The Book Case

Kaveh Akbar and Tommy Orange are a writer’s circle of two.  We can’t remember how we first heard they were close friends, but we knew it when we interviewed them and were thrilled when we heard they might be touring together.  Tune in to find out how these two amazing authors encourage and challenge each other.Find books mentioned on The Book Case:https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302Books mentioned in this week's episode:There There by Tommy OrangeWandering Stars by Tommy OrangeMartyr! by Kaveh AkbarPortrait of the Alcoholic by Kaveh AkbarCalling a Wolf a Wolf by Kaveh AkbarPilgrim Bell: Poems by Kaveh AkbarMoby Dick by Herman MelvilleBeowulf by Beowulf Poet      Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We love short story collections.  We hope this doesn’t put us in the minority, because when authors do it well the books can be transcendent.  Case in point, Curtis Sittenfeld’s latest is Show Don’t Tell.  We didn’t find one story in there we didn’t like. Each feels like a breath of fresh aired emotional honesty, a glimpse into the lives of memorable characters at various turning points questioning their own choices.  Join us to find out what made Curtis release this collection.  And we sit down with Plot Twist, our first romance-based independent bookstore.Find books mentioned on The Book Case:https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302Books mentioned in this week's episode:Show Don’t Tell by Curtis SittenfeldRodham by Curtis SittenfeldAmerican Wife by Curtis SittenfeldPrep by Curtis SittenfeldEligible by Curtis SittenfeldYou Think It, I’ll Say It by Curtis SittenfeldSisterland by Curtis SittenfeldA Prayer for Owen Meaney by John Irving Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There is no greater classic in Kate’s mind than The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. So when our audiences liked our holiday revisit of the Christmas Carol, we knew Gatsby had to be next. Join us as we sit down with two of the country’s greatest Gatsby and Fitzgerald scholars. Find out why the book is still so studied, so beloved, and still so relevant to our lives.Find books mentioned on The Book Case:https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302Books mentioned in this week's episode:The Great Gatsby by F. Scott FitzgeraldThe Love of the Last Tycoon by F. Scott FitzgeraldTender is the Night by F. Scott FitzgeraldThis Side of Paradise by F. Scott FitzgeraldThe Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott FitzgeraldThe Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Geraldine Brooks' latest, Memorial Days, is a deeply personal memoir about the sudden loss of her husband Tony Horowitz. In this beautiful and deeply felt book, Geraldine remembers her husband and honors his legacy and their love. She walks us through the days after his death while simultaneously also taking us through her mourning process. Find out why Memorial Days was important to her survival, and how writing the book helped her and her family deal with the impossible task of grieving.Find books mentioned on The Book Case:https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302Books mentioned in this week's episode:Memorial Days by Geraldine BrooksMarch by Geraldine BrooksHorse by Geraldine BrooksCaleb’s Crossing by Geraldine BrooksThe Secret Chord by Geraldine BrooksPeople of the Book by Geraldine BrooksYear of Wonders by Geraldine BrooksNine Parts of Desire by Geraldine BrooksAfter Annie by Anna QuindlenGrief is for People by Sloane CrossleyThe Light of the World by Elizabeth AlexanderA Widow’s Story by Joyce Carol OatesI Should Be Extremely Happy in Your Company by Brian HallOverstory by Richard PowersGilead by Marilynne RobinsonThe Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Politics are heavily loaded in today’s America; we seem to be so angry at one another.  Jeffrey Toobin’s newest, The Pardon: The Politics of Presidential Mercy, is a fascinating and oblique way of examining politics,  studying the history and use of the Presidential pardon.  Both Democrats and Republicans have made huge partisan mistakes with pardons, contributing to the cynical way that pardons are viewed today.  Want to know some of the mistakes that led us to such an angry election?  