If you could go anywhere back in time, where would you go? 

That’s the premise of writer Jessica M. Goldstein’s new novel, Retro. Set in a fantastical time travel agency, the book follows wealthy tourists who take vacations to the past. Destinations include 1920s speakeasies, bachelor parties at Woodstock, or even just a day wandering through a Y2K shopping mall. Sam chats with Jessica about what inspired the book and what the time travel genre says about our obsession with nostalgia.  

But first, Jessica unpacks a few modern hot topics…Like is smoking cool again? And why are movies so damn dark these days?

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The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.