Bianna Golodryga and Yonit Levi, DON'T FEED THE LION
[0:00]Hi, this is Zibi Owens, and you're listening to Totally Book to Zibi.
[0:06]Formerly, moms don't have time to read books.
[0:08]In my daily show, I interview today's latest, best-selling, buzziest, or underrated authors
[0:14]and story creators, whose work I think is worth your time.
[0:18]As a bookstore owner, publisher, author, and obviously a podcaster, I get a comprehensive
[0:24]look at everything that's coming up, and spend my time curating the best books, so you
[0:29]don't have to.
[0:30]Stay in the know, get insider insights, and connect with guests, like I do, every single
[0:35]day.
[0:36]For more information, go to zibimedia.com, and follow me on Instagram at zibi Owens.
[0:44]Biana, Golodriga, and Yoneet Levy are co-authors of Don't Feed the Lion.
[0:51]Biana is an Emmy award-winning journalist based in New York she anchors one world with
[0:55]Zane Asher, and Biana Golodriga, weekdays at 11 a.m. on CNN International, and CNN
[1:02]Max, and is CNN's senior global affairs analyst.
[1:06]She has reported extensively on Hamas's October 7th attack on Israel, helped lead CNN's
[1:12]extensive Russian-related coverage, and regularly fills in as host of CNN signature
[1:18]programs, including Ummampur, and Farid Sakaria GPS.
[1:22]She lives in New York with her husband, Peter, Orzag, and their children.
[1:26]Yoneet Levy has been the anchor of Israel's top primetime news channel on channel 12 for
[1:33]the past 22 years.
[1:34]That's Israel's most popular television station.
[1:37]Throughout her career, she has conducted interviews with top world leaders, including
[1:41]President Joe Biden, President Barack Obama, President George W. Bush, Secretary Mike Pompeo,
[1:46]Secretary Hillary Clinton, as well as international icons, such as Bill Gates, Lin-Man
[1:52]Well Miranda and John Stewart.
[1:53]In 2021, she started a weekly podcast, Unholy, Two Jews on the News, with Jonathan
[1:58]Friedland of the Guardian.
[2:00]The podcast discusses world affairs from a Jewish perspective and has listeners in more
[2:04]than 120 countries.
[2:06]Levy is married and shares three children with her husband, Ido Rosenblum.
[2:12]Welcome everyone.
[2:13]Thanks so much for coming on totally booked to talk about Don't Feed the Lion.
[2:17]We have both co-authors here today, and I will let them introduce themselves for you.
[2:22]Hi, Zimbianna Galadriga.
[2:24]Hi Zimbianna.
[2:25]I'm Yoneet Levy.
[2:26]Yay.
[2:27]Well, it's so nice to have you both here, and Yoneet, are you in Israel now?
[2:31]Yes.
[2:32]I am.
[2:33]What time is it?
[2:34]5,600 miles between us.
[2:35]Wow.
[2:36]Technology.
[2:37]Pretty awesome.
[2:40]Why don't you tell listeners what your book is about?
[2:44]So Don't Feed the Lion is a novel about three intrepid kids, a brother and sister, and
[2:51]an ally in Chicago.
[2:53]Theo is 13, his friend Gabe, who he meets in school, is also 13, and they're very curious.
[3:01]A younger sister, his very curious younger sister, Annie is 11 years old, and Gabe, like
[3:08]so many 13-year-olds have a lot of interests in whether sports or family life, and all
[3:16]of that sort of comes to a head when Theo's favorite soccer star is seen in a viral video.
[3:25]He's a super athlete, making a very anti-Semitic remark, and things start spiraling after
[3:31]that.
[3:32]Gabe is new to the school, the two meet, and when they're asked to write a project together
[3:39]on their cultural roots.
[3:41]And Annie is 11 years old, it's her birthday when the school starts.
[3:46]And we see how the family and the dynamics from that one anti-Semitic remark really begin
[3:51]to spiral when the adults in the room, the adults at school, don't step in the way they
[3:58]should, and all kids are left carrying the weight of how to address a situation like
[4:03]this.
[4:04]Can imagine or a story like this might have come from?
