M ChanPodcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSS | More
Spencer Ackerman was a guest on my show discussing his book Reign of Terror: How the 9/11 Era Destabilized America and Produced Trump. During our conversation he mentioned he was reading a book called My Name is Red and was so enthusiastic about it, I decided to give it a read.
A couple of months later I find myself in a book club with the award-winning journalist. Not intimidating at all. My husband Oscar joins in on the conversation and we had a great time!
My Name is Red is a Turkish novel by Nobel Prize recipient Orhan Pamuk. The book features miniaturists, or artists, during the Ottoman Empire and is a murder mystery.
Spencer beautifully sets up the book for the first 20 minutes of this episode, after which we dive in and talk about the themes of the book and some of our favorite characters.
I love book club discussions because they allow you to truly appreciate the book on various levels and with others. For a book like My Name is Red, it also helps to have someone way smarter than you share their perspective. Insert Spencer Ackerman.
Even if you haven’t read the book yet, or don’t plan to, you can still appreciate the conversation. While Spencer will modestly express his lack of expertise on the book, he ties in several historical references that bring a depth to the book that I would not have otherwise noted.
What does hip hop artist NAS have to do with master miniaturists in the Ottoman Empire? Find out in our discussion!
In case you don’t already know: Spencer Ackerman has been a national-security correspondent for outlets like The New Republic, WIRED, The Guardian, and currently The Daily Beast for nearly the entire War on Terror. He is the publisher of the Forever Wars newsletter on Substack, where he tracks the ongoing course of the War on Terror, I highly suggest you check it out.
I’m loving these conversations and hope you are too. If you are, please rate my podcast on your platform of choice and share it with others! If you would like to support with a donation to help keep this podcast going, you can become a patron of the show by visiting my website or Patreon.com/sifumimichan
For comments or suggestions, please reach out on social media @sifumimichan
Discussed in this episode:
THE SIFU MIMI CHAN SHOW CREDITS Host: Mimi Chan Intro Music: Mike Relm
Comment Rules: Be Cool. Critical is fine, but if you’re rude, we’ll delete your stuff. Please do not put your URL in the comment text and please use your PERSONAL name or initials and not your business name, as the latter comes off like spam. Have fun and thanks for adding to the conversation!
Disclaimer: I am not a writer. I do not claim to be. Apologies for grammatical mistakes, long drawn out run on sentences, and anything else that drives you crazy. I promise it was not my intention. Be lenient, please
