Almost exactly one year to the day since SSR first dove into the Royal Diaries series, Alli and her guest are back to explore the fictionalized journal of another young royal. This time, the focus is on the second to last installment from the series: Anacaona, Golden Flower, Haiti, 1490. Having never learned about Anacaona, they share her story and lament the revisionist history that’s kept her out of our textbooks. They also discuss the value of learning history through epistolary novels, the parasocial nature of our relationships with royals over the years, the need for a wider range of narratives from marginalized communities, and so much more.

TW: suicide

Amber Burns is a writer, podcaster, and avid reader currently living in Philadelphia. Follow her on Instagram (@byamberburns) and Twitter (@byamberburns) and listen to her podcast Thank You For Asking wherever you listen to your favorite shows.