgetown linguist. Her previous book, You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation, was on the NY Times Bestseller List for four years, and as Roxanne puts it, "has become the bible for the differences in the way in which girls and women and boys and men converse." Tannen joins Just the Right Book to discuss her new book, You're the Only One I Can Tell: Inside the Language of Women's Friendships, guiding us to understand the conversational ingredients and behavior that bond or break our friendships with women. Be sure to like us on Facebook and join our mailing list to hear more news about Just the Right Book Podcast Books in this episode: You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation by Deborah Tannen You're the Only One I Can Tell: Inside the Language of Women's Friendships by Deborah Tannen A Connecticut Yankee in King Author's Court by Mark Twain Poem in this episode: Some People by Rachel Field Isn’t it strange some people make You feel so tired inside, Your thoughts begin to shrivel up Like leaves all brown and dried! But when you’re with some other ones, It’s stranger still to find Your thoughts as thick as fireflies All shiny in your mind!

John Grisham One on One

Wed, 21 Jun 2017 10:00:00 +0000

John Grisham recently sat down with Roxanne in a rare and candid interview as part of his first book tour in twenty-five years! The bestselling author chose RJ Julia for the second stop of his thirteen-city tour to promote his latest book, Camino Island. "If this book doesn't work, I'm quitting this." says Grisham of The Firm, the book that changed his life. The former lawyer also talks book-selling, about his work with the Innocence Project, and even reveals which books are in the works to become TV series. Later in this episode, we hit the Yale campus to see what students are looking forward to reading this summer. Be sure to like us on Facebook and join our mailing list to hear more news about Just the Right Book Podcast We’re trying to get a better demographic handle on the people like yourself who listen to Just The Right Book Podcast. Just go to our website, www.BookPodcast.com, and click on the “Listener Survey,” it should take you about 30 seconds and be most helpful to us. Thank you in advance for this! John Grisham's Podcast: Book Tour with John Grisham Books in this episode: Camino Island by John Grisham The Firm by John Grisham Grace and the Fever by Zan Romanoff Startup: A Novel by Doree Shafrir Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon Heat and Light by Jennifer Haigh Theft by Finding: Diaries (1977-2002) by David Sedaris The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood The Social Profit Handbook: The Essential Guide to Setting Goals, Assessing Outcomes, and Achieving Success for Mission-Driven Organizations by David Grant

Sarah Dunn Talks Open Marriage, Autism and "The Arrangement"

Wed, 24 May 2017 04:00:00 +0000

Novelist and television writer Sarah Dunn may be the creator and executive producer of the hit ABC sitcom, American Housewife, but it's her latest novel, The Arrangement that has everyone buzzing. The novel, which Roxanne called "absolutely delicious," tells the story of a couple that embarks on an open marriage while raising a special-needs son. The Arrangement has been called "this summer's must-read" by Sex and the City author Candace Bushnell, but as Sarah warns, "Do not try this at home." Be sure to like us on Facebook and join our mailing list to hear more news about Just the Right Book Podcast Books in this episode: The Arrangement by Sarah Dunn The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron

Charles Duhigg on Being "Smarter, Faster & Better"

Wed, 17 May 2017 04:00:00 +0000

Charles Duhigg is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter and author of "The Power of Habit," which has spent over two years on the New York Times best-seller list. The Harvard Business School and Yale graduate, recently joined Just the Right Book Podcast to talk about his latest book, "Smarter Faster, Better: The Transformative Power of Real Productivity." "People often get tied up in being busy, rather than being productive," says Duhigg. His book explores how to get more done without sacrificing what we care about most. Also in this episode, we hear from Cathy Langer, the director of buying for the Tattered Cover Book Store in Denver Colorado for our segment, "What's on the Front Table." Be sure to like us on Facebook and join our mailing list to hear more news about Just the Right Book Podcast Books in this episode: Smarter Faster Better: The Transformative Power of Real Productivity By Charles Duhigg The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business By Charles Duhigg Hiroshima By John Hersey Red Sky at Morning By Richard Bradford American War By Omar El Akkad Trajectory: Stories By Richard Russo Anything Is Possible By Elizabeth Strout My Name Is Lucy Barton By Elizabeth Strout Borne By Jeff VanderMeer Crime and Punishment By Fyodor Dostoyevsky A Prayer for Owen Meany By John Irving

