Unabridged Podcast

Welcome to Unabridged, the podcast where teachers take on books! Every week, Sara, Jen and Ashley (shown left to right in the photo) talk books, share recommendations, and celebrate all things bookish. On our blog (see our posts below!) we share bookish faves, pub day shout-outs, show notes, and book reviews each week.

Want to get more involved? Check out our 2021 reading challenge, join our buddy reads on Instagram, or become an Unabridged Ambassador!

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Featured Books for June 2021

May 29
4 min

Featured Books for June 2021

June Book On May 5, we're so excited to share our Book Club episode focusing on Laura Taylor Namey's A Cuban Girl's Guide to Tea and Tomorrow, which will also be our Buddy Read pick. On June 14th and 28th, we'll have IG chats about the novel. DM us @unabridgedpod to join! Here's the synopsis from the publisher: A Cuban Girl's Guide to Tea and Tomorrow "For Lila Reyes, a summer in England was never part of the plan. The plan was 1) take over her abuela’s role as head baker at

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176: Ocean Vuong's ON EARTH WE'RE BRIEFLY GORGEOUS - May 2021 Book Club

May 5
16 min

176: Ocean Vuong's ON EARTH WE'RE BRIEFLY GORGEOUS - May 2021 Book Club

In this Unabridged episode, we discuss our May book club pick, Ocean Vuong's novel On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous. We discuss the powerful, heartbreaking, lyrical novel, and then we share our pairings, including Kiese Laymon’s Heavy, Lisa Ko’s The Leavers, and Mira T. Lee’s Everything Here Is Beautiful. Bookish Check-in Ashley - Beth O’Leary’s The Flatshare (Amazon | Bookshop.org) Jen - Glendy Vanderah’s The Light through the Leaves (Amazon | Bookshop.org) Sara - Laekan Zea

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Featured Books for May 2021

Apr 25
4 min

Featured Books for May 2021

May Books On May 5, we're so excited to share our Book Club episode focusing on Ocean Vuong's On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous. We'll have a Book Club chat on IG about the novel on May 17 at 8:00 PM EST. Then, on April 10 and 24, we'll have IG chats about Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite’s Dear Haiti, Love Alaine. DM us @unabridgedpod to join! Here are the synopses from the publishers: On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous is a letter from a son to

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172: Eric Gansworth's APPLE: SKIN TO THE CORE - April 2021 Book Club

Apr 7
10 min

172: Eric Gansworth's APPLE: SKIN TO THE CORE - April 2021 Book Club

In this Unabridged Podcast Book Club episode, we discuss Eric Gansworth's memoir in verse, Apple: Skin to the Core. We talk about what worked for us, share quotes, and offer pairings including Angeline Boulley’s Firekeeper’s Daughter, Steve Sheinkin’s Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team, and Laurie Halse Anderson’s Shout. Bookish Check-in Ashley - Nicola Yoon’s Instructions for Dancing (coming out June 1; thanks to NetGalley) (amazon | Bookshop

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Featured Books for April 2021

Mar 27
3 min

Featured Books for April 2021

April Books On April 7, we're so excited to share our Book Club episode focusing on Eric Gansworth's Apple: Skin to the Core. Then, on April 12 and 19, we'll have IG chats about Jennifer Mathieu's Moxie, and on April 26, we'll discuss the Netflix adaptation!. DM us @unabridgedpod to join! Here are the synopses from the publishers: Apple: Skin to the Core "Apple: Skin to the Core, is a YA memoir-in-verse. Eric Gansworth tells the story of his life, of an Onondaga family living

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167: Mira Jacob's GOOD TALK - March 2021 Book Club

Mar 3
13 min

167: Mira Jacob's GOOD TALK - March 2021 Book Club

In this Unabridged Podcast Book Club episode, we discuss Mira Jacob's graphic memoir Good Talk. We talked about this amazing memoir and also shared our pairings, including Craig Thompson’s Blankets, James McBride’s The Color of Water, and Jarrett J. Krosoczka’s Hey, Kiddo. If you're interested in discussing this one with us, be sure to join us on March 15th on Instagram to participate in our book club chat. Bookish Check-in Ashley - Robert Jones, Jr.’s The Prophets Jen - Hena