[4:08]Arly, any examples in the public eye, people coming out and disappointing the Jewish people,
[4:15]but there you go.
[4:16]It is definitely inspired by some true events.
[4:19]Let's put it that way in the video.
[4:21]Do you have kids this age?
[4:23]Why write a middle grade story?
[4:25]So for us, it's very personal, and we had this heartbreak after October 7th, obviously,
[4:31]of the events on that day, but also the tsunami of anti-Semitism, and, you know, beyond
[4:36]and I were talking every day.
[4:37]We have kids on that at that age exactly, and we kind of found ourselves frustrated,
[4:45]saddened surprised by the fact that there weren't any resources, anything that we could
[4:50]kind of turn to, and know what to say on a fictional level, on a non-fiction level,
[4:55]you know, suddenly my children in Tel Aviv were asking, you know, why do people who don't
[4:59]know me hate me?
[5:01]And I kind of had to, you know, I was talking to be on a, we were looking for answers, and
[5:06]at the end of the day, I think we kind of wrote the book that we couldn't find that would
[5:10]be relevant for our children, but also, I think, for parents to sort of have, you
[5:16]know, navigate this turmoil.
[5:19]Yeah, I think it's safe to say, you know, we were thinking about writing or working together
[5:24]even prior to October 7th, we've known each other for many, many years.
[5:28]And as you noted, sort of alluded to real-life events mirroring what we're saying play out
[5:34]in this book, you know, my 13-year-old son was 11 at the time and wondering why celebrities
[5:40]from rap artists to athletes were publicly stating, lately, obvious, you know, anti-Semitism,
[5:49]and were paying the price for it.
[5:52]And others were quick to apologize for them when they wouldn't do it themselves.
[5:56]And when questions were asked about why do they hate us?
[6:00]And when we made the outreach to schools about, you know, what are the resources for
[6:04]our kids found there were none.
[6:06]And as Yoni said, we decided to fill that void.
[6:08]Because if it was happening in New York, it's clearly happening around the country
[6:12]and 100%.
[6:13]And I could not be more in your shoes.
[6:15]I have a 10 and 12-year-old now, plus two 18-year-olds.
[6:18]But the younger kids in particular, it's like, what do you say?
[6:21]How do you present this?
[6:22]How do you explain it when we're all trying to sort it out as well?
[6:26]Not freak them out so much that they are too afraid to go and live, but provide them
[6:31]with enough information that they're protected and prepared.
[6:35]So your book is such a fabulous resource.
[6:38]I wish it had been out two years ago, but it's just as relevant today.
[6:42]I was hoping to read just one quote from it.
[6:44]Is that okay?
[6:45]Sure.
[6:46]Okay.
[6:47]This is one of the kids is saying this.
[6:48]You have no idea what it's like.
[6:50]You don't have anyone drawing hate symbols on your locker or smashing your temple windows
[6:55]or telling you how to stand up for your people.
[6:57]You just act all innocent and honest and nice, but I'm not falling for it.
[7:02]And yeah, I added for my grand finale because I couldn't stand the smell of my breath
[7:07]for another second.
[7:08]In case you're wondering, I didn't brush my teeth this morning.
[7:10]How do you like that?
[7:11]Then I grounded him, like some Raven dog and stormed off, leaving him and those uneaten
[7:16]garlic knots behind.
[7:20]So that frustration and the need to let people know, like this is going on for us.
[7:27]And even if you're not acknowledging it, like this is something in my reality that I want
[7:32]you to pay attention to because we're friends.
[7:34]Tell me a little bit about this and the scene and the frustration and all of that.
[7:40]So this is Theo.
[7:41]Yeah, that was sorry.
[7:42]Yeah, that's Theo.
[7:44]And that's Theo responding to Gabe who, as we noted, is an ally here.
[7:51]And I think when we've all been in that age and that situation where you take things
[7:56]out on the people who really do end up caring about you the most.
[8:01]And Theo is going through a roller coaster of emotions just wants to be like everyone
[8:06]else.
