3 Books With Neil Pasricha

3 Books is a completely insane and totally epic 15-year-long quest to uncover the 1000 most formative books in the world. Each chapter is hosted live and in-person at the guest's preferred location by Neil Pasricha, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Awesome and The Happiness Equation. Each chapter of 3 Books uncovers and discusses the three most formative books from one of the world's most inspiring people. Sample guests include: Judy Blume, David Sedaris, Chris Anderson of TED, and the world's greatest Uber driver. Each of the 333 chapters is dropped on the exact minute of every new moon and full moon until September 1, 2031. 3 Books is an Apple "Best Of" award-winning show as well as the world's only podcast by and for book lovers, writers, makers, sellers... and librarians. For more info check out: www.3books.co  Pete Holmes is a comedian, writer, cartoonist, “Christ-leaning spiritual seeker”, and podcast host. His wildly popular podcast, You Made It Weird, is a comedic exploration of the meaning of life with guests ranging from Deepak Chopra and Elizabeth Gilbert to Seth Rogen and Garry Shandling. Pete also created and stars in the semi-autobiographical HBO show Crashing which he executive produces alongside Judd Apatow. An accomplished standup with three hour-long television specials and innumerous late night appearances, he continues to tour regularly to sold-out crowds. He lives with his wife and daughter in LA. Chapter Description: A few years ago, I went to a Judd Apatow comedy show and I was completely blown away by the lineup of friends he brought out. Ray Romano! Zach Galifianakis! And, of course, the incredible Pete Holmes. Pete was my favorite comic that night, which is saying something because of who his company was. I loved Pete’s brand new book Comedy Sex God and praised it in my monthly book club. I’m not a religious person, and Pete was, and then wasn’t, and now is but in a really thoughtful, interesting, and spiritual way. And this book, which is essentially his memoir, chronicles his journey through faith with a ton of laughs and mind-altering insights along the way. Pete Holmes is a comedian, writer, cartoonist, podcast host, HBO star, and Christ-leaning spiritual seeker. His podcast You Made It Weird is a comedic exploration of the meaning of life, with guests ranging from Deepak Chopra to Elizabeth Gilbert to Seth Rogan. Pete also starred in the semi-autobiographical HBO show Crashing which he executive produced with Judd Apatow (no big deal!). We go deep in this chat and talk about why we withhold love, why myths are always true and sometimes really happened, why our brains want certainty but our hearts are comfortable with mystery, the salty sweet conundrum of life, and, of course, Pete’s three most formative books. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: How do you say ‘yes’ to what is? Why doesn’t the game of infinite orgasms work? How do we shift from thinking of travelling through the world … to realizing we are the world? How can God be seen as a metaphor? Why do we withhold love? Why are cell phones manifestations of a mental problem we all have? And much, much more.. Leave us a voicemail Your message may be included in a future episode: 1-833-READ-A-LOT. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.3books.co/chapters/40  Sign up to receive podcast updates here: https://www.3books.co/email-list

3 Books is a completely insane and totally epic 15-year-long quest to uncover the 1000 most formative books in the world. Each chapter is hosted live and in-person at the guest's preferred location by Neil Pasricha, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Awesome and The Happiness Equation. Each chapter of 3 Books uncovers and discusses the three most formative books from one of the world's most inspiring people. Sample guests include: Judy Blume, David Sedaris, Chris Anderson of TED, and the world's greatest Uber driver. Each of the 333 chapters is dropped on the exact minute of every new moon and full moon until September 1, 2031. 3 Books is an Apple "Best Of" award-winning show as well as the world's only podcast by and for book lovers, writers, makers, sellers... and librarians. For more info check out: www.3books.co  Soyoung Kim lives in downtown Toronto and has run a variety store with her husband since she emigrated from Seoul in the late 1990s. Chapter Description: Have you ever developed a relationship with your local corner shop owner? Maybe you pop into a convenience store every day to grab a drink or you walk into the same coffee shop every afternoon. Leslie and I have developed a relationship with Soyoung Kim, a beautiful, kind, Korean woman who has run the corner store by our house for years. My wife Leslie has long trained me to buy her fresh flowers every week. And I always buy them from Soyoung’s shop. Soyoung reads 50 books per year and credits them to helping her form her identity and better understand English when she first emigrated to Canada. I asked Soyoung to come on 3 Books to share her three most formative books and we grabbed two milk crates and sat down in the garden center at the side of her store. I hope you enjoy this talk with Soyoung Kim as much as I did. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: Why do older siblings often feel pressure to take care of the family? How can we learn to take care of ourselves when we’re responsible for taking care of others? Who should take care of us when we grow older? How can we learn to empty our minds on a daily basis? Why should we place less importance on money? Leave us a voicemail! Your message may be included in a future episode: 1-833-READ-A-LOT. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.3books.co/chapters/39  Sign up to receive podcast updates here: https://www.3books.co/email-list 

