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- [00:01]
A
Expedia and visit Scotland. Invite you to come experience the beauty that awaits in Scotland. The sweep of wild coastlines, quiet lochs and untamed landscapes. Fresh cuisine that feels rooted in the land. Come experience the kind of stillness that stays with you long after you leave. Plan your Scottish escape today@expedia.com VisitScotland Foreign.
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B
To all of you listeners that we so appreciate, every one of you, even that guy over there on the left. We really appreciate him being here. It's nice to have each and every one of you listening to the bookcase with Kate and Charlie.
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A
I don't know about that guy on the left. He looks kind of sketchy. Anyway, I'm the Kate part. I'm the Kate part. I'm very happy to see you, guy on the left. I'm the Kate part of the hosting duo. And it's nice to have you back with us or with us for the first time.
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B
Well, I don't think people realize that we can see each of our listeners on the screen.
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A
God, that's terrifying. I wouldn't want to like, even if that were true. It's not true.
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C
Sorry, go ahead.
- [01:17]
B
Well, yeah, how would we get them all into one screen anyway? It's impossible. We have Martha Raddatz with us. It was my pleasure to work with Martha for many years. She came to ABC from National Public Radio, as I recall. And Martha has been a mainstay of ABC News for quite some time now, and she's been a mainstay in covering wars. Martha is amazing when there's a conflict and the United States is involved. And sometimes when it's not, she's there. And she's written a new book that just came out right after Memorial Day called the Hero Next Door. And it's a different approach, I think, Kate, to writing about some of the men and women in the military.
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A
Yeah. And first of all, I was really excited to talk to Martha. I mean, this is, pardon my French, a badass woman who is always on the front lines and she's telling the story of every conflict, and she's doing so with an incredible amount of bravery on her part. But she also tells stories with an incredible amount of compassion. And. And these are those stories. These are the stories of the men and women that have touched her and stayed with her that she has been unable to let go of and in some cases hasn't let go of. The people has been in contact and correspondence with them for more than 20, 30 years.
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B
This is not writ large. This is not battle stories. She's written about some of those, but this is about individuals she has met who are heroes next door. The basic thesis of her book, she says, you just can't tell who's the hero. It's not necessarily the big strapping, you know, guy. It's sometimes the most unlikely member of the military. And she tells a wonderful story. At the beginning, she was at a celebration in Normandy and there was a lowering of the flag and a Marine who served in Korea who had a hat identifying him as a Korean War veteran. And there was a very slight young fellow standing next to Martha in civilian clothes. And the guy with the Korean hat came over and said, well, you don't know how to fold the flag and was sort of accusatory. And there was an officer there in charge and he came over and he said to the ex Marine, sir, you're talking to, I think Sal Gwinta is the way his name is pronounced. You're talking to Sal Gwinta. And he is about to be received the Medal of Honor from President Obama. And the Marine stepped back and went, whoa. And saluted this young fella who was only, you know, five, nine or so and relatively slight and young. And the young Marine returned the salute and said to the fellow who had challenged him, it's your service in Korea that has made the kind of life that we all live possible. We're all in this together. And as Martha said, you know, sometimes the people that you would least expect to be heroes turn out to be so.
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A
And I think no matter. Look, I, I am a pacifist, so I'll. I'll say that right off the bat, I am a pacifist. So in some ways the military and the philosophy of the military is in some ways, I think, foreign to me. And I spent some time in 29 palms around 2000, and there were guys that were there. We did a throwdown with Bobby Flay. I worked for Throw down with Bobby Flay at the time, and he took down on a Marine named Captain D. Eric Domignani. And, and I went there thinking, these are going to be really tough guys who were in my face a lot. And I think that was a terrible stereotype that I had of the military. And by God, if I didn't fall in love with every single one of those men and women who followed us around for two or three days to make sure that we were healthy, to make sure that we knew that we. Where we were going, that made sure that we knew how their outfit worked and what they were doing and where they were going and what their home lives were like. And I fell in love with each and every one of them. They have honor, they believe in their code. They are good men and women. And I remember leaving there a very changed person. And Martha's had that kind of exposure every day. And so I think she really feels for the incredible bravery of these people, whether they're on the front lines or whether they're a communications officer who gets caught in an extraordinary situation or setting a precedent in the field about how to care for people in the medical profession. So it's just. It's a great book.
