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In this episode, we take a sip from the spring of eternal life—or at least from Natalie Babbitt’s Tuck Everlasting—and things get delightfully complicated. We are capping off season 5 with a children's book that is not afraid to take on deep philosophical topics. This is our second episode in a row diving into books centering on immortality, but there are no sparkly vampires with disturbingly ambiguous ethics here, just an immortal toad, an unexpected murder, a disturbing music box (is that Mae Tuck's music?!?), and a little girl who engineers a jail break. Join us as we chat about the Tuck family’s accidental immortality, side-eye the Man in the Yellow Suit’s villainous mustache-twirling, and ponder whether living forever is truly a blessing or just being cursed to a job that you can never retire from. In this episode we learn that Hawa processes human speech that is too fast to be decipherable to anyone else, worry about Jesse's semi-romantic overtures to a ten year old, and discuss the heavy burden of keeping secrets. We’re diving into the magic, the mayhem, and the moral quandaries of a children’s classic that still hits surprisingly hard.

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

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We're back with a continuation of our discussion around Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. In this episode, we explore the toxicity of Bella and Edward's relationship, the problematic depictions of Indigenous peoples and the influence of the Twilight movies. We also take a Buzzfeed quiz to find out which Twilight character we are (spoiler: none of us were quite happy with our results). 

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

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This episode feels like what we've worked toward for the past few seasons. How can we have a library podcast and not do the pop culture juggernaut that was Twilight? Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (yep she spells Stephanie that way) follows Isabella "Bella" Swan on her move from sunny and warm Phoenix, AZ to the cold, rainy and wet Forks, WA. She stands out as the new girl. But it's not just corny 17-year-olds boys paying Bella special attention. She's also caught the eye of possibly the oldest high schooler, the moody and broody Edward Cullen. If Bella isn't "like the other girls" then the Cullens are not like the other quasi adopted families out there. The siblings date each other ("they're like together, together"), they don't talk to anyone, and well..they're undead. What follows is a romance for the ages, perfectly situated in 2005 when we couldn't quite pick up on the massive red flags behind our side-swept bangs. 

In hindsight, someone should've stopped those of us who read it as teens. But, what doesn't kill you makes you... a vampire? We've grown up and learned a few lessons. Now we can deliver this conversation from a more healed place. In this episode we question Bella's survival instincts, Edward's stalker tendencies and the family dynamics at play in this book. And while people argue whether Breaking Dawn should've been 2 movies (it shouldn't have been...), we hope listeners understand why this episode had to be a two-parter. We just had so much to say!

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

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The Poet X was Elizabeth Acevedo's breakout novel, winning the Printz and Pura Belpre awards and becoming the target of many challenges and even a lawsuit attempting to keep it off of school shelves. We are standing firmly behind this book, even if it reduced Heather and Darlene to tears and maybe hasn't aged as well as it could have when it comes to Drake. We adore Xiomara's strength and resilience as she confronts family troubles, experiences a crisis of faith, weathers harassment at school, and navigates first love. We're discussing the ubiquity of harassment as a teen girl, the impacts of our parents' baggage, and whether Twin's going to have the kind of happy ending we are optimistic about for Xiomara. We're also taking a pretty strange quiz to find out what kind of poets we'd be, but really, we'd all probably just prefer to be really fab slam poets like Xiomara. 

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

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Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson follows Melinda Sordino as she navigates the aftermath of her sexual assault at a high school party. Unable to speak about what happened to her, Melinda also has to deal with losing her friends, being ostracized by her peers, and having parents who can't seem to parent. Some small beacons of light in her life are her newfound friend, David, who stands up for his beliefs and encourages Melinda to do the same and her art teacher Mr. Freeman, who definitely knows something is up with Melinda and encourages her to speak through her art. In this episode, we discuss the concept of problem novels ("misery porn"), the portrayal of teachers in YA novels and Maria drops some Fairmount High School lore. 

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

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We are back with special-expert-guest-on-all-things-BSC Kelsey for Part 2. We're still talking about how arson isn't the answer; because really, arson isn't the answer and perhaps that wasn't addressed strongly enough in the books. In this continuation of our exploration of all things Mary Anne, we're figuring out foreshadowing that doesn't pay off, the prevalence of babysitting 101 classes, single-parent stigma, and why Mary Anne cares so much about her shoe falling off. Fashion is a really big deal in these books and we identified the primary fashion types: New York, quirky, Steve Jobs as a 12 year old with a visor. In part 2 we're trying to figure out where our fashion choices land us as BSC girls with a helpful Buzzfeed quiz. 

