It takes courage to reimagine a classic. Xiaolu Guo was drawn to Herman Melville’s “Moby-Dick,” from the first time she read it in her native Chinese. The writing was lyrical — hard to translate — and the descriptions of sailing were dense. But the symbolism of the great white whale and the sea-faring captain obsessed with revenge captivated her. Her new novel is a retelling of this classic with a young girl at its center. Protagonist Ishmaelle goes to sea, disguised as a boy, in a desperate grasp for freedom. She wants to leave poverty, gender norms and religious traditions behind. When she ends up on a whaling ship, captained by a free Black man named Seneca, she meets a swash-buckling crew of people who broaden her world — and ours. Guo joins host Kerri Miller this week to talk about her reimagined “Moby-Dick” which probes gender, race, humanity’s connection to animals and the nature of belonging. Guest: <ul><li><a href="https://groveatlantic.com/author/xiaolu-guo/" class="default">Xiaolu Guo</a> is the author of “<a href="https://groveatlantic.com/book/radical/" class="default">Radical</a>” and “<a href="https://groveatlantic.com/book/nine-continents/" class="default">Nine Continents</a>.” Her new novel is “<a href="https://groveatlantic.com/book/call-me-ishmaelle/" class="default">Call Me Ishmaelle</a>.”</li></ul> <a href="https://www.mprnews.org/newsletters" class="apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link default">Subscribe to the Thread newsletter </a>for the latest book and author news and must-read recommendations. Subscribe to Big Books and Bold Ideas with Kerri Miller on <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-daily-circuit-mpr-news/id95498128?mt=2" class="apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link default">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5wdWJsaWNyYWRpby5vcmcvcHVibGljX2ZlZWRzL21wci1uZXdzLXdpdGgta2VycmktbWlsbGVyL3Jzcy9yc3M%3D" class="apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link default">Google Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/mpr-news-with-kerri-miller/rss/rss" class="apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link apm-link default">RSS</a> or anywhere you get your podcasts.

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'Moby-Dick' is recast with a woman at its center in 'Call Me Ishmaelle'

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