Lit Society: Books and Drama

Prayers for the Stolen by Jennifer Clement

The theme this week: How to Live Without a Man. (Yup. We're going there.) The Book: In the mountains surrounding Acapulco, there exists a town full of women. Only women. And being a woman is a deadly mistake here. Girls mascaraed as boys to evade would-be kidnappers. Their friends are buried in the ground alive by their mothers, and dead bodies pop-up like flowers, blooming in a land where drug lords are the earth. In this place, one girl must hide the lies of her family while relying on her mother, neighbors, and her own self-determination if she hopes ever to breathe again the air of freedom. The girl: Ladydi Garcia Martínez. The novel: Prayers for the Stolen. LET'S GET LIT!... Find Alexis and Kari online: Instagram — www.instagram.com/litsocietypod/; Twitter — twitter.com/litsocietypod; Facebook — www.facebook.com/LitSocietyPod/; and our website www.LitSocietyPod.com. Get in on the conversation by using #booksanddrama.

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

After losing her home, her husband, sobriety, and career, one woman is on the brink of losing her mind. Her life as dwarfed into a series of train rides, back and forth, morning and evening, until she sees something no one else sees from the window of her commute. She's witnessed something that propels her into a series of events, forever changing her life and the lives of everyone she knows. The woman's name is Rachel. The book, The Girl on the Train. Let's get LIT! Find Alexis and Kari online: Instagram — www.instagram.com/litsocietypod/; Twitter — twitter.com/litsocietypod; Facebook — www.facebook.com/LitSocietyPod/; and our website www.LitSocietyPod.com. Get in on the conversation by using #booksanddrama.

Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker by A'Lelia Bundles

Formerly, On Her Own Ground. One little girl is the first of six children born free in her family after the abolition of slavery. She is quickly orphaned forced to fend for herself from the tender age of 6 years old. Despite all of her obstacles, including three unsuccessful marriages, abuse by white media and civilians, and deteriorating health, she becomes America's first female self-made millionaire. The woman's name: Madame C.J. Walker. The book: Self Made, and you're listening to LIT Society. LET'S GET LIT!... Find Alexis and Kari online: Instagram — www.instagram.com/litsocietypod/; Twitter — twitter.com/litsocietypod; Facebook — www.facebook.com/LitSocietyPod/; and our website www.LitSocietyPod.com. Get in on the conversation by using #booksanddrama.

Dapper Dan: Made in Harlem by Daniel R. Day

A streetwise hustler grows up during America's fight against drugs, poverty, and civility. He takes the lessons he's learned from the street and marries them to the philosophies and ideologies he picks up as an avid reader. With this knowledge, and after two trips to Africa, which inspired his path, he begins working on his life's biggest hustle. He's all in, but will his underground lifestyle take him OUT for good? The hustler's name is Daniel Day. The book is Dapper Dan: Made in Harlem. LET'S GET LIT!...Opening song: Men at Work by Kool G Rap; Break Song: Money Makes Us Happy by Skyzoo f/ Black Thought and Bilal. The video Kari refers to is by AT&T, found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jb_sjwUq7Jk . . . Find Alexis and Kari online: Instagram — www.instagram.com/litsocietypod/; Twitter — twitter.com/litsocietypod; Facebook — www.facebook.com/LitSocietyPod/; and our website www.LitSocietyPod.com. Get in on the conversation by using #booksanddrama.

Black Card: A Novel by Chris L. Terry

Too black or not too black. That is the question. Lately, everyone seems to be talking about who is and who isn't black, and what that even means. Before diving into this week's book, we discuss what it means to be Black American — not racially — but ethnically. Then we talk Black Card, Chris L. Terry's novel about a man pushed out of adolescence into adulthood still unsure if he's black enough in a world that's trying to define him. Get into it! Let's get LIT! Find Alexis and Kari online: Instagram — www.instagram.com/litsocietypod/; Twitter — twitter.com/litsocietypod; Facebook — www.facebook.com/LitSocietyPod/; and our website www.LitSocietyPod.com. Get in on the conversation by using #booksanddrama.

