Who gets to tell our stories? Two debut authors use their powerful voices to show strong female characters navigating family, race and colonialism with unfailing humor and heart. Claire Jiménez’s What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez follows a family in the wake of a tragedy as they attempt to move on — and up. Jiménez talks with us about finding the voice in her work, telling Puerto Rican stories, how she uses perspective and humor and more. In Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou we find a young Taiwanese American woman mired in the world of academia and all the challenges that privilege and power can bring. Chou joins us to talk about Asian American identity, how she changed while writing the book, what she’s working on next and more. Listen in as both talk separately with Poured Over’s host, Miwa Messer.  And we end this episode with TBR Topoff book recommendations from Jamie and Madyson.     Featured Books (Episode): Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez by Claire Jiménez The Makioka Sisters by Junichiro Tanizaki I Hotel by Karen Tei Yamashita Another Country by James Baldwin Dear Miss Metropolitan by Carolyn Ferrell Post-Traumatic by Chantal V. Johnson Yellowface by R.F. Kuang Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez War Against All Puerto Ricans by Nelson A. Denis Velorio by Xavier Navarro Aquino   Featured Books (TBR Topoff): Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood    Poured Over is produced and hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang. Follow us here for new episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays).