075 Carol Yee on "The World Unseen" by Shamim Sarif

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.

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Host: Julie Strauss

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Guest: Carol Yee

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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

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