[8:07]All of a sudden, the Friday night Shabbat dinners impede upon his time spent with some
[8:12]of his teammates that have started gathering on Friday nights because they're getting
[8:16]older and his favorite soccer player makes this horrific anti-Semitic remark.
[8:23]The response isn't what one would imagine it should be in any other circumstance finds
[8:28]himself with a swastika on his locker.
[8:32]And he vents to the one person who, as you'll find out in the book, really is among the
[8:37]most sympathetic, especially among his peers.
[8:40]And all of this is happening when he's 13 years old, right?
[8:42]And which is a difficult age to begin with, everything is confusing.
[8:47]And he's 13, Gabe is 13, his younger sister, Theo's younger sister, Annie is 11.
[8:53]So they're going through life and having to deal with this.
[8:56]Some of the parents and adults in the book are confused and not, I think, helping the
[9:04]situation, some of the pressure that Theo is feeling to, should he step out, should he
[9:08]not step up.
[9:09]I think the main characters in the story are very, very brief, but they also lean on
[9:14]a family and a net of friends that love them very much.
[9:18]And all of that is to say that these are confusing times and you don't have to automatically
[9:24]know how to deal.
[9:25]But it is important to think through these things and rely on the people who love you
[9:31]and care about you.
[9:32]I hope that comes out from this book.
[9:34]It is a story about what happens to this community and this family dealing with anti-Semitism,
[9:39]but also just generally about how do you stand up to hate?
[9:42]What do you do in these instances of prejudice?
[9:45]How do you deal when you're 13 and 11 in the world?
[9:48]A lot is happening in your world, apart from that.
[9:51]I think I hope that we kind of managed to tap into that.
[9:54]How 100%.
[9:56]And also Gabe has his own bag of issues.
[9:59]His mom has...
[10:00]just passed away from complicated COVID,
[10:02]which is so sad we learned this early on.
[10:04]His dad is in the military, he's living with an aunt.
[10:08]I mean, he is also sort of uprooted searching for roots,
[10:11]which is why this project is so perfectly timed.
[10:14]They're both sort of looking for identity, home,
[10:17]sense of belonging, and really, most 13 year olds
[10:21]are also looking for that without any extra things.
[10:25]I mean, it is hard to be 13,
[10:26]even if nothing is going on in the world.
[10:28]So the fact that all of this,
[10:30]I mean, I feel like the reader can totally relate
[10:32]to Theo not wanting to draw attention to himself,
[10:35]because 13 year olds don't really want anything drawn
[10:38]to, they don't want to stand out in any way.
[10:40]Their MO is to sort of fit in.
[10:43]I feel like that's like be part of the pack
[10:45]and have friends and all of that is so important
[10:47]for that socialization at that age.
[10:50]So I feel like you definitely nailed this period of time.
[10:53]I also love the extended family.
[10:55]I particularly love the grandfather.
[10:56]I think his name's Ezra, right, Ezra?
[10:59]He's like my favorite character in the book.
[11:01]He is hilarious, and I feel like I would spot him on the street.
[11:05]I could pick him out.
[11:06]Talk a little bit about him and sort of the sad backstory
[11:10]there as well, but how he plays into it
[11:13]and a grandparents influence today.
[11:16]Yeah, so if there's any argument,
[11:17]I mean, I think that Biana, our friendship is so sleeveless
[11:22]and has, we don't have arguments at all,
[11:25]but if there's one fight, it's over Ezra,
[11:27]because we love him so much.
[11:28]And it's like who of us loves,
[11:30]which one of us loves him more?
[11:32]Ezra is the inspiration for him.
[11:35]I have to say is my mentor and I anchor the evening news here
[11:38]in Israel.
[11:39]My mentor was the chief military analyst
[11:41]and sort of this character that everyone in this country knew
[11:44]he sadly passed away a few years ago.
[11:46]And that story about Ezra with the asthma inhaler
[11:49]and smoking at the same time, that is him.
[11:52]That is how he would, he was a character
[11:55]of the life and I think that we, and again,
[11:57]similar in biography, Ezra came from Iraq
[11:59]with his family to Israel.
[12:01]And then from that point on the character's divergent,
[12:04]I think he was the inspiration.