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B
Yeah, it's an important book. I think it's about everyday people who, when they get into stressful situations, become heroes. And she's covered the military for ABC for a long time, and she says I do it keeping two words in mind, remember and respect. But Martha's not a pushover for the military. She calls a spade a spade. When the military screws up and she's covering that, she talks about it. But the individuals, as you say, the individuals who are heroes, and you would least expect them to be, turn out to be so. And I'm very pleased that she includes, I think, 11 or 12 portraits of individuals in this book. She includes women, mothers of injured soldiers or wives of soldiers, and putting them in the category of heroes as well.
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A
Yeah, I mean, and Martha Raddatz is a hero to so many women for doing the amazing things that she has done. But we are really excited that she sat down with us. So here it is, the conversation with Martha Raddatz, who is talking about her book where she talks about the heroes next door,
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B
Martha Raditz, a name that I know well and I think most of the public does. It's good to have you in the bookcase. Whatever happened to you? You used to be on television, didn't you?
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C
I don't know. I haven't. I haven't. You know, I've just been home, just sitting around, waiting for them to bring a camera. I keep plugging away Charlie. It's amazing, but they've kept me around.
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B
Well, it's good to have you here. I want to start, actually, strangely enough, with the title of the book. You say the Hero Next Door. Why did you add the words next door?
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C
Because I think people don't understand that people in the military are just like you and me, that they. That they're in the minivans with their kids a good part of the day, that they're at the grocery store, that they're everywhere. I just don't think people realize they're among us. And they may be and are far more extraordinary than we are, particularly these people in the book. But they're everyday people. And I've always tried to bring humanity to our service members and make people understand that they are just like us. They are. They live their lives. They just do more extraordinary things than most of us.
- [08:00]
B
You start the book with a story about being at Normandy where you had never been before. And I was there a number of years ago, and it's profound. It is a profound moment to stand on that beach and try to envision hundreds of. Of boats out there and the kids coming ashore. And they're kids. They just are kids. And I wonder what they were thinking. And yet they did. They had that courage.
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C
I mean, in so many ways, they had no choice that day, right? They had no choice. They had to go forward. They had no choice. They would sink in a boat. They would do what they could. But I think one of the things about extraordinary people who do extraordinary things is they worry about not themselves getting hurt, but protecting a teammate, fighting for the teammate, making sure the guy next to them is okay. And I think that takes over in those moments. I've always been fascinated by fear and seen so many people, how they handle it, what they do, what does it take. Fear helps you. I mean, that's adrenaline. That's. That's, you know, fight or flee, and it's. It's. It's part of all of us. And it's how you channel it, how they channel it, how those people on Normandy beach that day, which is a profound, as you said, experience. Absolutely profound. And I did what you did, Charlie. I just walked that beach and imagined that day and imagined being out there in those boats coming towards the shore. And truly, some. Some people didn't know how to swim. I mean, it's. It. It is that moment that changes people for sure.
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A
I wonder, when you meet these folks, what is it that gives you an indication that they're going to have a story like this that you want to follow?
