Rebel Girls Book Club

We are back, sort of. In this episode, we explain our leave of absence and make big announcements. We also finished the second half of Kaikeyi! We explore the challenges of communitarian work and ideals when you're embedded in privilege and how to navigate personal relationships with people who are participating in harmful and violent systems. To follow our episode schedule, go here:  ⁠https:/...

Maggie and Harmony explore the first half of a retelling of the Hindu Epic Ramayana, Kaikeyi by Vashnavi Patel. They talk about manipulation, the ethics of power quests, and the necessity of community when it comes to building new power structures. What we're reading: The Witches of Moonshyne Manor by Bianca Marais We Unleash the Merciless Storm by Tehlor Kay Mejia To follow our episode schedu...

This week Maggie interviews Rachel Heng on her latest novel, The Great Reclamation. In this episode: ⁠The Great Reclamation by Rachel Heng To follow our episode schedule, go here: ⁠https://rebelgirlsbook.club/the-syllabus⁠ . Follow our social media pages on Instagram   ⁠https://www.instagram.com/rgbcpod/⁠ Facebook   ⁠https://www.facebook.com/RebelGirlsBookClub/⁠ Goodreads ⁠ https://www.goodreads.c...

Harmony interviews Kristin Henning, a public defender, professor at Georgetown University, and author of The Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth. They talk about the school-to-prison pipeline, the adultification of black youth, and the hyper surveillance of black children. You can learn more about the book at rageofinnocence.com and get involved at Georgetown's Juvenile Jus...

Harmony lacks the resources for therapy, so this week we practice some bookish mental health care. Bibliomancy is a spiritual tool for diving into the future and meaning-making. Maggie and Harmony use Bibliomancy on four books to make meaning of their current struggles. What Is Bibliomancy? Definition and Techniques In this episode: Lilith's Brood by Octavia Butler Babel: Or the Necessity of Viole...

This week Maggie and Harmony read "Vocational Awe and Librarianship: The Lies We Tell Ourselves" by Fobazi Ettarh. We talk about libraries as sacred places, what it means to find meaning in your labor, the dangers of assuming your work produces good, and so much more. In this episode:  "Vocational Awe and Librarianship: The Lies We Tell Ourselves" by Fobazi Ettarh To follow our episode schedu...

This week Maggie and Harmony talk about The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang. We talk about the balance of power dynamics in this novel, class pressures, navigating a world that is structured for neurotypical people when you are neurodivergent, and so much more. In this episode: The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang To follow our episode schedule, go here: rebelgirlsbook.club/the-syllabus. Follow our socia...

This week Harmony and Maggie take a dive into some middle grade to discuss Amari and the Night Brothers by B. B. Alston. We talk about the power of radical joy, magic as metaphor for systemic injustice, what it means to have agency in the world as a kid, and so much more! In this episode: Amari and the Night Brothers by B. B. Alston To follow our episode schedule, go here: rebelgirlsbook.club/the-...

This week Harmony and Maggie read Kindred by Octavia E. Butler. It can't be a season of RGBC without an Octavia episode! We talk about time travel as a metaphor for generational trauma, what it means to depict humanity, power, and so much more. In this episode: Kindred by Octavia E. Butler To follow our episode schedule, go here: rebelgirlsbook.club/the-syllabus. Follow our social media pages on I...

This week, Harmony and Maggie discuss Bishop William Barber's sermon "We Need Ceasefires Everywhere", given on Christmas Eve in 2022. We discuss the human impact of war, the power of oration, what it means to be a global citizen, and so much more. In this episode: "We Need Ceasefires Everywhere" by Bishop William Barber To follow our episode schedule, go here: rebelgirlsbook.club/the-syllabus. Fol...

This week Maggie and Harmony revisit the literary work and legacy of Claudia Jones, examining her poem "For Conseuala - Anti-Fascista". As always, poetry is challenging, but we work through it together to discuss solidarity in anti-colonial work.  In this episode: Left of Karl Marx: The Political Life of Black Communist Claudia Jones by Carole Boyce Davies  To follow our episode schedule...

This week Harmony and Maggie walk you through their top books of 2022! Bonus: we also talk a little bit about our book goals (or lack thereof) for the new year.  To follow our episode schedule, go here: rebelgirlsbook.club/the-syllabus. Follow our social media pages on Instagram www.instagram.com/rgbcpod/ Facebook www.facebook.com/RebelGirlsBookClub/ Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/user/s...

