The Stacks Pairings: September 2024
Here are some book recommendations to pair with every episode of The Stacks in September.
Every month I’m sharing book pairings for The Stacks episodes. It will feature the books we covered on the podcast for the month matched to two books I think go nicely with them. So if you loved the episode, loved the author, or loved the book, you will have a few more books to add to your TBR! Please know, I have not always read every book suggested here.
Eve Dunbar on The Stacks
I was so happy to talk about Black women writing against white supremacy and Eve’s new book Monstrous Work and Radical Satisfaction: Black Women Writing Under Segregation (out November 5th, please preorder it). Her love of literature and passion for books is so palpable in the episode it is, for a book nerd like me, intoxicating.
Playing In The Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination by Toni Morrison
This work of nonfiction from Toni Morrison explores the role of race and whiteness in writing and pairs perfectly with the ways Eve discusses race in her own book. We even mentioned it on the episode when discussing the way Margaret Attwood avoids race in The Handmaid’s Tale.
Maud Martha by Gwendolyn Brooks
While you wait for Eve’s new book to come out, it might be fun to explore one of the texts she uses as a central piece to her argument. This slim novel is about Black girlhood in 1920’s Chicago.
Danzy Senna on The Stacks
I have been a fan of Danzy Senna for years, so to finally have her on The Stacks was a real dream come true. She did not dissapoint, and we got to talk a whole bunch about mixed race identity, language, and Hollywood as we dug deeper into her newest novel Colored Television.
New People by Danzy Senna
I would love to tell you there was another writer out there writing the most cringeworthy chaotic characters who always make the wrong decision, but the truth is, the best to do it is 100% Danzy Senna, and if you like that kind of book, you must read her previous novel New People. The protagonist, Maria, is a trip and haunts me still to this day.
Come & Get It by Kiley Reid
What Danzy Senna and Kiley Reid have in common is that they both cut the bullshit and get to the juicy stuff when it comes to class and race in America. They are funny and a little mean (in the best ways). They are never precious. The writing is cutting, but the message is never clear cut. I love a mess and both of these women write to that.1
Laci Mosley on The Stacks
Talking about scams with the goddess of scams? Yes, I’d love to. I had a blast with Laci Mosley discussing her debut book, a memoir, Scam Goddess: Lessons from a Life of Cons, Grifts, and Schemes.
I Shouldn't Be Telling You This: (But I'm Going to Anyway) by Chelsea Devantez
No, Chelsea isn’t a scammer, she doesn’t even really talk about scammers in her book, but I think her memoir and Laci’s are in conversation for sure. Both deal with the hustle to break into Hollywood (and how fucked up Hollywood is), and both talk about some really difficult stuff they experienced in their personal lives. They also both us humor to keep things light while not being afraid to go dark.2
Madoff: The Final Word by Richard Behar
I haven’t read this book yet, but it comes up on the episode in a very surprising way. I actually put it on Laci’s radar.
The Stacks Book Club on Jazz
Toni Morrison month for The Stacks Book Club is always my favorite. This month, with Eve Dunbar, was no exception. Talking about the complex narrative structure and the messiness of the characters in Jazz, was rich for discussion.
Passing by Nella Larsen
I don’t think I can think of messy characters and Harlem in the 1920’s without thinking of Passing by Nella Larsen. This book is so juicy and follows two childhood friends who reconnect as adults but one is now passing for white. Honestly, you could easily pair this with Colored Television while you’re at it.3
August: Osage County by Tracy Letts
What I inevitably love most about any Toni Morrison book I read are the scenes. She writes the drama and wit of human interaction perfectly, it is very play-like. One of my favorite plays with an iconic blowup scene is August: Osage County, which is about a family that is reeling after the death of their patriarch.
What books would you pair with this month’s episodes of The Stacks? Tell me in the comments.
Furiously scribbling titles onto my TBR!
I'm still so obsessed with Bernie Madoff. Might pick up that book!