About this episode
In this episode of Elena Meets the Author, I’m joined by the talented Samantha Greene Woodruff to talk about her gripping historical novel The Trade-Off.
Set against the backdrop of the 1929 Wall Street crash, the novel follows Bea Abramovitz, a mathematically gifted and young jewish woman who foresees the financial collapse but struggles to be taken seriously in a world dominated by men. We explore the inspiration behind the book, the harsh realities of Wall Street in the 1920s, and what it takes to write complex, compelling female characters in historical fiction.
Samantha also shares fascinating insights into her research process, how she balances historical accuracy with narrative tension, and the surprising parallels between the world of the 1920s and the financial and political climate we see today. It’s a thoughtful, timely conversation about power, intuition, and whose voices get heard, then and now.