Courtney and Jen take on the children’s picture book Something Happened in Our Town by Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins, and Ann Hazzard, with illustrations by Jennifer Zivoin.

This book cuts through the noise with a rare clarity—offering a way to talk about racial injustice to kids without drowning them in despair. It also exposes a harsh truth: white children often grow up cocooned from these realities in ways children of color never do.

Amid these weighty discussions, Jennifer and Courtney find lighter moments such as: If Mad Men were a drink, would it be whiskey? And procedurals like Bones—are they more like wine coolers or Kirkland Light? And why must significant others be so judgy about the TV shows we like?

It’s near impossible to unpack every crisis swirling around us today, but this episode’s mantra seems to be: “Know better, do better.” Keep those tough conversations alive about the value of every life, and keep pushing back against the idea that white lives hold more worth than Black, Brown, Indigenous, or any other lives. In 2026 alone, at least 9 people have lost their lives due to the Trump administration’s illegal and inhumane policies. Say their names just as much as you say the names of Pretti and Renee Good, and if you don’t know them, educate yourself: Keith Porter, Geraldo Lunas Campos, Victor Manuel Diaz, Parady La, Luis Beltran Yanez–Cruz, Heber Sanchez Dominguez, and Luis Gustavo Nunez Caceres.

If this episode resonates, share it, rate it, or give us a shout out. If not, well—there’s always something else to listen to.

Thanks for reading! This post is public so feel free to share it.

Sources:

Listen in as Jennifer and Courtney sit down to talk with this book’s amazing and inspiring author, Elisa Stone Leahy. Topics range from silencing the loud minority (Moms for Liberty) 🤡, the importance of amplifying stories anonymously 📣, the dangers of quiet censorship 🤫, and the power of reading 📖.

Why are bestsellers always about things like dogs 🐶 and dragons 🐉 ? Nothing against books about dogs or dragons…We love them! ❤️ But we have to wonder…Why do books that spotlight sensitive topics, (like a 7th grader juggling the science fair 🔭 , challenging relationships with friends 👯‍♀️ and family 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦, and looming deportation threats by ICE 🧊) more often find themselves on the “banned” list, and not the “bestseller” list? 📚

And no, it’s not because kids do not find these books relatable… “Tethered to Other Stars” has the awards🏆 to prove that:

* Garden State Book Award Nominee for Fiction (Grades 6-8) (2026)

* CYBILS Award Nominee for Middle Grade Fiction (2023)

Young readers (and their adults!) need books like “Tethered to Other Stars” now more than ever…If not to serve as mirrors 🪞 that support their own experiences, then as windows 🪟 to help build empathy ❤️ and awareness 🧐 for others.

🚨What can YOU do?🚨

✅ Request "Tethered to Other Stars” at your local library, ✅ your kids school library, and ✅ buy it from your local bookstore! Don’t have a local bookstore? Buy it here!

Courtney tells Jennifer about the 1954 Guatemalan coup and how the United States’ was involved…Spoiler alert…They weren’t great.

Let’s be honest, 2026 is shaping up to be a real doozy…why not start it out with an informational podcast about the history of United States corruption? Remember, knowledge is power and reading is resistance.

Tune in to learn how the United States used bananas as an excuse 72 years ago and how they’re using cocaine as an excuse now.

Jennifer tells Courtney about the eerie similarities between ICE’s perpetual torment on America’s migrant community and the YA novel Tethered to Other Stars by Elisa Stone Leahy…A book that you’d be hard pressed to find in the public school libraries of today’s ‘Merica.

The book follows seventh grader, Wendy Toledo, as she navigates the nuances of friends, bullies, and science fairs, while also trying to make sense of the woman hiding out from ICE in her local church…as well as her own family’s “legal status”.

Despite its similarities, there are a few major differences between this novel and today’s reality…one being that people can no longer seek sanctuary in a church. There aren’t many places that the Proud Boys, I mean ICE, won’t illegally enter to kidnap you.

Something that hasn’t changed, though, is church support. Many (not all) churches across the country are offering their assistance with securing food, housing, education, employment to people impacted by Trump’s secret polICE.

In addition to concrete support, many churches are sending messages that advocate for “meaningful immigration reform,” and call for an end to “dehumanizing rhetoric and violence” through their nativity scenes. See zip-tied Baby Jesus below (on Substack):

This particular scene was put together by volunteers at Lake Street Church in Evanston, Il, and serves as a reminder that Jesus himself was a brown-skinned immigrant.

Listen to the whole episode to hear more on Trump’s Secret PolICE and their worsening agenda to rid our country of the very people who helped build it, but also some good news stories of people like us who see the seriousness of fighting back.