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

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We are back with more Baby-Sitters Club books, y'all and one of these is all about banned books (and arson) so you know we couldn't keep it to just one episode. We're dissecting the poorly named Mary Anne Saves the Day, the aptly named Logan Likes Mary Anne, and the really burying the lede title, Mary Anne and the Library Mystery. We've got Kelsey back with us discussing everything from the OG covers to Mary Anne's creepy controlling father and yet again, Stacey's diabetes. There's really a lot going on in these three little books and we have feelings about all of them. We have questions too. Why does poor Logan have to audition for the BSC but Dawn doesn't? How many dances can one middle school have? Why oh why did the audiobook narrator make Logan sound like Foghorn Leghorn? Also, why is Mrs. Kishi so wound up about the We Love Book Banning group when she won't even stock Nancy Drews? We are desperately looking for answers to these questions and more in this trip down memory lane with Mary Anne Spier. 

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

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2 brothers, 1 girl, 0 chance we're onboard with this love triangle. In The Summer I Turned Pretty, we follow Isabel "Belly" Conklin, who hasn't had much luck with boys finding her attractive, especially the one boy she's been pining over for forever, Conrad Fisher. That all changes the summer she turns 16, where not only does she catch Conrad's attention, but also the attention of his younger brother, Jeremiah. Add in a third love interest, Cam Cameron, and what follows is a messy summer for Belly where she's navigating her feelings, her newfound attractiveness, and her insecurities. 

In this episode, we talk about pretty privilege, the damaging effects of the broody guy trope and the depiction of female friendships. Heather clocks Jennie Han's age as a fellow Xennial (she's really not 60, guys), Hannah tells us about the Westermarck effect and we find out Hawa really doesn't read our group chat. We may not be onboard with this brother love triangle but the book gave us a lot to talk about. 

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

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Wow. Truly, we are so glad we took a detour to the affluent and completely bananas town of Sweet Valley, California to meet Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield. These books have everything: an evil twin, a greaser who carjacks people and takes them to dive bars, an art teacher named Stuart who has no boundaries, and a lie detector test that measures your pulse with a thimble. In this episode we dive into books 1 and 57 of the enormous Sweet Valley High series, Double Love and Teacher Crush. Who knew books about high school sororities (?!?) and mandatory electives could be so compelling? In this episode of TBMM, we play the vintage SVH board game, learn about Hawa's twinness, hear about Hannah's faux twinness, and Hawa implies that Heather is 60. These books are really struggling to pass the Bechdel test, but we kind of love them. There are no deep themes, beautiful writing, or well developed characters here, folks, just teen soap opera nonsense that you can't put down. 

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

Music during the author bio is Neon Waves by Starfall. 

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In a TBMM first, we read a book with substantially different editions! That's right, we all came to the podcasting table calling the main character by different names. We got that sorted out (and we're defaulting to the most current edition) and dove right in to this lovely book, The Birchbark House, by Louise Erdrich. This book made us laugh and cry and everything in between as we follow Omakakiins and her family through the seasons. This week we discuss whether Old Tallow is a feminist legend, whether a baby can be reincarnated as a bird, and the pretty disturbing origins of the smallpox vaccine. We compare and contrast today's title with the Little House books and examine femininity and our central characters' relationships with their environment. 

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

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While Canada has Anne of Green Gables about a girl growing up in the late 19th century, America has the Little House on the Prairie series. This episode we look at 2 books from the Prairie series, Little House in the Big Woods and Little House on the Prairie by author Laura Ingalls Wilder. These semi-autobiographical books follow Laura, her parents (Charles and Caroline) and her sisters (Mary and Carrie) from their quiet life in woods of Wisconsin to their perilous journey out to the prairie in the Kansas. Given the time period, Wilder and the Prairie series are not without controversy. We discuss women's roles during the time period, Charles's hasty and ill-advised decisions, and the overt racist depictions of Native Americans. We recognize these books' place in the children's literature canon but we also discuss what space they occupy in our present day. 

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

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We love a little 90s nostalgia and The Hate U Give delivers on that front. It also delivers on the well drawn characters and hard hitting plot elements front. Angie Thomas took us on an emotional roller coaster with Starr in this book and we laughed, cried, and loved right along with her. We loved the Tupac references and Maverick's take on Harry Potter and cheered for Starr when she grabbed that megaphone. We are discussing all sorts of big issues in this book from microaggressions, code switching, police brutality, and interracial relationships. As always we learned something about ourselves and each other along the way. We narrowly avoid a tragic Vanilla Ice moment and debate whether being known as the Fresh Princess is cute or cringe. 