[12:05]He's kind of a large of the life character.
[12:08]His story, his love story with his wife,
[12:11]the grandmother in the story, Talia Kaplan,
[12:13]is sort of the heart, I think, of what is going on.
[12:16]They kind of are the backbone of our story.
[12:19]Originally, the title was, I think I love you,
[12:22]Talia Kaplan of the book itself,
[12:23]which is the song he wrote her when they first met.
[12:26]We changed it a little bit along the way.
[12:28]But yeah, he is the sort of, I think the heart
[12:30]of the story, propelling it along.
[12:33]Wow.
[12:34]And you just sort of mentioned that in passing,
[12:37]I anchor the evening news, like that's a big deal.
[12:39]You're not a few moms who decided to write a book,
[12:41]you're both big deal on TV, reporter anchors
[12:45]with a whole history of excelling in this medium.
[12:50]What is it like being in front of audiences now,
[12:54]reporting on the news, having your own feelings
[12:56]about it, interviewing people,
[12:58]like talk about being in the public eye
[13:01]in this unique way at this time?
[13:05]I mean, I have to say it's been very therapeutic
[13:08]with Yoni to end me working together.
[13:10]This is our first book, our first novel.
[13:12]If someone had said like here's a rule book
[13:14]for how you're gonna be able to do this,
[13:16]we probably wouldn't have started it
[13:18]because it would have been way too daunting,
[13:20]but this came about so seamlessly and organically.
[13:23]We've been working separately on thinking about projects
[13:26]and books that we could work on over the years,
[13:28]but this one really clicked.
[13:30]And let's be honest, this has been a very difficult time
[13:35]in covering the news around the world,
[13:38]not just the war in Gaza,
[13:40]but October 7th itself, the war in Ukraine,
[13:44]changing political dynamic around the world.
[13:47]And we really have found solace in each other.
[13:50]It's like we're each other's therapy.
[13:52]And it's unique that we have, you know,
[13:54]a perspective is just two Jewish journalists
[13:58]who were mothers, you know,
[14:00]unique did spend her formative years
[14:02]in elementary school here in the States,
[14:04]but here she is, you know, telling Israelis
[14:07]about what's happening in the world.
[14:08]Here I am, telling Americans and, you know,
[14:11]intercedent international viewers about what's happening.
[14:14]And we've helped each other along the way, you know,
[14:17]there have been frustrations I've had
[14:20]that I've quickly expressed to her after my show was over.
[14:23]Sometimes we text each other on air while we're both on air
[14:27]and, you know, this is a hard interview
[14:29]or I can't believe this headline.
[14:31]And I think, you know, for you need it has been similar.
[14:34]So the fact that we've had each other,
[14:36]I don't know what I would have done without her.
[14:38]It would have been that much more difficult
[14:39]because it's hard to talk to anyone outside
[14:41]of this world and industry sometimes about it.
[14:43]And I think something about being on daily news every evening
[14:48]for me, morning for beyond the same hours
[14:50]because of the time difference almost
[14:51]and having to hold, you know, yourself in front of everyone
[14:55]and to, you know, act like everything is okay when nothing is.
[14:58]And I think with each other we could be so honest
[15:01]and we get each other because we do the same thing.
[15:04]And I thought about it, Zibi,
[15:05]that the original name of your podcast
[15:06]was moms don't have time to read books.
[15:08]So moms definitely don't have time to write books,
[15:11]but we kind of managed to do that
[15:13]somewhere in the weird hours of the night.
[15:16]I kind of felt like there's such a distance physically
[15:20]between us, but I, you know,
[15:21]beyond is one of my closest friends.
[15:22]And she said, and I think she's so accurate in this.
[15:25]It really was therapeutic for us to write this.
[15:28]I hope it will be helpful for people to read it as well
[15:31]in the way that we kind of poured all of our energy
[15:35]and our love into it.
[15:35]I hope that kind of shines through.
[15:38]That's amazing.
[15:39]I feel like you can totally tell when co-authors
[15:40]have their own unique, wonderful relationship
[15:44]as a baseline that aren't just thrown together
[15:46]or sort of trying to get a project going,
[15:48]but it helps with unifying the voice or something
[15:51]is the book coming out both in Israel and the US
[15:54]or simultaneously.
