We talked to the renowned bilingual author Esmeralda Santiago a few months about her incredible trilogy of memoirs. So when she sent us her new novel, Las Madres, we couldn’t wait. Turns out she is just as good of a fiction writer as she is a memoirist. This is a searing, funny and fascinating portrait of mothers and daughters, the connection Puerto Ricans feel to their island, whether we are made up of more than our memories….and so much more. It sounds like a lot, but she does it all and she does it all well. We also talk to Lynne Phillips of Wordsworth Books, one of the plaintiffs in the case against Arkansas Act 372. She will give us her recommendations and talk about why her fight is so important.

Books mentioned in this week's podcast:

• Las Madres by Esmeralda Santiago
• Conquistadora by Esmeralda Santiago
• America’s Dream by Esmeralda Santiago
• When I was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago
• Almost a Woman by Esmeralda Santiago
• The Turkish Lover by Esmeralda Santiago
• Visitation by Jenny Erpenbeck
• The End of Days by Jenny Erpenbeck
• Go, Went, Gone by Jenny Erpenbeck
• The Firm by John Grisham
• The Art Thief by Michael Finkel
• The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann
• Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
• A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

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