ScribdChat

In today’s episode, author Lisa Ko discusses her debut novel, “The Leavers,” which chronicles the powerful and intertwining stories of Deming Guo and his mother, Polly, as both embark on their own search for identity. Early on, Polly is separated from Deming, and shortly thereafter Deming is adopted by a couple of loving — if not somewhat misinformed — American professors. He is then forced to navigate the memory of family and culture he left behind in tandem with his adoptive parent’s desire to raise him as a modern, middle-class American. As such, Ko’s novel explores the themes of identity, culture, and the definition of family.

“The Leavers” was shortlisted for the National Book Award in addition to winning the Pen/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction, and also named a one of the best books from 2017 by NPR, Entertainment Weekly, the Los Angeles Times, BuzzFeed, and Bustle.

In today’s episode, Ko discusses the real-life stories that inspired “The Leavers,” why she felt the story in her book was worth telling, and what she learned while writing her debut novel. We talk about pacing, prose, the importance of listening to a killer soundtrack while writing, and, of course, the many nicknames that Ko as earned throughout her career.

You can read Lisa Ko’s “The Leavers” on Scribd.

In this episode of ScribdChat, one of the most celebrated novelists working today, New York Times bestselling author Laura Lippman, sat down with novelist and Cosmopolitan Magazine’s editor-at-large John Searles, to chat about creating a new killer genre — femme noir — with Lippman’s new novel, Sunburn.

You can read Sunburn on Scribd for free with your subscription. (You can read John Searles’s books, as well.) If you’re not yet a Scribd member, you can read for free for 30 days by downloading the Scribd app or visiting scribd.com.

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In this episode of ScribdChat, founder of the website Puttylike Emilie Wapnick joined us to chat about her book, “How to Be Everything: A Guide for Those Who (Still) Don't Know What They Want to Be When They Grow Up,” which is available on Scribd. What followed was a fun conversation about multipotentialites and how they navigate the world, both in and outside their careers.

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The tech companies in Silicon Valley have changed the world in the past few decades, but one thing that new technology hasn’t solved is sexism. Author and Bloomberg Technology host Emily Chang discovered while writing her book Brotopia: Breaking Up the Boys’ Club of Silicon Valley that the gender gap is even worse than she had believed. In this ScribdChat episode, Chang breaks down the numbers and experiences of women in tech with TaskRabbit founder Leah Busque. Together, they talk through the “pipeline problem” and reassert their belief that if Silicon Valley companies can solve many of the world’s problems, it can definitely tackle sexism.

You can listen to Brotopia on Scribd.

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From branding to resumé building and beyond, design touches almost every aspect of our lives. In this episode of ScribdChat, editor in chief of The Great Discontent Tina Essmaker sat down with podcast host and author Debbie Millman to chat about design and creativity, and how to get to where you want to be in your career.

You can read several of Debbie’s books, including “Brand Thinking and Other Noble Pursuits” and “How to Think Like a Great Graphic Designer,” on Scribd for free with your subscription. And if you’re not yet a Scribd member, you can read for free for 30 days by downloading the Scribd app or visiting scribd.com.

Follow Scribd on Twitter or Instagram for the latest ScribdChat updates and news about hot new books.