[15:57]It will come out first in the US.
[15:59]And then when I am perfectly satisfied
[16:02]with the translation, it will process in people as well.
[16:05]I see, okay, interesting, interesting.
[16:10]That's partly don't be the lie.
[16:11]It doesn't translate that well into Hebrews.
[16:14]So your need is, it doesn't sound the same.
[16:16]So your need's working out that front too.
[16:19]It will happen in the end.
[16:21]What do you tell your kids?
[16:24]I mean, I know we all are living in this time,
[16:26]but we have stories like this
[16:28]which show different viewpoints, which is so critical.
[16:31]But how have you just as moms navigated this time
[16:36]with your own families, if you feel comfortable sharing?
[16:39]I mean, you know, we always talk about nature
[16:42]versus nurture and how can, you know,
[16:44]two or three, however many kids are in a family,
[16:46]come from the same parents and be so different.
[16:49]And I think we see a little bit of that
[16:51]between Annie and Theo in this book,
[16:53]but it really is a reflection.
[16:55]I have two children of my own.
[16:58]I have two older step kids who are in their 20s,
[17:00]but for my husband and for me,
[17:02]we have our 13-year-old son and our nine-year-old daughter
[17:05]and they couldn't be more different.
[17:07]Obviously since October 7th
[17:10]and the subsequent turmoil
[17:12]and the real panic about the rise in antisemitism,
[17:17]our daughter obviously is aware of it.
[17:20]She hasn't asked as many questions, but for our son.
[17:23]I mean, this has really been a game-changing life-changing
[17:26]experience for him in many ways, maturing him sadly.
[17:30]I think faster than we had expected.
[17:33]You know, we talked about sort of October 8th Jews.
[17:36]And I think that's who our son really has become.
[17:40]He's taken, he's always been interested in world news
[17:43]and global affairs and politics,
[17:45]but this just exponentially boomed for him.
[17:49]He's interested especially in the war
[17:51]and antisemitism, combating it.
[17:54]We had his bar mitzvah in Israel back in March,
[17:56]who spent time with your neat fair,
[17:58]luckily it was during the ceasefire,
[18:00]but he's really, and this has been all organic on his own,
[18:03]embraced his Judaism in a way
[18:05]that's been beautiful to see and tragic in the same sense
[18:09]that I think for him, this was a very vulnerable period.
[18:13]And like you'll see in the book,
[18:16]Annie tackles antisemitism in her own intrepid way
[18:22]and, you know, break some rules along the way.
[18:24]And for Theo, it's what I would say a lot of kids
[18:28]and maybe even I would have been doing at the age of 13
[18:31]trying to suppress everything, ignore everything, fit in.
[18:34]And for, you know, for my son, it's been a bit more
[18:38]of a, you know, independent streak that we've seen in him
[18:42]and really, really admire.
[18:44]Amazing.
[18:45]How about you, Yani?
[18:47]I mean, it's a difficult thing
[18:49]because it's here it is intertwined with everything
[18:52]that has been going on in the country.
[18:54]So obviously a lot of conversations about that
[18:56]and, you know, particularly what comes to mind
[18:59]is the Bebus family after Shirina Lee
[19:02]and Phil were officially pronounced dead
[19:05]and we had to tell our children.
[19:07]And even if you give it the, you know,
[19:10]the gloss over it is still a terrible story.
[19:12]But you kind of figure out that the way to deal with it
[19:16]is not to hide it, but to just say,
[19:18]this is what happened, this is the situation,
[19:20]this is what is in the background.
[19:21]Of course, adaptable to children of that age,
[19:24]but I find that they are more resilient
[19:27]that we had expected.
[19:29]And I think that the important thing here is to
[19:32]have that conversation as a family.
[19:35]And to not, I think, be afraid of saying,
[19:38]this is what the world is like right now.
[19:40]We hope it will be better.
[19:41]It will get better.
