White people can be exhausting.

That's the first line of my guest, Austin Channing Brown's book.

I'm still here.

Black dignity in a world made for whiteness.

I'm Linda Siebertson, and I knew I would love her the second I read that line because I believe white people are exhausting.

I've seen myself be exhausting over and over every time I've ever tried to connect with a black woman by asking about her hair or going on and on nervously due to guilt over my own damn white privilege.

I shake my head and I laugh at myself because I know my heart and I know it's well-intentioned, but I still know I've got a lot to learn

and I have been so excited to get to know this author. Austin is one of the It Girl writers right now

and for good reason. She's a seasoned racial justice leader and has,

with I'm Still Here, written what's been called a stunning debut and a book that's been heralded

as devastatingly beautiful and haunting. Glennon Doyle calls her a master memoirist. Brenne Brown is a big fan.

In a minute, you'll hear why when I do something new in this

intro and have Austin read a few graphs from her book from a chapter I adore called Why I Love

Being a Black Girl. But first, another new twist for this episode. As you know, if you've been

listening for a while, our guest co-hosts, when I have

them, are former guests themselves, but not today. Today I have the great pleasure of making

a new friend through Austin who recommended that her good buddy Daniel, Mallory, Ortberg,

join us. And what an amazing talent he is. Daniel is the New York Times bestselling author of texts

from Jane Eyre and other conversations

with your favorite literary characters.

Elizabeth Gilbert blurbed it with this little compliment

to Daniel's publisher.

...