Hopeton Hay Podcasts

Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Denise Mina, author of THE GOOD LIAR.  The story follows a blood spatter expert who faces ethical dilemmas similar to historical cases where discredited forensic techniques led to wrongful convictions. THE GOOD LIAR publishes on Tuesday, July 29, 2025.

Denise Mina is the author of twenty novels, including the Reese's Book Club pick Conviction and its sequel Con...

Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed historian Paul Thomas Chamberlin, author of SCORCHED EARTH: A Global History of World War II. In the interview, we discussed how World War II fits into a larger story of the rise and fall of empires, the creation and destruction of colonial systems, and the reconfiguration of imperial power. The most surprising thing I discussed with Chamberlin is how the United State...

Diverse Voices Book Review host interviewed Rachel Howzell Hall, author of the new thriller FOG AND FURY. Set in northern California, FOG AND FURY features a disgraced former Los Angeles police detective, Alyson "Sonny" Rush, whose first case with her godfather's private detective agency throws her personal life into turmoil. Her life is further complicated when  she gets involved in the case of a star Black high school fo...

Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Ivy Pochoda, author of ECSTASY.  Based on a Greek tragedy by Euripides, Pochoda explained how she wanted to address difficult truths about female oppression and marital patriarchy. As described on her website, "Ecstasy is a riveting, darkly poetic, one-sitting read about empowerment, desire, and what happens when women reject the roles set out for them." 
 

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Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Dana A. Williams, author of TONI AT RANDOM: The Iconic Writer's Legendary Editorship. In the interview, Dr. Williams discussed Toni Morrison's path to becoming a book editor, some of the Black writers she edited at Random House including Angela Davis and Toni Cade Bambara, and what inspired her to write the book.

Dana A. Williams is Professor of African America...

Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Naomi Xu Elegant, author of the debut novel GINGKO SEASON.  Set in Philadelphia, Elegant examines the friendships and the love life of a neurotic young woman in her 20s. The novel also is a homage to Philadelphia, where the author lived while attending the University of Pennsylvania. In the interview, Naomi discussed the struggle of finding the voice of her protagonis...

Diverse Voices Book Review contributor Amanda Moore interviewed Dr. Peniel Joseph about his new book, FREEDOM SEASON: How 1963 Transformed America’s Civil Rights Revolution. Through a captivating study of leading activists during the Civil Rights movement, Joseph creates an authentic narrative about individuals who endeavored to change a nation and describes the struggle for justice and equal treatment for African American...

Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Rickey Fayne about his debut novel, THE DEVIL THREE TIMES. Covering eight generations of a Black family in West Tennessee, from the slave ship to contemporary times, Fayne creates a narrative rich with historical context, emotional depth, and Black folklore. In the interview, he talked about how his writing reflects his Black Southern upbringing and aims to honor the ...

 Diverse Voices Book Review contributor Amanda Moore interviews international reporter and news producer Abigail Leonard about her new book, “Four Mothers, An Intimate Journey through the First Year of Parenthood in Four Countries.” With a close examination of the lives of women in Japan, Finland, Kenya and the United States, Leonard writes an insightful narrative about motherhood and provides a genuine account of both the...

Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Shelley Fisher Fishkin, author of JIM: The Life and Afterlives of Huckleberry Finn's Comrade.  In the interview she highlights the irony in Twain's portrayal of Jim, contrasting Huck's limited understanding with Twain's deeper critique of society. Fishkin emphasizes the need for teachers to be well-prepared to teach "Huckleberry Finn," addressing its complex themes. F...

Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Jesse Q. Sutanto, author of the mystery novel VERA WONG'S GUIDE TO SNOOPING (on a DEAD MAN). This is the second book in the series featuring Vera Wong, a 61-year-old tea shop owner in San Francisco. Vera, based on Sutanto's mother, investigates a murder involving a missing person social media personality. The book explores themes of social media, human trafficking, an...

Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Preston Lauterbach, author of BEFORE ELVIS: The African American Musicians Who Made the King. In the interview Lauterbach highlighted the influence of African American musicians on Elvis Presley. He noted that Elvis's first hit, "That's All Right," was originally recorded by Arthur Crudup, and songs like "Hound Dog" and "Mystery Train" had African American origins. La...

Diverse Voices Book Review contributor Amanda Moore interviewed New York University Professor Linda Gordon about her new book, SEVEN SOCIAL MOVEMENTS THAT CHANGED AMERICA. Professor Gordon writes a captivating account of historical events that have shaped American society.  By exploring the transformative nature of individual and collective activism in the United States, Gordon reveals the unpredictable and unique signific...

Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Forest Issac Jones, author of GOOD TROUBLE: The Selma, Alabama and Derry, Northern Ireland Connection 1963-1972. Jones discovered the connection between the Catholic Civil Rights Movement in Northern Ireland and the Black Civil Rights Movement during a 2021 visit to Belfast. He highlights  the parallels between the movements, including how the 1969 Belfast to Derry Ca...

Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Kimberly J. Lau, author of Specters of the Marvelous: Race and the Development of the European Fairy Tale.  In stories retold for generations, wondrous worlds and magnificent characters have defined the genre of European fairy tales with little recognition of yet another defining aspect—racism and racialized thinking. Engaging four classic fairy-tale collections, auth...

Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Fernando A. Flores, author of the novel Brother Brontë. Set in Texas in 2038, it is a dark tale of a future where books are burned, the libraries are closed, and your neighbor may turn you in for having books. In the interview, Flores said, "...for those of us who have traveled to the valley by car, we've been through Three Rivers many times. And it's frightening beca...

Diverse Voices Book Review host interviewed Keith Clark about his books Navigating the Fiction of Ernest J. Gaines: A Roadmap for Readers, The Radical Fiction of Ann Petry, and Black Manhood in James Baldwin, Ernest J. Gaines and August Wilson.  Clark is a Professor of English and African and African American Studies at George Mason University.
 

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Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviews Lilliam Rivera about her 2024 novel Tiny Threads, a dark thriller set in Vernon, California, in the fashion world. Rivera discusses the novel's blend of horror, fashion, and personal trauma. She explores the connection between fashion and violence, drawing from her experience as a fashion editor. Rivera delves into the protagonist Samara's journey, her struggle with ad...

Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed Betsy Leondar-Wright, co-author of Is It Racist? Is It Sexist? Two questions that seem simple on their face, but which invite a host of tangled responses. In this book, Jessi Streib and Betsy Leondar-Wright offer a new way of understanding how inequalities persist by focusing on the individual judgment calls that lead us to decide what's racist, what's sexist, and wha...