This week, Annie is joined by America’s government teacher, Sharon McMahon. Sharon is the mastermind behind the Instagram account Sharon Says So. She and Annie tackle how best to read to understand, how fiction helps cultivate empathy, and why becoming a lifelong learner is so important..

The books mentioned in this week’s episode can be purchased from The Bookshelf.

• Sea Biscuit by Laura Hillenbrand

• American Sherlock by Kate Winkler Dawson

• Dead Wake by Erik Larson

• You Never Forget Your First by Alexis Coe

• Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe

Sharon’s favorite podcasts:

• Office Ladies

• Sharon Says So (coming soon!)

Sharon’s suggested press reading:

• Reuters

• Associated Press

From the Front Porch is a weekly podcast production of The Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in South Georgia. You can follow The Bookshelf’s daily happenings on Instagram at @bookshelftville, and all the books from today’s episode can be purchased online through our store website, www.bookshelfthomasville.com. 

A full transcript of today’s episode can be found here.

Special thanks to Dylan and his team at Studio D Production for sound and editing and for our theme music, which sets the perfect warm and friendly tone for our Thursday conversations. 

This week, Annie is reading Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney and Sharon is reading Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe.

If you liked what you heard on today’s episode, tell us by leaving a review on iTunes. Or, if you’re so inclined, support us on Patreon, where you can hear our staff’s weekly New Release Tuesday conversations, read full book reviews in our monthly Shelf Life newsletter, follow along as Hunter and I conquer a classic, and receive free media mail shipping on all your online book orders. Just go to patreon.com/fromthefrontporch.

We’re so grateful for you, and we look forward to meeting back here next week.