Ep 434 - How to Find the Perfect Writing Style for Your Brain

In Sarah Gailey's novella, "Upright Women Wanted," librarians are more than keepers of books; they are symbols of order in a dystopian American West. The story follows Esther, a young woman who runs away to join the Librarians, seeking a new life and identity. These Librarians are tasked with distributing approved reading materials, but they also operate as a clandestine resistance, smuggling subversive literature. The narrative explores themes of censorship, identity, and rebellion, set against a backdrop of societal control. The book challenges conventional norms and celebrates the power of literature to inspire change and question authority.

The story follows Keiko Furukura, a 36-year-old woman who has worked at a Tokyo convenience store for 18 years, finding comfort in its rigid routines while facing societal pressure to conform to traditional life paths. Murata's acclaimed work examines themes of alienation, gender roles, and the search for identity through the lens of Japan's service industry culture.

Claire Hoffman's meticulously researched biography chronicles the spellbinding life of Aimee Semple McPherson, America's most famous woman evangelist. The book examines her 1926 disappearance (initially thought to be a drowning, later claimed as a kidnapping) and the sensational trial that followed, while analyzing her role in shaping modern evangelicalism. Drawing on previously sealed court records and Foursquare Church archives, Hoffman presents a secular examination of McPherson's contradictions as faith healer, showman, and media pioneer.