Show notes
Suswati Basu is a multilingual disabled journalist, mental health books show podcast host, and award-winning activist.She has written for the Guardian, Huffington Post, and the F-Word blogs, and has worked for various media outlets such as the BBC, Channel 4 News, and ITV News. She has worked in China, India, and the UK and currently writes on a freelance basis. As a result, she speaks multiple languages including Mandarin, Spanish, Hindi, and Bengali. Suswati has also appeared on BBC Radio's Woman's Hour with Jenni Murray as well as BBC News, speaking in regard to feminist issues. As a survivor and thriver from trauma, living with both mental health and physical disabilities, she began the How To Be... podcast looking at helping mental wellbeing through reading and interviewing authors. Suswati joined me today to talk about Albert Camus’ “The Stranger,” a classic of Existentialist literature, featuring a disconnected main character who faces consequences for a violent action he committed, even though he evidently has no concept of consequences, violence, or feelings. If you’re my age and you grew up in the States, you probably read this in your high school English class, and all I can tell you is that it’s a totally different book now. Follow the Best Book Ever Podcast on Instagram or on the Best Book Ever Website This episode is sponsored by Lover’s Moon by Mark Leslie and Julie Strauss 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. Host: Julie Strauss Website/Instagram Guest: Suswati Basu Podcast/Website/Facebook/Instagram/You Tube/Twitter Discussed in this episode: The Stranger by Albert Camus The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte 1984 by George Orwell Haramacy: A Collecgtion of Stories Prescribed by Voices from the Middle East, South Asian, and the Diaspora by Zahed Sultan Energize: Make the Most of Every Moment by Simon Alexander Ong How to Be Sad: Everything I’ve Learned About Getting Happier by Being Sad by Helen Russell The Year of Living Danishly: Uncovering the Secrets of the World’s Happiest Country by Helen Russell Stronger: Changing Everything I Knew About Women’s Health by Poorna Bell (Note: Some of the above links are affiliate links, meaning I get a few bucks off your purchase at no extra expense to you. The charity links are NOT affiliates, but they are organizations I trust and personally donate money to. 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