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Crosscurrents

Dorothy Lazard, retired Oakland Librarian, talks about memoir at Books Inc.

KALW | By Jeneé Darden
Published March 3, 2025 at 6:00 AM PST
Oakland author Dorothy Lazard with her memoir "What You Don't Know Will Make a Whole New World"
Photo Provided by Dorothy Lazard
Oakland author Dorothy Lazard with her memoir "What You Don't Know Will Make a Whole New World"

An excerpt of this interview aired in the March 3, 2025 episode of Crosscurrents.

Click the button above to listen!

Dorothy Lazard (left) and Jeneé Darden
Stephon Johnson
Dorothy Lazard (left) and Jeneé Darden

Today we’re kicking off the first week of Women’s history Month with a woman who knows a lot about Oakland history.Dorothy Lazard was the head librarian of the Oakland History Center at the city's main library for more than a decade, before she retired from that position in 2021.

Her 2023 memoir “What You Don’t Know Will Make a Whole New World” was a Northern California Book Award Finalist. It’s a coming-of-age tale about her childhood experiences of living in St. Louis, San Francisco and Oakland.

Dorothy Lazard (left) speaks with KALW's Jenee Darden at Books Inc. in Alameda
Stephon Johnson
Dorothy Lazard (left) speaks with KALW's Jenee Darden at Books Inc. in Alameda
Crosscurrents
Jeneé Darden
Jeneé Darden is an award-winning journalist, author, public speaker and proud Oakland native. She is the executive producer and host of the weekly arts segment Sights & Sounds as well as the series Sights + Sounds Magazine. Jeneé also covers East Oakland for KALW. Jeneé has reported for NPR, Marketplace, KQED, KPCC, The Los Angeles Times, Ebony magazine, Refinery29 and other outlets. In 2005, she reported on the London transit bombings for Time magazine. Prior to coming to KALW, she hosted the podcast Mental Health and Wellness Radio.
See stories by Jeneé Darden