The Ribbon Book Club

The Diary of Margaret Ann Brady part 1: Culture Clashes and Class Consciousness

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

Historical Note: Chief Bluejay with the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania

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

Bonus Episode: Julia Carpenter

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

The Captive Diary of Catherine Carey Logan part 2: Mary Pope Osborne, You've Done it Again!

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

The Captive Diary of Catharine Carey Logan part 1: Tooken

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

Historical Note: The Tenement Museum's Kathryn Lloyd and Amanda Adler Brennan

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

The Diary of Zipporah Feldman, a Jewish Immigrant Girl part 2: Zipping Through the American Dream

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

The Diary of Zipporah Feldman, a Jewish Immigrant Girl part 1: Tradition!

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