Welcome to Season 3 Episode 4!

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In April, the Morbidly Curious Book Club read "Madame Restell: The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Old New York's Most Fabulous, Fearless, and Infamous Abortionist" by Jennifer Wright!

About the book: An industrious immigrant who built her business from the ground up, Madame Restell was a self-taught surgeon on the cutting edge of healthcare in pre-Gilded Age New York, and her bustling “boarding house” provided birth control, abortions, and medical assistance to thousands of women—rich and poor alike. As her practice expanded, her notoriety swelled, and Restell established her-self as a prime target for tabloids, threats, and lawsuits galore. But far from fading into the background, she defiantly flaunted her wealth, parading across the city in designer clothes, expensive jewelry, and bejeweled carriages, rubbing her success in the faces of the many politicians, publishers, fellow physicians, and religious figures determined to bring her down. Unfortunately for Madame Restell, her rise to the top of her field coincided with “the greatest scam you’ve never heard about”—the campaign to curtail women’s power by restricting their access to both healthcare and careers of their own. Powerful, secular men—threatened by women’s burgeoning independence—were eager to declare abortion sinful, a position endorsed by newly-minted male MDs who longed to edge out their feminine competition and turn medicine into a standardized, male-only practice. By unraveling the misogynistic and misleading lies that put women’s lives in jeopardy, Wright simultaneously restores Restell to her rightful place in history and obliterates the faulty reasoning underlying the very foundation of what has since been dubbed the “pro-life” movement. Thought-provoking, character-driven, boldly written, and feminist as hell, Madame Restell is required reading for anyone and everyone who believes that when it comes to women’s rights, women’s bodies, and women’s history, women should have the last word.

About Jennifer: She is an author of history books, television writer, columnist, podcaster, and speaker. Her books include the upcoming Glitz, Glam, and a Damn Good Time: How Mamie Fish, Queen of the Gilded Age, Partied Her Way to Power (Hachette Books, 2025), Madame Restell (Hachette Books, 2023), as well as It Ended Badly: 13 of the Worst Break-Ups in History, and the Audible bestseller Get Well Soon: History's Worst Plagues and The Heroes That Fought Them.

StoryGraph link to Madame Restell: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/145c812f-247c-4d4f-bb9f-08aa416b2e70

But not at the same time...unless you're into that; Godspeed.

Welcome to a special BONUS episode, where I chat with an author about their nonfiction book that is morbidly curious book club adjacent, but it hasn't been a pick. Thus, a bonus episode!

Join the book club here: https://www.morbidlycuriousbookclub.com/

About The Secret History of Bigfoot: From the shrouded forests of the Pacific Northwest to off-the-wall cryptozoological conventions, one man searches high and low for the answer to the question: real or not, why do we want to believe? Bigfoot is an instantly recognizable figure. Through the decades, this elusive primate has been featured in movies and books, on coffee mugs, beer koozies, car polish, and CBD oil. Which begs the question: what is it about Bigfoot that's caught hold of our imaginations? Journalist and self-diagnosed skeptic John O'Connor is fascinated by Sasquatch. Curious to learn more, he embarks on a quest through the North American wilds in search of Bigfoot, its myth and meaning. Alongside an eccentric cast of characters, he explores the zany and secretive world of "cryptozoology," tracking Bigfoot through ancient folklore to Harry and the Hendersons, while examining the forces behind our ever-widening belief in the supernatural. As O'Connor treks through the shrouded forests of the Pacific Northwest, listens to firsthand accounts, and attends Bigfoot conventions, he's left wondering―what happens when the lines between myth and reality blur? Perfect for fans of Bill Bryson and Douglas Preston, and with sharp wit and an adventurous spirit, this heartfelt exploration of a cornerstone of American folklore unpacks why we believe in the things that we do, what that says about us, and how it shapes our world.