Exhalation by Ted Chiang

"Every decision you make contributes to your character and shapes the kind of person you are." This week we remember not to forget as we discuss tips for improving our short and long-term memories. Then, we dive into one of the most talked-about science fiction novels of the last decade. It's a collection of brilliantly detailed short stories that allow us to time travel, swap lungs, question fact, faith, and our very existence. The agent for this adventure is Ted Chiang. The book is Exhalation. Let's get LIT! Find Alexis and Kari online: Instagram — www.instagram.com/litsocietypod/; Twitter — twitter.com/litsocietypod; Facebook — www.facebook.com/LitSocietyPod/; and our website www.LitSocietyPod.com. Get in on the conversation by using #booksanddrama.

Remembering Laughter by Wallace Stegner

Before we get into this week's book, we discuss forgiveness. Can you imagine? What does it take to forgive someone, and how do you know you've genuinely forgiven a person in your heart? Also, why do we need to be forgiving in the first place? We'll get into it. And then it's on to the book that inspired this week's discussion. It's the early 1900s, and one quiet woman lives a happy life with her happy husband on a beautiful farm in Iowa. All is as it should be until a single act of betrayal puts her at odds against everyone she knows and trusts.
That woman's name is Margaret Stewart. The book is Remembering Laughter, and you're listening to LIT Society. Let's get LIT! Find Alexis and Kari online: Instagram — www.instagram.com/litsocietypod/; Twitter — twitter.com/litsocietypod; Facebook — www.facebook.com/LitSocietyPod/; and our website www.LitSocietyPod.com. Get in on the conversation by using #booksanddrama.

The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow

Like an extraterrestrial attack, Coronavirus has overrun and uprooted our lives.  We start our discussion with a brief chat about ways to overcome Coronavirus induces anxiety. Then, it's time to get into some delicious YA literature: Ilori, highly-intelligent and resourceful aliens from a distant planet, have invaded earth. In New York City, under the threat of death, one beautiful teenage girl runs a secret library. Her mission is to help her community escape the terror around them with stories that remind them of the past and inspire them to continue living despite the present. One day, she notices a book missing from her hidden collection. It has her name inside and could expose her to the aliens. Who took it? The answer leads to a road trip that could save the world. The girl's name is Janelle Baker. The book is The Sound of Stars. Let's get LIT! Find Alexis and Kari online: Instagram — www.instagram.com/litsocietypod/; Twitter — twitter.com/litsocietypod; Facebook — www.facebook.com/LitSocietyPod/; and our website www.LitSocietyPod.com. Get in on the conversation by using #booksanddrama.

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (Part 2)

Having abandoned her husband and son, one woman lives life one train ride at a time with her beautiful beau and new baby girl — but her decision to risk it all for "love" isn't without consequences. Will following her heart lead this woman to peace, misery, or the greatest happiness? The woman's name: Anna. And it's time to enjoy part 2 of Anna Karenina. Before diving in, we discuss the "power of the middle", for our theme of the week. Need the motivation to complete a huge project? Feeling drained? This one's for you! Let's get LIT! Find Alexis and Kari online: Instagram — www.instagram.com/litsocietypod/; Twitter — twitter.com/litsocietypod; Facebook — www.facebook.com/LitSocietyPod/; and our website www.LitSocietyPod.com. Get in on the conversation by using #booksanddrama.

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (Part 1)

This week, Alexis makes Kari read the world's longest book (just kidding), written by a man some consider to be the greatest author of all time (not kidding). The setting is 19th century Russia: Moscow, St. Petersburg, and the countryside. Noblemen and women are eating, drinking, marrying, living. Among these aristocrats stands one woman who personifies beauty and grace. This woman catches the eye of an equally attractive officer. Driven by an undeniable chemistry, the two start down a path of deception and destruction from which neither may recover. The officer's name is Alexei Vronsky. The woman's name is Anna Karenina, and this is part one of our two-part episode. Before diving in, we discuss the usefulness of healthy distractions and learn how to escape in ways that don't destroy us. This is LIT Society. Let's get LIT! ... Find Alexis and Kari online: Instagram — www.instagram.com/litsocietypod/; Twitter — twitter.com/litsocietypod; Facebook — www.facebook.com/LitSocietyPod/; and our website www.LitSocietyPod.com. Get in on the conversation by using #booksanddrama.