American Writers (One Hundred Pages at a Time)
1,057 episodes - English - Latest episode: 4 days ago - ★★★★★ - 16 ratingsIn each episode I discuss around 100 pages from the works of American writers. Contact me at [email protected]
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Episodes
Episode 645: Richard Wright: The Outsider (Part 2 Dream)
April 15, 2024 10:11 - 27 minutes - 28.5 MBPart two of my review of THE OUTSIDER by Richard Wright. This section seems to be the most hopeful part of the novel as we witness Damon Cross' attempt to remake himself and find a type of freedom while avoiding bad faith.
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 80: Citizen of the Galaxy
April 15, 2024 10:09 - 43 minutes - 46.2 MBCITIZEN OF THE GALAXY is the best and most expansive of the Heinlein juveniles, as well as one of its most adult in theme. While only the penultimate juvenile, it seems to be the capstone work in many ways.
Episode 644: Richard Wright: The Outsider (Part 1: Dread)
April 02, 2024 14:01 - 22 minutes - 23.7 MBI start my look at Richard Wright's THE OUTSIDER with part one (Dread), which introduces us to Cross Damon (Wright's names amirite) and his miserable life and how an accident gives him a chance to start fresh, but is forced to commit a murder to keep his secret.
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 80: Double Star
April 02, 2024 14:00 - 42 minutes - 45 MBIn this episode, I examine the delightful novel DOUBLE STAR by Robert A. Heinlein and talk about how the actor loses themselves into their subjects. While not necessary to be a science fiction novel, Heinlein weaves a handful of fascinating sci-fi elements into the story.
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 79: A Time for the Stars (Part 2)
March 23, 2024 13:29 - 15 minutes - 16.6 MBThe conclusion of my review of A TIME FOR THE STARS by Robert A. Heinlein. The changing relationship between the twins as one approaches death and the other returns still young with his life ahead of him seems to reflect the experiences we all face with the older generations.
Episode 643: Richard Wright: Black Boy (American Hunger), Part 3/3
March 23, 2024 13:27 - 23 minutes - 25.1 MBThe finale of my review of BLACK BOY (AMERICAN HUNGER) by Richard Wright. This part of the memoir follows Wright's life in Chicago and his love affair and breakup with the American Communist Party. Next, five episodes on THE OUTSIDER.
Episode 642: Richard Wright: Black Boy (Part 2)
March 20, 2024 14:16 - 29 minutes - 30.3 MBPart 2 of my review of the memoir BLACK BOY by Richard Wright. This part of the novel explores Wright's discovery of the rules of Jim Crow, his quest for intellectual autonomy, and his ultimate decision to leave the South.
Robert A. Heinlein: Episode 78: Time for the Stars (Part 1)
March 20, 2024 14:14 - 25 minutes - 27.6 MBPart 1 of my review of A TIME FOR THE STARS by Robert A. Heinlein. This novel explores the twin paradox and humanity branching out into the cosmos.
Episode 641: Richard Wright: Black Boy (American Hunger), Part 1
March 13, 2024 11:23 - 23 minutes - 24.3 MBIn this episode I explore the first four chapters of Richard Wright's BLACK BOY, his gut wrenching and deep memoir of growing up black in the Jim Crow South.
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 77: Tunnel in the Sky (Part 2)
March 13, 2024 11:22 - 28 minutes - 31 MBRobert A. Heinlein's TUNNEL IN THE SKY has a strong and fascinating second half in which we explore questions of building democracy and civilization. The good: The optimism about cooperation in harsh conditions. The bad: strong hints of settler colonialism.
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 76: Tunnel in the Sky (Part 1)
March 08, 2024 15:20 - 20 minutes - 21.1 MBIn this episode I look at the first half of Robert A. Heinlein's TUNNEL IN THE SKY. In this juvenile, Heinlein does some interesting thing with the old Malthusian over-population narrative. The first half reads a bit like a standard adventure story, though. This novel really shines in the second half.
Episode 640: Richard Wright: Native Son (Part 4/4, Conclusion)
March 08, 2024 15:18 - 29 minutes - 30.9 MBThe finale of my look at Richard Wright's NATIVE SON.