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

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We're back post-merge and our Mattel and Pleasant tribes are now the Pattel tribe. Will there be friction in the now combined tribe? Who will be the first member of the jury? Will any of the immunity idols come into play? We're debating personality traits, just how far Katniss's Rue guilt will go, whether Kirsten even needs the money given her dead man's chest of treasure back home, and much more in this, our final TBMM tribal council. 

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

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Have you ever wished your favorite characters from different books could meet each other? Have you ever wished they could fight each other for food, resources, and prizes while sleeping in the sand in Fiji? No? Well we have. In this very special season ending edition of TBMM, we bring back a special guest host, Survivor Superfan Kelsey, to Jeff Probst us through a battle between some of our favorite heroines from past TBMM episodes. Will Katniss quietly dominate with her skills from the arena? Will Kirsten accidentally burn down the camp? Is Turtle going to kick her teammates if they lose a challenge or will she Russell Hantz her way to immunity idol glory? And what exactly is a pastry bar and will it be enough to keep Claudia playing? We contemplate these questions and more as we decide which of our girls will outwit, outplay, and outlast. 

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

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We're back with part 2 of Gabi, a Girl in Pieces because we needed more than one episode to sing its praises. What can we say, Gabi, a Girl in Pieces just does so much right. Gabi is a complex and interesting character, who doesn't dim her light for any man. The book accurately captured the vibes of border towns, like Tijuana, and the realities of meth addiction. It even managed to be a much better depiction of teen sexuality than Planned Parenthood Pamphlet, Forever by Judy Blume (the bar is super low, we know...). 

Honestly, Gabi's only fault is she leaves us hanging on whether the wings she had to sign a waiver for at Pepe's House of Wings were truly that hot. The Hot Ones fans in us want to know. And for our quiz, we found the answer to, "Which Romantic Poet Are you" and spoiler, someone did not like her results. 

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

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We've reached the final book of the season and boy was it a good one! So good in fact, we're splitting it up into two parts. In Gabi, a Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero, our central character, Gabi, is smart, opinionated and shockingly self-aware. It's that self-awareness that helps her craft inspiring and thought-provoking poetry that tackles sexism, anti-fat rhetoric and personal family dynamics. 

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

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

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Who doesn't love a book steeped in myth, legend, and local culture? Well, we certainly love them and are leaning into our fangirling over Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor.  Sunny is tearing up the football pitch at the Zuma games, getting in touch with her spirit face, and finding her place in her coven. We do have some questions though. For example, can Darlene make it through the author bio without laughing about Dr. Okorafor's cats? Is Anatov the best teacher we've encountered in a book we've covered for the pod even if he frequently almost gets his students killed? Are all of the spirit faces in Sugar Cream's office waiting for a new leopard person to be born or is it more like a Hall of Fame of great spirit faces? If we get really brave we may just ask the author on twitter. We're diving deep into bodily humors and archetypes, depictions of multilingual communities, and summoning masquerades. 

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

Special acknowledgement of music by Alexander Nakarada in this episode. 

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Oh, for Pete’s sake, we can’t fathom why this book was ever banned! While it didn’t live up to Hawa’s spicy expectations, we thoroughly enjoyed the first book in the Anastasia Krupnik series by Lois Lowry. Our charming protagonist may just be the president of the Precocious Children’s Club. 

In this episode we discuss the Krupniks’ parenting, the devastating effect of Alzheimer’s and our theories about what the heck is on Washburn Cummings’ T-shirt. 

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

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It's a special 4th of July episode! What's more American than relying on child labor to fix a failing healthcare system? That sounds grim, but we continue to enjoy our time with the girls of BSC. We return to our discussion of Claudia with a leisurely tour of what is possibly the saddest book in the Baby-sitters Club canon, Claudia and the Sad Goodbye. We stray a bit from the beaten path in this episode as we discuss neighborhood grandmas, a Funfetti catastrophe, Darlene crying at work, and whether the real cause of Mimi's surprising responses to blood transfusions might be caused by a vampire in Stoneybrook. 

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

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We are diving back into The Baby-Sitters Club and we've brought a special friend along for the ride. Kelsey proves to be the non-diabetic Stacey of the podcast because she goes away but she always comes back. While Kelsey might be Stacey, we kind of all wanted to be Claudia at some point with her junk food stash, illicit Nancy Drews, love of boys with soap opera names, and "New York" clothes. In this episode, we cover the first two Claudia installments of the BSC and debate whether Janine was really the "mean" one after all and are horribly disappointed in the resolution to The Phantom Phone Calls.  We're exploring IQ tests, spilled jello incidents, diabetes (again!), and the sad state of affairs at the Stoneybrook public library.

