359 episodes

The Stacks is your one stop shop to talk books and reading. Guests will join the host, Traci Thomas for lively discussions about books and the ways they have shaped their lives, and they way we all understand culture, race, politics, and more. The last Wednesday of each month Traci and guest will break down a book in detail as part of The Stacks Book Club. 

Make sure to check the website www.thestackspodcast.com for more details, including upcoming The Stacks Book Club picks.

The Stacks Traci Thomas

    • Books

The Stacks is your one stop shop to talk books and reading. Guests will join the host, Traci Thomas for lively discussions about books and the ways they have shaped their lives, and they way we all understand culture, race, politics, and more. The last Wednesday of each month Traci and guest will break down a book in detail as part of The Stacks Book Club. 

Make sure to check the website www.thestackspodcast.com for more details, including upcoming The Stacks Book Club picks.

    Ep. 312 Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu -- The Stacks Book Club (Elise Hu)

    Ep. 312 Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu -- The Stacks Book Club (Elise Hu)

    Flawless author Elise Hu returns to discuss our March book club pick Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu. We talk about the satirical novel's themes of assimilation, the performance of imposed identity and the myth of the model minority. We also ask, who gets to be "American"?

    Be sure to listen to the end of today’s episode to find out what our April book club pick will be.




    You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website:

    https://thestackspodcast.com/2024/03/27/ep-312-interior-chinatown




    Episode Transcript

    Connect with Elise: Instagram | Twitter | Website | Substack | TED Talks Daily

    Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Subscribe




    SUPPORT THE STACKS

    Join The Stacks Pack on Patreon

    To support The Stacks and find out more from this week’s sponsors, click here.

    Purchasing books through Bookshop.org or Amazon earns The Stacks a small commission.

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    • 1 hr 5 min
    Ep. 311 They Say We Die Twice with Pamela Prickett & Stefan Timmermans

    Ep. 311 They Say We Die Twice with Pamela Prickett & Stefan Timmermans

    Sociologists and co-authors Pamela Prickett and Stefan Timmermans join The Stacks to talk about their book The Unclaimed: Abandonment and Hope in the City of Angels. The book follows four people whose bodies go unclaimed after their deaths, and how and why this happens. We also discuss how Pamela and Stefan think ethically about reporting and writing about the dead, why being claimed matters, and how they took care of themselves while spending eight years with this subject matter.

    The Stacks Book Club selection for March is Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu. We will discuss the book on March 27th with Elise Hu.

    You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website:

    https://thestackspodcast.com/2024/03/20/ep-311-pamela-prickett-stefan-timmermans




    Episode Transcript

    Connect with Pamela: Twitter | Website

    Connect with Stefan: Twitter | Website

    Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Subscribe




    SUPPORT THE STACKS

    Join The Stacks Pack on Patreon

    To support The Stacks and find out more from this week’s sponsors, click here.

    Purchasing books through Bookshop.org or Amazon earns The Stacks a small commission.

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    • 54 min
    Ep. 310 The Absence of Story with Tommy Orange

    Ep. 310 The Absence of Story with Tommy Orange

    Tommy Orange joins The Stacks today to discuss his new novel Wandering Stars. We talk about writing this prequel/sequel to his debut nove,l the Pulitzer Prize finalist, There There. Tommy reveals how he thinks about the relationship between faith and addiction, and why he writes about Oakland. He also talks about waiting until adulthood to finally see himself represented in popular culture, and how not seeing himself is a driving force in his work. Traci also asks Tommy if he has any plans to write nonfiction.

    There are no spoilers in this episode.

    The Stacks Book Club selection for March is Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu. We will discuss the book on March 27th with Elise Hu.

    You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website:

    https://thestackspodcast.com/2024/03/13/ep-310-tommy-orange




    Episode Transcript

    Connect with Tommy: Twitter

    Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Subscribe




    SUPPORT THE STACKS

    Join The Stacks Pack on Patreon

    To support The Stacks and find out more from this week’s sponsors, click here.

    Purchasing books through Bookshop.org or Amazon earns The Stacks a small commission.

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    • 57 min
    Ep. 309 Chasing Artificial Standards with Elise Hu

    Ep. 309 Chasing Artificial Standards with Elise Hu

    Author and TED Talks Daily host Elise Hu joins The Stacks to discuss her book Flawless: Lessons in Looks and Culture from the K-Beauty Capital. Elise explains how Korea became a pop culture superpower, and how she approached writing about a culture outside of her own. We also discuss "cultural technology" and anti-Blackness in Korean beauty standards, and Elise slips into journalist mode to interview Traci.

    The Stacks Book Club selection for March is Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu. We will discuss the book on March 27th with Elise Hu.

    You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website:

    https://thestackspodcast.com/2024/03/06/ep-309-elise-hu




    Episode Transcript

    Connect with Elise: Instagram | Twitter | Website | Substack | TED Talks Daily

    Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Subscribe




    SUPPORT THE STACKS

    Join The Stacks Pack on Patreon

    To support The Stacks and find out more from this week’s sponsors, click here.

    Purchasing books through Bookshop.org or Amazon earns The Stacks a small commission.

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    • 1 hr 2 min
    Ep. 308 Viral Justice by Ruha Benjamin -- The Stacks Book Club (Uché Blackstock)

    Ep. 308 Viral Justice by Ruha Benjamin -- The Stacks Book Club (Uché Blackstock)

    Physician and bestselling author Uché Blackstock returns to discuss the memoir-manifesto Viral Justice: How We Grow the World We Want by Ruha Benjamin. We talk about viral justice and viral injustice, and how American individualism is one of the biggest challenges to the work of abolition. We also unpack why we struggle with owning the power we have, and how viral justice can show up in our communities, from education to labor and beyond.

    Be sure to listen to the end of today’s episode to find out what our March book club pick will be.

    You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website:

    https://thestackspodcast.com/2024/02/28/ep-308-viral-justice




    Episode Transcript

    Connect with Uché: Instagram | Twitter

    Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Subscribe




    SUPPORT THE STACKS

    Join The Stacks Pack on Patreon

    To support The Stacks and find out more from this week’s sponsors, click here.

    Purchasing books through Bookshop.org or Amazon earns The Stacks a small commission.

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    • 59 min
    Unabridged: No One Wants to Talk About the Sex with Kiley Reid

    Unabridged: No One Wants to Talk About the Sex with Kiley Reid

    *patron-only bonus episode teaser*

    This episode features audio from a February live show at Vroman's Bookstore with NYT bestselling novelist Kiley Reid (Such a Fun Age, Come and Get It). Kiley talks about her approach to character development and satire; she also reveals what she hopes her audiences take away from her work, and why she primarily cares about being entertaining.

    *This episode is exclusive to members of The Stacks Pack on patreon. To join this community, get inside access to the show, and listen now, click the link below.

    JOIN THE STACKS PACK TO LISTEN

    You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks' website:

    https://thestackspodcast.com/2024/02/23/tsu-31-kiley-reid




    Connect with Kiley: Instagram | Twitter | Website

    Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Twitter | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Subscribe

    SUPPORT THE STACKS

    Join The Stacks Pack on Patreon

    Purchasing books through Bookshop.org or Amazon earns The Stacks a small commission.

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    • 12 min

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