The Ribbon Book Club

Dear Diary,  This week, we are finishing our recap of Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile! Will Cleopatra gain the respect of the Romans? Will she see her beloved home and friends again? Will she get a Disney Channel-worthy montage of her summer by the sea? Get the answers to these questions and more when you tune in! Yours Truly,  Cate and Jen    Join our Discord! RibbonBookClubPod.com @RibbonBookPod on Facebook and Instagram   Edited by Danny Heck   Theme music by Ericka Page @theerickapage  Cover art by Chelsea Tanis @TheTrumpetClub Research help by Callie Cherry  @_likethefruit

Dear Diary,  Calling all ancient Egypt girlies! This week, we are recapping the first half of Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile. First published in 1999, Kristiana Gregory explores what the Egyptian queen was like as a precocious 12-year-old.  Turns out, the court of the Ptolemaic Pharaohs was full of schemes and deadly plots! Tune in to see if Cleopatra can navigate through the court intrigue and help her father keep his throne.  Yours Truly,  Cate and Jen   Join our Discord! RibbonBookClubPod.com @RibbonBookPod on Facebook and Instagram   Edited by Danny Heck   Theme music by Ericka Page @theerickapage  Cover art by Chelsea Tanis @TheTrumpetClub Research help by Callie Cherry  @_likethefruit

Dear Diary, This week, we got to speak with a very exciting guest, Amanda Matta! Known on social media as Matta_of_Fact, Amanda has made a niche for herself as TikTok's number 1 royal commentator. Amanda shared with us her extensive knowledge of Tudor history: the court life, art, and family drama.  If you want to hear more of Amanda's takes on royal history, check out her podcast, Off With Their Headlines, which she co-hosts with Meredith Constant, or her substack, The Fascinator.  Tune in! Cate and Jen   Join our Discord! RibbonBookClubPod.com @RibbonBookPod on Facebook and Instagram   Edited by Danny Heck   Theme music by Ericka Page @theerickapage  Cover art by Chelsea Tanis @TheTrumpetClub Research help by Callie Cherry  @_likethefruit

Dear Diary,  This week, we are recapping the second half of Red Rose of the House of Tudor: Elizabeth I, and it is JAM PACKED! We've got intrigue, marriage plots, and confirmation that Kat's fear of poison is justified! All this drama has our princess wondering if she'd rather trade the money and privilege for the "simple" life of a peasant. Tune in to hear all about it!  Yours Truly,  Cate and Jen    Join our Discord! RibbonBookClubPod.com @RibbonBookPod on Facebook and Instagram   Edited by Danny Heck   Theme music by Ericka Page @theerickapage  Cover art by Chelsea Tanis @TheTrumpetClub Research help by Callie Cherry  @_likethefruit

Dearest Diary!  In the classic way of youthful diaries, we will start with an apology for being away so long! The fall really got away from us, but we are back with a new book and a NEW SERIES.  Join us as we recap the first half of the first Royal Diaries book (a sister series of the Dear America books), all about Elizabeth I. We meet the future queen as a precocious eleven-year-old, desperate for her father's love and attention.  We cover the dizzying array of step-mothers, dip our toes into Tudor court politics, and explore the complicated familial relationships of the English royals.  Yours truly, Cate and Jen    P.S. We started a Discord community! Come say hi!   RibbonBookClubPod.com @RibbonBookPod on Facebook and Instagram   Edited by Danny Heck   Theme music by Ericka Page @theerickapage  Cover art by Chelsea Tanis @TheTrumpetClub Research help by Callie Cherry  @_likethefruit  

Dear Diary,  Much like a real diary, sometimes we forget to update you in a while! So this week we're taking a step back to where we were this past spring: the Alamo. We had a great conversation with Kolby Lanham from the Alamo Museum. Kolby shared some fascinating stories from the Alamo and gave us the inside scoop on exciting things coming to the Alamo Museum. Thank you to Kolby for joining us! We hope you enjoy our conversation, and stay tuned for new episodes coming!  Yours truly,  Cate and Jen   RibbonBookClubPod.com @RibbonBookPod on Facebook and Instagram   Edited by Danny Heck   Theme music by Ericka Page @theerickapage  Cover art by Chelsea Tanis @TheTrumpetClub Research help by Callie Cherry  @_likethefruit  