In honor of the Wampanoag’s selfless aid in helping the wildly unprepared pilgrims not starve to death, Courtney tells Jennifer about the children’s book Keepunumuk by Danielle Hill, Alexis Bunten, Anthony Perry, and Gary Meeches, Sr. This award winning Wampanoag story is told in a Native tradition to Maple and Quill, two indigenous children who are listening to their grandmother tell the story of Weeâchumun (corn) and what really happened at the first “Thanksgiving”. But that’s just the first 20 minutes.

The remainder of the episode includes Courtney breaking down the history of words like landlord, bourgeoisie, and proletariat. Jennifer helps Courtney explain, in plain terms, how feudalism led to capitalism, and how Karl Marx’s communism has been misappropriated by Stalin and continues to be misappropriated by Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, with his requirement of the one-sided teaching of “dangerous communist” curricula.

Tune in to hear how Jennifer and Courtney connect Marx and Engel’s views on a class-less state with the decolonization of stolen lands.

✨ Action steps:

* Email your school district 🏫 demanding (nicely) to stock the books that really matter. 🙌 Customize this K-8 letter or this 9-12 letter based on which state you live, and which books have been banned!

👣 Follow @milf4books on IG, Threads and Bluesky and @momsintoliteraryfreedom on TikTok

✨ What You Get When You Join the MILFia on Patreon:

By supporting us on Patreon, you get access to exclusive perks that bring you deeper into the conversation — and help us keep making content that matters:

🗣️ A voice in what we cover nextVote on upcoming banned books, themes, and deep dives.

📚 Exclusive Zoom invites to the MILFia Book ClubRaw, real discussions about the books they don’t want us reading.

☕️👚 First dibs on our handmade, snarky merchThink mugs and tees that say what we’re all thinking.

➕ Bonus episodes connecting today’s politics to banned historyBecause history repeats itself — unless we call it out.

💬 Direct access to usQ&As, behind-the-scenes updates, and community chats with Courtney and Jennifer.

→ Join us on Patreon — starts at just $5/month.

Sources:

* https://revisesociology.com/2015/11/24/why-marxism-is-still-relevant-today/

* https://www.fldoe.org/newsroom/latest-news/state-board-of-education-approves-new-history-of-communism-standards-.stml

* https://www.splcenter.org/resources/extremist-files/prageru/

* https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/friedrich-engels.asp

Instead of a book, Courtney tells Jennifer about the new Paul Thomas Anderson movie, One Battle After Another, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, and Chase Infiniti…all celebrities whose names Courtney could not recall. 😂 But this episode isn’t about those kind of celebrities.

Without revealing any spoilers, Courtney gives Jennifer a very sloppy synopsis of the movie, while pondering things like whether or not Sean Penn’s character (Col. “Lockjaw”) was partially inspired by Ron DeSantis (since they both probably wear shoe lifts and have racist tendencies). 👢

But the real meat of this episode comes from conversations about how Epstein’s emails sparked rumors about Clinton and Trump’s alleged sexual relations…and the power that sex has. 📧

From bad ass women using sex as a weapon of resistance to white supremacists succumbing to sex as their number one weakness…Sex can make even the most powerful of men abandon their purity scruples…But only the ones about being heterosexual, since the ones about r*ping children didn’t exist in the first place.(And yes, 14 year olds are children, and having sex with them is r*pe.)

✨ Action steps:

* Donate to Lavonnia’s GoFundMe to help her relocate to be a librarian again!

* Email your school district 🏫 demanding (nicely) to stock the books that really matter. 🙌 Customize this K-8 letter or this 9-12 letter based on which state you live, and which books have been banned!

👣 Follow @milf4books on IG, Threads and Bluesky and @momsintoliteraryfreedom on TikTok

✨ What You Get When You Join the MILFia on Patreon:

By supporting us on Patreon, you get access to exclusive perks that bring you deeper into the conversation — and help us keep making content that matters:

🗣️ A voice in what we cover nextVote on upcoming banned books, themes, and deep dives.

📚 Exclusive Zoom invites to the MILFia Book ClubRaw, real discussions about the books they don’t want us reading.

☕️👚 First dibs on our handmade, snarky merchThink mugs and tees that say what we’re all thinking.

➕ Bonus episodes connecting today’s politics to banned historyBecause history repeats itself — unless we call it out.

💬 Direct access to usQ&As, behind-the-scenes updates, and community chats with Courtney and Jennifer.

→ Join us on Patreon — starts at just $5/month.

Sources:

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/epstein-bubba-trump-blowing/

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-10-01/one-battle-after-another-meets-the-moment-of-trump-politics-political-violence

https://www.history.com/articles/how-the-nazis-were-inspired-by-jim-crow

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/10/31/desantis-boots-shoemakers-00121044

Courtney tells Jennifer the ENTIRE plot of 1984 by George Orwell. Spoilers and all. She can’t help it…there are just too many comparisons to draw between Big Brother and the United States government.

