Front Porch Book Club

It's Mother's Day as we record this episode about Far From the Tree by Andrew Solomon. This nonfiction book explores the differences that separate children from their parents, often in damaging ways. Solomon believes that parents have children to perpetuate themselves and when the children are different from them, parents often react negatively. Six chapters deal with categories of difference that...

Nadia Hashimi joins us to discuss her bestselling book, Sparks Like Stars . This book is the darling of book clubs. The story of Sitara, a privileged young girl living in Kabul, draws you in as the 1978 coup strips everything away from her that she loves. Nadia tells us about her inspiration for Sitara, her family’s experience leaving Afghanistan and the nostalgia they still experience for a Kabul...

Director of the Center for Afghanistan Studies at the University of Nebraska Omaha, Sher Jan Ahmadzai tells us his remarkable story: fleeing Afghan as a child, returning to work for the President of Afghanistan, and eventual immigrating to the United States. He expands our understanding of historical and current day Afghanistan, the setting for this month's book, Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi...

Discussing Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi, we dive into the harrowing tale of Sitara, a young girl from a privileged Kabul family whose life changes forever in the 1978 coup of the government. Sitara must assume another identity and travel across the ocean to find safety. But healing will take decades until she finally returns to Afghanistan and comes face to face with the her buried past.

Grief experts, Alyssa Christensen and Amy Lipins join us on the front porch to discuss A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. We discuss the power of community and support to help those who have lost a loved one honor their person and learn to heal. Alyssa and Amy work at Mourning Hope Grief Center in Lincoln, Nebraska.

In Frederik Backman’s A Man Called Ove , Ove is the quintessential grumpy old man. The self-appointed enforcer of Residents’ Association rules. The responsible man frustrated by the incompetence of everyone around him. The despiser of computers and consultants and joggers. Ove has lost his beloved wife and just been forcibly retired from his job. He has no friends. He decides to end his life. When...

We welcome Front Porch Book Club friend Marlene Castillo to discuss Kiley Reid’s debut novel Such A Fun Age .

In Kiley Reid’s debut novel, Such A Fun Age , a racial profiling sets college-educated Emira on a collision course with her employer, Alix, and new boyfriend Kelley. Emira is looking for a good job with health insurance and would prefer not to be the latest racial incident. Alix and Kelley have their own ideas about Emira's future, until they meet each other (again!).

In his book, Max Out Mindset , Larry “Doc” Widman describes the mindset skills we can apply to max out our performance in athletics and life. Most New Year’s resolutions have been abandoned by February. Doc shares with us how to set and achieve our goals using the building blocks of positive psychology. We learn that elite athletes struggle with the same mindset challenges Linny does when she's on...

Just in time for New Year’s resolutions, we discuss Max Out Mindset , Dr. Larry Widman’s book describing how elite athletes achieve results through his evidence-based approach and how we can apply them to improve our performance in life, work, and play.

Author Sue Ray-Smolik joins us on the front porch to tells us about her brand-new children’s picture book, The Evening Walk , a story about how visually-impaired Mommy shows toddler Liam that sight is only one way to experience the world around them, but love is everywhere.

Join us on the Front Porch as we revel in Sue Ray-Smolik’s joyful new children’s book, The Evening Walk , a beautifully illustrated story in which toddler Liam describes what he sees to his visually-impaired Mommy who lovingly helps him experience their walk with touch, smell, taste, and sound.

Dr. Kevin Bower takes us to the post-Civil War South, interpreting the fascinating political, social, and economic upheavals that are the backdrop for Nathan Harris' The Sweetness of Water .

The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris received all the awards! No wonder as it transports readers to the American south in the turbulent weeks following the end of the Civil War. As the characters struggle to make lives for themselves in the changing world, we see the book's application to today's bitter acrimony over who will decide what our country will be.

Behavioral consultant Jess Hess joins us on the front porch to share her insights on one of her favorite books, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab.

We discuss Theodore Roosevelt’s disastrous expedition to map a tributary of the Amazon River retold in Candice Millard’s gripping New York Times bestseller, River of Doubt .

An early, exceptional episode: By special arrangement, four-time New York Times bestselling author and speaker for the 27th annual Nebraska Governor’s Lecture in the Humanities on September 28, 2022, Candice Millard joins us to discuss her first best-seller, River of Doubt , that traces Theodore Roosevelt’s disastrous Amazon River expedition after his devastating defeat in the 1912 presidential el...

In The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab, unforgettable Addie makes a pact with the devil for immortality, with the curse she will be forgotten whenever she leaves others’ presence. When she falls in love with Henry and finds out he, too, has made a deal with the devil, she takes extraordinary actions to try to save him. Linda and Nancy discuss immortality, codependence, tragedy, and gr...

New York Times best-selling author, Robert Kolker, joins us on the front porch to discuss his book, Hidden Valley Road . The book, based on the true life story of a family of 12 children, six of whom were diagnosed with schizophrenia, has made all the lists -- from New York Times, to Oprah, to President Obama. Robert shares his interest in writing about everyday people faced with extraordinary cir...

The true story of one family with 12 children, six of whom are diagnosed with schizophrenia. We discuss the unforgettable story of the Galvin family and the evolution and research breakthroughs of treatment for this cruel disease.

Van Jones presents solutions in four areas that liberals and conservatives can agree on. Linda and Nancy delve into policy and Van’s life experiences that have led him to his broadcasting, policy, and advocacy work.

Is it possible to find bipartisan solutions to the problems America faces? Van Jones says it is in his book, Beyond the Messy Truth . Join us in finding hope in America’s acrimonious political landscape.

Join our mini-book club discussion about The Nightingale with sweet tea drinker Jona Green.

We discuss Kristin Hannah’s best seller, The Nightingale, the captivating tale of two sisters in World War II France.

Erin shares the funny side of young motherhood in this book of hilarious snippets.