Nerdette Book Club: Tania James on ‘Loot’
Happy To Be Here
Greta Johnsen
4.8 • 1.5K Ratings
🗓️ 4 July 2023
⏱️ 21 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
July’s Nerdette Book Club pick is the historical novel 'Loot' by Tania James!
The story opens in Mysore, India when a young wood carver named Abbas is summoned to the Sultan’s palace to help make a mechanical tiger. The novel spans continents and decades, but that tiger is at the center of the story. It’s based on the real artifact ‘Tippoo’s Tiger’ in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London that depicts a tiger mauling a British soldier.
In this spoiler-free interview with the author, we talk about writing a delightful, propulsive plot that also deals with the legacy of colonialism.
Throw a copy of 'Loot' in your beach bag and read along with us! We’ll be back the last Tuesday of the month for a spoiler-filled discussion of the book. You can take part in the conversation by sending a voice memo with your thoughts on the book to nerdettepodcast@gmail.com.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Talent that hasn't been seen ever before. |
| 0:03.0 | She had the talent. |
| 0:04.0 | It was evident that she had major talent. |
| 0:08.0 | I already knew this guy was talented and hilarious, |
| 0:10.0 | but that's like another wing of the Smithsonian inside of him. |
| 0:17.0 | The greatest talent in history dissected. |
| 0:20.0 | Hear the origin stories of iconic figures on making |
| 0:23.0 | from WBEZ Chicago. |
| 0:25.0 | Listen wherever you get your podcasts. |
| 0:30.0 | From WBEZ Chicago, I'm Greta Johnson. |
| 0:36.0 | And this is the Nerdet Book Club. |
| 0:38.0 | It's just like a regular book club, |
| 0:40.0 | except sometimes the author stops by. |
| 0:42.0 | This month's book is Tonya James' historical novel, |
| 0:45.0 | Loot. |
| 0:46.0 | The story opens in Mysore, India in the late 1700s, |
| 0:49.0 | where a young woodcarver named Abbas is summoned |
| 0:52.0 | to the Sultans Palace to help make a mechanical tiger. |
| 0:56.0 | The novel spans continents and decades, |
| 0:58.0 | but that tiger is at the center of the story. |
| 1:01.0 | And here to tell us more about her book is Tonya James, |
| 1:04.0 | the books author. |
... |
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