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C
Through the decades, I think I. I've just made a connection to a lot of people. It is almost a gut feeling that. I mean, most of the time I've met them while they're in the middle of something. I'm out on an aircraft carrier and the fighter jet is going to take off and bomb targets in Syria, and they're confident. They think they can do it again. It's also the people you least expect who are going to Be the heroic ones. I mean, it really is hard to label a guy. Oh, that must be, that's the hero, that big strapping Marine guy. He's going to be the guy who goes in and saves everybody. It's just not the case. So if I can even tell you like the variety of sizes of the people in this book, you know, we have 5 foot 8 inch Sal junta, who's a Medal of Honor recipient. We have 6 foot 5 inch fighter pilot Charles Wickware, who can barely fit in a fighter jet. But, but they, but they all, they all have that thing in them where they're looking for purpose to serve others and are blessed with a massive amount of innate courage. And over the years, like very early on in 2004, Charlie, you remember this too. There was, after a really horrendous battle where eight people were killed, I walked into a room for ABC to interview some of the guys in this battle. And it was the first really huge battle and the largest loss of life in a single battle since Vietnam. So it was right when the Iraq war was turning very badly. And I walk in this room and I look over and there's this, you know, Sergeant Miltenberger, and I think, oh man, this guy's gonna, this guy, he turned out to be the most heroic and the most emotional. I mean, it took one question to him, which was, tell me what happened. And he was in tears. And yet when he was out there in that truck saving lives, whatever possessed him to save those lives in that moment? I mean, he was a grumpy sergeant. That's all I would describe him as. Who was the hero of the day. So you just, you just never know.
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B
So when I picked up the book, I thought, you know, is this going to be about people who endured withering crossfire who made dangerous helicopter landings? Yeah, there's some in there. But you find heroes all over the place who might surprise people that they're in the book. And particularly I was pleased that you included women.
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A
Their husbands, their wives, their kids, their parents.
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C
Yeah, because that's one part that we don't see enough of. The fact that two mothers, Gail Ullery and Debbie Schultz, had their son injured within a month of each other early on in the war in Iraq. And both suffered traumatic brain injuries. And I imagined how these mothers did it, what it took to be 49 years old and devote the rest of your life to caring for your child. Because that kid went off as a 6 foot Marine and came back as his mother's child again. So to See them. And to know the importance of caregiving has always been right at the top of my list, because I know Debbie, I know Gayle. I know I've known them for almost 20 years. Debbie's now 70 years old, and her son Steven, who's made remarkable progress, is still home with her. So her entire life has been devoted to that. Those are the stories, to me that are inspiring. It is the definition of unconditional love, and they inspire me as much as people on the battlefield.
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B
You mentioned Gail Ullery, the mother of Shervon Phillip Shirvan had incredible brain injury. And we had him on GMA once because Bob Woodruff's foundation was helping him. But he was comatose. He couldn't communicate at that time. His mouth was agape. And I thought, I wonder, if it was humanity to save him, would he not be better gone? Are we too good at saving people? And yet, as you point out in this book, and it's a wonderful essay, that his mother stuck with him year after year after year, devoted her life to him and got him to a point where he could communicate and he could feel joy, which was exceptional, I
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C
thought I met several of these people through the Woodruff foundation, but you could almost physically see when I first saw Shirvan and when his mother first saw Shirvan, that that face was frozen in, like, a look of terror. And years later, to me, it was frozen in a smile. And Gail fought to let people see what was inside her son. And, please, I know he's feeling joy. And she saw it. And whatever he felt, you know, there was joy in there because you could see it on Siobhan's face. And. And Gail did everything, she absolutely did everything to not only save her son, not only care for her son, to have people see that part of him.
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A
Since you became a correspondent, are these stories that you've always known you were going to tell? Because I would imagine you have quite a list of folks at this point in your Rolodex that have shared their personal stories.
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C
I know what a profound effect they've had on me, and I don't want to let them go. I have always tried to bring the humanity of the military to light. And as we said, it's important that people understand that these are just your neighbors and friends. But it also. Oh, it inspires me. It really does. And I just think there are so many lessons for all of us. And I, from the beginning, respected the military. I had no military background or family in the military, but I started with respect and to learn from them and to embrace your own potential to be better.
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B
I would ask you to tell the story of Mark Little.
