Traci Thomas, creator and host of The Stacks Podcast joins Joy for a conversation that starts with "why can't the children read?" and doesn't let up. They get into why comprehension, not decoding, is the real crisis; why "talking shit about books" is good for books; the messy state of publishing for Black authors; parenting accountability; and Traci's favorite (and most controversial) book takes. Plus: Traci announces her six-week Understanding Shakespeare class starting September 23.

00:00 – Open: "Books Are Niche Because People Don't Read Them"

00:24 – Welcome + Meet Traci Thomas, Host of The Stacks Podcast

01:15 – Why Can't the Children Read? 03:19 – "I'm Too Hard on Everyone" (Joy's Confession)

04:26 – Pushback: It's Not That People Won't Read

05:28 – Hot Take: Talking Shit About Books Is Good for Books

07:51 – ACOTAR, Spice, and Reading as a Group Sport

10:04 – Bring Back Reading Goosebumps to Your Kids 13:31 – Growing Up in a House That Made You Read

15:02 – Shoutout to Dub: When "Can't Read" Means Something Different

17:00 – "You Guys Are Failing as Parents" 19:49 – Joy's Grandfather, the Army, and Illiteracy as a Control Tool

22:00 – "We Live Like Animals": Coming Home From Japan

25:18 – The Lost Art of Looking It Up

29:00 – "I Choose to Become the Villain You're Forcing Me Into"

30:02 – Books Aren't Niche, You Are

31:01 – Black Women Are the Most Likely People to Buy a Book

34:00 – "You're Not Famous Enough to Write a Book" 

35:00 – Guns, the Second Amendment, and Reading as Power

38:09 – Talking to Strangers and Learning to Trust Again

40:28 – I Wear the Black Hat: Our Obsession With Villains 42:00 – The James Baldwin Hot Take 44:56 – Books Are the Only Entertainment With No Ads

46:55 – Brick Your Phone, Save Your Brain

 50:20 – Stop Crying on the Internet: The Texas Teacher Video

53:08 – "Your Kid Is Not Special" (The Auntie Speech) 

54:10 – Understanding Shakespeare Class + The Stacks Pod