3 Books is a completely insane and totally epic 15-year-long quest to uncover the 1000 most formative books in the world. Each chapter is hosted live and in-person at the guest's preferred location by Neil Pasricha, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Awesome and The Happiness Equation. Each chapter of 3 Books uncovers and discusses the three most formative books from one of the world's most inspiring people. Sample guests include: Judy Blume, David Sedaris, Chris Anderson of TED, and the world's greatest Uber driver. Each of the 333 chapters is dropped on the exact minute of every new moon and full moon until September 1, 2031. 3 Books is an Apple "Best Of" award-winning show as well as the world's only podcast by and for book lovers, writers, makers, sellers... and librarians. For more info check out: www.3books.co  Ryan Holiday is a media strategist, father, and bestselling author of seven books including The Obstacle Is the Way, Ego Is the Enemy, The Daily Stoic, and his latest, Stillness Is The Key. Ryan was the former Director of Marketing for American Apparel, and then went on to found his own creative agency, Brass Check, which has advised clients like Google, Neil Strauss, Tony Robbins and Tim Ferriss. Ryan lives outside Austin, Texas where he writes and works in between raising cattle, donkeys and goats.  Chapter Description: Back in 2013 I stumbled on an article online called “How To Read More — A Lot More” by some writer guy on the Internet named Ryan Holiday. I started reading the piece and got sucked into it. He had a point! A great point. Many great points, actually. And he was super young. A young man telling the world to read more books? In an era where most guys read none… or, you know, like three books a year? I found Ryan Holiday to be a complete breath of fresh air. So I immediately began to copy everything he did. He launched a monthly book club. I launched a monthly book club! (With his blessings, of course.) He was talking about reading fifty then a hundred books a year. I started to read five books then ten books then fifty books a year. I started cancelling magazine and newspaper subscriptions and began to consciously put my phone away. I installed a bookshelf at my front door and cancelled cable. And, of course, I started this podcast! In a way 3 Books would not exist without Ryan Holiday. I can trace my rediscovered passion for reading all the way back to this writer guy from the Internet. But he’s not just a writer guy on the Internet anymore. Ryan Holiday has sold over 2,000,000 books (!) and essentially leads the repopularization of stoic philosophy on a mass scale. Some of his books include The Obstacle Is The Way, Ego Is The Enemy, and his brand new book, Stillness Is The Key. Ryan also runs DailyStoic.com, the consulting company Brass Check, and his newest project Daily Dad. He’s become a friend and I have definitely caught his bug. So in Chapter 38 of 3 Books I ask Ryan to share his four most formative books. (You’ll hear why on the show.) He tells us how to decide who to trust, how he got dramatically fired from his first job, and why we shouldn’t turn parenting into a job. I hope you enjoy Chapter 38 with Ryan Holiday. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: Why should you spoil the endings of books and movies? How do we win the war for attention? Why does the path you take toward a goal matter more than achieving the goal itself? How and why should you not turn parenting into a job? Leave us a voicemail! Your message may be included in a future episode: 1-833-READ-A-LOT. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.3books.co/chapters/38  Sign up to receive podcast updates here: https://www.3books.co/email-list 

3 Books is a completely insane and totally epic 15-year-long quest to uncover the 1000 most formative books in the world. Each chapter is hosted live and in-person at the guest's preferred location by Neil Pasricha, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Awesome and The Happiness Equation. Each chapter of 3 Books uncovers and discusses the three most formative books from one of the world's most inspiring people. Sample guests include: Judy Blume, David Sedaris, Chris Anderson of TED, and the world's greatest Uber driver. Each of the 333 chapters is dropped on the exact minute of every new moon and full moon until September 1, 2031. 