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C
Mark Little is. Mark Little makes me smile when I even say his name. I was in Baghdad. We were doing all these people I met through abc. I was doing a story on the combat support hospital. We hear that there's a traumatic amputation. So we know that the soldiers coming in on a medevac has had a traumatic amputation. So I was there when they brought Mark off. The helicopter followed him in, you know, sort of gently said to him, we're with abc. Can we film? He says, yeah, whatever. First thing he says is, they're putting him on the table. In the error was, my mom is going to kick my ass. It is because he had told her even, you know, she was worried, obviously, he was in Baghdad. And what's going to happen? Oh, Mom. I don't ever leave the, you know, the operating base. Like, I just. I'm like a supply clerk. Mark was out there every day. He'd been blown up several times already and had had a bad concussion. But, you know, it was a very graphic, dramatic day to see his sense of humor, but also for me, and that's, you know, Charlie and Kate, how I. It's like, wait, your family lives where? In Falls Church, Virginia. That's very near my house. And I. I just had to find his mom when I got back and. And tell her that I'd spent the day with her son, what he was like. And of course, he's gone. He wanted to get back in the army. He did. I mean, he wasn't out there patrolling the streets, but he. He did a lot for the army in the ensuing years. And he.
- [17:49]
B
Two mangled legs. Totally mangled legs when he came into the room. Amputated up to the knee eventually, that
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C
very day when I was there. Charlie.
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B
Yeah. And he had to know it. And you said his spirit was strong.
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C
His spirit was incredible. He said, you know, when I saw him and I followed him to Walter Reed and saw him that day, and I said, tell me. Tell me how hard, you know, how hard this has been and what that day was like. And that was pretty much the worst day of your life. And he said, oh, no, ma', am. It wasn't the worst day of my life. It was the best. I didn't die. And that's that attitude. I didn't die, ma'. Am. And he's a. He's funny. I mean, he wore a kilt to his wedding.
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D
He.
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C
He's Fantastic on his prosthetics. He snowboards. He. You name it, Mark Little will do it, and he will do it with a smile. He's the most grateful guy you'll ever, ever meet.
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A
I think it's great that you intervened on his behalf with his mom, because I'm sure the first words out of your mouth were, please don't kick his ass.
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C
I was pretty sure as a mom that that's not what she was going to do. That would come later. I think he said it did kind of come later. You know, obviously, when she goes in there, she's loving and kind, and he's like, yeah, it. It came a little bit later. Why did you lie to me?
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A
I would be loving and kind, and I would still walk in with a T shirt that says, I told you so when you were looking to write this book. And I just want to go back. I mean, there are trailblazers in this book. There's Dr. Rocco, who. His work in field. In the surgery has changed the field of field surgery. But for Dr. Rocco, did that come entirely from Bob WOODRUFF?
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C
I met Dr. Armando when Bob was injured, and I remember Lee Woodruff talking about how wonderful he was and that he was frank yet caring, sat down with her, how loving he was to her. And then I stayed in touch with Rocco, and he was also involved in the Woodruff Foundation. And just everyone always talked about Rocco. And then I realized he was going over to Ukraine to do surgeries on. Who doesn't. Yeah, what you. What one does when, like, you do.
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A
Like you do.
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C
Like you do when you're out of the Army. He's out of the army. He practices neurosurgery in D.C. i live in D.C. so we. We kind of kept in touch. But then I was heading over for Ukraine, too, and I'm like, rocco, I want to come out to dnipro. And he's like, oh, no, it's too dangerous. I'm like, yeah, right. So I went and stood over Rocco while he was performing brain surgery on a young Ukrainian. But Rocco's so committed to helping Ukraine. And, of course, if I say he's a great surgeon. Oh, no, no. They're teaching me. They're. And they are. It's a joint effort. But again, that you were saying, like, saving lives and bringing what he learned from Iraq and Afghanistan to the surgery wards in Ukraine, where there's been 10 times as many wounded and brain surgeries than there were in all of Iraq and Afghanistan. So it's a very dramatic story, but Rocco is Committed to that. He has found his passion, he has found his purpose. He goes over there now at least a couple of times a year for several weeks. If you all remember Bob, I mean, Bob had a huge section of his skull removed. The reason you guys know this, they remove the skull is so the brain, when the brain swells, it doesn't get squished. That's my very Grey's Anatomy analysis of what happens with that. But Rocco realized that what was happening is they'd make these smaller cuts right of the skull and right when that person was being transferred and they're in the air and they're stable is when the brain would swell more. And so he started doing bigger craniectomies. And that saved lives. And it's something that they all look at today. I mean, I think the feeling before was, oh, we don't want to take too much of the skull. We'll have to put it back. The brain's exposed. But now they realize it's. It's been saving lives.
