Episode 188: Anacaona, Golden Flower, Haiti, 1490 (The Royal Diaries)

Anacaona, Golden Flower, Haiti, 1490 (The Royal Diaries)

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.

CHECK OUT OUR LAST ROYAL DIARIES EPISODE HERE!

CHECK OUT AMBER’S BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS:

House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy by Anne Ursu

MORE READING:

“Anacaona: Golden Flower” (Dear America Wiki)

“The Royal Diaries: Anacaona, Golden Flower” (Historical Novel Society)

“Anacaona by Edwidge Danticat” (Leaf’s Reviews, 2021)

“‘The Royal Diaries’ TV Series in the Works From Legendary Television, Scholastic Entertainment” (IMDB, 2021)

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