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Featured Books for March 2021

Feb 27
3 min

Featured Books for March 2021

March Books On March 3, we're so excited to share our Book Club episode focusing on Mira Jacob's Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations. We'll also have an IG Book Club chat on March 15 at 8:00 PM EST. Then, on March 8 and March 22, we'll have IG chats about Akwaeke Emezi's Pet. DM us @unabridgedpod to join! Here are the synopses from the publishers: Good Talk "Mira Jacob's touching, often humorous, and utterly unique graphic memoir takes readers on her journey as a first-gener

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163: Sonali Dev's PRIDE, PREJUDICE, AND OTHER FLAVORS -- February 2021 Book Club

Feb 3
13 min

163: Sonali Dev's PRIDE, PREJUDICE, AND OTHER FLAVORS -- February 2021 Book Club

In this Unabridged Book Club episode, we are discussing Sonali Dev's Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors. This one was chosen by the Unabridged Ambassadors and is a perfect fit for two of our Unabridged Podcast Reading Challenge categories, a romance by an author of color and a retelling of a classic. This month, we are having a Book Club discussion on Instagram on February 15th. Just DM us on Instagram or comment here (with your IG handle) if you'd like to join us! Bookish C

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Featured Books for February 2021

Jan 30
4 min

Featured Books for February 2021

February Books On February 3, we're so excited to share our Book Club episode focusing on Sonali Dev's Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors, a retelling of the Austen classic. (This book was chosen by our Unabridged Ambassadors!) We'll also have an IG Book Club chat on February 15. Then, on February 8 and February 22, we'll have IG chats about Emily Henry's A Million Junes (voted on by our followers). DM us @unabridgedpod to join! Here are the synopses from the publisher: Prid

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159: Adib Khorram's DARIUS THE GREAT IS NOT OKAY - January Book Club

Jan 6
9 min

159: Adib Khorram's DARIUS THE GREAT IS NOT OKAY - January Book Club

In the first book club discussion of 2021, we are thrilled to discuss Adib Khorram's Darius the Great Is Not Okay. This brilliant young adult lit book addresses so many important topics including family heritage, bullying, friendship, family dynamics, managing depression, and so many other issues with nuance and humor. If you're interested in discussing this one, it's also our Unabridged Podcast Buddy Read this month! We'll be talking about it on January 11th and 25th on Inst

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Featured Books for January 2021

Dec 26, 2020
2 min

Featured Books for January 2021

January Double Feature In January, Adib Khorram's Darius the Great Is Not Okay will be both our Book Club pick AND our Buddy Read choice. You can join us for the episode that releases on Wednesday, January 6, or participate in our two Instagram chats . . . or both! Want to look ahead? Scroll down to see our February picks! Here's the synopsis from the publisher: "Darius Kellner speaks better Klingon than Farsi, and he knows more about Hobbit social cues than Persian ones. He'

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150 - November Book Club - Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam's PUNCHING THE AIR

Nov 4, 2020
8 min

150 - November Book Club - Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam's PUNCHING THE AIR

In this Book Club episode of the Unabridged podcast, Ashley, Jen, and Sara discuss Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam's Punching the Air. After our Bookish Check-in, we share our opinions about the book and some favorite quotations, and then each of us offers another book we think would pair well with this YA novel in verse. Finally, we end by sharing some new favorites we've discovered lately. Bookish Check-in Ashley - Akwaeke Emezi’s The Death of Vivek Oji Jen - Yaa Gyasi’s Transce

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Featured Books for November 2020

Nov 1, 2020
3 min

Featured Books for November 2020

November Double Feature In November, Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam's Punching the Air will be both our Book Club pick AND our Buddy Read choice. You can join us for our leisurely Facebook discussion at the end of the month or for two, more fast-paced Instagram chats . . . or both! Want to look ahead? Scroll down to see our December picks! Here's the synopsis from the publisher: "The story that I thought was my life didn’t start on the day I was born "Amal Shahid has always been

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146: October Book Club - Tommy Orange's THERE THERE