“Doublethink” is a very important concept in the book that can be seen on a daily occurrence in our new authoritarian America. It’s basically like telling someone it is raining while pissing on their leg.

Today, it can be applied to the millions of MAGA followers who will be told that Trump is in the Epstein files but will simultaneously refuse to believe it, holding onto their unwavering support despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. This contradiction allows them to maintain loyalty and trust in their chosen leader while dismissing inconvenient truths, perfectly embodying the unsettling power of doublethink in shaping perception and reality.

Thanksgiving baskets, AI, the destruction of the orgasm, and Trump’s golden ballroom are just a few of the topics that Jennifer and Courtney cover to draw parallels between 1984 by George Orwell and American Fascism by MAGA. Yes, it is a long one, but there are just so many comparisons to make…you’d be surprised…Or maybe you wouldn’t be.

View on milf4books.substack.com for clickable links.

✨ Action steps:

* Donate to Lavonnia’s GoFundMe to help her relocate to be a librarian again!

* Email your school district 🏫 demanding (nicely) to stock the books that reallymatter. 🙌 Customize this K-8 letter or this 9-12 letter based on which state you live, and which books have been banned!

👣 Follow @milf4books on IG, Threads and Bluesky and @momsintoliteraryfreedom on TikTok

✨ What You Get When You Join the MILFia on Patreon:

By supporting us on Patreon, you get access to exclusive perks that bring you deeper into the conversation — and help us keep making content that matters

🗣️ A voice in what we cover nextVote on upcoming banned books, themes, and deep dives.

📚 Exclusive Zoom invites to the MILFia Book ClubRaw, real discussions about the books they don’t want us reading.

☕️👚 First dibs on our handmade, snarky merchThink mugs and tees that say what we’re all thinking.

➕ Bonus episodes connecting today’s politics to banned historyBecause history repeats itself — unless we call it out.

💬 Direct access to usQ&As, behind-the-scenes updates, and community chats with Courtney and Jennifer.

→ Join us on Patreon — starts at just $5/month.

Sources:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/fact-check-cheaper-walmart-thanksgiving-meal-touted-by-trump-has-fewer-items-than-last-year-s/ar-AA1PXOpK

https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/general/lakewood-church-responds-to-tiktok-series-asking-for-baby-formula/ar-AA1QfCqO

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/exclusive-trump-administration-holds-situation-room-meeting-over-house-effort-to-force-release-of-all-of-doj-s-epstein-files/ar-AA1QiWQ6

Courtney and Jennifer listen to Lavonnia Moore’s story about being targeted by the “Alliance for Faith and Family” over allowing volunteers to include a children’s book about Trans visibility in a library display.

The Alliance for Faith and Family is a small off-shoot of the hate group Moms for Liberty, which has been labelled an “extremist” organization connected to “hate groups” like the Proud Boys by civil-rights watchdog, Southern Poverty Law Center.

One quick perusal of their website and it is crystal clear that the Alliance of “Faith and Family” neither puts their faith in the inclusive teachings of Christ (re: Matthew 22:39 when he literally says “Love your friggin’ neighbor”), nor does it promote freedom for families, unless they are straight and evangelical like them.

Listen to Lavonnia tell us the whole story on your favorite platform…We’re literally everywhere, even Spotify! (Even though they suck for many reasons…one of them being that they stream ICE recruitment ads. Maybe we should boycott…)

✨ Action steps:

* Donate to Lavonnia’s GoFundMe to help her relocate to be a librarian again!

* Email your school district 🏫 demanding (nicely) to stock the books that really matter. 🙌 Customize this K-8 letter or this 9-12 letter based on which state you live, and which books have been banned!

👣 Follow @milf4books on IG, Threads and Bluesky and @momsintoliteraryfreedom on TikTok

✨ What You Get When You Join the MILFia on Patreon:

By supporting us on Patreon, you get access to exclusive perks that bring you deeper into the conversation — and help us keep making content that matters:

🗣️ A voice in what we cover nextVote on upcoming banned books, themes, and deep dives.

📚 Exclusive Zoom invites to the MILFia Book ClubRaw, real discussions about the books they don’t want us reading.

☕️👚 First dibs on our handmade, snarky merchThink mugs and tees that say what we’re all thinking.

➕ Bonus episodes connecting today’s politics to banned historyBecause history repeats itself — unless we call it out.

💬 Direct access to usQ&As, behind-the-scenes updates, and community chats with Courtney and Jennifer.

→ Join us on Patreon — starts at just $5/month.

Sources:https://www.splcenter.org/resources/extremist-files/moms-liberty/

https://allianceforfaithandfamily.com/f/okrls-major-concerns

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-lavonnia-moore-seek-justice-and-equality