The Book Case

Martha Raddatz is a war correspondent, one of the biggest household names in front line reporting. Her newest book, The Hero Next Door tells the story of the service men, women and the caregivers who bring honor to the uniform. From celebrations to heartbreak, these are the stories that have stayed with Martha throughout her decade of brave work, shadowing families and soldiers both on and off the battlefield. We are also talking to a mother daughter team that run LALA Books in Lowell, MA. Join us for two great conversations! Find books mentioned on The Book Case: https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302 Books mentioned in this week's episode: The Hero Next Door by Martha Raddatz The Long Road Home by Martha Raddatz Eragon by Christopher Paolini Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Allegra Goodman’s latest, This is Not About Us is a treasure. Centered around the Rubenstein family, each chapter examines the Rubensteins from a different lens, a different perspective. The stories are funny, messy, heartbreaking, captivating; all adjectives that describe complex families. You will laugh, you will be moved, and you will be left with some brilliant tableaus of an American family as they struggle through life. We also have a terrific bookstore owner, Sarah Lacey (The Best Bookstore in Palm Springs and The Best Bookstore in Union Square, and yes, those are the names of the stores, brilliant right?). Come join us! Find books mentioned on The Book Case: ⁠https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302 Books mentioned on this week's episode: This is Not About Us by Allegra Goodman Isola by Allegra Goodman Sam by Allegra Goodman Kaaterskill Falls by Allegra Goodman The Cookbook Collection by Allegra Goodman The Family Markowitz by Allegra Goodman The Chalk Artist by Allegra Goodman The Other Side of the Island by Allegra Goodman Intuition by Allegra Goodman Total Immersion: Stories by Allegra Goodman Paradise Park by Allegra Goodman The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy The Resistors by Gish Jen Moby Dick by Herman Mellville Middlemarch by George Eliot The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week we dedicate our show to a documentary that we think is important. We have promised our listeners to keep the podcast non-political (no shouting talking heads, no books with a political agenda). But there are some issues that are vitally important that we also believe are non-political. Book banning is first and foremost among these. Next week on February 9th, The Librarians documentary starts streaming on PBS stations across the country as part of their beloved Independent Lens series. Join us as we talk to two brave and brilliant librarians fighting book bans with all their might. We also talk to Kim A. Snyder, the director of the film about why the stories presented in this documentary are so important. Book banning is wrong. And we are talking about it this week. Find books mentioned on The Book Case: ⁠https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302 Books mentioned on this week's episode: The Library at Night by Alberto MaguelThe Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Susan Orlean, one of the best journalists of our generation, has written a memoir, along with some great advice about writing. Beyond writing, she has thoughts on the importance of curiosity in these trying times. Curiosity can break down barriers, and create beautiful stories out of the ordinary. And Susan does it brilliantly in all of her writing, and especially in her new memoir, Joyride. It is a joy to read Joyride. And we speak to a new bookstore owner in Charleston, South Carolina, Summer Anderson, who is also a joy and who seems to take joy out of all she does. Join us for a great discussion on writing, the art of curiosity and joy. Find books mentioned on The Book Case: ⁠https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302 Books mentioned in this week's episode: Joyride by Susan OrleanThe Orchid Thief by Susan OrleanThe Library Book by Susan OrleanRin Tin Tin by Susan OrleanMy Kind of Place by Susan OrleanThe Bullfighter Checks Her Makeup by Susan OrleanSaturday Night by Susan OrleanAs I Lay Dying by William Faulkner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Paula McLain’s Skylark is the GMA book club pick this month and we are so pleased she sat down with us too. This book is a beautifully written, touching and suspenseful story centered around the meaning of freedom, and the prices we pay to attain it. Paralleling two stories in Paris, one in the 17th century, the other on the dawn of WWII, each story takes us into the depths of the Paris underground, exploring hidden tunnels, abandoned quarries and secret rivers. There is a second Paris that is hidden under the streets that tourists know and love. And this story explores the lost depths of the city while handing readers unforgettable characters with page turning action. McLain herself is an amazing woman who has taken her challenging life and turned it into a gift for the written word. She shares her experience and how it shaped her writing. Join us for an unforgettable conversation with a terrific writer. Find books mentioned on The Book Case: ⁠https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302 Books mentioned on this week's episode: Skylark by Paula McLain The Paris Wife by Paula McLain Love and Ruin by Paula McLain LIke Family: Growing up in Other People’s Houses by Paula McLain A Ticket to Ride by Paula McLain Circling the Sun by Paula McLain When the Stars go Dark by Paula McLain Martyr by Kaveh Akbar Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We have devoted several podcasts to the issue of how parents get children to read - off screens and into pages. We talk about it - others DO something about it. You might not expect to find Stephen Curry, the great pro basketball player, to be among that group. However, Stephen and his wife Ayesha have a foundation - Eat.Learn.Play - and over the past few years they’ve given books every Christmas to every elementary school child in Oakland, California where Stephen started his pro career. They invited us to Oakland to see the program in action. Charlie went and had a chance to talk to the Currys about why they, like the two of us, think this issue is so critical. Find books mentioned on The Book Case: https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302 Books mentioned on this week's episode: Shot Ready by Stephen Curry The Boy Who Never Gave Up by Stephen Curry I Am Extraordinary by Stephen Curry I Have a Superpower by Stephen Curry Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White The Last Stop on Market Street by Matt De La Pena, illustrated by Christian Robinson Something, Someday by Amanda Gorman, illustrated by Christian Robinson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices