Episode · The Book Review · 2024-07-18
Books mentioned on Imbolo Mbue on Writing Her Second Novel
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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How Beautiful We Were
How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue is a powerful novel exploring environmental degradation, corporate exploitation, and community resistance in an African village facing a ruthless American oil company.
Discussed“Anda maou's new book is called how beautiful we were”
Where to get it
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Behold the Dreamers (Oprah's Book Club): A Novel
Discussed“but just as Behold The Dreamers was around the time of the financial crisis”
Where to get it
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Song of Solomon
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison is a monumental, lyrical novel that traces the multi-generational journey of Milkman Dead as he uncovers his family's rich history, cultural roots, and the transcendent mythologies of the African American experience.
Recommended“because the book that made me a writer in a way was Tony Morrison song of Solomon”
Where to get it
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The House of Mirth
The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton is a classic novel of manners that chronicles the tragic social decline of Lily Bart, a charismatic and ambitious woman navigating the cutthroat, superficial elite society of turn-of-the-century New York.
Critiqued“some people felt that quote the house of Mirth like most Society novels promises to reach no logical or dramatic conclusions likely to end in the air with a question mark”
Where to get it
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Autonomous
Discussed“so I kind of had all of these feelings stored up from years of doing fact-based journalism and poured that into my first novel autonomous which is about a robot who is cient”
Where to get it
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The Future of Another Timeline
Discussed“and then I worked on another novel called future of another timeline and I was writing that simultaneously with four lost cities”
Where to get it
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Alone Together
Alone Together by Sherry Turkle is an insightful examination of modern technology and how digital devices and social media impact human relationships and genuine connection.
Discussed“she's had some best-selling books like Alone Together in 2011 and reclaiming conversation from 2015”
Where to get it
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Reclaiming Conversation
Reclaiming Conversation is an insightful book by Sherry Turkle that examines how digital technology, social media, and constant texting diminish human empathy and undermine our ability to engage in meaningful, face-to-face dialogue.
Discussed“she's had some best-selling books like Alone Together in 2011 and reclaiming conversation from 2015”
Where to get it
