Our 2025 Page to Screen Summer Reads: *Miss Austen* (Gill Hornby), *Shirley Chisholm In Her Own Rods* (Zinga A Fraser, Ph.D.), *The Piano Lesson* (August Wilson), *Call the Midwife* (Jennifer Worth), *The Sympathizer* (Viet Thanh Nguyen)

Episode 73 is the 2025 Page to Screen podcast where The Boston Sisters talk about 5 books related to historical drama series and films for summer reading.

This year we highlight stories or provide a deeper dive into the films and series featured in the podcast’s 4th season (2024 - 2025). The authors of three 2025 summer reads were guests on the podcast.*

The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen* (2015) | Ep. 58
The Piano Lesson by August Wilson (1986) | Ep. 62
Shirley Chisholm In Her Own Words: Speeches and Writings by Zinga A. Fraser, PhD* (2024) | Ep. 59
Call The Midwife by Jennifer Worth (2002) | Ep. 70
Miss Austen by Gill Hornby* (2020) | Ep. 71

Download the Transcript for Ep. 73

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Hosts **Michon and Taquiena Boston**, *Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters*

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Listen to the podcasts that inspired our selections for 2025 Summer Reads

Featured

Oct 28, 2025

Ep. 78 - “You Get History” - August Wilson’s American Century Cycle

Oct 28, 2025

Episode 78 explores the film adaptations of the plays—FENCES, MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM, andTHE PIANO LESSON‍ —by award-winning playwright August Wilson (1945-2005) with Dr. Sandra G. Shannon, a leading authority on Wilson’s work, and founder and President Emerita of the August Wilson Society. As we approach the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States how do we better understand American history through August Wilson’s plays?

Oct 28, 2025

Apr 29, 2025

Ep. 71 - MISS AUSTEN - Cassandra’s Act of Sisterly Love

Apr 29, 2025

In episode 71 we talk with Gill Hornby, author of the best-selling novel Miss Austen which has been adapted for a 4-part series premiering on MASTERPIECE on PBS. MISS AUSTEN seeks to unravel the historic literary mystery by reimanging Cassandra Austen’s act of sisterly love in burning the letters of her famous author sister Jane Austen after Jane’s death in 1817.

Apr 29, 2025

Apr 8, 2025

Ep. 70 - CALL THE MIDWIFE - Behind-the-Scenes with Sister Julienne

Apr 8, 2025

Episode 70 goes behind the scenes of CALL THE MIDWIFE with Jenny Agutter who portrays Sister Julienne in the series. Jenny Agutter has been with CALL THE MIDWIFE since the series premiere in 2012. Created and written by Heidi Thomas, CALL THE MIDWIFE is based on the trilogy of memoirs by Jennifer Worth about her experiences as a midwife nurse in London’s East End during the 1950s (Season 14 is set in 1970).

Apr 8, 2025

Nov 26, 2024

Ep. 62 - August Wilson’s Enduring Legacy in THE PIANO LESSON

Nov 26, 2024

Episode 62 features a conversation with Constanza Romero, widow of American playwright August Wilson and executive producer for THE PIANO LESSON based on Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play directed by Malcolm Washington and featuring John David Washington, Danielle Deadwyler, and Samuel L. Jackson.

Nov 26, 2024

Oct 8, 2024

Ep. 59 - It’s a Monumental Time for SHIRLEY

Oct 8, 2024

SHIRLEY, featuring Oscar winner Regina King as New York Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, tells the story of the first Black congresswoman and political icon and her trailblazing 1972 run for president of the United States. Our guest is Dr. Zinga A. Fraser, a foremost expert on Shirley Chisholm, Director of the Shirley Chisholm Project on Brooklyn Women’s Activism, and the historical consultant for the Netflix feature SHIRLEY.

Oct 8, 2024

Sep 24, 2024

Ep. 58 - THE SYMPATHIZER Thriller Confronts and Subverts Power - A Conversation with author Viet Thanh Nguyen

Sep 24, 2024

Podcast SEASON 4 PREMIERE - Episode 58 brings you a conversation with Viet Thanh Nguyen, about the adaptation of his Pulitzer Prize-winning espionage, thriller, cross-cultural satire The Sympathizer into an HBO miniseries. THE SYMPATHIZER is directed by Park Chan-wook featuring a Vietnamese cast -- Hoa Xuande, Fred Nguyen Khan, Duy Nguyen; also featured are Robert Downey Jr., (in 4 roles) and Sandra Oh.

Sep 24, 2024

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