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Booked Up with Jen Taub — Arts
Booked Up with Jen Taub

Booked Up with Jen Taub features intimate interviews with nonfiction authors. Jen’s guests include writers of current bestsellers and beloved backlist books. Conversations cover love, money, politics, early dreams, writing habits, reading tastes, procrastination techniques, self-doubt, and news of the day.

Creator and host, Jen Taub is a law professor, advocate, and author. Her nonfiction books include BIG DIRTY MONEY (Viking 2020) and OTHER PEOPLE’S HOUSES (Yale Press 2014). She focuses on “follow the money” matters— promoting transparency and opposing corruption.

Jen’s favorite poem is Prufrock (and yes she knows that Eliot held abhorrent views. She contains multitudes and can separate the dancer from the dance.)

Taub was the Bruce W. Nichols Visiting Professor of Law in fall 2019 at Harvard Law School and is now a professor of law at the Western New England University School of Law. A former associate general counsel at Fidelity Investments, she is a graduate of Yale College and Harvard Law School.

Copyright: © Jennifer Taub & Politicon LLC

Latest Episodes:

9: Hamlet’s Heirs with Linda Charnes Jan 22, 2023

Show notes

Dr. Linda Charnes –– Professor of English, European Studies and Gender Studies at Indiana
University, Bloomington where she has taught since 1989–– joined Jen to talk about Hamlet, Talionic Law (aka retributive eye-for-an-eye justice), and America’s revenge fantasies.
She is the author of several books about Shakespeare, contemporary politics, and political psychology. Her first book was Notorious Identity: Materializing the Subject in Shakespeare published in 1993 by Harvard University Press, followed by Hamlet’s Heirs: Shakespeare and the Politics of a New Millennium, originally published in 2007 by Routledge, 2007, with a second edition in 2015.
Dr. Charnes has bucked the trend of academic treatments of Shakespeare’s work in favor of
unorthodox approaches that challenge temporal periods, field silos and most importantly,
divides between ivory tower and mass cultural versions of Shakespeare’s plays. An expert in
psychoanalytic and political theories, She was among the first to create and
model an unorthodox blending of theoretical approaches, which she has called “a theory
without organs.”
Dr. Charnes has lectured at prestigious venues all over the world, and directed faculty seminars at the Folger Shakespeare Library and the International Shakespeare Conference at Stratford-Upon-Avon. She fondly recalls giving the pre-performance lecture on Hamlet at the New Globe Theater in London, on the first night of Mark Rylance’s performance
in the title role. The date was July 4th , 2000.
In 2021, she was awarded the James P. Holland Award for Career Distinguished Teaching and
Service to Students at Indiana University, Bloomington.
For a cool photo of Linda click here for the website
Contact Booked Up:
You can email Jen & the Booked Up team at: BOOKEDUP@POLITICON.COM or by writing to:
BOOKED UP
P.O. BOX 147
NORTHAMPTON, MA 01061
Get More from Linda Charnes
Website | Author of HAMLET’S HEIRS and NOTORIOUS IDENTITY
Get More from Jen Taub:
Twitter | Website | Author of BIG DIRTY MONEY

8: Lauren Hough Jan 15, 2023

Show notes

Lauren Hough is the author of the New York Times bestseller, LEAVING ISN’T THE HARDEST THING, a collection of essays about growing up in the abusive Children of God cult, coming out in the military, and piecing a life together, as Roxane Gay put it, “on the margins as a working class woman and what it’s like to grow into the person you are might to be.”
Jen caught up with Lauren before she headed out on the road with her dog, Woody to research her next book MONSTER OF A LAND. Though she pressed, Jen was not able to get Lauren to spill the details on what is (or is not happening) with the screenplay about her memoir LEAVING ISN’T THE HARDEST THING. However, they did get into other personal topics from social media mobs to drug use to their in-person meeting in 2021 (after covid vaccinations) and a stuffed animal known as lamby.
The audiobook of LEAVING is narrated in part by actor Cate Blanchett, who is also reportedly the owner of the film rights.
Contact Booked Up:
You can email Jen & the Booked Up team at: BOOKEDUP@POLITICON.COM or by writing to:
BOOKED UP
P.O. BOX 147
NORTHAMPTON, MA 01061
Get More from Lauren Hough
Twitter | Website | LEAVING ISN’T THE HARDEST THING