3 Books is an Apple "Best Of" award-winning show as well as the world's only podcast by and for book lovers, writers, makers, sellers... and librarians. For more info check out: www.3books.co  Malcolm Gladwell is a journalist, a speaker, and the author of five New York Times bestsellers including The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers, What The Dog Saw, and David and Goliath. His latest book, Talking to Strangers, was published on September 10, 2019. He has been a staff writer for the New Yorker since 1996. Foreign Policy has three times named him one of their Top Global Thinkers, and he has been named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People. He is a trustee of the Surgo Foundation and currently serves on the board of the RAND Corporation. Chapter Description: Who we are is a function of where we are. Do you agree with that? Who you are depends on where you are. We’re different people in different places, right? You’re different in the board room than you are on vacation. You’re different with your parents than you are with your kids. And, as for me, I’m different hanging with with Malcolm Gladwell in the West Village than I am sitting in my basement as I type up this blog post. And that theme is one that we get to open up in Chapter 37 of 3 Books with Malcolm Gladwell. Guys, I was so nervous for this podcast. I mean, super nervous. I couldn’t sleep for a few nights before. I read his three most formative books. I listened to his podcast Revisionist History. I got an advance copy of his brand new book Talking To Strangers. I mean, I was so nervous that I showed up for the podcast an hour early. (Who does that?) So Malcolm invites me into his place and we get settled around a table surrounded by books. Top to bottom! Floor to ceiling! And, no big deal, all hardcovers. I’m intimated but at the very end of the podcast, right after I clicked stop on the recorder … he said three words that completely chilled me out. (I’ll tell you what they were after the show.) I found him extremely down to Earth with a beautiful calming energy. We talk about raising great nerds in a world forcing us into the mean, how to find tribes where we truly fit in, who he thinks is the best non-fiction author alive, why thrillers are incredibly instructive, what his biggest advice is for aspiring authors, and, of course, his three most formative books. I hope you enjoy Chapter 37 with Malcolm Gladwell. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: Why should we reread books more often? Are we all simply products of our environments? What book has Malcolm read every five years since the age of 15? Which book does Malcolm call “appallingly marketed”? How do we preserve our privacy in an endlessly connected world? And much, much more…   Leave us a voicemail! Your message may be included in a future episode: 1-833-READ-A-LOT. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.3books.co/chapters/37  Sign up to receive podcast updates here: https://www.3books.co/email-list 

3 Books is a completely insane and totally epic 15-year-long quest to uncover the 1000 most formative books in the world. Each chapter is hosted live and in-person at the guest's preferred location by Neil Pasricha, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Awesome and The Happiness Equation. Each chapter of 3 Books uncovers and discusses the three most formative books from one of the world's most inspiring people. Sample guests include: Judy Blume, David Sedaris, Chris Anderson of TED, and the world's greatest Uber driver. Each of the 333 chapters is dropped on the exact minute of every new moon and full moon until September 1, 2031. 3 Books is an Apple "Best Of" award-winning show as well as the world's only podcast by and for book lovers, writers, makers, sellers... and librarians. For more info check out: www.3books.co  Elder Cox and Elder Corona are two American teenage missionaries from the the Church of Jesus Christ.  Chapter Description: So one day I’m out taking one of my magical life-changing long walks when suddenly two guys are like “Hi! How are you?!” And I look up kind of stunned because I’m walking around downtown Toronto where no one really pops out of the woodwork to shout a “Hi! How are you?!” at you … What do I see? Two young men smiling back at me. Like, big smiles! Gigantic smiles. Dressed up, too. It takes me a minute to piece it together but turns out they’re Mormon Missionaries living away from home for two years with the sole purpose of teaching people about their church. They asked me what I’d heard about Mormonism and I said, uh, well, they don’t drink much and they have a lot of kids. Oh, and there’s a play called The Book of Mormon! Super ignorant. I got to talking to them and my fascination with these guys deepened. They are teenagers. They go by Elder Cox and Elder Corona. They are living away from home for two years while most of their peers go to college. They get no TV, no music, no books, no booze, no bars, no dating, and no… well, no anything most teenagers would be interested in. Do they have doubts? Do they have fears? What if no one believes in them? How successful are they? How do they even define success? So, on this Super Moon of August 30, 2019, we are sitting down with two teenage Mormon Missionaries to discuss their three most formative books and what it’s like devoting your life to one sole mission, purpose, and faith. I found this conversation enlightening and inspiring on many levels. I hope you do, too. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: What is Mormonism? (And why do they prefer you don’t call it that?) How do we battle constant rejection? What beliefs underpin the idea of knocking on doors to discuss religion? What is the missionary “success rate” or how often (and how) do they convert somebody? How do followers of the church approach topics like homosexuality and feminism?   Leave us a voicemail! Your message may be included in a future episode: 1-833-READ-A-LOT. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.3books.co/chapters/36  Sign up to receive podcast updates here: https://www.3books.co/email-list 

