[BONUS] Jen Hatmaker Book Club ft. A Woman of Intelligence by Karin Tanabe

2024-10-11

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In this month’s Jen Hatmaker Book Club episode, we speak with the author of A Woman of Intelligence, Karin Tanabe. In this fascinating interview, we learn that Karin originally set out to write a book about WWII women code breakers, but ended up turning it into an ode to the struggles of women finding themselves during early motherhood and the imminent right they have to a future chosen for themselves. The story follows a woman in the 50’s who sets out on a spy adventure, departing wildly from her mundane life, and making difficult choices that come with cho...

In this month’s Jen Hatmaker Book Club episode, we speak with the author of A Woman of Intelligence, Karin Tanabe. In this fascinating interview, we learn that Karin originally set out to write a book about WWII women code breakers, but ended up turning it into an ode to the struggles of women finding themselves during early motherhood and the imminent right they have to a future chosen for themselves. The story follows a woman in the 50’s who sets out on a spy adventure, departing wildly from her mundane life, and making difficult choices that come with choosing yourself over society’s whims.

Jen and Karin personally and candidly reflect on the pressures of motherhood, the erasure of self that can come with parenting full time, and the history that brought us to where we are today.

Some topic points include:

The fascinating pivot from Tanabe's original book pitch to the creation of "A Woman of Intelligence"
Discussion of rarely-taught aspects of U.S. history, including government-funded childcare during WWII
Tanabe’s approach to crafting complex characters, including the memorable mother-in-law
The careful construction of the novel's open-ended finale

Join Jen and Karin for an engaging conversation that will leave you eager to dive into "A Woman of Intelligence" and reflect on how far we've come – and how far we still have to go.

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Resources & Books Mentioned in This Episode:

A Woman of Intelligence by Karin Tanabe - https://bit.ly/47GdbxI

The Sunset Crowd by Karin Tanabe - https://www.karintanabe.com/copy-of-the-list

A Hundred Suns - https://www.karintanabe.com/a-hundred-suns

Karin’s Booklist - https://www.karintanabe.com/books-w3tou

Elizabeth Bentley - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Bentley

The Lanham Act of 1940 (Government-Subsidized Health Care) - https://bit.ly/3XS2Uen

The Red Scare - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Scare

The Cliffs by J. Courtney Sullivan - https://bit.ly/4evbYLG

Private Equity: A Memoir by Carrie Sun - https://bit.ly/3Bbgy3w

Eyeliner by Zahra Hankir - https://bit.ly/4gDgdqC