[19:42]We are optimistic about that,
[19:44]but also kind of shed a light on the good people
[19:48]and the people who are not only, you know,
[19:50]our shoulder to shoulder with you
[19:52]in fighting for a better world.
[19:53]And I think that they are, again, they surprised me
[19:56]in being so incredibly strong.
[20:00]And let's confuse it less afraid than we are, I think, at times.
[20:04]Well, yeah, Zibi, if I can just say one of the takeaways here, and again, we've seen this explosion in anti-Semitism,
[20:10]but let's be honest, it's been with us for millennia and even, you know, the past 10 years or so.
[20:16]It's been a real problem. And sadly, it's sort of been swept under the rug.
[20:21]It's something that no one felt really comfortable addressing in ways that other social injustices,
[20:26]I feel that we really have tackled head-on and rightly so as a society.
[20:30]So many things that you'll see in the book, and many of the events as shocking as they may be,
[20:35]are based on true realities that, you know, my own family faced and, you know, my step-children
[20:42]faced in school way before October 7th. And the lack of accountability, a few adults,
[20:48]the lack of these types of conversations with kids, was just inexcusable. And I think has
[20:54]helped light the fire to this recent wave of anti-Semitism because we shouldn't be surprised by it.
[21:02]I mean, in your book, you have the headmaster saying it's just like an incident that happened
[21:06]at the school, which of course made the mom react with outrage, and you have the coach who's like,
[21:12]whatever, just get back in the community. Potentially offensive.
[21:15]Potentially offensive. Sorry, thank you. And, you know, they put a sticker over it,
[21:19]and they're like, it's not a big deal, the stickers over it. And it's like, no, it is a big deal.
[21:23]It's behind the sticker. It's there in Sharpie, and we can't ignore it. And it's not just a sign.
[21:29]It's a hate symbol. So I feel like the school and administration in the book,
[21:36]that dynamic is something so relatable. I feel like that's what so many families are encountering
[21:43]because, you know, even from DEI, not including Jewish families. And then all of a sudden,
[21:49]having literally no resources in a school to go to, like, where, who do you talk to? If
[21:54]how do you affect change? Anyway, I felt like that particular piece really, really nailed that.
[22:00]Yeah. And sadly, that's also based on a real, you know, event and instance. So not so long ago,
[22:08]it's just one of these things where you constantly feel gaslit and are told that something's not a
[22:14]big deal when in your gut. And this is when we really should be listening more to children,
[22:18]you know better. Do you two feel brave? I'm sure people call, say, you're brave for any
[22:24]in this book. You're brave for speaking out. You're brave for being publicly Jewish. I feel like
[22:28]people are saying that to anybody who is willing to be public in these times as opposed to hiding,
[22:35]you know, historically has been the de facto survival mechanism. But now so many are empowered to
[22:41]speak out. Do you feel afraid? Do you feel brave? Like, how are you feeling? You have this book
[22:46]coming out and a really anti-Semitic climate publishing world, bookstores. I mean, it's all over.
[22:53]How do you feel about it? And how do you get through any sort of negative emotions?
[22:57]Such a good question. I have to say that we were so much in the process of writing it and getting
[23:02]it published, which was also a story in itself. I think, and now that it's coming, we're sort of
[23:08]so happy. And I was talking to my sister-in-law. And the first thing she said was, you know,
[23:14]this might be, you know, people might attack you for putting this book out. And I said,
[23:18]you know, it kind of was taken aback at first. I mean, of course, she's right. But I said,
[23:22]that's a children's book about anti-Semitism. It's innocuous. There's nothing controversial
[23:27]about it. It's supposed to help kids and their parents. And of course, not only for the Jewish
[23:31]community. And she said, no, but you know, this is very, you know, it's high volume. You're out
[23:36]in the world with this. I just hope that the story resonates beyond all of that. But I can't say,
[23:41]if I feel brave or not, I'm really glad that this is going to be out in the world, and people will
[23:47]read it. That's the truth. And the number of people who have reached out and said, thank you
[23:52]for writing this or thank you for answering some of the same questions. You know, they're trying to
[23:56]answer some of the same questions our kids are asking to sad state that you, you know, are labeled
[24:01]as brave. And because that wasn't our intent, it was literally addressing an issue that was so
[24:07]blatantly, you know, unavoidable at that point. And we knew it was only going to get worse. Sadly,
[24:13]we were right about that. But, you know, there's a lot of pride to take in our culture as well in
[24:19]our heritage. I, I you asked about our kids, you know, my nine-year-old's oldest, I've been
[24:24]wearing a star of David again on her own. So that, to me, is sort of an inactive, a bravery, too,
[24:30]for someone just choosing to put on a star of David in this, you know, heightened environment. But
[24:36]yeah, it's, you know, what about security? There's just questions and issues that we have to
[24:41]think about that others don't. And, you know, sadly, that's always been, you know, our reality.