Get More from Jen Taub:
Twitter | Website | Author of BIG DIRTY MONEY

7: INVASION by Luke Harding Jan 08, 2023

Show notes

Nearly a year into Russia’s Febuary 2022 invasion of Ukraine, journalist and author Luke Harding reflects on the people he met in the war zone while researching for his new book INVASION: THE INSIDE STORY OF RUSSIA’S BLOODY WAR AND UKRAINE’S FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL. Some of these brave sources are survivors of the Bucha massacre, who shared with him the trauma of losing loved ones and direct experiences of the violent atrocities. Others include a once optimistic contact from Mariupol who turned desperate, phoning Harding (who was 1,000 kilometers away) begging him to save his wife and children.
The book is spellbinding on its own merits, yet, this interview with Harding uniquely reveals the personal toll that reporting from a war zone takes on a journalist with the associated survivor’s guilt. Among the pain, though, is laughter, including the humor and pride associated with the Ukrainians on Snake Island. On the day of the invasion, they were being fired upon by the Moskva, Russia’s giant guided-missile cruiser that patroled the Black Sea with a crew of more than 500 men. The Russians warned the Ukrainians on the island to surrender or they would be bombed. In response, the Ukrianian border guard believing they were facing certain death or capture said, “Russian War Ship, go fuck yourself.” Not only did these men survive, but later, in April, the Moskva caught fire and sunk. The Ukrainians claimed credit for its demise.
Given his extensive background reporting from Russia as the former Moscow bureau chief, there are few if any reporters who have the first-hand understanding of Putin’s goals to retake Ukraine and beyond, and his lack of concern for the death toll he will run up trying, and failing to reach that goal.
Contact Booked Up:
You can email Jen & the Booked Up team at: BOOKEDUP@POLITICON.COM or by writing to:
BOOKED UP
P.O. BOX 147
NORTHAMPTON, MA 01061
Get More from Luke Harding
Twitter | Guardian Website | Author of several books including INVASION, COLLUSION, THE SNOWDEN FILES and A VERY EXPENSIVE POISON
Get More from Jen Taub:
Twitter | Website | Author of BIG DIRTY MONEY

6: The Unfolding by A. M. Homes Jan 01, 2023

Show notes

A.M Homes is an award-winning nonfiction author, novelist, short-storry writer, playwright, and librettist. This is the first time she and Jen speak together, having been introduced virtually by a mutual friend. In this conversation, AMH lives her axiom that, “People should pay more attention. Everyone wants attention, but no one wants to give attention.” In fact, she even commandeers the interview for a bit, getting Jen to talk about her past and future own writing projects.
A love of history permeates AMH’s fictional work, as she uses post-WWII American history as structural pins to help llustrate how we got from there to where we are today. In her newest novel, The Unfolding historical moments and figures function as much more than backdrops. These important events are embedded in the inner lives of her well-observed characters, and these characters do more than react, they are catalysts.
Her previous work includes, This Book Will Save Your Life, which won the 2013 Orange/Women’s Prize for Fiction, Music For Torching, The End of Alice, In a Country of Mothers, and Jack, as well as the short-story collections, Days of Awe, Things You Should Know and The Safety of Objects.
Contact Booked Up:
You can email Jen & the Booked Up team at: BOOKEDUP@POLITICON.COM or by writing to:
BOOKED UP
P.O. BOX 147
NORTHAMPTON, MA 01061
Get More from A.M. Homes
Twitter | Website | Author of THE UNFOLDING and THE MISTRESS’S DAUGHTER
Get More from Jen Taub:
Twitter | Website | Author of BIG DIRTY MONEY