- [22:07]
B
Martha, a difficult question. Kate alluded to it earlier about why you felt the need to do this book now, and I understand it's in conjunction with Memorial Day, et cetera, and when free. All should be very conscious of this. But there is in the land today a cynicism about institutions. Companies in business, government, media, law enforcement. Do you think the military is caught up in that and that we need to be more mindful of that?
- [22:38]
C
I think we need to be mindful that what they do is unique, different, dangerous, and they sign an oath to support and defend the Constitution. I think there are divisions. I think clearly right now in the country there are just massive divisions. But what I wanted to do right now is distinguish them. They are not supposed to be political. They are here to support and defend the Constitution and they do it. People in this book and majority of the people I've ever met in the military are non political. I don't discuss politics with any of these people. And I just feel like they at this time and as we come to a 250th anniversary of our nation, are the kind of people that. That you can get to know who do who. It's selfless service and can help that division. Leave all that other stuff out of it. Just understand what it is they do.
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B
Martha Raditz I read widely in this book on Memorial Day just passed and it made Memorial Day very meaningful. It wasn't just, you know, to observe a holiday and have Monday off. It was, you made it a very important day for me and I think for everybody who reads this book. Thank you for being with us.
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A
Yeah. You do these folks a great service. Thank you so much.
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C
Thank you, Charlie. Thank you, Kate. Love you guys.
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B
The Hero Next Door, the book by Martha Raditz, stories of patriotism and purpose. As I say, really interesting individuals that you meet in this book. And as Martha makes the point, sometimes they're the people that if you looked at them, you would think this is not necessarily somebody who was going to be a hero. And they are.
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A
Yeah. And I'm glad we also had a chance to talk about the caregivers, the people at home, the people who have to take care of folks when they come home, not the way that they left because those are also amazing stories of bravery and fortitude.
- [24:47]
B
One other thing I meant to mention, before we got into the conversation, you heard the references to Bob Woodruff and the Bob Woodruff foundation that he's put together with his wife, Lee. I think Bob will remember that he was working for abc. He got blown up by an IED in Iraq and he was on the edge of dying and he's made an extraordinary recovery. The foundation that he has put together that helps wounded veterans is wonderful. Martha, as she mentioned, is on the board. But anyways, those were the references to Bob Woodruff and to the foundation. We do have a bookstore this week. It is the La La Books. It is a bookstore in Lowell, Massachusetts, and it was brought to us by a listener. We thank the Hurley he family in Lowell, Massachusetts for mentioning this store to us. And we're going to talk to two of the owners when we come back. Study and play come together on a Windows 11 PC. And for a limited time, college students get the best of both worlds. Get the unreal college deal.
- [25:55]
C
Everything you need to study and play with select Windows 11 PCs. Eligible students get a year of Microsoft 365 Premium and a year of Xbox game Pass ultimate with a custom color Xbox wireless controller.
- [26:06]
B
Learn more@windows.com studentoffer while supplies last ends June 30th terms at aka mscollegepc.
- [26:14]
C
I'm Kiana and I leveled up my business with Shopify. Once I figured out that Shopify was a thing, I never turned back. I can create a site with my eyes closed. Shopify thinks ahead of us, you know, and it thinks about the customer more than anything. Every day I'm thinking about some other new business, but Shopify is doing it to me because it's so easy to use. It's like I can't stop. I'M addicted.