3 Books is a completely insane and totally epic 15-year-long quest to uncover the 1000 most formative books in the world. Each chapter is hosted live and in-person at the guest's preferred location by Neil Pasricha, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Awesome and The Happiness Equation. Each chapter of 3 Books uncovers and discusses the three most formative books from one of the world's most inspiring people. Sample guests include: Judy Blume, David Sedaris, Chris Anderson of TED, and the world's greatest Uber driver. Each of the 333 chapters is dropped on the exact minute of every new moon and full moon until September 1, 2031. 3 Books is an Apple "Best Of" award-winning show as well as the world's only podcast by and for book lovers, writers, makers, sellers... and librarians. For more info check out: www.3books.co  Famed author and restaurateur Jen Agg is responsible for creating six of Canada’s top restaurants. In Toronto, she created The Black Hoof, Rhum Corner, Cocktail Bar, Grey Gardens, and Le Swan, and in Montreal, Agrikol, a place she opened with the Grammy-winning indie rock band, Arcade Fire. Agg published her first book, “I Hear She’s A Real Bitch,” in 2016, which was a national bestseller, a Globe and Mail Best Book of 2017, a National Post Best Book of 2017, and a Chatelaine Best Book of 2017. Chapter Description: Jen Agg is a celebrated Toronto-based restaurateur. She has opened many award-winning restaurants including The Black Hoof, Rhum Bar, Le Swan, and Grey Gardens. When Jen opens a restaurant, people notice. There are lineups. Buzz. An incalculable feeling that, once again, she’s put her finger on the pulse of what people want. Jen is also the bestselling author of the memoir “I Hear She’s A Real Bitch” which features the cover blurb from Anthony Bourdain saying “Whatever Jen Agg says is worth listening to.” I agree. We have this conversation at her restaurant Le Swan on Queen Street West in Toronto. Jen and I talk about whether fussyness is a virtue, the art of dining alone, how to have a healthy marriage with someone twenty years older than you, and what it was like for Jen growing up with one breast. And that’s only the tip of the iceberg! She challenges me as you’ll soon hear. I hope you enjoy Chapter 35 of 3 Books. What you'll learn: Is having a “type” when dating racist? How can we avoid becoming vanilla and maintain a strong voice? Why should we stop caring so much about what other people think of us? How are misogyny and patriarchy still deeply ingrained in society? How do tomboys currently occupy our complicated gender role landscape? What is potentially the greatest last line in a book ever? What is the next big gender role conversation in the world post #MeToo? Why are friends overrated?   Leave us a voicemail! Your message may be included in a future episode: 1-833-READ-A-LOT. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.3books.co/chapters/35 Sign up to receive podcast updates here: https://www.3books.co/email-list 

3 Books is a completely insane and totally epic 15-year-long quest to uncover the 1000 most formative books in the world. Each chapter is hosted live and in-person at the guest's preferred location by Neil Pasricha, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Awesome and The Happiness Equation. Each chapter of 3 Books uncovers and discusses the three most formative books from one of the world's most inspiring people. Sample guests include: Judy Blume, David Sedaris, Chris Anderson of TED, and the world's greatest Uber driver. Each of the 333 chapters is dropped on the exact minute of every new moon and full moon until September 1, 2031. 3 Books is an Apple "Best Of" award-winning show as well as the world's only podcast by and for book lovers, writers, makers, sellers... and librarians. For more info check out: www.3books.co Jim Levine is the founder of Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary Agency. Most of their book titles are published by imprints of the major houses including Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, Hachette, and Macmillan. Jim's love of books extends to his own writing of seven books and over 100 articles. When he's not working, Jim enjoys listening to music (especially jazz), learning to play piano, golf, photography, travel, and family time. Chapter Description: Jim Levine is a literary superagent. He and his agency LGR Literary represent everyone from Tom Brady to Ray Dalio to Dan Ariely to Allie Brosch to Gillian Flynn to *cough* Neil Pasricha. Jim Levine is an incredibly thoughtful and intentional guy who I’ve come to look up to in many ways. He has a wise calm mode of operating with a strategic lens that helps authors navigate the publishing world. In his own words, Jim helps people “explode potential.” Before establishing his own agency, he taught at Wellesley College and spent almost a decade as Vice President at the Bank Street College of Education in New York City. Jim’s written over seven books himself and has appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, and Oprah. And, as you may have guessed, Jim is a voracious reader. Welcome to Chapter 34 of 3 Books.   WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:  How can you squeeze in more time for exercise and meditation What’s a simple way to remedy any argument in order to find a solution? How can jazz musicians help us improve our listening and negotiation skills? What’s a fun relationship game you can play with your partner so you can make decisions faster and share your opinions more openly? How can we balance our focus on both the inner journey and the outer journey? What’s the easiest way to figure out the perfect job for you to pursue? Leave us a voicemail! Your message may be included in a future episode: 1-833-READ-A-LOT. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.3books.co/chapters/34 Sign up to receive podcast updates here: https://www.3books.co/email-list 

3 Books is a completely insane and totally epic 15-year-long quest to uncover the 1000 most formative books in the world. Each chapter is hosted live and in-person at the guest's preferred location by Neil Pasricha, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Awesome and The Happiness Equation. Each chapter of 3 Books uncovers and discusses the three most formative books from one of the world's most inspiring people. Sample guests include: Judy Blume, David Sedaris, Chris Anderson of TED, and the world's greatest Uber driver. Each of the 333 chapters is dropped on the exact minute of every new moon and full moon until September 1, 2031. 3 Books is an Apple "Best Of" award-winning show as well as the world's only podcast by and for book lovers, writers, makers, sellers... and librarians. For more info check out: www.3books.co  Raj Haldar is an artistic polymath who releases rap albums under the names Lushlife and The Skull Eclipses, produces albums, is official stadium DJ of the Philadelphia Eagles, makes science rap videos for Nick Jr, and is co-author of the runaway New York Times bestseller P Is for Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever. Chapter Description: I recently visited Type Books in The Junction neighbourhood in Toronto and stumbled upon P is for Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever. So I flip open the book and I discover there’s a page for every letter! A is for Aisle. C is for Czar. T is for … Tsunami. It’s a beautiful read and has been on the New York Times bestseller list ever week since it’s come out.  Who’s the guy behind wild book? Well, it’s the incredibly polyman Raj Haldar aka Lushlife, who’s also a rapper, record producer, one half of The Skull Eclipses, the official stadium DJ of the Philadelphia Eagles, and, yes, in his spare time, also makes viral science rap videos for Nick Jr.  We break open concepts like: How do we speak out against established societal norms? What does the hustle in side hustle really look like? And, of course, what are Raj Haldar’s three most formative books?  I hope you enjoy Chapter 33 of 3 Books. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: How can we preserve old cultures while creating new norms? How can we think about growing our creativity? How has the democratization of music production and distribution changed the entertainment industry? How can you manage your side hustle with your main job? How can you pursue your passions and dreams even if your parents don’t support you? Leave us a voicemail! Your message may be included in a future episode: 1-833-READ-A-LOT. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.3books.co/chapters/33  Sign up to receive podcast updates here: https://www.3books.co/email-list 

3 Books is a completely insane and totally epic 15-year-long quest to uncover the 1000 most formative books in the world. Each chapter is hosted live and in-person at the guest's preferred location by Neil Pasricha, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Awesome and The Happiness Equation. Each chapter of 3 Books uncovers and discusses the three most formative books from one of the world's most inspiring people. Sample guests include: Judy Blume, David Sedaris, Chris Anderson of TED, and the world's greatest Uber driver. Each of the 333 chapters is dropped on the exact minute of every new moon and full moon until September 1, 2031. 3 Books is an Apple "Best Of" award-winning show as well as the world's only podcast by and for book lovers, writers, makers, sellers... and librarians. For more info check out: www.3books.co Catherine Belknap and Natalie Telfer are best friends, moms of seven children collectively, and the hilarious duo behind the @CatandNat movement to rid the world of mom guilt and mom shame. The pair's hilarious #MomTruths rants and podcast conversations quickly attracted millions of followers all interested in discussing the guilt and expectations surrounding parenting. Cat and Nat are the world's fearless crusaders against the perfection myth and all the gluten-free, sugar-free baking it entails. Every week the pair releases a Mom Truths podcast episode as well as a new recording of their worldwide series Mom Truths. The duo just released their instant bestselling book Mom Truths and regularly tour North America to sold-out audiences. You can find them @catandnat on all social media.  