Dani Shapiro on "Time, Memory & Marriage"

Wed, 10 May 2017 04:00:00 +0000

RJ Julia recently hosted an event for one of their favorite authors, Dani Shapiro and Just the Right Book Podcast was there every step of the way. The best-selling novelist and memoirist caught up with Roxanne prior to the event to discuss her latest memoir, "Hourglass: Time, Memory, Marriage." The book, says Roxanne, is an "exquisite jewel" that you will want to read whether you are thinking of marriage, newly married, or have been married for a long time. Shapiro describes the joys and challenges of matrimonial life as, "Just that sense of what it is to go through life together... the all of it, the beauty and the terror. Be sure to like us on Facebook and join our mailing list to hear more news about Just the Right Book Podcast Books in this episode: Hourglass: Time, Memory, Marriage by Dani Shapiro Devotion by Dani Shapiro Slow Motion: A Memoir of a Life Rescued by Tragedy by Dani Shapiro

Kimberly Williams-Paisley Finds Light After Loss

Wed, 12 Apr 2017 04:00:00 +0000

You probably know Kimberly Williams-Paisley as Annie Banks in the popular Father of the Bride movies, from one of her many TV roles or as the wife of country music star, Brad Paisley. The NY Times bestselling author of "Where the Light Gets in: Losing My Mother Only to Find Her Again" opens up to Roxanne (who lost her own mother, Viola Ohlbaum just days prior to recording this interview) on a special episode of "Just the Right Book." Kimberly documents her mother’s rare form of dementia and tracks her family’s actions and emotions through the process and her death last year. “My mother didn’t want us to talk about her illness; she wanted it to be the family secret,” says Williams-Paisley. While she wanted to honor her mother’s wishes and “protect her pride, it was a mistake and I regret it. By keeping it secret, we missed out on a lot of resources we could have been using.” The book, says Roxanne, “does a brilliant job of normalizing a situation that many people find hard to think of as normal.” Be sure to like us on Facebook and join our mailing list to hear more news about “Just the Right Book Podcast.” For More Information on Alzheimer's & Dementia visit the Alzheimer's Association website Books in this episode: Where the Light Gets in: Losing My Mother Only to Find Her Again by Kimberly Williams-Paisley In Lieu of Flowers: A Conversation for the Living by Nancy Howard Cobb

Jason Stanley tells us "How Propaganda Works"

Wed, 22 Mar 2017 04:00:00 +0000

Author, professor, philosopher, Jason Stanley stopped by the Just the Right Book studios to talk propaganda, how it works and how language influences the way we think and reason about public issues. The "How Propaganda Works" author holds a PhD from MIT, has taught philosophy at Cornell, University of Michigan and Rutgers, and is now a professor of philosophy at Yale University. Also in this episode, Roxanne gives us some of her favorite picks from the National Book Critics Circle Awards. Be sure to like us on Facebook and join our mailing list to hear more news about “Just the Right Book Podcast.” Books in this episode: How Propaganda Works by Jason Stanley The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois Narrative of Sojourner Truth by Soujourner Truth Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond Lab Girl by Hope Jahren Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

Amy Dickinson says "Strangers Tend to Tell Me Things"