- [26:40]
A
Start your free trial@shopify.com I started Ornod
- [26:44]
B
in 2013 and we make bike apparel. The best part of Shopify for me is our ability to run the business as essentially non technical people. We're able to admin everything on the back end, front end and sell things online easily. If Shopify were a bike accessory, I think it would actually be the bicycle. Yeah, it's the thing that you do the thing on. We run the business on Shopify. Start your free trial on shopify.com. Laura and Thea, thank you for joining us. I can't help but remark about the name of the bookstore. Lala has a very fanciful tone to it. Tell me the story behind it.
- [27:31]
E
Well, besides being fun to say, it's my initials and our last name is Lamar Anderson, when I was a teacher, the kids called me Ms. LA, so I wanted to have that LA in there and we run the store together. So LA LA la.
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B
How did you get roped into this?
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D
THEA I roped myself in, really. When we opened, I was still in college. I was in my last ish year of college and wasn't super sure what I wanted to do. I had some ideas, but I was helped out at the bookstore while I was here and then just kept going. Like I just figured out this is kind of what I want to do for the next however long I can.
- [28:12]
E
We're a family of readers, so she grew up surrounded by books. She's always been a strong reader. So I, you know, I think the idea of opening a bookstore crosses the mind of every English major in the country. So it did definitely cross our minds.
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D
And yeah, I mean it's we're about to be open for five years at the end of July. And yeah, I know the first year or so it wasn't really like I wasn't thinking, oh, this is mine. I was like, all right, this is until but once I graduated and was just there for a while, I started to take on more responsibility and it just became something that I love. So I signed on as an owner like two years ago now. And yeah, I do see this as I mean, I joke with my sister that I will be getting this in the, in the will. But this, I do see this as something that I want to that I want to keep doing until I can't anymore. I love it so much and it's become what I my future plan, basically.
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B
Mom, take us back to that. Five years ago, what got you into this? What made you think Lowell, Massachusetts needs la? LA Bookstore?
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C
Yeah.
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E
Well, my husband and I had had endless conversations from 2016 on about how we could contribute positively to our community. And we tossed around a lot of ideas. And it seemed weird to us that, you know, opening a retail business was actually the idea to go with, because we, you know, we thought about nonprofits and volunteering and serving on boards. But Lowell didn't have a bookstore, and that felt wrong. And at the time, you know, 2020, we're all craving ways to get together again. When we opened in 2021. So a bookstore, you know, that was missing from our community, a place that we could create where folks could get together. We just felt like that was the positive move we needed to make.
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D
To be clear, they still worked with nonprofits, and they still volunteer and sit on board. So those are also things they do and I've started to do as well. But. But mostly it's the bookstore. Yeah.
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A
I think you may be the first people that we've talked to that bought a bookstore and came up with the idea during COVID Like, most people came up with the idea before COVID Then we're like, God, that was so stupid. And opened anyway.
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C
Or like.
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A
Like you. Or open it after Covid, when they were like, we need to make sure we had some distance from COVID You may be the first people that are like, my husband and I looked at each other and said, well, we may not get together again. Let's open a community hub.
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E
Yeah, well, yeah. I mean, I was teaching at the time, teaching all through the pandemic.
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D
Anything could have been easier. So at that point.
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E
So it was kind of a leap of faith to start it as early as we did. In July of 2021, things were still being canceled. You know, we still were under mask mandates at different times, but it turned out to be the perfect time.
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D
Yeah.
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A
So, Thea, I feel a kinship with you for two reasons, and I want to ask you two questions. One, because we're both crazy enough to work with our parents, and I think when this is done, we should exchange phone numbers and perhaps start a support group. I think it's important. Yeah, I think it's important. They're going to also need a support group, so I'll. And I'll support their support group. And then I want to know, working with your parents, that can be tough. How are you handling that? And then the second thing is, for me, growing up in a reading family meant that we all passed along books, except for my dad, who'd be like, I'm reading this great Biography of the early years of Winston Churchill. He was generally somewhat out of the genre circle, but my mom and I passed books back and forth all the time. Were you guys all into different things? Did you share what was being in a reading family like for you?
