Totally Booked with Zibby

Shai Davidai joins Zibby Owens to discuss his book American Intellectual Antisemitism, the story of how he went from Columbia business professor to accidental activist after the attacks on October 7th.

Shai shares the shock he experienced regarding Columbia’s reaction to the attacks, what led to his remarks going viral, how hatred starts in the syllabus, and how regaining agency has driven his activism.

He also talks about his attempt to separate his public image from the message, how the first version of this book was a letter to his son, and what gives him hope for the future.

Learn more about Shai here https://www.shaidavidai.com and follow him on Instagram @shaidavidai.
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A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now!
Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook.
Listen on Spotify here.
Listen on Apple here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Lewis sits down with Zibby Owens to discuss his new book Blockers, a deep dive into the early days of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency through the lens of six targeted public servants.

Michael discusses how the title was inspired by an Elon Musk quote, the fascinating work into fire research that the government made difficult, and why narrative matters.

He also shares what actions readers can take, how government and politics are related but not the same, the process of “casting” this book out of the thousands of workers he could have focused on, and the experience of having three of his books turned into movies.

Learn more about Michael here https://www.michaellewiswrites.com.
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A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now!
Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook.
Listen on Spotify here.
Listen on Apple here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Erin Schlozman joins Zibby Owens to discuss her book The Myth of the Perfect Mom, a guide to new motherhood and postpartum that rejects the idea of the perfect mother in place of authenticity, self-compassion, and joy.

Erin talks about debunking the aspiration to be perfect, how her experience as a licensed therapist working on an addiction medicine team led her to opening her own private practice, her daughter being born eight weeks early, and launching 4th Trimester Wellness on Instagram.

She also shares working through imposter syndrome while writing this book, the importance of transparency, embracing ambition as mothers, what surprised her about the publishing industry, mom guilt, and her hope that readers feel less alone through this book.

Learn more about Erin here https://www.erinschlozman.com and follow her on Instagram @erin.schlozman.
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A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now!
Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook.
Listen on Spotify here.
Listen on Apple here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hank Phillippi Ryan sits down with Zibby Owens to chat about her new novel Mother Daughter Sister Stranger, a twisty thriller about Eliza’s search for her sister Bea who goes missing on the eleventh anniversary of the plane crash they survived but killed their parents.

Hank talks about how stories shape our lives, family lore, the experience of writing a young character on the cusp of growing up, and why reading the end of a book first teaches her about story construction.

She also recounts growing up as the oldest of five children in rural Indiana, how her books benefit from her long career as a TV crime journalist, the question of ‘what happens after a story’s happy ending?’, and the touching reason she and her husband celebrate the day before their anniversary.

Learn more about Hank at https://hankphillippiryan.com and follow her on Instagram @hankpryan.
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A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now!
Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook.
Listen on Spotify here.
Listen on Apple here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rebekah Lowin sits down with Zibby Owens to discuss A Year of Jewish Joy, her new cookbook full of meaningful recipes, homemade crafts, and table guides for the Jewish holidays.

Rebekah talks about being inspired by her grandmother, the impossible joy of the Jewish people, her experience working for Martha Stewart in New York City years ago, and how the blog she started in 2019 led to this book.

She also shares her experience growing up in Connecticut without a Jewish community, reverence for tradition while making things new, how pressure is part of the joy of hosting, and her dream of opening a brick-and-mortar shop one day.

Learn more about Rebekah here https://rebekahlowin.com and follow her on Instagram @rebekahlowin.
*********
A story for the messy middle. Zibby's essay collection Between Chapters is out now!
Love to listen? She narrated the audiobook.
Listen on Spotify here.
Listen on Apple here.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.