5: Book Club: The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama Dec 25, 2022

Show notes

We kvetched, we laughed, we cried. Never-Trumper George Conway and advice columnist E. Jean Carroll puzzled over Jen’s selection for this month’s book, but were quickly won over by THE LIGHT WE CARRY after just a few pages. In fact, George now plans to read BECOMING. Ivan Lett encouraged us all to share the light we carry and appreciated the message about being yourself. In the words of First Lady Michelle Obama, “We only hurt ourselves when we hide our realness away." Lisa Birnbach helped us see the value in self-forgiveness.
Jen and Ivan agreed that when they go low, we don’t go high, we light to get down into the mud and fight. That said, we found so much value in the advice in THE LIGHT WE CARRY. Many passages were read aloud, including one on knitting by E. Jean, and an amusing bit about President Obama’s parenting style. Michelle wrote, “When [Sasha and Malia] moved to California, he emailed them a lengthy article about earthquake preparedness and offered to have Secret Service give them a natural-disaster-response briefing. (This was met with a polite, 'No thanks.')”
Contact Booked Up:
You can email Jen & the Booked Up team at: BOOKEDUP@POLITICON.COM or by writing to:
BOOKED UP
P.O. BOX 147
NORTHAMPTON, MA 01061
Get More from Book Club Members
Lisa Birnbach
Twitter | Website | Author of THE OFFICIAL PREPPY HANDBOOK and TRUE PREP
E. Jean Carroll
Twitter | Ask E. Jean Substack | Author of WHAT DO WE NEED MEN FOR?

George Conway
Twitter | On Morniing Joe | Author of Atlantic article Unfit for Office

Ivan Lett
Twitter | Website | Author of HAARLEM REBORN
Get More from Jen Taub:
Twitter | Website | Author of BIG DIRTY MONEY

4: The Shrink Next Door with Joe Nocera Dec 18, 2022

Show notes

Journalist and author of several books including indentured and All the Devils are Here, Joe Nocera talks with Jen about the crooked psychiatrist Isaac (“Ike”) Herschkopf and his guileless patients behind the Wondery Podcast he created with Bloomberg called “The Shrink Next Door.” They recorded the conversation a few days before the arrest and indictment of Sam Bankman-Fried (“SBF”), majority owner and leader of FTX, the collapse crypto trading platform. Joe also revealed details about the new book he’s co-authoring with Bethany McLean about Covid and the economy.
Contact Booked Up:
You can email Jen & the Booked Up team at: BOOKEDUP@POLITICON.COM or by writing to:
BOOKED UP
P.O. BOX 147
NORTHAMPTON, MA 01061
Get More from Joe Nocera:
Twitter | The Shrink Next Door Podcast | Author of INDENTURED
Get More from Jen Taub:
Twitter | Website | Author of BIG DIRTY MONEY

