We’re big fans of getting uncomfortable with your reading life, whether that be reading about a topic that has been misunderstood for most of history or reading translated literature in a whole new format. In this episode, our contributors share two ways to get a little outside your comfort zone when it comes to reading.

Reframing and Reclaiming: Using Horror to Come into Power (1:47)

Mariquita talks with V. Castro about her latest book, Immortal Pleasures, which reframes the life of La Malinche, the Nahua woman who translated for Cortes. Their discussion covers the role of horror in holding a mirror to the atrocities carried out against indigenous people and people of color, reclaiming the stories of women that heretofore had only been told by their abusers, and how telling our own stories can give us power.

CW include rape, sexual content, and sexual violence

Manga Mania (18:17)

Jordy, Rah, and Mhairie sit down to discuss their varying degrees of love and experience when it comes to all things manga and anime. In this discussion, they delve into a brief history of manga - including an overview of the genres, how they each got into manga, and a bookish discussion on the first volume of the Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama.

Books/Resources Mentioned:

Immortal Pleasures by V. Castro

The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro
Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama

Creepy Cat by Cotton Valent

Ghostly Things by Ushio Shirotori
My Cat is Such a Weirdo by Tamako Tamagoyama

Sailor Moon by Naoko Takeuchi

Demon Slayer by Koyoharu Gotouge.

InuYasha by Rumiko Takahashi

Full Metal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa

Fruit Baskets by Natsuki Takaya

Happy Marriage by Maki Enjōji

How Manga Took Over American Bookshelves - from It’s Lit! on PBS

A Brief History of Manga by Merri Kiwi

Support this episode’s guest and hosts:

Follow V. Castro: Instagram // TikTok // Website // Twitter

Follow Mariquita: Instagram // Threads

Follow Jordy: Instagram // TikTok

Follow Rah: Instagram // TikTok // The StoryGraph

Follow Mhairie: Instagram

Today’s episode is sponsored by Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution by Cat Bohannan and Moral Code by Lois and Russ Melbourne. Thank you to our sponsors for supporting independent feminist media.

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This episode was edited and produced by Renee Powers on the ancestral land of the Dakota people.

Original music by @iam.onyxrose

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