Season 1

01 Michelle Obama on the Importance of Swerving Episode 119th December 2019 Former First Lady Michelle Obama discusses where she came from, where she'd like to go as an author, and how swerving got her to where she is today. 02 Why Malcolm Gladwell used to get pulled over by the Police Episode 217th October 2019 New York Times best selling author, Malcolm Gladwell, is out with another groundbreaking non-fiction book, Talking to Strangers. Malcolm Gladwell is joined by guest moderator Derek Muller, creator behind the Veritasium YouTube channel, and BookTubers Nai'a Perkins (NaiaReadsAndSmiles), Danielle Bainbridge (Origin of Everything) and Ellias Hoang (Ellias) to chat about the ideas behind his new book, his Jamaican roots, and the only five liquids he drinks. 03 Why Margaret Atwood waited 30 years to write a Handmaid's Tale Sequel Episode 321st November 2019 Renowned author Margaret Atwood discusses The Testaments, the long anticipated sequel to her dystopian masterpiece, The Handmaid’s Tale. She is joined by guest moderator and author Cheryl Strayed (Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest), BookTubers Ariel Bissett(Ariel Bissett), Amerie (Amerie) and YouTuber Evelyn (Evelyn From The Internets) to discuss the inspiration for the sequel, the power of words, and why she considers herself an optimist. 04 Why James Patterson used to hate books, and what changed his mind Episode 419th December 2019 The best selling author in the world, James Patterson, is back at it again with two new books to the Alex Cross series, Criss Cross and Ali Cross. James Patterson sits down with YouTuber and guest host Rossana Burgos and her son Roberto from the Eh Bee family, and BookTubers, Nai'a Perkins (NaiaReadsAndSmiles) and Linh Troung (Linh Truong) to discuss his writing process, continuing to write after his high school teacher told him to quit, and the most important book he’s ever written. 05 Melinda Gates: Three barriers that hold women back Episode 516th January 2020 Philanthropist Melinda Gates opens up to share her most personal stories and experiences that lead to her calling to help women and families in need in her new book, The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World. She is joined by guest moderator and Emmy award winning actress Uzo Aduba (Orange is the New Black), Ingrid Nilson (Ingrid Nilson), and BookTubers Ariel Bissett (Ariel Bisset) and Sasha Alsberg (ABookUtopia) to discuss the importance of women’s empowerment on the global stage, the start of her career, and how she stays grounded. 06 Bryan Stevenson: From the courtroom to Hollywood Episode 66th February 2020 Bryan Stevenson discusses his book and film, Just Mercy. He shares what it was like to see Michael B. Jordan play him on the big screen, stories about the time he spent with Rosa Parks, and why hopelessness is the enemy of justice. 07 Jacqueline Woodson: Lying in service of truth Episode 719th March 2020 Are you a fast reader? Should you be? Jacqueline Woodson has some opinions she'd like to share with you. Join us as we learn from Jacqueline's perspectives race, place, gender, and queer identity, and the expensive lies she tells about them. 08 David Sedaris: On Being An Open Book Episode 816th April 2020 David Sedaris is an open book. His confessional approach to writing about love, shame, family, and death has earned him national acclaim. For this episode, we invited Joel Kim Booster, Cindy Pham, Jake Roper, and Francine Simone to explore David’s radical honesty. 09 What Best-Selling Authors are Reading At Home Episode 914th May 2020 What have you been reading to pass the time at home? We asked some of our favorite authors to record their own BookTube vlogs about their isolation reading lists. 10 Meaning and Resilience Episode 1018th June 2020 To commemorate Mental Health Awareness, we’ve invited three authors whose work grapples with the challenges of inner life. 11 The Bush Sisters: Our Wild and Wonderful Life Episode 1116th July 2020 This month, Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush discuss their presidential childhood, as well as other topics explored in their joint memoir, Sisters First. 12 What Animals Teach Us About Ourselves Episode 1224th September 2020 B.N. Horowitz, M.D. is a New York Time Best-Selling Author. Her book, Zoobiquity, explores how the field of human medicine can learn from veterinary science and zoology. Special guests Hannah Stocking, Dr. Jamie Rutland, and Cydnee Black join Barbara to learn about her research and practice. 13 Jason Reynolds: Honesty, Joy, and Anti-Racism Episode 1322nd October 2020 In this special episode of BookTube, our community of close readers asks award-winning author Jason Reynolds about his new book, Stamped: Racism, Anti-Racism, and You. Co-author Dr. Ibram X. Kendi chimes in to help explain the book’s origins. 14 Nick Hornby: The Importance of Empathy in Writing Episode 1419th November 2020 This month on BookTube, prolific author Nick Hornby welcomes us into his writing process. His new book, Just Like You, explores race, class, and romance in Brexit-era Britain. 15 Barack Obama on Family, Music, Science and Good Leadership Episode 1516th December 2020 President Barack Obama joins our close community of readers to reflect on the experiences documented in his new memoir, A Promised Land. 16 Alicia Garza: How to achieve REAL change Episode 1625th February 2021 Alicia Garza, co-founder of Black Lives Matter Global Network, author of “The Purpose of Power: How We Come Together When We Fall Apart”, and Principal at Black Futures Lab, fields questions from YouTube Creators. They discuss politics, gender, and how we got to where we are in terms of race – and where we need to go from here. 17 Matthew McConaughey: Finding Greenlights & Accelerating Forward Episode 1725th March 2021 Award-winning actor and best-selling author Matthew McConaughey stops by to discuss his book Greenlights. He’s joined by Dave Crosby, Hannah Stocking, Bretman Rock, and Mirthell and Rita Onyx to discuss how to spot opportunities, and the consequences of being raw. 18 Bill Gates Talks About How To Avoid A Climate Disaster Episode 1822nd April 2021 Bill Gates, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and author of How To Avoid A Climate Disaster, stops by to discuss the steps we need to take to halt climate change. He’s joined by Emmanuel Acho, Mitch & Greg (ASAP Science), Prajakta Koli, Destin Sandlin, and Ariel Bissett.