Tune in and hear why one of the best political journalists in the country thinks it might have all started with Gerald Ford and Richard Nixon.Find books mentioned on The Book Case:https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302 Books mentioned in this week's episode:The Pardon: The Politics of Presidential Mercy by Jeffrey ToobinThe Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson by Jeffrey ToobinAmerican Heiress: The Wild Safa of the Kidnapping, Crimes and Trial of Patty Hearst by Jeffrey ToobinThe Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court by Jeffrey ToobinHomegrown: Timothy McVeigh and the Rise of Right Wing Extremism by Jeffrey ToobinA Vast Conspiracy: The Real Story of the Sex Scandal That Nearly Brought Down a President by Jeffrey ToobinThe Oath: the Obama White House and the Supreme Court by Jeffrey ToobinTrue Crimes and Misdemeanors: The Investigation of Donald Trump by Jeffrey ToobinToo Close to Call: The Thirty Six Day Battle to Decide the 2000 Election by Jeffrey ToobinAll the President’s Men by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jeff Hobbs is a best-selling author, but the way he listens to his subjects and retells their stories brings a deeply human perspective to really difficult topics.  His newest, Seeking Shelter, is the story of homelessness told through the eyes of Evelyn, a devoted and fierce mother of six, determined to keep her kids out of the welfare system.  Jeff spent hundreds of hours talking to Evelyn and her kids about surviving the streets as a family (though not unscathed).  Jeff is a compelling storyteller, a thoughtful author, and his subjects trust him with some of the toughest moments of their lives.  Tune in to find out why. Find books mentioned on The Book Case: https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302Books mentioned in this week's episode:Seeking Shelter: A Working Mother, Her Children, and a Story of Homelessness in America by Jeff HobbsThe Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace by Jeff HobbsChildren of the State: Stories of Survival and Hope in the Juvenile Justice System by Jeff HobbsShow Them You’re Good: A Portrait of Boys in the City of Angels the Year Before College by Jeff Hobbs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is a Love Story by Jessica Soffer sees love’s complexities, beauties; its selfishness, difficulties, and maddening passions. Jessica Soffer tells us the story of a 50 year marriage between Abe and Jane as Jane lies dying in a hospital bed. The backdrop of their romance is Central Park, and despite the constant presence of love in the story, it is not overly sentimental or maudlin. Tune in and find out how a writer spent years writing a marriage that lasted decades.Books mentioned in this week's episode:This is a Love Story by Jessica SofferMrs. Dalloway by Virginia WoolfBy Nightfall by Michael Cunningham Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Adam Haslett’s new novel, Mothers & Sons is a brilliant book examining the relationships between mothers and sons from all sorts of angles.  The story of Peter and his mother Ann, who have so much in common and yet are estranged.  Compelling, original and moving, this a novel that stays with you. Books mentioned in this week's episode:Mothers & Sons by Adam HaslettImagine Me Gone by Adam HaslettYou are Not a Stranger Here by Adam HaslettUnion Atlantic by Adam HaslettMy Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth StroutKing Lear by William ShakespeareMoby Dick by Herman MelvilleTinkers by Paul Harding Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Booker Prize is awarded each year to the best work of sustained fiction in the English language.   In other words, it doesn’t get any more prestigious than the Booker.  And we are honored this week to have Samantha Harvey who wrote the 2024 Booker winner entitled “Orbital”.   When you read her beautiful prose, you’ll know why she won.  And when you listen to her tell us how and why she wrote “Orbital”, you’ll be as impressed with Samantha Harvey as we are. Books mentioned in this week's episode:“Orbital” by Samantha Harvey“The Shapeless Unease” by Samantha Harvey“Mrs. Dalloway” by Virginia Woolf“The Western Wind” by Samantha Harvey “The Wilderness” by Samantha Harvey“Dear Thief” by Samantha Harvey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If like your drama in a courtroom, Scott Turow is the writer for you.  His newest, Presumed Guilty, is the conclusion to the story of Rusty Sabitch, his best known protagonist.  It’s a wonderfully written page turner that we bet you won’t be able to put down.  If your heart pounds to the sound of a gavel and a bailiff saying ALL RISE, tune in and listen to find out why Scott thinks law is still the noblest pursuit of them all.   Books mentioned in this week's episode:Presumed Guilty by Scott TurowPresumed Innocent by Scott TurowBurden of Proof by Scott TurowOne L by Scott TurowInnocence by Scott Turow The Last Trial by Scott TurowSuspect by Scott TurowReversible Errors by Scott TurowPersonal Injuries by Scott TurowThe Laws of Our Fathers by Scott TurowIdentical by Scott TurowLimitations by Scott TurowOrdinary Heroes by Scott TurowTestimony by Scott TurowThe Orphan’s Son by Adam JohnsonThe Magic Barrel by Bernard MalamudThe Natural by Bernard MalamudThe Fixer by Bernard Malamud  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices