I'm Natalie Moore. I fell in love with soap operas when I was just five years old, and I still

watch them. Their television's longest scripted series and have zero reruns. Now let me tell you,

soap operas aren't just some silly art form. They are significant. In this season of making,

Stories Without End from WBEZ Chicago.

Join me as I share how the genre began, their social impact, and why these stories endure.

Listen wherever you get your podcast.

From WBEZ Chicago, I'm Greta Johnson, and this is the Nerdat Book Club.

This month's selection is White Ivy. It's Susie Yang's novel about a woman who will do anything to be with the man of her

dreams. That is obviously an extremely simplified version of this story. We're going to dig into it

much more intensely. But first, here is your spoiler warning. If you haven't read White Ivy

yet, go listen to the spoiler-free author interview that is in the feed now. Otherwise,

if you have read the book and you're okay with spoilers, welcome. We are so glad to have you.

Our panel this month is a great one. First up, we have Leland Chuck. He's written several books himself,

including most recently a novel called No Good, Very Bad Asian. He also wrote the review of White

Ivy for the Washington Post. Leeland, welcome. Thank you. Thank you for having me. We also have

Barthi Niceran. She's a researcher in New Delhi, and she reviewed White Ivy for the Chicago Review of

Books. Barthi, hello.

Hi, thank you for having me.

Thanks for coming on.

Okay, so I think we should start with a slightly more in-depth synopsis.

This book's main character is Ivy Lynn.

She's the daughter of Chinese immigrants.

...