Dolls of Our Lives

Latest Episodes:

Like a Diamond: Shine Bright Oct 01, 2024

Show notes

In preparation for our upcoming Melody episodes, this month’s feature is Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop (2022).

Shine Bright is Danyel Smith's love letter to the important musicians in her life. A prominent music journalist, Smith has sat across from some of the biggest names in pop over the past few decades. In a series of biographical chapters, Smith shares her experiences with singular talents like Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and more, weaving in her own story as a fan. We discuss this insightful and well researched history of Black women in pop, sharing some of what we’ve learned from Smith.

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Original air date: June 25, 2023

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Meet Me at the Fountain Oct 01, 2024

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This episode, we're going to a place where the lights are bright, the music is dim, and everything smells vaguely like cookies, pretzels, and overpriced lotions. That's right, we're going to the mall. Despite many predictions of near death, the mall is alive and well in many parts of the USA (and parts of the world). For this episode, we discuss Alexandra Lange's 2022 book Meet Me by the Fountain: An Inside History of the Mall. Lange's architectural history takes us all the way back to the beginning, which in the case of malls, is not that long ago. Starting with early American malls in post-war America, Lange offers a sharp overview of how malls came to be and considers where they are still thriving now. We talk about our own relationships to malls and bigger questions raised by these American institutions. Is the mall a useful third space for communities? Or, are malls simply the best place to be wowed by build-a-bear operations and rollercoasters?

Original air date: January 29, 2024

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Are You There God? It’s Us, Mary and Allison Oct 01, 2024

Show notes

For this monthly, we read Judy Blume’s iconic novel about faith and girlhood. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret may be from the 70s, but we found it to be a relevant and fun read as 90s girls. Protagonist Margaret is a curious and thoughtful pre-teen who has recently moved to a new suburb with her parents. Throughout the book, Margaret navigates questions about religion and her body while talking privately to god. Return to this classic book with us just in time for the release of a feature film version!

Original air date: April 21, 2023

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50 Shades of Red, White, and Blue (Ann Rinaldi's first and most unforgettable historical romance: Time Enough for Drums (1986) Oct 01, 2024

Show notes

Clear your calendars. Burn a chakra candle. Prepare yourself for the greatest love story that never needed to be told. Join us as we tackle Ann Rinaldi's first and most unforgettable historical romance: Time Enough for Drums (1986). The cover poses the question: "Can Jem ever love a Tory?" Please trust us that this will be the lowest on your list of questions after following along with our Rinaldi read.

Original air date: February 28, 2020

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The Midwife’s Apprentice Oct 01, 2024

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Do you remember this classic novel by Karen Cushman? Set in the Middle Ages, The Midwife’s Apprentice is about a girl named Alyce who is anything but mid. In spite of many challenges, starting with the fact that she sleeps in a dung-pile, Alyce finds her way in the world (and makes a few friends) while learning to be a midwife. We talk about our own medieval times, the transmission of medical knowledge, and what happens when cats name themselves (purr!).

Original air date: March 26, 2022

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Marsha, Marsha, Andre Oct 01, 2024

Show notes

This Pride month, we chose to cover three biographical projects that focus on Black queer experiences. First, we talk about two different approaches to presenting the life of Marsha P. Johnson, an important activist involved in the 1969 uprising at the Stonewall Inn. With the Drunk History episode "Marsha P. Johnson Sparks the Stonewall Riots," and the short film "Happy Birthday, Marsha!" we see two paths to sharing Johnson's story & her connection to Pride. We also talk about the gaps in the documentary "The Gospel According To André" - a recent study of the icon Andre Leon Talley. Join us for this look at the man called "the Kofi Annan of what you've got on" and the woman who insisted: "no pride for some of us, without liberation for all of us!"

Also mentioned on this episode: Mini-Syllabus: Memes and Blackness by Amber Officer-Narvasa

Original air date: June 27, 2020

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Our So-Called Patreon Episode: Freaks, Gleeks, and Dawson's Creek Oct 01, 2024

Show notes

For this year's October Patreon, we chose a topic that can be truly scary: revisiting high school.

A lot of people have turned to sitcoms to see what their teenage years might be like. With her latest book, journalist Thea Glassman makes a case for the importance of teen dramas such as Dawson's Creek, Glee, and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. In revisiting seven hit shows from the late 1990s/early 2000s, Glassman pulls from insider interviews and offers perspective on why we ought to care about these characters. Through seven essays, Glassman gives us plenty of moments for nostalgia, asking us to remember Carlton's dance moves and the angst of the drawn out Joey/Pacey/Dawson love triangle. Whether you watched these particular shows or not (Friday Night Lights, anyone?) you will appreciate Glassman's take on youth culture. We discuss the sitcoms we loved as well as what we're enjoying these days (including some content on the other end of the life spectrum, ahem, Golden Bachelor).

Original air date: October 27, 2023

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Season of the Witch (of Blackbird Pond) Oct 01, 2024

Show notes

Join us in exploring the magic that is The Witch of Blackbird Pond! We take you into author Elizabeth George Speare's world (1958) and her take on Connecticut Colony (circa 1680s). Trees will be used to harbor important charters, Quaker heroes will hide out by the town pond, and one spunky Kit will win you over as she avoids legal charges for witchcraft. Light a pumpkin spice candle and grab your map of the 17th century colonies--it's the season of the witch.

Original air date: October 31, 2020

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Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler Oct 01, 2024

Show notes

Filing cabinet fans, here we go! For this Patreon episode, we are diving right into the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. This 1967 classic features the Kincaid kids, who just need a break from home — and the allure of solving an art mystery.

Whether you really love hanging files, eccentric older people, or beds in museums, this book has a little bit of something for everyone (and a chauffeur). If you’ve never dreamed about sleeping in The Met, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler still has an enduring appeal. We talk about the value of stories that center smart and funny young people, without a moralizing "parents just don’t get it" ending. So, will you accept this rose, we mean, invitation to the Met?

Original air date: June 29, 2021

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It's Britney… Oct 01, 2024

Show notes

There may be a timeline where we do not cover Britney Spears's new autobiography. But this is not that timeline--and in this universe, our December 2023 Patreon episode is all about The Woman in Me. We talk about the highlights from Britney's book that have already gotten the most media attention (namely, a boy band member's indiscretions). But we also dive into the less discussed, yet profound and surprising insights Britney offers about recent years in her life. From her upbringing in Louisiana to her Vegas residency, this book is filled with great Britney lore and a good deal of tragedy. We discuss Britney's voice as an author and the continued reckoning led by other mistreated early '00s pop stars.

Original air date: December 20, 2023

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