Chapter Description: Are you one of the million-plus people who follow Cat and Nat online? (@catandnat on every social.) Cat and Nat are moms of seven (!) children together and they are attempting to give moms permission, help moms be heard, and rid the world of mom guilt and mom shame. Oh! And they’re the bestselling authors of Mom Truths: Embarrassing Stories and  Brutally Honest Advice on the Extremely Real Struggle of Motherhood. How did I stumble upon these two badass, R-rated, intellectually flamboyant and passionate women? Well, I was wandering around the prairies (Regina, Saskatchewan to be specific) when I stumbled on their show at a casino across from my hotel. Stumbled upon is an understatement given that a thousand women wearing tight leather pants and swishing white wine almost trampled me. I found myself watching their incredible stage show, keeping the audience in stitches, and just putting their finger on this giant invisible stress that so many moms feel … and helping that stress go away. This is the first chapter since Chapter 1 of 3 Books where I have brought my wonderful wife (and mother of three boys!) Leslie.  In this chapter, we discuss parenting, motherhood, the pressures we put on ourselves to raise these perfect children, and why those pressures could be harming us and our expectations of our kids. Join me, my wife Leslie, Cat, and Nat as we hang out in Nat’s living room to have this important and honest conversation on Nat’s beautiful white couch. And, of course, to uncover Cat and Nat’s three most formative books. I hope you enjoy this chapter. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:    Why should we empower our children to make their own decisions? How can we teach children about the consequences of their choices? Why should you pursue marriage counselling before getting married? How can we learn to let go of the guilt and shame we feel surrounding parenting? Leave us a voicemail! Your message may be included in a future episode: 1-833-READ-A-LOT. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.3books.co/chapters/32 Sign up to receive podcast updates here: https://www.3books.co/email-list 

3 Books is a completely insane and totally epic 15-year-long quest to uncover the 1000 most formative books in the world. Each chapter is hosted live and in-person at the guest's preferred location by Neil Pasricha, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Awesome and The Happiness Equation. Each chapter of 3 Books uncovers and discusses the three most formative books from one of the world's most inspiring people. Sample guests include: Judy Blume, David Sedaris, Chris Anderson of TED, and the world's greatest Uber driver. Each of the 333 chapters is dropped on the exact minute of every new moon and full moon until September 1, 2031. 3 Books is an Apple "Best Of" award-winning show as well as the world's only podcast by and for book lovers, writers, makers, sellers... and librarians. For more info check out: www.3books.co Juniper is a mother, writer, artist, academic, and a gadfly. She completed a PhD in sociology with a specific focus on gender and sexuality, feminist and queer theories, and experimental methodologies. Her dissertation explored the experiences of sex workers in higher education. Juniper is also the author of numerous essays for VICE, BuzzFeed, Tits and Sass, Pacific Standard, Mutha Magazine, Broadly, and others. Her children's book, How Mamas Love Their Babies, received rave reviews and was even called a "patriarchy smashing children's book" by the editors at Ms. Magazine. It was the first children's book to feature a sex-working parent. She spends as much time as possible with her fabulous, gender-expansive child. Today we are traveling to Omaha, Nebraska, to sit down with former sex worker, PHD graduate, TED speaker, and author of the world’s first children’s book featuring a sex working parent, Juniper Fitzgerald.  How did I get to know Juniper? It all comes back to Chapter 4 of 3 Books with Sarah Ramsey, who recommended the book How Mamas Love Their Babies to me. This book is beautiful and evocative and filled with cut and pasted little pictures … and I was absolutely gripped by it. I was totally sucked in, and the mention of the sex working parent happens so gently and subtly. So I sat down with Juniper in the middle of the Omaha airport and had an extremely educational conversation about important themes like: sex work, the pros and cons of paying for pleasure, decriminalization vs anti-criminalization, the real meaning of ‘consent,’ how to improve self-esteem, why we should teach children about sex, and so much more. Juniper brings us all sorts of knowledge from her experiences as a mother, a sex worker, and a PhD graduate in sociology with focuses on gender, sexuality, feminist, and queer theories. She was a delight to speak to. I hope you enjoy Chapter 31 of 3 Books. What is sex work? How should we educate children about sex work? Should sex work be decriminalized? How can we improve our self-esteem? Should we teach children masturbation and how to find their pleasure? Why do we need to make mistakes in order to learn and grow? Leave us a voicemail! Your message may be included in a future episode: 1-833-READ-A-LOT. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.3books.co/chapters/31 Sign up to receive podcast updates here: https://www.3books.co/email-list