Physical Presence and Serendipity

When we wax poetic about the wonders of 2007 and 2008... what are we actually yearning for? Serendipity? Hope? The as-yet uncompromised belief that the arc of history bends toward justice? Or maybe just... a world without smartphones? Atlantic writer and bestselling novelist Xochitl Gonzalez joins the pod to talk about what it felt like to be at the epicenter of 2007/2008 nostalgia, and how it created the perfect backdrop for her take on very Brooklyn Great Gatsby.

This was such a dynamic discussion, filled with tangents and joy and trying to parse the contradiction of feeling nostalgia for an era that objectively sucked... but also generated a feeling of optimism and possibility that many of us have not felt since. I can't wait for the discussion on this one.

Brooklyn October 2008 (Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

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Show Notes:

• Buy Xochitl's Last Night in Brooklyn here
• Follow Xochitl on Instagram here
• More on the YOUTHQUAKE
• A solid overview from Marketplace on the housing affects (and ramifications of) the recession — including the stat referenced by Xochitl that nearly 10 million people lost their homes
• Xochitl's first novel, Olga Dies Dreaming, is about a Sunset Park wedding planner (something Xochitl talks about extensively in this conversation)
• Our episode re: "Are Millennials the Most Nostalgic Generation?"
• Michelle Obama in J.Crew (and why it mattered)
• Photo evidence (from my FACEBOOK ALBUM) that the scene I describe re: Brooklyn with my brother on Fourth of July did occur

We're currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:

BOOK CONCIERGE....BUT FOR IRISH LITERATURE. We're so thrilled to have Maggie O'Farrell (author of Hamnet and The Marriage Portrait) on the pod to do an Irish version of our book concierge: tell us what books you love, and Maggie and I will suggest Irish books to check out (or ask us Maggie O'Farrell-related questions! Her new book, Land, is set in Ireland before and after 'The Great Hunger')

HEARTTHROBS with return guest Adib Khorram! Who are the heartthrobs in 2026, where did they come from, who gets to be one, etc etc

WHITE LADY HAIR! Cultural critic Sarah Mesle will be joining us to talk about her new book Tangled: Seven Iconic Moments in White Women's Hair and What They Tell Us About Power, Pleasure, and Complicity. If there's a white lady whose hair interests you, I guarantee you it interests Sarah, too. We can talk about specific celebrity/actress haircuts but also specific styles/trends. I cannot wait for this one.

BOOMER MOMS! Tracy Clark-Flory and I need your questions about why boomer moms (very broad designation here, I realize) are the way they are — we're specifically going to talk about the constrictions of growing up in '60s/'70s U.S., particularly around femininity, race, education, body image, employment, and motherhood. This one's gonna be really good, I know it.

INTERGENERATIONAL FRIENDSHIP with Andrew Sean Greer, author of Less (and Villa Coco, a new book with an intergenerational friendship at its center). You can ask questions about how to find intergenerational friends, how to sustain those friendships, what people seem to love so much about them, wherever your heart takes you.

HOW TO FALL IN LOVE WITH A CITY with Lilah Raptopoulos, editor of the Financial Times city life vertical. We're going to talk about how to fall in love with cities WHILE VISITING (for fun, for vacation, for work) and how to fall in love with the city where you currently live. What tips do you want? What city are you struggling to fall in love with?

Anything you need advice for/want musings about for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment.

As always, you can submit your questions (and ideas for future eps) here

For this week’s discussion: Tell us about your 2007/2008 — and your feelings about it (and how it relates to this larger nostalgia for this era).

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