Dear Diary,  It's time to finish our recap of A Line in the Sand: The Alamo Diary of Lucinda Lawrence, and whoooooo boy, what a doozy. What could possibly go wrong when you send a bunch of under-prepared Texians against the Mexican army? Turns out, a lot of death and destruction. This book carries on the proud tradition of seeing how much misery this series can inflict on its main characters. And preteen girls couldn't get enough of it! Tune in to find out who made it through.  Yours Truly, Cate and Jen   RibbonBookClubPod.com @RibbonBookPod on Facebook and Instagram   Edited by Danny Heck   Theme music by Ericka Page @theerickapage  Cover art by Chelsea Tanis @TheTrumpetClub Research help by Callie Cherry  @_likethefruit

Dear Diary, This week, we are heading to the southwest to learn about the Alamo! Our guide is Sherry Garland, and her 1998 book, A Line in the Sand: The Alamo Diary of Lucinda Lawrence.  Lucinda and her family of Mama, Papa, and her creatively named brothers live in the small frontier town of Gonzales near the Guadalupe River. Trouble is brewing between the president of Mexico, Santa Anna, and the "Texians" in San Antonio. The Lawrence family is divided in their opinions about war and independence. Tune in to hear about life on the home front in rural 1830s Texas! Yours truly,   Cate and Jen   RibbonBookClubPod.com @RibbonBookPod on Facebook and Instagram   Edited by Danny Heck   Theme music by Ericka Page @theerickapage  Cover art by Chelsea Tanis @TheTrumpetClub Research help by Callie Cherry  @_likethefruit    

Dear Diary,  This week, we had the privilege of talking to Paul Lee, who has been studying the history of Titanic for nearly 40 years! Every year, he publishes social media posts in real time, along with the historical events of the fateful voyage of the RMS Titanic. Tune in to hear our discussion on some of the lesser-known stories of Titanic and about remembering the humanity of all those affected by the tragic disaster.  Yours Truly,  Cate and Jen   RibbonBookClubPod.com @RibbonBookPod on Facebook and Instagram @RibbonBookClubPod on Bluesky   Edited by Danny Heck   Theme music by Ericka Page @theerickapage  Cover art by Chelsea Tanis @TheTrumpetClub Research help by Callie Cherry  @_likethefruit  

Dear Diary,  We're here with part 2 of our recap of A Voyage on the Great Titanic: The Diary of Margaret Ann Brady, and it's a DOOZY. Flirting and snobbery abound before the fateful striking of the iceberg. But what becomes of our cast of characters? Will Margaret and Mrs. Carstairs bond over their shared trauma? Will Robert make it to safety? And will we make it through an episode without crying over a 100-year-old disaster? Tune in to find out!  Yours truly,  Cate and Jen   RibbonBookClubPod.com @RibbonBookPod on Facebook and Instagram   Edited by Danny Heck   Theme music by Ericka Page @theerickapage  Cover art by Chelsea Tanis @TheTrumpetClub Research help by Callie Cherry  @_likethefruit

Dear Diary, We made it to one of our most anticipated books of this series: Voyage on the Great Titanic: The Diary of Margaret Ann Brady! It was written by Ellen Emerson White and published in 1998. Boy, were the late 1990s a fantastic time to hyperfocus on the Titanic. In this story, we meet Margaret, a precocious orphan from Whitechapel. Margaret's life is about to be turned upside down when she gets a job as a companion to the wealthy Mrs. Carstairs. Together, they plan to sail first class to America on the RMS Titanic (what could possibly go wrong???). Margaret is not sure how she feels about her luxurious new surroundings, but she does enjoy the company of a certain cabin steward named Robert.  Tune in to hear our recap of the first half of this thrilling story!  Yours truly,  Cate and Jen    RibbonBookClubPod.com @RibbonBookPod on Facebook and Instagram   Edited by Danny Heck   Theme music by Ericka Page @theerickapage  Cover art by Chelsea Tanis @TheTrumpetClub Research help by Callie Cherry  @_likethefruit