3: Michael Cohen Dec 11, 2022

Show notes

Michael Cohen was the personal lawyer and fixer for Donald J. Trump for more than a decade. He is now a top-selling author and host of the popular Mea Culpa podcast which, as of our Booked Up interview, had 65 million downloads. His new book, REVENGE, a New York Times bestseller, published in October 2022, reveals the high price Cohen paid for telling the truth about Trump.
In early 2019, Cohen testified under oath before a Congessional Committee, describing in detail the corrupt manner in which his former boss manipulated on paper the value of his various properties for purposes of deceiving prospective lenders and taxing authorities. Unlike others in Trump’s orbit, Cohen chose to testify against his former boss and also cooperate with law enforcement. His work with the New York Attorney General has led to a civil lawsuit against Trump and businesses related to among other charges, bank fraud, tax fraud, and business records falsification. And his cooperation with the Manhattan District Attorney’s office contributed to the landmark conviction of two Trump Organization businesses and may lead to further criminal charges by the DA and even federal authorities.
Cohen’s first book, DISLOYAL, shot to the number one spot on the New York Times bestseller’s list when it came out in September 2020. In this candid memoir, Cohen owned up to his misplaced admiration for Donald Trump, describing himself as “a demented follower willing to do anything for him, including, as I vowed once to a reporter, to take a bullet.”
His latest book, REVENGE, takes a hard look at how he was treated under Bill Barr’s Department of Justice, including what happened when he was out of prison on furlough, and about to sign the official release papers and get his electronic monitoring bracelet. The bureau of prisons team demanded he give up the right to publish his book or even speak to the press in exchange for his release. When he and his lawyer objected to these provisions asking to negotiate, the team disappeared for over an hour, seemingly to speak to their superiors. There was no negotiation. They came back, shackeld Cohen and remande him back to prison. He remained in solitary confienement for two weeks, until a judge took Cohen’s side, ordered his release, admonishing the government for retaliating against him for the plan to publish DISLOYAL.The judge said “I’ve never seen such a clause in 21 years of being a judge and sentencing people and looking at terms of supervised release. Why would the Bureau of Prisons ask for something like this ... unless there was a retaliatory purpose?”
Contact Booked Up:
You can email Jen & the Booked Up team at: BOOKEDUP@POLITICON.COM or by writing to:
BOOKED UP
P.O. BOX 147
NORTHAMPTON, MA 01061
Get More from Michael Cohen:
Twitter | Mea Culpa Podcast | Author of REVENGE
Get More from Jen Taub:
Twitter | Website | Author of BIG DIRTY MONEY

2: Dahlia Lithwick Dec 04, 2022

Show notes

Dahlia Lithwick –– senior editor at Slate and author of the instant New York Times bestseller, LADY JUSTICE –– joined Jen for the inaugural episode of Booked Up. Fresh off her book tour, Dahlia shared her writing secrets, tough love for the Supreme Court, and how she met (and almost scared away) her future husband.
Dahlia is the host of Amicus, Slate’s award-winning biweekly podcast about the law and the Supreme Court. She is a praise and prize magnet. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg avidly read Dahlia’s “Supreme Court Dispatches,” column, once quipping with admiration, “she’s spicy.”
In 2018, Dahlia received both the American Constitution Society’s Progressive Champion Award, and the Hillman Prize for Opinion and Analysis and was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in October of 2018. She earned her BA in English from Yale University and her JD from Stanford University.
Contact Booked Up:
You can email Jen & the Booked Up team at: BOOKEDUP@POLITICON.COM or by writing to:
BOOKED UP,
P.O. BOX 147
NORTHAMPTON, MA 01061
Get More from Dahlia Lithwick:
Twitter | Slate Bio | Author of LADY JUSTICE
Get More from Jen Taub:
Twitter | Website | Author of BIG DIRTY MONEY

1: Booked Up with Jen Taub - Trailer Oct 27, 2022

Show notes

Jen’s guests include writers of current bestsellers and beloved backlist books. Conversations cover love, money, politics, early dreams, writing habits, reading tastes, procrastination techniques, self-doubt, and news of the day.
Creator and host, Jen Taub is a law professor, advocate, and author. Her nonfiction books include BIG DIRTY MONEY (Viking 2020) and OTHER PEOPLE’S HOUSES (Yale Press 2014). She focuses on “follow the money” matters— promoting transparency and opposing corruption.
Jen’s favorite poem is Prufrock (and yes she knows that Eliot held abhorrent views. She contains multitudes and can separate the dancer from the dance.)
Taub was the Bruce W. Nichols Visiting Professor of Law in fall 2019 at Harvard Law School and is now a professor of law at the Western New England University School of Law. A former associate general counsel at Fidelity Investments, she is a graduate of Yale College and Harvard Law School.
You can write to Jen and the Booked Up team at: bookedup@politicon.com or Booked Up, P.O. Box 147, Northampton, MA 01061

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