[24:47]I, you know, I love this country. I moved here as a political refugee because of my Judaism from the
[24:52]the Soviet Union. And it's the best country in the world. But the fact that, you know, going back
[24:58]to my childhood earliest memories in Texas, always having security at every Jewish establishment
[25:03]and being, you know, afraid when you don't see security guards outside of synagogue, that's not
[25:08]something many other communities can relate to, and or should they. I mean, we can never normalize
[25:14]that. Sometimes I'm like, can I just wake up and this could all be a bad dream? Can we just like
[25:19]go back to ignoring and pretending like everything is actually fine? And then it all ended with
[25:24]the Holocaust, which of course is total lie and it's been going on forever. But, you know,
[25:28]suspension of disbelief. But anyway, do you have plans to have a soccer podcast, like the one in the
[25:34]book? You need to already get a successful podcast, but you know a lot. I am a soccer model. You need
[25:42]to put them two together. You should do a call for podcasters and try to get boys to girls. Anybody
[25:50]to apply another or two boys in the book, because there's why I said boys, but you should do it. Like
[25:55]want to be a podcaster. Want to have a soccer podcast and try to put something out. That would be so
[25:59]fun. That was a good solution for sure. Next mission. Are you going to do another book together?
[26:05]That's definitely yes. Yes. And by the way, we were so in love with the we're so glad that you
[26:13]I was worried you were going to ask who our favorite character was, because it just changes by the
[26:16]day. But of course, you know, Ezra sort of tops it all and the family patriarch. And we were
[26:22]talking about perhaps, you know, a prequel where Ezra and Talia. Me too. Yeah. They're less
[26:28]story and home. Ezra on the road. As a musician. But yes, this was, you know, it's it's hard to beat
[26:35]this experience. But I think we're home. And what is like the short version of the publishing journey?
[26:40]Oh, wow. Not an easy one. Okay. That is very sure. You're talking to do news people. It's like,
[26:50]we can do it in two words. So yeah, not easy. Okay. What do you see? We were a bit naive in this
[26:55]approach and, you know, had this idea reached out to publishers, you know, just at the end of 23. So
[27:04]a few months after October 7th. And yeah, it was it came to the point where we just decided that
[27:10]we would self publish. And luckily we had publisher and shining armor coming to our rescue
[27:17]in Arcadia and Michael Linton. And you know, as you know, it's a it's a hustle. It's a shameless,
[27:23]you know, you'll tell anyone and everyone. And people were listening and someone finally
[27:28]raised their hand. So we're very grateful. Well, I'm grateful too. It is fabulous. I have,
[27:35]you know, I read out loud books with my kids still, which I love. This will be next up after
[27:41]we finished. We're in the front desk series. I don't know if you read this by Kelly Yang. Anyway,
[27:47]whatever. After we finished front desk, we're going to move to, you know, don't be the lion and
[27:53]honored. Very, very excited. I hope you end up going to lots and lots of schools and presenting
[28:06]this book and getting it into everybody's hands. So congrats. And I'm here to help in any way
[28:13]that I can. So very excited for you for you both. Thank you so much.
[28:17]You really do. All right. Take care. Thank you. Thank you so much.
[28:23]Thank you for listening to totally booked with Zibi formerly momstone have time to read books.
[28:28]If you loved the show, tell a friend, leave a review, follow me on Instagram at Zibi Owens
[28:34]and spread the word. Thanks so much. Go and buy the books.