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

We mentioned a lot of topics in this episode. Here’s a brief list of some informative articles and videos about some of them if you want to do your own further research:

History of Diabetes: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/317484#modern-treatment

Updating the Baby-sitters Club: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/the-baby-sitters-club-was-always-progressive-now-netflixs-version-is-empowering-a-new-generation/2020/06/30/6ec83810-b63d-11ea-aca5-ebb63d27e1ff_story.html

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Is it a memoir? Is it fiction? Who can say when your author and main character are both wunderkind business people. This episode takes us to the Calivista Motel, a charming motel operating on the backs of children and horribly exploited immigrants.  When you are an 10 year old front desk clerk, you're responsible for a lot - checking people in, locking bad guys out, making keys, your English and Math homework, and chasing down conmen car thieves. In Front Desk by Kelly Yang, Mia Tang (see what she did with the name there -Mia/Me...never mind) does all of this while fending off the affections of a sparkly pencil thief and becoming baby Howard Johnson.  We talk English language learning, terrible teachers, and just how feasible a motel owning co-op really is. In a first for the pod, our expert is also our guest host and does Yesenia ever have some stories to tell about interesting guests and toilet catastrophes.

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

We cover a lot of ground in this episode and used some books and articles as jumping off points. Here’s a brief list of some of them if you want to do your own further research:

Chinese immigration in the 90s in a circa 1990 article:
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-01-15-ss-95-story.html

An overview of Taiwanese immigrants in the US:
https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/taiwanese-immigrants-united-states-2008

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Ever felt overshadowed by a sibling or struggled to find your own identity? Katherine Paterson's "Jacob Have I Loved" brings these raw emotions to the surface, and we're peeling back the layers. Join us as we navigate Sarah Louise's turbulent journey, from her envy-ridden youth on the Chesapeake Bay to her quest for self-recognition as a nurse midwife (or alternatively, her journey from maybe a 5 in Maryland to a 10 in a small Appalachian Mountains town). 

Our conversation takes some unexpected turns as we tackle themes like teenage crushes, emotional abuse, and the generational dynamics that steer Sarah Louise's path. We get hung up on the romantic relationships in this book and Hannah reveals she has a very forgiving nature. In this exploration of "Jacob Have I Loved," we promise a journey through the complex waters of sibling rivalry, with a touch of humor and a crab-related quiz to boot (because Chesapeake Bay, duh!).

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

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Forever was a real headscratcher for us. We *think* Judy Blume was trying to disseminate information about teen sexual health in an easily digestible way but we wanted to check in with an expert. In this frank conversation, we untangle the complex dynamics of the book's central relationship and contrast the sexual health services of the past with the ways teen access health services today.  Our expert thinks this book may be a miss for the teens of today but sees a role for podcasts (!) in sexual health education in 2024. Join us for a deep dive into consent, STI prevention, healthy relationships, and responsible authorship. 

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

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Oh Judy Blume, you are officially our most frequently covered author on TBMM and oh my, have you ever given us some wild rides. We weren't sure what to expect when we revisited Forever, one of the most frequently challenged books of all time, but it wasn't Ralph. The first rule of the Judy Blume fan club is you do NOT talk about Ralph. Unfortunately for us, we kind of had to talk about Ralph since the whole book is about him, which might be  problematic from a feminist perspective. We struggle to reconcile this book with the rest of Judy Blume's oeuvre, struggle to understand why anyone would possibly like Michael, struggle to get through a paragraph without laughing... struggle with the overuse of ellipses in the book... we just generally struggle. We discuss whether the book could have just been an educational pamphlet, dissect Michael and Kath's deeply weird relationship, and try to determine what the take home was supposed to be about Sybil. Hawa makes a shocking disclosure and Hannah is slinging zingers.  It's an IUD ad, it's a teen soap opera, it'll ruin the name Ralph for you. It's Forever by Judy Blume.

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

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How many times have you read The Bluest Eye by the legendary Toni Morrison, and why is it never enough times? In this episode, we all revisit this literary classic and realize there are several interpretations and layers we missed in previous readings. Like, did you ever consider that Pecola is Jesus and the prostitutes (*ahem* China, Poland and Miss Marie) are the 3 archangels? Neither did we until Heather talked through her religious interpretation. Whether you agree or not, one thing is undeniable, Morrison was an expert writer, deftly weaving in her narrative topics such as community, beauty standards, sexuality, trauma and prejudice in her perfectly lyrical tone. Her works beg to be sat with, processed and dissected. And sometimes it's dissected in all the wrong ways, as it's one of the most commonly banned books. But no worries, we'll always have silent rebels like our guest, Tiana Davis, who read it for the first time in 9th grade despite her school's efforts to ban it. 

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