# Ep. 417 Paradise by Toni Morrison — The Stacks Book Club (Namwali Serpell)

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-stacks-550138/ep-417-paradise-by-toni-morrison-the-stacks-book-club-namwali-serpell
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-stacks-550138/ep-417-paradise-by-toni-morrison-the-stacks-book-club-namwali-serpell.md
Podcast: [The Stacks](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-stacks-550138)
Published: 2026-03-25T07:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://s.gum.fm/s-611319b4bd3dc100237cd71c/rss.art19.com/episodes/1d7a0ebe-2414-4f71-946a-88c34c58f32d.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIg90cmFuc2NyaWJyBjoGRVQ%3D--952c5701c84ad333c69d5faa668f8177091704f0
Audio file: https://s.gum.fm/s-611319b4bd3dc100237cd71c/rss.art19.com/episodes/1d7a0ebe-2414-4f71-946a-88c34c58f32d.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIg90cmFuc2NyaWJyBjoGRVQ%3D--952c5701c84ad333c69d5faa668f8177091704f0
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-stacks-550138/episodes/ep-417-paradise-by-toni-morrison-the-stacks-book-club-namwali-serpell
Duration seconds: 4430

## Resource

It’s The Stacks Book Club day  and  Morrison Month here on The Stacks, and today, we're diving into  Paradise   by Toni Morrison with award-winning writer, professor, and  On Morrison  author, Namwali Serpell. This book tells the story of Ruby, a small, all-black town in rural Oklahoma founded by the descendants of freed slaves, and its violent conflict with a nearby convent of women. We chat about the novel’s complexity, how it tackles faith and gender, and its connection to  Beloved   and  Jazz . There are spoilers in this episode. Listen to the end of the episode to hear what our April book club pick will be! You can find everything we discuss on today's show on The Stacks website:  https://www.thestackspodcast.com/2026/3/25/ep-417-paradise Connect with Namwali : Website | X/Twitter Connect with The Stacks:  Instagram  |  Threads  |  Shop  |  Patreon  |  Goodreads  |  Substack  |  Youtube  |  Subscribe See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

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## Transcript

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