Wishbone

. . . .Well, we seem to have not remembered and this story may have tested our patience. In this episode, we re-read the first Dear America book, set on and off the Mayflower in 1620-1621. Protagonist/diarist Remember a.k.a."Mem" experiences a lot of hardship and seasickness in this 1996 ribboned classic. She gets jealous when her friend is the "first" to step on Plymouth Rock and that's just the beginning. In our coverage, we talk about life in the 1600s, the limits of historical fiction, and representations of indigenous life in "pilgrim" stories. Want to learn more re-indigenizing education? Check out the Akomawt Educational Initiative -  @akomawt on Twitter. Original air date: September 28, 2020See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For this episode, Mary and Allison bravely took on a pair of brand-new Tamagotchi digital pets. It's true what folks say: the days are long, but the Tamagotchi years go very fast (especially when you hit the reset button). Learn about the origins of digital pets and hear our cautionary tales about the care and keeping of virtual creatures, including Neopets.   Original air date: August 23, 2023See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This month our Patreon bonus features commentary on *Dear America: Voyage on the Great Titanic.*We talk about the iceberg-level cultural fascination with the ship, the Titanic Historical Society, and survivors' videos on Youtube. The Titanic documentary we discuss can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HchZvjV_4o   Original Air Date: April 20, 2020See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This Pride month, we chose to cover three biographical projects that focus on Black queer experiences. First, we talk about two different approaches to presenting the life of Marsha P. Johnson, an important activist involved in the 1969 uprising at the Stonewall Inn. With the Drunk History episode "Marsha P. Johnson Sparks the Stonewall Riots," and the short film "Happy Birthday, Marsha!" we see two paths to sharing Johnson's story & her connection to Pride. We also talk about the gaps in the documentary "The Gospel According To André" -  a recent study of the icon Andre Leon Talley. Join us for this look at the man called "the Kofi Annan of what you've got on" and the woman who insisted: "no pride for some of us, without liberation for all of us!" Also mentioned on this episode: Mini-Syllabus: Memes and Blackness by Amber Officer-Narvasa   Original air date: June 27, 2020See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In anticipation of the Barbie movie coming out this July, we took a dive into the corporate history of America’s (smaller) doll. Join us for a review of Barbie and Ruth: The Story of the World's Most Famous Doll and the Woman Who Created Her. Robin Gerber’s dual biography charts the rise of Barbie under the leadership of the ruthless girlboss Ruth Handler. Her book shares fascinating information about the culture of Mattel—and explains how Barbie and Ken got their names. Much like the Barbie movie, whether you have a love or hate the doll, this episode is for you. Original air date: July 17, 2023See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In 1951, Sydney Taylor introduced All-of-a-Kind Family to the world. Her novel about a Jewish family living on the Lower East Side in the early 20th century features five American girls: Ella, Henny, Sarah, Charlotte, and Gertie. These tight-knit sisters love to read, eat candy, and occasionally, dust for their mother. We talk about our (first) read of Taylor's book, which holds up all these years later as an absolute delight. We also discuss the biography From Sarah to Sydney (2021), by the late Jane Cummins and Alexandra Dunietz. How much of Sarah Brenner’s life was put into the all-of-kind-family? How did Sarah become Sydney Taylor? Join us in separating fact and fiction.   Original air date: May 27, 2022See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Did you know one of the greatest interpreters of literature is a dog? Wishbone is one of the greats, and on this ep we get into why. Original air date: October 16, 2023See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For this year's October Patreon, we chose a topic that can be truly scary: revisiting high school. A lot of people have turned to sitcoms to see what their teenage years might be like. With her latest book, journalist Thea Glassman makes a case for the importance of teen dramas such as Dawson's Creek, Glee, and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. In revisiting seven hit shows from the late 1990s/early 2000s, Glassman pulls from insider interviews and offers perspective on why we ought to care about these characters. Through seven essays, Glassman gives us plenty of moments for nostalgia, asking us to remember Carlton's dance moves and the angst of the drawn out Joey/Pacey/Dawson love triangle. Whether you watched these particular shows or not (Friday Night Lights, anyone?) you will appreciate Glassman's take on youth culture. We discuss the sitcoms we loved as well as what we're enjoying these days (including some content on the other end of the life spectrum, ahem, Golden Bachelor).   Original air date: October 27, 2023See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A wise person once said: "having fun is never hard when you've got your library card." To this precious adage, we'd like to add an additional locale for future fun consideration: the fictional Telegraph Club. In this month's feature, we decided to read Malinda Lo's phenomenal YA book Last Night at the Telegraph Club. We discuss the fantastic resources in the book (a bibliography! timelines!) along with the super-accurate-yet-still-deeply-compelling historical adventures of protagonist Lily Hu. While trying to dodge accusations of Communism, keep up her high math grades to participate in the space race, AND help a friend win Miss Chinatown, Lily catches feelings for her classmate Kath. Tune in to hear us discuss their romance at the Telegraph Club -- and to discover whether this Space Girl finds the one who can "know the galaxies of (her) heart."   Original air date: May 30, 2021See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In preparation for our upcoming Melody episodes, this month’s feature is Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop (2022). Shine Bright is Danyel Smith's love letter to the important musicians in her life. A prominent music journalist, Smith has sat across from some of the biggest names in pop over the past few decades. In a series of biographical chapters, Smith shares her experiences with singular talents like Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and more, weaving in her own story as a fan. We discuss this insightful and well researched history of Black women in pop, sharing some of what we’ve learned from Smith. Follow us on social media: Instagram -@dollsofourlivespodcast Twitter - @dollslivespod Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/DollsOfOurLivesPod/ Follow Allison on Twitter and Instagram @allisonhorrocks Follow Mary @mimimahoney (Instagram) or @marymahoney123 (Twitter)   Original air date: June 25, 2023 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.