Dear Diary,  For our historical note, we had the privilege of speaking with Barbara "Bluejay" Michalski, the Chief and Keeper of Culture of the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania. Chief Bluejay shared with us some of the stories and projects she works on to carry on the traditions of her people.  Tune in to hear her thoughts on settler/Indigenous relations in the 1700s and how this history can be explained to young ones.  Yours Truly,  Cate and Jen   RibbonBookClubPod.com @RibbonBookPod on Facebook and Instagram   Edited by Danny Heck   Theme music by Ericka Page @theerickapage  Cover art by Chelsea Tanis @TheTrumpetClub Research help by Callie Cherry  @_likethefruit

Dear Diary,  We made another friend! Julia Carpenter is a journalist, writer, and creator from New York who loves women's history just like us! She has a great Substack called A Woman To Know where she uncovers some great stories about women in history. Also, she's been rereading the Dear America books and talking about them on her TikTok account, @juliaccarpenter.  Tune in to hear our conversation about growing up with historical fiction, and what it's like to revisit it in adulthood.  Yours Truly,  Cate and Jen   RibbonBookClubPod.com @RibbonBookPod on Facebook and Instagram   Edited by Danny Heck   Theme music by Ericka Page @theerickapage  Cover art by Chelsea Tanis @TheTrumpetClub Research help by Callie Cherry  @_likethefruit

Dear Diary,  Wow! What an emotional journey we've been on with this book! Join us as we recap the second half of Standing in the Light: The Captive Diary of Catherine Carey Logan written by Mary Pope Osborne.  In the story's second half, Caty continues going through the stages of grief and seems to accept her new place in the Lenape tribe. We learn more about her adopted family and the mysterious hunter with the eagle tattoo. Then, just as it seems Caty will find happiness, her world is turned upside down again! It's an important story about individual human feelings and growth. It also takes on some very serious societal issues like how current generations of white kids have to grapple with the sins of our forefathers.  We hope you enjoy this second half as much as we did!  Yours Truly,  Cate and Jen    RibbonBookClubPod.com @RibbonBookPod on Facebook and Instagram   Edited by Danny Heck   Theme music by Ericka Page @theerickapage  Cover art by Chelsea Tanis @TheTrumpetClub Research help by Callie Cherry  @_likethefruit

Dear Diary,  It's a new book, and we (mostly Jen) were so worried about this one! Mary Pope Osborne takes on a huge challenge with her book, Standing in the Light: The Captive Diary of Catharine Carey Logan. Our main character, Catharine (Caty), is a Quaker living with her family on the frontier of Pennsylvania in 1763. Tensions with local Native American tribes are high after a series of broken treaties and border skirmishes. Caty's father urges her to see Indigenous people in a sympathetic light, but this gets tricky when Caty and her brother, Thomas are taken captive by a Lenape tribe. Understandably, Caty has a lot of feelings about being forcefully separated from her family, and we sit on the edge of our seats to see how Mary Pope Osborne will thread this narrative needle. Tune in!  Yours Truly,  Cate and Jen   RibbonBookClubPod.com @RibbonBookPod on Facebook and Instagram   Edited by Danny Heck   Theme music by Ericka Page @theerickapage  Cover art by Chelsea Tanis @TheTrumpetClub Research help by Callie Cherry  @_likethefruit

Dear Diary,  It's guest-pert day! This week, we have not one, but TWO guests to talk to us about the real history of life in the tenements of the Lower East Side. Read on to get to know our guests a little better!  Kathryn Lloyd is the Vice President of Programs and Interpretation at the Tenement Museum, where she oversees museum programming and educator training to explore social issues through personal experiences, and to connect people to each other through interpretation of the past. Most recently, she lead the interpretive development for the newest permanent exhibit, A Union of Hope: 1869, about a Black tenement family in post-Civil War New York, and lead the project team that developed the museum’s newest walking tour, Reclaiming Black Spaces. Through her work with Turnstile Tours and her previous roles in tourism and the museum world, Amanda has brought her passion for storytelling, and for the city’s history and culture to visitors from around the world. As a native New Yorker with immigrant roots in New York’s Lower East Side, the experience of turn of the century Jewish immigrants has always been a subject of particular interest.  Amanda has a background in museum education and visitor services, having worked previously for the Museum of Modern Art, Tenement Museum, HistoryMiami, and as the host of How to Be American, the Tenement Museum’s podcast that explores multiculturalism and American identity through the stories immigrants, migrants and refugees. When she’s not working, Amanda enjoys traveling, crafting and spending time with her husband, two sons and rescue pooch, Millie.  Tune in for our fascinating conversation!  Yours Truly,  Cate and Jen   RibbonBookClubPod.com @RibbonBookPod on Facebook and Instagram   Edited by Danny Heck   Theme music by Ericka Page @theerickapage  Cover art by Chelsea Tanis @TheTrumpetClub Research help by Callie Cherry  @_likethefruit