About his NEW release, A Short, Strange Trip: Tag along with clever guide John O'Connor as he leads us on a gonzo journey through the history of psychedelics, the Amazon rainforest, and into the cosmic dimensions of our own minds. This will be the trip of a lifetime. March 4th, 1971: Deep in the Colombian rainforest, a motley crew of "psychonauts" prepared for what they believed would be the ultimate experiment. Convinced that a mixture of powerful hallucinogenic plants held the key to unlocking human consciousness, they soon found themselves entering hyperspace. The return journey was... complicated. Present day: Acclaimed journalist John O'Connor is fascinated by this forgotten expedition. What really happened in those jungle depths? Armed with decades-old field notes, new interviews, and a healthy dose of curiosity, O'Connor ventures into the same Amazon territory, retracing the psychonauts' steps through the remote Putumayo in search of a legendary hallucinogen called ukuè —and the truth about an "experiment" that's been quietly gathering dust. Working alongside indigenous Uitoto people who bore witness to it all, O'Connor explores how humanity's relationship with psychedelics has shaped everything from ancient religion to modern medicine. But as he journeys deeper into both the rainforest and the cosmic dimensions these substances reveal, one question keeps nagging at him: Were the psychonauts onto something truly profound—or just profoundly stoned? Some stories are worth the trip.

About the author, John: He is the author of The Secret History of Bigfoot: Field Notes on a North American Monster, which explores the obsessive world of Bigfoot believers. His articles and essays have appeared in newsstand publications such as The New York Times, GQ, Financial Times Magazine, Men’s Journal, and The Boston Globe, as well as the literary journals Open City, Post Road, Quarterly West, The Believer, Oxford American, and Creative Nonfiction’s True Story series. His work can also be found in various anthologies, including The Best American Food Writing 2018 and The Best Creative Nonfiction Vol. 1. Born and raised in Kalamazoo, Michigan (the original home of Gibson guitars), he has taught nonfiction writing in the BFA program at Pratt Institute and now teaches journalism at Boston College. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with his wife, children, and rabbit.

Welcome to a special BONUS episode, where I chat with an author about their nonfiction book that is morbidly curious book club adjacent, but it hasn't been a pick. Thus, a bonus episode!

Join the book club here: https://www.morbidlycuriousbookclub.com/

OneTaste hoped orgasm would change the world. Emerging in the midst of the late-aughts for-profit wellness boom, the company was unwavering in its faith in orgasmic meditation, or OM, a fifteen-minute practice featuring a woman being clitorally stimulated by a clothed, usually male partner. Nicole Daedone, the group’s magnetic and cunning founder, envisioned a world where OM was as widespread as yoga. But Daedone’s vision came with a price: behind the militant loyalty she inspired and her millions of dollars of sales was what former members describe as a cult of manipulation, abuse, and coercion driven by a relentless quest for control. And by the time the FBI showed up at her door in 2023 with an indictment alleging she conspired to commit forced labor, even Daedone herself was no longer safe.

About Ellen: She is an award-winning investigative journalist who currently writes for Bloomberg News and Bloomberg Businessweek. She is the author of EMPIRE OF ORGASM, a forthcoming book about OneTaste, a sexual wellness company alleged to be a sex cult. She also hosted two seasons of the podcast Foundering, a narrative audio series from Bloomberg Technology. One season recounts the rise and fall of WeWork; another chronicles the story of OpenAI and examines the trustworthiness of its leader, Sam Altman. EMPIRE OF ORGASM is based on a 2018 investigation she wrote for Bloomberg Businessweek, which explored allegations from former employees and customers that the group operated as a sex cult and exploited its members financially and sexually. Following publication of that piece, the FBI launched an investigation into OneTaste. In 2023, federal prosecutors indicted two company leaders, Nicole Daedone and Rachel Cherwitz, on forced labor conspiracy charges. In June 2025, a jury found both guilty; they are currently in jail awaiting sentencing. Her new book presents a definitive account of OneTaste for MCD x FSG and is available for pre-order now, with publication set for November 18. She was featured in the 2022 Netflix documentary Orgasm, Inc., which examined OneTaste. Her reporting on the company has been cited by major outlets including The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair, and Slate. Before joining Bloomberg, she was a staff writer at Forbes and a crime reporter at the San Francisco Chronicle. She has a particular interest in covering strange and complex subcultures and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

https://www.ellenhuet.com/