On The Radio ~ Whoa~ohhhhh~oh~

We said it really loud, we said it on the air, on the radio....

 

The only thing this post has in common with Donna Summer is that the topic takes place in the summer ...on the radio.  I just could not resist her lyrics because my book club has gone audio!

We've been chosen to discuss Karen Russell's latest effort, "Sleep Donation," on WNYC's radio program The Takeaway. The discussion airs noon, Wednesday, July 9 on your local NPR station.  In Philly, it is WHYY 90.9 FM.

Through some website scrutiny and quick action (not to mention salesmanship, Joanie!) by a couple of book club members, show producers chose our group as the second this season to chat with host John Hockenberry about one of their summer picks.

L to R:  Me, Lou, Joanie

Sadly, logistics  allowed for only three of the nine  members to tape the segment, so tough choices (members voting by 'secret ballot') were made and Joanie Badyna, Lou Elder and I recently headed to WHYY studios in Philadelphia to tape the session.   

Electric may best describe our energy level as our trio drove to the radio station; it was powered by robust virtual support from fellow bookworms: Karen Albaugh, Lynne Dore, Leslie Dudt, Karen Fleming, Laura Smith, and Nicole Valentine.    

Our book club, informally called by some (as in me)  Book Babes, has been 'on the books' for 17 years! We have over 190 novels checked off in the Read and Discussed column.  Classics, current fiction and non-fiction, young adult fiction, poetry, song lyrics, and even children's books are represented among our diverse picks.  Whether or not a book resonates becomes secondary once we dig into themes, characters, and relatability.  The discussion trumps taste each month. 


At WHYY studios, Philadelphia, PA

Once the radio taping date was secured, the Babes met a few days earlier to talk about the novella for June.  As usual, everyone came armed for discussion.

Questions about why we grieve and how  it can deny its own purpose, the consequences of lying for a common good, the power of  blind devotion, and the blurred lines of technology overuse peppered the conversation as we wrestled with the author's ability to prick at our fears.

"Sleep Donation" introduces a world where unexplained, deadly insomnia spreads rapidly. Citizens who can sleep are urged to offer up the treasured commodity to help the sleepless.

The non-profit Sleep Corps hungrily recruits sleep donors. Its most effective recruiter, Trish Edgewater, uses the awful story of her sister Dori's death as the tool to gain precious donations. Her potent tale brings in a sole universal donor - the holy grail in the fight against the epidemic.  This pure provider is a powerless six month old baby.

Issues with grief, technology, parenting, non-profit entities, trust, greed, and human connection swirl around this believable world. 

Russell's brief tale echoes the early paranoia that surrounded the start of the AIDS epidemic as fear and misinformation rattled lives. Sleep (just like blood) is a universal need now tainted, and the author describes Trish's sorrow in sanguine terms as a "grief hemophiliac."

While a specific cause for the epidemic is never noted, possible reasons include the abuse of sleep aids, a 24/7 news cycle, and "glowing device" overuse. Ironically, the fiction is only available as an e-book, so the author simultaneously warns us and baits us as we turn on our luminous devices to read.

Show producers conducted phone pre-interviews with each of us.  They were interested in the book's impact and themes that triggered something within us.  And they encouraged us to be lively (ha! no trouble there) and conversational, commenting on each other's remarks (again, no issue there!)  

Taping the segment at WHYY was an utterly satisfying experience from start to finish. 
 (Once our head phones were on, Lou and Joanie worked out some nervous energy before taping began and broke into song.  Microphones are powerful teases.)   From his perch in New York City, John Hockenberry seamlessly posed questions and invited our impressions about the book for 30 minutes.  Half of that time will be used for the July 16th airing.  I hope you'll be listening!

To steal the sign-off from CBS Sunday Morning's Charles Osgood, we'll "see you on the radio."  Oh, and sleep tight!

Here is the link to our book club discussion on The Takeaway:  http://www.thetakeaway.org/story/takeaway-book-club-sleep-donation/

Here's the link to WNYC's The Takeway book club page: http://www.thetakeaway.org/bookclub/  Check out all the books for summer reading!