- [31:50]
D
It is both really amazing and awesome to work with my parents. And also, like, weird challenges that I didn't think about. One big one is calling my mom mom. At work, it's really hard to be professional. I'm like, oh, I'll just go get my mom. But I don't want to call her by her first name, because that's weird. And so that's a balance. I've had to try to get my coworkers or my employees to stop saying your mom as well. Cause that always sounds like your mom joke to me. And I'm like, you can say Laura. I do know her first name. I promise. So, honestly, that's the biggest struggle. But it's nice, too, to. To be able to rely on each other in a way that, like, I'm more honest with how I'm doing than I would be with a normal manager. Not that she's necessarily. Well, no, you're my man. I mean, you're my mom, so you're a manager. But, like, I can be honest with, like, hey, I need help. And she can do the same. And I can get away with a little bit more, but also a little bit less, because there is both high standards, because, like, she knows exactly what I can do. As opposed to managers who I lie to. Like, I can't possibly do that. She knows. And then, yeah, Reading Family. Yeah, Reading family is. I am a reader the way that I am because of my parents. And we've managed to share certain books. If you all know the Inheritance series, the. By Christopher Paolini. The first one is Aragon. We read that as a family. Like, we all read that together. And there were certain other series. Yeah, Harry Potter. Like, we all read Narnia. And so there were certain, like, foundational series that we all read and could talk about.
- [33:13]
E
And then I have another daughter as well. And when they were little, we would have book festivals. We just surround ourselves with books and just read for hours. And then they started reading different things that I didn't want to read.
- [33:26]
D
Yeah. And then we can just kind of intelligently talk about books, just in general. Even if I haven't read it now, I can be like, oh, yeah, I heard good things about that book.
- [33:34]
B
Laura, what's been the greatest reward in having this bookstore and what's been the hardest part.
- [33:41]
E
It's hard to choose one greatest. You know, for example, I spent the day today at one of our public schools. We've started doing school book fairs in the schools so that, you know, the teacher and me, I love being back with the kids for a little bit, but it's also great to be able to get books right to kids. The customers have been amazing. So we have a group of customers who actually fill a gift card. So when kids do come to those book fairs and they don't have enough, there's money on the gift card for them from these amazing people. So we've met just simply fantastic people because we've opened the bookstore that's probably the greatest. The worst is finances, man. The reality. Because, you know, we all love books. We weren't business people.
- [34:26]
D
Aren't honestly.
- [34:27]
E
Yeah. We're making it work. But, you know, thankfully, like my sister taught me bookkeeping and, and I can. I have other people I can go to for help, but it's a wing and a prayer some months, you know.
- [34:39]
B
Yeah. I've often thought if I owned a bookstore, many, many bookstores have a shelf that says staff picks. I've often thought a bookstore should also have a shelf that says customer picks. That this is a book that customers have recommended and we stocked it and it look, it's sold a few copies and I thought that that would be an interesting different approach.
- [35:01]
D
Charlie.
- [35:02]
E
We have that.
- [35:02]
D
Yeah, we do that a little bit.
- [35:04]
E
So we don't separate them onto a shelf. We put pics all throughout their genre shelves and. And put a lab. Each bookseller has a color label. So if you, you know, like a bookseller's pick, you can easily find their others.
- [35:17]
A
That's smart.
- [35:17]
E
But then customer picks are all in white, so you can find different customer picks.
- [35:22]
D
Yeah. So if you're looking for a theoretical, it's green, orange is Laura. And then we have. We're running out of colors. Actually. There's truly people who come in just to like, all right, what's Hailey chosen now? Let me find that blue one. And they buy it like without, like sight unseen. Sometimes we'll just buy it. And yeah, the color coordination, like just look for the blue.
