Nightstand Reads with Tricia Romano, author of The Freaks Came Out to Write

Tricia Romano, author of The Freaks Came Out to Write: The Definitive History of the Village Voice, the Radical Paper That Changed American Culture and a member of the 2023 Writers Room cohort at The Seattle Public Library, shares some books she’s loving. Romano will be appearing in conversation with Dan Savage at Town Hall at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 14. 

Working on a book as intense as The Freaks Came Out To Write left me very little headspace to read other work. I had over 200 transcript interviews to process, and biographies and memoirs to scour, and archival material to dig up for those who had died. The process of putting together an oral history about the greatest newspaper that ever existed, The Village Voice, is not one for the weak. Freaks is the result of five-plus years of interviewing, compiling, and editing (and crying) to tell the six-decade story of the paper and the story of New York City in the last half century.

As a result of that intense workload, I tended to read books by my friends (many of whom are former Voice writers). And, luckily, I have very talented friends.

Monsters by Claire Dederer
With her latest honor, The Christopher Isherwood Prize for Autobiographical Prose, the local author is the belle of the ball with this collection of relatable, mind-bending essays about art made by bad men and women, and how we wrestle with loving work created by people who are so terrible. She covers the familiar terrain of disgraced men and women—Michael Jackson, Woody Allen, JK Rowling—with an unfamiliar lens. She turns the prism of each person to examine all shades, and talks through each argument, questioning her own judgements, past and present, and sees them through new eyes, with the help of her children, who see everything from a completely different vantage point than her own.

Also A Poet by Ada Calhoun
Calhoun’s critically acclaimed memoir takes an unusual form. It’s a hybrid of personal memoir, biography, and investigation. Her father, the late art critic, Peter Schjeldahl (of the New Yorker and the Village Voice), was also a poet (hence, the title), and had planned and scrapped a book about poet Frank O’Hara. He left her a legacy of unused recordings of interviews with the author and his many famous friends, such as painters Larry Rivers and William DE Kooning. The result is a moving examination of O’Hara’s work and her complicated relationship with her father.

Doppelganger by Naomi Klein
When I read the premise for Doppelganger, something instantly clicked. Klein (who is not my friend, but if she wants to hang out, she should call me), a feminist writer with works that examine capitalism, marketing, the environment, and more (in her own words, “I write books of Big Ideas About Very Serious Subjects”)—has throughout her career been confused with other Naomi—Naomi Wolf, also a feminist author who came up in the ‘90s. Yet, that’s where they part ways, as Wolf has become increasingly disconnected with our world; like many, she went through a conversion of sorts during the pandemic, ending up, not quite on the other side of the political horseshoe, but over into some other political dimension, where Steve Bannon is a god and misinformation is fact. Klein unpacks her personal connection and the long, strange trip that Wolf (and others like her) have taken.

On my “To Be Read” list:

Grief Is For People by Sloane Crosley
Grief and Freaks shared a pub day, and we have made similar rounds in our publicity tour, missing each other like ships in the night. Sloane’s book is about twin losses during the pandemic: the theft of her grandmother’s heirloom jewelry and the suicide of her best friend and mentor, Russell Perreault. I have to steel myself to read Grief Is For People; like her, I suffered a sudden loss, but I know that with someone as witty and smart and kind as my guide, I will be in good hands. (She’s also a former Voice writer, after all). The critics agree, calling it a “noteworthy addition to the literature of grief.”

Same Bed Different Dreams by Ed Park
I rarely read fiction—I’m not sure why, because I love to lose myself in other worlds. Ed Park was the books editor at the Village Voice when I was there and his second novel seems like it will do the job of escorting me to a strange new world, where Korean history is upended in a thrilling, sci-fi universe. Fellow Village Voice alumnus, Cathy Park Hong (no slouch, herself) said, “It’s like no other novel I’ve read before.”

Anxiously Awaiting

Tehrangeles by Porochista Khakpour (out June 11)
Once upon a time, we were interns together at the Voice, toiling at the office by day, and going out clubbing in New York by night. Khakpour often wrote reviews for the Voice, and when I read her first novel, Sons And Other Flammable Objects, I was bowled over by her literary prowess; instantly jealous of her gorgeous and evocative prose. She’s since written three more books; including an essay collection, a memoir (Sick), and another novel. Tehrangeles looks to be a delicious satire of an Iranian immigrant family. Set in Los Angeles where she grew up, and centered around an Iranian immigrant who becomes obscenely wealthy and has four daughters (shades of Kardashian!), it has garnered early praise, landing it on most anticipated books of the year by Times, the National, Lit Hub, and others. The book also has the best cover ever created (look at that gorgeous Persian cat).

Nightstand Reads with Tobi Ogundiran

Tobi Ogundiran’s debut short story collection Jackal, Jackal is out this month with Undertow Publications, and he will be in Seattle at the Central Library in conversation with Nisi Shawl on Wednesday, July 26th at 7pm. Third Place Books is our community partner on the event.

We asked him to share a bit about his nightstand reads.

Nightstand Reads with Bonnie Garmus, author of Lessons in Chemistry

Bonnie Garmus, author of Lessons in Chemistry, shares some books she’s loving. Garmus will be appearing in conversation with Nancy Pearl at the Central Library at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 23.

Set in 1960s California, Bonnie Garmus’ blockbuster debut novel follows Elizabeth Zott, a scientist whose career is shaped by the idea that a woman’s place is in the home, and unexpectedly finds herself in a starring role hosting America’s most beloved TV cooking show.

I just finished reading Kate Zernike’s excellent (and infuriating!) The Exceptions: Nancy Hopkins, MIT, and the Fight for Women in Science. It follows the career of Nancy Hopkins, a brilliant scientist and cancer researcher who endured decades of sexism before joining with other women at MIT to make the bias against women both seen and heard.

Shortlisted for the Booker and a novel that moved me like no other, Claire Keegan’s Small Things Like These.

I really enjoyed Maame by Jessica George, a funny and sad tale of youth, racism, and family expectation.

Book picks from the author of ‘Growing Up Gorilla’

Clare Hodgson Meeker’s new nonfiction picture book, Growing Up Gorilla: How a Zoo Baby Brought Her Family Together, is a  heartwarming true story about a baby gorilla at the Woodland Park Zoo. When a mother gorilla walks away from her newborn, the staff at the zoo finds innovative ways for mother and baby (Yola) to build a relationship. It’s a charmer of a book, with fun facts and solid research behind it. We asked Clare, a Washington author, to share some books starring animals — and, delightfully, some of her selections are for adults, and some for kids. Here are Clare’s recommendations:

Nightstand Reads with author Sara Donati

Where the Light Enters is the latest from Sara Donati, a bestselling author known for her riveting and well-researched historical novels. We asked her to share her own reading list with us:

I read a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction out of personal interest and professional necessity. My novels are deeply researched, so I spend a lot of time reading medical texts and government reports written before 1890.  But I also read contemporary and historical fiction of all stripes, from noir crime to romance to short story collections. Ancient Rome, modern-day Detroit, Victorian England, WWII China are all welcome.

If I continue thinking about a book long after I’ve finished it, I consider it time well spent. Here are some of my recent discoveries.

Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women’s Anger
by Rebecca Traister
There is a lot to be angry about. Traister’s book came out just after Dr. Christine Blasey Ford testified, and it reminded me that women’s anger, once focused, is hugely powerful. It has launched movements and revolutions that have changed the world for the better.