This is a rebroadcast of a conversation first aired live on KAZI 88.7 FM in April 2016, featuring Bernice L. McFadden, author of the 2016 award-winning novel, THE BOOK OF HARLAN. The interview—conducted by Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay with the assistance of contributor Evelyn Martin‑Anderson—was later shared on the podcast in July 2019. DVBR is revisiting the discussion now to celebrate Akashic Books’ release of a special 10th anniversary edition of the novel, which remains one of my personal favorites. In this wide‑ranging discussion, McFadden talks about the lyrical language that shapes her work, her deep engagement with family history, and the hidden histories she uncovers through fiction. She reflects on The Book of Harlan as a sweeping saga that moves from the American South to Harlem, Paris, and World War II–era Europe, exploring friendship, legacy, and the power of storytelling to “breathe life back into memory.”

Bernice McFadden is the author of several novels, including Glorious and Gathering of Waters. A MacArthur Fellow, her work is widely praised for its historical depth, poetic prose, and exploration of African American life across generations.

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Diverse Voices Book Review host Hopeton Hay interviewed A. Mechele Dickerson, author of THE MIDDLE CLASS NEW DEAL: RESTORING UPWARD MOBILITY AND THE AMERICAN DREAM.
In this wide‑ranging conversation, law professor Dickerson discusses how her earlier work on homeownership and affordable housing led her to examine the broader erosion of economic security for low‑ and middle‑income Americans. She explains how rising costs across housing, education, and healthcare are interconnected—and what policy changes are necessary to restore genuine upward mobility in the United States.

A. Mechele Dickerson is the Arthur M. Moeller Chair in Bankruptcy Law and Practice at the University of Texas at Austin. She is also the author of HOMEOWNERSHIP IN AMERICA’S FINANCIAL UNDERCLASS Her scholarship focuses on consumer finance, housing policy, and the economic challenges facing working‑ and middle‑class families.

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In this episode of Diverse Voices Book Review, host Hopeton Hay speaks with novelist Karan Mahajan about his latest novel, THE COMPLEX. Mahajan discusses how the book examines immigration, marriage, family hierarchies, and the unspoken emotional lives that shape personal relationships. Set primarily in the late 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s in India and the United States, the conversation explores how private family dynamics intersect with larger political and social forces.

Karan Mahajan is also the author of THE ASSOCIATION OF SMALL BOMBS, which was a finalist for the 2016 National Book Award. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker and The New York Times, and he was named one of Granta’s Best Young American Novelists. He is an associate professor of literary arts at Brown University.

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Email: hbh@diversevoicesbookreview.com