- [35:44]
B
So what piece of advice, Laura, would you give somebody who is thinking of buying a bookstore? I have found my town needs a store. Or maybe I'm going into competition with others. But what is the one essential thing that I need to know about owning a bookstore?
- [36:00]
E
You need to have a backup system outside of the store so you know your Finances, your support. You work hours and hours and hours. You need somebody outside of the store who's making sure the bills are paid at home and feeding you and making sure you get some rest. Like, critical you can't do. It's so much work to operate the store. For all of the things we just talked about that you need, you need that support to add on to that.
- [36:27]
D
I think, for me, if you're looking to open a store, rely on the people who have done it. There's the American Booksellers Association. ABA is a fantastic resource. And then there's also local chapters, like our local is neba. And there are some amazing people who are out there willing to help you every step of the way and who know because they've already done it. Like, all right, here's where you're gonna falter. Like, here's how to avoid this little pothole right there. Like, they're all sort of.
- [36:49]
A
It's the weirdest, most amazing part, I think, of being a bookstore owner is the way y' all are. Like, try this. It worked for me. Like, nobody. Like, I can't think of another business where somebody's like, here's my trade secret. See if it works for you.
- [37:02]
E
Incredibly supportive.
- [37:03]
D
If we don't have a book, I'll tell you to go to Silver Unicorn and be like, you know what? If you need it today, they might have it. I'm always happy to, like, help out my other indies because we're not competitors. That's like, you know, the indie in a. In two towns over. That's not my competition. That's my friend. And that's also. They're so helpful because, yeah, they helped us so much. Silver Unicorn is a local one. They helped us so much when we were opening, and they're fantastic.
- [37:24]
B
Long may you live Long may your bookshore live all the best. Thanks for talking to us. Lala Book is on Market Street. 189 Market. As I recall. That's right in Lowell, Massachusetts. Thank you. Good to talk to you.
- [37:38]
E
Yeah, thanks you both.
- [37:44]
B
We thank Thea and Laura for talking
- [37:46]
A
to us and way to go, Thea, for continuing to work with your parents. Fight the good fight.
- [37:53]
C
What, What.
- [37:55]
D
What.
- [37:56]
B
What advice do you have for her in working with a parent?
- [38:00]
A
I. I think we just see each other. Like, I don't think I have to give her any advice. She doesn't have to give me any advice. We're in the same club. We see each other, we feel each other.
- [38:08]
B
And. And on a scale of 1 to 10, how hard, is it, to work with a parent?
- [38:12]
A
No, I joke. It's an amazing experience, by the way. I joke all the time. And, and, and, and then one of you guys has written and said, be nicer to your father. I do love him a lot, I promise.
- [38:23]
B
Well, these are jokes when you, when you get on my case.
- [38:26]
A
Yes, they are, I promise.
- [38:27]
B
Oh, good.
- [38:28]
A
And that's not to say that working with you isn't occasionally taxing, but I can't imagine working with me all the time is a tremendous joy. So I, I. Oh, it is, Kate.
- [38:36]
B
Oh, it is.
- [38:39]
A
Cue this. Cue the sentimental music.
- [38:42]
C
Yes.
- [38:42]
B
Let's get right to the credits and come back with the coda from Martha Raditz.
- [38:47]
A
The book Case with Kate and Charlie Gibson is a production of ABC Audio and Good Morning America. It is edited by Tom Butler of TKO Productions. Our executive producer is Simone Swink. We want to make mention of Amanda McMaster, Sabrina Kohlberg, Arielle Chester at Good Morning America, and Josh Cohan from ABC Audio. Follow the bookcase wherever you get your podcasts and be sure to listen, rate and review. If you'd like to find any of the books mentioned in this episode, we have them linked in the episode description.
- [39:16]
C
One little thought. I don't know. I'm very. This is kind of such a profound week for me and yet a fun week. And I've got the Emmys. I've got all of that. I guess I'm at a stage of disbelief. I don't know. I still kind of can't believe my life. And I'm grateful. I have nothing, nothing but gratitude.