Abigail Tarttelin is the guest. Her new novel, Golden Boy, has just been published in the United States by Atria Books. Booklist, in a starred review, calls it “A dramatic, thoroughgoing investigation of the complexities of sexuality and gender.... A warmly human coming-of-age story, thanks to the fact that Max is such an appealing character. And so his desperate search for identity is gripping, emotionally engaging, and genuinely unforgettable.” And Emily St. John Mandel says “Abigail Tarttelin is a fearless writer. In Golden Boy, she balances a harrowing coming of age with a deeply compassionate portrait of a family in crisis, and the result is sometimes brutal, often tender, and always compelling. This is a gripping and fully-realized novel.” Monologue topics: politics, media, money, Washington DC, power, This Town, dystopia, depression. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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