Wed, 15 Mar 2017 04:00:00 +0000

You probably know Amy Dickinson from the nationally syndicated advice column "Ask Amy", which is carried in over 150 newspapers and read by an estimated 22 million readers daily! She is also a best-selling author and featured panelist on NPR's popular comedy quiz show "Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me." Amy's new book "Strangers Tend to Tell Me Things: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Coming Home", picks up where her New York Times best-selling memoir, "The Mighty Queens of Freeville" left off. She recently joined "Just the Right Book" to chat about finding love at middle-age, the heartbreak of caring for an ailing parent at the end of life and of course her moving back to her hometown of Freeville, NY. Be sure to like us on Facebook and join our mailing list to hear more news about “Just the Right Book Podcast.” Strangers Tend to Tell Me Things: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Coming Home by Amy Dickinson The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost

Trainwreck: The Women We Love to Hate, Mock, and Fear...and Why

Wed, 01 Mar 2017 17:29:00 +0000

Sady Doyle is an award-winning writer and journalist who's work has appeared in The Guardian, Slate, Buzzfeed, The Atlantic, just to name a few. The Brooklyn resident and founder of the feminist blog Tiger Beatdown joined Roxanne to talk about her latest book "Trainwreck: The Women We Love to Hate, Mock, and Fear...and Why.” In her interview, Sady talks about Britney Spears, Amy Winehouse, Hillary Clinton, Marilyn Monroe and even Mary Wollstonecraft. Later in the episode, Just the Right Book hits the streets of the Big Apple to find out what people are reading in NYC. Books mentioned in this episode: Trainwreck: The Women We Love to Hate, Mock, and Fear…and Why By Sady Doyle Valencia by Michelle Tea Ariel by Sylvia Plath Black Wave by Michelle Tea We Were Feminists Once: From Riot Grrrl to Covergirl, the Buying and Selling of a Political Movement by Andi Zeisler Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver Emma by Jane Austin

"If You Lean In, Will Men Just Look Down Your Blouse?"

Wed, 25 Jan 2017 05:00:00 +0000

Dr. Gina Barreca is a women's humorist, author, writer, speaker and professor at UConn. Her latest book, "If You Lean In, Will Men Just Look Down Your Blouse?: Questions and Thoughts for Loud, Smart Women in Turbulent Times" is a collection of fun, feminist-infused essays. The feminist humor maven stopped by "Just the Right Book" right before the Women's Marches to chat with Roxanne about the women empowerment books that we all need to read. Gina's site: http://ginabarreca.com/ Books in this episode: "If You Lean In, Will Men Just Look Down Your Blouse?": Questions and Thoughts for Loud, Smart Women in Turbulent Times By Gina Barreca The Second Sex By Simone De Beauvoir The Golden Notebook By Doris Lessing Purity and Danger: An Analysis of Concepts of Pollution and Taboo By Mary Douglas How Institutions Think By Mary Douglas The Powers of the Weak By Elizabeth Janeway We Should All Be Feminists By Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman By Robert K. Massie Cleopatra: A Life By Stacy Schiff Personal History By Katharine Graham She By H. Rider Haggard My Age of Anxiety: Fear, Hope, Dread, and the Search for Peace of Mind By Scott Stossel Pretty Is By Maggie Mitchell In Praise of Folly By Desiderius Erasmus

Kidnapped and Displayed as Circus Freaks in the Jim Crow South

Wed, 04 Jan 2017 05:00:00 +0000

Beth Macy's last book, "Factory Man" is a New York Times best-seller and now in development to become an HBO mini-series produced by Tom Hanks. Beth's latest book "Truevine: Two Brothers, a Kidnapping, and a Mother's Quest: A True Story of the Jim Crow South" is already generating film buzz. Beth came straight to Roxanne to dish about the book that is catching the attention of one of Hollywood's hottest leading men. Also in this episode, RJ Julia's General Manager stops by to tell us just what it takes to become a bookseller. Books in this episode: Truevine: Two Brothers, a Kidnapping, and a Mother's Quest: A True Story of the Jim Crow South by Beth Macy Commonwealth by Ann Patchett Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck News of the World by Paulette Jiles