Dear Diary,  This week, we're finishing our recap of Dreams in the Golden Country: The Diary of Zipporah Feldman, a Jewish Immigrant Girl. What an action-packed second half! This book has everything: family drama, tragic deaths, labor issues, entrepreneurship, and Yiddish theater! Join us as we dig deeper into Zippy's first year in America.  Yours Truly,  Cate and Jen   RibbonBookClubPod.com @RibbonBookPod on Facebook and Instagram   Edited by Danny Heck   Theme music by Ericka Page @theerickapage  Cover art by Chelsea Tanis @TheTrumpetClub Research help by Callie Cherry  @_likethefruit

Dear Diary, Fall is here, and we're back in the podcast saddle! This week we're starting our discussion on Dreams in the Golden Country: The Diary of Zipporah Feldman, a Jewish Immigrant Girl. The book was written by Kathryn Laskey (her second of the series) and was published in 1998.  Zipporah (Zippy), her Mama, and two sisters have just arrived at Ellis Island after fleeing Russian pogroms. While she is thrilled to be reunited with her father, Zippy is not immediately impressed by the small tenement they are to live in on Orchard Street in the Lower East Side of New York. She is even less thrilled to meet their tenant, Reb Simcha.  Luckily, Zippy meets some new friends, Bluma (Blu) Wolf, and Yitzy Silver. The Feldman family and their friends must find the balance between preserving their faith traditions and adapting to American culture. Tune in, and count how many references we make to Fiddler on the Roof! Yours Truly, Cate and Jen   RibbonBookClubPod.com @RibbonBookPod on Facebook and Instagram   Edited by Danny Heck   Theme music by Ericka Page @theerickapage  Cover art by Chelsea Tanis @TheTrumpetClub Research help by Callie Cherry  @_likethefruit

Dear Diary, This week we are wrapping up our discussion on West to a Land of Plenty: The Diary of Theresa Angelino Viscardi! And boy, there is so much to discuss.  We pick up where we left off, with the Viscardis and Co. who have exchanged a steam train for a wagon train and are making their way across the Dakotas. Disease and death plague the travellers and families are forced to make tough decisions. Theresa finds her courage but loses something important. Tune in to find out what happens!  Yours truly,  Cate and Jen    RibbonBookClubPod.com @RibbonBookPod on Facebook and Instagram   Edited by Danny Heck   Theme music by Ericka Page @theerickapage  Cover art by Chelsea Tanis @TheTrumpetClub Research help by Callie Cherry  @_likethefruit

Dear Diary,  New story time! Today we are starting our recap of West to a Land of Plenty: The Diary of Theresa Angelino Viscardi. This story takes place in 1883 and follows Theresa and her family as they travel west to the Idaho Territory. The book was written by Jim Murphey (his first Dear America book) and published in 1998.  The first half of this book mostly takes place on a train, but to avoid our recap being too "railroaded" (SEE WHAT WE DID THERE), we go on lots of tangents talking about the side characters in Theresa's life. There are the friends she left back home, her nosy sister, Netta, and a handsome young man who likes to wave at Theresa from his train car (SWOON!). Full steam ahead! Yours truly,  Cate and Jen   RibbonBookClubPod.com @RibbonBookPod on Facebook and Instagram   Edited by Danny Heck   Theme music by Ericka Page @theerickapage  Cover art by Chelsea Tanis @TheTrumpetClub Research help by Callie Cherry  @_likethefruit