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Book GangAuthor: Amy Allen Clark
Are you looking for your next book recommendation? This book podcast celebrates debuts, backlist, and under-the-radar book selections. Expand your book stack with these recommendations and look at the book industry behind the scenes with Amy Allen Clark (MomAdvice.com). She shares the microphone with her favorite writers and bookstagrammers to help you have your best reading year ever. Language: en Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Where the Girls Were Brings a Mother's Haunting Story to Light
Episode 150
Thursday, 5 March, 2026
Kate Schatz joins the show to discuss Where the Girls Were, a novel inspired by the hidden history of maternity homes and the young women sent away during the 1960s. This week, Kate Schatz joins the Book Gang podcast to discuss her adult fiction debut, Where the Girls Were, a novel that explores a little-discussed chapter of American history: the maternity homes that housed more than a million young women during the 1950s and 1960s. Drawing inspiration from her own family's haunting history and years of research, Schatz brings readers into the world of a teenage prodigy sent away to give birth in secret just weeks before graduating high school. In our conversation, we discuss how the story first took shape, the transition from writing nonfiction about activism and history to crafting a deeply researched novel, and the realities of maternity homes in the mid-twentieth century. Schatz also shares some of the surprising details uncovered during her research. In this fascinating conversation, we explore: 📚 From Rad Women to Fiction: Kate shares her journey from bestselling nonfiction author and activist to novelist, revealing how writing Where the Girls Were challenged her craft and deepened her understanding of history, activism, and personal storytelling. 📚 The Family Story Behind the Novel: Schatz shares how learning about her mother's experience with pregnancy and closed adoption in the mid-20th century shaped the inspiration and research behind the book. 📚 Uncovering Hidden Histories: We discuss the surprising and sometimes shocking research Kate unearthed about maternity homes, women's health, and the realities faced by girls in the 1960s, including the curious role of rabbits in pregnancy tests. 📚📚 BONUS BOOK LIST: Don't miss this week's NEW companion list with 27 Books About the 1960s to escape into another timeline, available to reserve now for your best weekend ever. Patrons will receive weekly printable checklists for their next library visit! Meet Kate Schatz KATE SCHATZ is a New York Times bestselling author, public speaker, writing teacher, and queer feminist parent who's been talking, writing, and teaching about race, gender, social justice, and equity for many years. Her books include the novel Where the Girls Were; Do the Work: An Anti-Racist Activity Book, with W. Kamau Bell, the comedian and Emmy-winning host of CNN's United Shades of America; the "Rad Women" book series (including Rad American Women A-Z, Rad Women Worldwide, and Rad American History A-Z), which have sold over 300,000 copies and been translated into four languages; and Rid of Me: A Story, published in 2007 as part of the cult-favorite 33 ⅓ series. Kate has taught writing and Women's Studies at Brown University, Rhode Island College, San Jose State, and UC Santa Cruz. Born and raised in San Jose, California, she lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her wife, their three kids, and their many pets. Where the Girls Were is her fiction debut and is available on store shelves now. Mentioned in this episode: Download Today's Show Transcript Buy Me a Coffee - I'm grateful for your support this year! NEW BOOK LIST: 27 Books About the 1960s Join the March Book Club 3/26 at 8 PM ET (The Mad Wife) 2026 MomAdvice Book Club Books (All 12 Selections) Where the Girls Were by Kate Schatz Do the Work: An Antiracist Activity Book by W. Kamau Bell & Kate Schatz Rad American Women by Kate Schatz Rad Women Worldwide by Kate Schatz Rad Girls Can by Kate Schatz Rad American History by Kate Schatz Kate Schatz Rabbit Test Our Bodies, Ourselves by Boston Women's Health Book Collective The Girls Who Went Away by Ann Fessler Saints for All Occasions by J Courtney Sullivan When Abortion Was a Crime by Leslie J Reagan Wake Up Little Susie by Rickie Solinger Relinquished by Gretchen Sisson My Mother's Daughter by Tracy Clark-Flory Want Me by Tracy Clark-Flory Bookshop.org pays a 10% commission on every sale and matches it with 10% to support independent bookstores. Connect With Us: Join the Book Gang Patreon Connect With Kate Schatz on Instagram or Her Website Connect with Amy on Instagram, TikTok, or MomAdvice Get My Happy List Newsletter Get the Daily Kindle Deals Newsletter
