Episode 196 will make you feel almost as many feels as the blockbuster film Titanic did… and not only because it’s about a book that covers the same historical territory. In it, Alli and her guest discuss one of the most popular installments in the Dear America series: Ellen Emerson White’s Voyage on the Great Titanic. In spite of the heavy subject matter, the conversation is still a fun one that touches on why young bookworms manage to get away with reading spicy content, global interest in the Titanic, the challenges inherent in building tension in a book with an ending everyone already knows, class, maritime vocabulary, Kate and Leo, survivor’s guilt, privilege, and so much more.

Kelsey McKinney is a co-founder and owner of Defector Media, author of the novel God Spare the Girls, and host of Normal Gossip. Follow her on Instagram (@mckinneykelsey) and Twitter (@mckinneykelsey).