What a delight to chat with world traveler and book lover Carol Yee about her favorite book. “The World Unseen” is a slim love story that manages to touch on racial, sexual, and political tensions, while somehow manages to also be a compelling love story. We also discuss how travel and reading are similar, and the rules of Turkish coffee. One note about our conversation: Carol and I use the word “colored” a lot in the context of the book, which is the correct terminology for the time and place this book is set. When Carol and I talk about this term, we are, in fact, discussing the ridiculousness of these complex and nonsensical forms of racist distinctions. We talk about the traditions of a culture we are unfamiliar with, and grapple with the social implications of such distinctions, and, as always, marvel at the way fiction can bring us to the truths of the lives of other people. Support the Best Book Ever Podcast on Patreon Follow the Best Book Ever Podcast on Instagram or on the Best Book Ever Website Host: Julie Strauss Website/Instagram Guest: Carol Yee Website Do you have a book you want to tell me about? Go HERE to apply to be a guest on the Best Book Ever Podcast. Discussed in this episode: The World Unseen by Shamim Sarif Welcome Back to Abuja Once Again: How I Became a Citizen of the World by Carol J. Yee Georgetown University Book Creators Program The World Unseen (Movie) I Can’t Think Straight (Movie) Little Women by Louisa May Alcott I Can’t Think Straight by Shamim Sarif Despite the Falling Snow by Shamim Sarif The Athena Protocol by Shamim Sarif The Shadow Mission by Shamim Sarif All Four Stars by Tara Dairman Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White From The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg The Many Meanings of Meilan by Andrea Wang (Note: Some of the above links are affiliate links, meaning I get a few bucks off your purchase at no extra expense to you. Anytime you shop for books, you can use my affiliate link on Bookshop, which also supports Indie Bookstores around the country. If you’re shopping for everything else – clothes, office supplies, gluten-free pasta, couches – you can use my affiliate link for Amazon. Thank you for helping to keep the Best Book Ever Podcast in business!) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bestbookeverpodcast.substack.com

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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