The Stacks

Today on The Stacks, we’re joined by National Book Award finalist, New York State Author Laureate, and best-selling author, Min Jin Lee, to talk about her newest book, American Hagwon. In this sweeping novel, a Korean family is forced to relocate and rebuild after their middle-class life is upended by the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Lee shares how she uses real-life interviews in her fiction, her thoughts on the importance of education, and her approach to remaining hopeful in moments of despair.
Our book club pick for October is Last Chance Live! by Helena Haywoode Henry. We will discuss the book with Jess Lee on Wednesday, October 28th.
You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2026/10/14/ep-446-min-jin-lee
Connect with Min Jin Lee: Website | Instagram | Threads | Bluesky | X/Twitter
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Today on The Stacks, we’re joined by Jess Lee, DEI consultant, friend of the pod, and the reader behind the Instagram, Literary Intersections. We chat about the popularity of romantasy, the meaning of tropes like Shadow Daddies and fae, and why Jess thinks the genre might be making people dumber.
Our book club pick for October is Last Chance Live! by Helena Haywoode Henry. We will discuss the book with Jess Lee on Wednesday, October 28th.
You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2026/10/7/ep-445-jess-lee
Connect with Jess: Instagram | Threads
Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Threads | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Youtube
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s The Stacks Book Club day, and Natalie Green, Director of Programs and Partnerships at The National Book Foundation, is back to discuss Edwidge Danticat’s critically acclaimed memoir, Brother, I’m Dying. This National Book Award finalist explores Danticat’s relationship with her two father figures—her uncle Joseph, who raised her as a child in Haiti, and her father, Mira, whom she reunited with in the U.S. when she was 12—and the impact of their deaths. Natalie and I discuss why we think this is a successful memoir, the moments that stuck with us most, and the many ways that politics and policies affect our lives.
There are spoilers in this episode.
Listen to the end of the episode to find out what our October book club pick is!
You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2026/9/30/ep-444-brother-im-dying
Connect with the National Book Foundation: Instagram | Website
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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

*Patreon and Substack-only bonus episode teaser, click here for the full episode*
Y’all know how much I love being a hater and how easily things annoy me, so we’re dedicating a whole episode to the most annoying trends in books these days! I’ve invited Sara Hildreth (Fiction Matters), friend of the pod and one of my favorite book people, to rant with me about secrets, tropes, and the state of literary awards.
You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/unabridged/2026/9/25/tsu-63-sara-hildreth
Connect with Sara: Instagram | Fiction Matters | Novel Pairings | Substack
Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Threads | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Youtube
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today on The Stacks, we’re joined by Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer, journalist, and author Kai Bird to discuss his new book, American Scoundrel: Roy Cohn's Dark Journey from Joe McCarthy to Donald Trump. This book explores the life of high-powered lawyer and fixer, Roy Cohn, and how his controversial four-decade career directly influenced modern politics. In this episode, we talk about why he chose to cover Roy Cohn’s life now, how biographers shape stories, and the most surprising source for the book.
Our book club pick for September is Brother, I’m Dying by Edwidge Danticat. We will be discussing the book with Natalie Green on Wednesday, September 30th.
You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks website: https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2026/9/23/ep-443-kai-bird
Connect with Kai: Website | X/Twitter
Connect with The Stacks: Instagram | Threads | Shop | Patreon | Goodreads | Substack | Youtube
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.