Oct 7, 2020
8 min

146: October Book Club - Tommy Orange's THERE THERE

In this Unabridged Podcast book club discussion, we talk about Tommy Orange's There There. We all discuss this masterpiece, and then we share our pairings, including Louise Erdrich’s Love Medicine, Akwaeke Emezi’s The Death of Vivek Oji, and Tanya Talaga’s Seven Fallen Feathers. Bookish Check-in Ashley - Stephen Graham Jones’s The Only Good Indians Jen - Julie C. Dao’s Broken Wish (from NetGalley, out October 6) Sara - Lindy West’s Shit, Actually: The Definitive, 100% Objecti

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Featured Books for October 2020

Oct 3, 2020
4 min

Featured Books for October 2020

October Books In October we're excited to share an amazing novel, Tommy Orange's There There, our Book Club pick, and Brandy Colbert's YA novel The Voting Booth, our Buddy Read choice. Check out our Book Club discussion on episode 146—it releases on Wednesday, October 7—and let us know if you'd like to join our new Book Club Group on Facebook or our Buddy Read chat on Instagram discussing The Voting Booth! You can DM us @unabridgedpod. Here are synopses from the publishers fo

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Featured Books for September 2020

Sep 10, 2020
4 min

Featured Books for September 2020

September Books In September, we're excited to share an amazing memoir, Chanel Miller's Know My Name, our Book Club pick, and Elizabeth Acevedo's YA novel in verse The Poet X, our Buddy Read choice. Check out our Book Club discussion, episode 141, and let us know if you'd like to join the Buddy Read chat on Instagram discussing The Poet X! You can DM us @unabridgedpod. Here are synopses from the publishers for these two books. Scroll down to see our October picks! Know My Nam

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137: Jason Reynolds & Ibram X. Kendi’s STAMPED: RACISM, ANTIRACISM, AND YOU - August 2020 Book Club

Aug 5, 2020
41 min

137: Jason Reynolds & Ibram X. Kendi’s STAMPED: RACISM, ANTIRACISM, AND YOU - August 2020 Book Club

In this Unabridged Book Club discussion, we talk about Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi’s Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You. This amazing book is a remix for young people of Kendi’s original Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, and we all felt that it was a phenomenal read and is such a great fit for the classroom. Bookish Check-In Ashley - Tiffany D. Jackson’s Monday’s Not Coming Jen - Robert Kolker’s Hidden Valley Road: Inside t

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Featured Books for August 2020

Jul 30, 2020
6 min

Featured Books for August 2020

August Books In August, we're excited to share two books featuring the work of Jason Reynolds: Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You, written with Ibram X. Kendi, our Book Club pick, and All American Boys, written with Brendan Kiely, our Buddy Read choice. If you'd like to hear more about Reynolds' work, check out the re-release of this episode where we discuss three of his books. Let us know if you'd like to join the Buddy Read chat on Instagram discussing All American Boys!

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132: Emily Henry's BEACH READ - July 2020 Book Club

Jul 1, 2020
40 min

132: Emily Henry's BEACH READ - July 2020 Book Club

In this Unabridged podcast book club episode, we're discussing Emily Henry's Beach Read. We have a great discussion and pair this one with some other great reads, including Mary Beth Keane’s Ask Again, Yes, Kate Clayborn’s Love Lettering, and Josie Silver’s The Two Lives of Lydia Bird. Beach Read is a contemporary romance that balances witty banter with more serious themes. Bookish Check In Ashley - Jacqueline Woodson’s Harbor Me Jen - Jennifer S. Cohen’s Falling Forward Sara

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124: Readers' Choice Pick - Katharine McGee's AMERICAN ROYALS

May 6, 2020
35 min

124: Readers' Choice Pick - Katharine McGee's AMERICAN ROYALS

In this Unabridged Podcast book club episode, we discuss the readers' choice spring 2020 pick, Katharine McGee's American Royals. We pair it with other books we've loved, including Kevin Kwan's Crazy Rich Asians (which we discussed in a film adaptation episode here!), Kiera Cass’s The Selection series, and Melissa Bashardoust’s Girls Made of Snow and Glass. We ended the episode by sharing (confessing?) things that we love to do to relax. Timeline Intro and Bookish Check In: 0

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