This week Harmony and Kevin talk about and recommend some queer holiday romances! Harmony has been on a year-long quest to find the best ones. Hear all about them here. To follow our episode schedule, go here: https://rebelgirlsbook.club/the-syllabus. Follow our social media pages on Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/rgbcpod/ Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/RebelGirlsBookClub/ Goodreads http...

This week Maggie had the opportunity to sit down with Zoe Sivak to talk about her novel Mademoiselle Revolution. We talk about the French Revolution and its contemporary legacy, understanding historical context on a global stage, the complications of solidarity in person lives, and so much more!  In this episode: Mademoiselle Revolution by Zoe Sivak  To follow our episode schedule, go he...

This week Maggie and Harmony read The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall. We talk about the power of storytelling and owning our narratives, the generational impacts of colonialism, and so much more!  In this episode: The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall To follow our episode schedule, go here: https://rebelgirlsbook.club/the-syllabus . Follow our socia...

This week Harmony and Maggie finish their revisitation of Braiding Sweetgrass, reading page 201 through the end of the book. We talk about consumerism under capitalism, community vs individualism, abundance vs scarcity, and so much more! In this episode: Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer   To follow our episode schedule, go here: https://rebelgirlsbook.club/the-syllabus . Follow our...

This year, Harmony and Maggie revisit Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. This week, we read up to page 201. We talk about being in community with nature, philosophies of responsibly engaging with plant medicine as non-indigenous people, colonialism, and so much more. In this episode: Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer To follow our episode schedule, go here: https://rebelgirlsbook...

This week Harmony speaks with Jacinda Townsend, author of Mother Country, as part of Miami Book Fair 2022. We talk about motherhood, slavery, privilege, and so much more Jacinda Townsend, Sarai Walker, Ingrid Rojas Contreras, and Thrity Umrigar are just a few of the hundreds of authors from around the world gathering together in downtown Miami for Miami Book Fair 2022, the nation’s largest gatheri...

This week Maggie speaks with Ingrid Rojas Contreras, author of The Man Who Could Move Clouds: A Memoir, as part of Miami Book Fair 2022. We talk about the personal impacts of colonialism, sharing family secrets, memory loss, and so much more.  Ingrid Rojas Contreras, Sarai Walker, Jacinda Townsend, and Thrity Umrigar are just a few of the hundreds of authors from around the world gathering to...

This week Maggie speaks with Sarai Walker, author of The Cherry Robbers, as part of Miami Book Fair 2022. We talk about exploring feminism in historical fiction, the power of the gothic to tell a feminist story, and so much more!  Sarai Walker, Ingrid Rojas Contreras, Jacinda Townsend, and Thrity Umrigar are just a few of the hundreds of authors from around the world gathering together in dow...

This week Harmony and Maggie talk about The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White. We explore the impacts of social capital, what it means to be a monster, trauma, and so much more. In this episode:  The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White To follow our episode schedule, go here: https://rebelgirlsbook.club/the-syllabus . Follow our social media pages o...

This week Maggie talks with author Thrity Umrigar about her latest book Honor as part of the Miami Book Fair 2022. We talk about loneliness and isolation, advocacy journalism, reaching across cultural divides, and so much more!  Thirty Umrigar, Ingrid Rojas Contreras, Jacinda Townsend, and Sarai Walker are just a few of the hundreds of authors from around the world gathering together in downt...

This week Maggie and Harmony read House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson. We deep dive into agency, class power, alternative history, and so much more!  In this episode:  House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson To follow our episode schedule, go here: https://rebelgirlsbook.club/the-syllabus . Follow our social media pages on Instagram   https://www.instagram.com/rgbcpod/ Facebook   h...

This week Harmony and Maggie interview Dr. Tara Green about her book Love, Activism, and the Respectable Life of Alice Dunbar-Nelson. We talk about respectability politics, silence, and the life of the writer and activist Alice Dunbar-Nelson. In This Episode:  Love, Activism, and the Respectable Life of Alice Dunbar-Nelson by Tara Green To follow Dr. Tara Green: Website: http://www.drtaratgre...

This week Maggie interviews Eleanor Brown, author of Any Other Family. We talk about crafting complicated characters, the beauty and impact of open adoption, and so much more!  In this episode: Any Other Family by Eleanor Brown Follow Eleanor's work here: Website: https://www.eleanor-brown.com/ To follow our episode schedule, go here https://rebelgirlsbook.club/the-syllabus . Follow our socia...