Episode 639: Richard Wright: Native Son (Flight-Fate, Part 3/4)
March 06, 2024 11:07 - 30 minutes - 31.6 MBIn this third part of four exploring the powerful novel NATIVE SON by Richard Wright, we witness the capture of Bigger Thomas and the way the media presented a black defendant, ignored black victims, and jumped to racist assumptions, all the while trying to expose the Communist Party for its anti-racist work.
Robert A. Heinlein: Episode 75: The Star Beast (Part 2)
March 06, 2024 11:05 - 20 minutes - 21.8 MBThe conclusion to my review of the excellent novel, THE STAR BEAST, by Robert A. Heinlein. One of his best novels and high on the ranking of the juveniles. It explores issues such as gender, service, family heritage, and diplomacy.
Episode 638: Richard Wright: Native Son (Part 2, Flight)
March 01, 2024 00:45 - 34 minutes - 36.7 MBIn this episode I look at most of part two of Richard Wright's NATIVE SON, called "Flight". Here the narrative focuses on Bigger Thomas' efforts at survival after his murder of Mary Dalton, but also look more into the perspectives of mainstream white society on communists and African-Americans.
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 74: The Star Beast (Part 1)
February 25, 2024 14:36 - 45 minutes - 48.3 MBTHE STAR BEAST is one of the best books by Robert A. Heinlein that I explored in this podcast, and this suprised me from the look of the silly cover. Gender, diplomacy, politics, law, and bureaucracy are just some of the themes Heinlein crams into this little novel.
Episode 637: Richard Wright: Native Son (Part 1, Fear)
February 25, 2024 14:33 - 45 minutes - 47.8 MBIn this episode I take on the first 100 pages of NATIVE SON by Richard Wright. It is a brilliant novel and I can only scratch the surface, but it is required reading for understanding America. I focus on the major characters and their motivations, knowing we can only begin to understand Bigger Thomas in the early stages of the novel.
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 73: Project: Nightmare
February 19, 2024 11:12 - 18 minutes - 20.1 MBWhile "Project: Nightmare" (1953) is not one of Heinlein's strongest short stories it is worth reading for his use of the Cold War setting. The question of morality, sacrifice, and the use of misuse of the talented for the achievement of national goals is still worth reflecting on.
Episode 626: Richard Wright: Uncle Tom's Children (Part 2)
February 19, 2024 11:11 - 44 minutes - 47.1 MBThe conclusion to my thoughts on the wonderful short story collection, UNCLE TOM'S CHILDREN by Richard Wright. In the second half of this collection we move to a proposed (if maybe futile) response. The last two stories have moments of resistance culminating in sacrifice but not victory or a promise of change.
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 72: Sky-Lift
February 15, 2024 09:33 - 11 minutes - 12.8 MBA very brief look at the short story "Sky-Lift" by Robert A. Heinlein. It is mostly a technical piece on the dangers of space flight and works as a sequel to the GREEN HILLS OF EARTH stories.
Episode 625: Richard Wright: Uncle Tom's Children (Part 1)
February 15, 2024 09:31 - 23 minutes - 25.4 MBRichard Wright's first published book was a series of short stories called UNCLE TOM'S CHILDREN. They are wonderful stories looking at the brutality of race relations in Great Depression-era America and good preparation for NATIVE SON.
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 71: Starman Jones (Part 2)
January 27, 2024 13:36 - 30 minutes - 34.4 MBThe conclusion to my look at STARMAN JONES by Robert A. Heinlein. This one clearly stands out among the Heinlein juveniles by branching out into new themes and new geographies.
Episode 624: Richard Wright: Lawd Today (Part 2)
January 27, 2024 13:35 - 28 minutes - 30.6 MBThe conclusion to my review of Richard Wright's first novel, LAWD TODAY. It is a great way to start digging into Richard Wright, and I think a good contrast with NATIVE SON, which we will look at in a few weeks.
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 70: Starman Jones (Part 1)
January 24, 2024 07:21 - 30 minutes - 32.4 MBIn 1953, Heinlein wrote his 7th juvenile in STARMAN JONES. He always seems to have something new to say in each of these novels, even if the main characters are always a little bit cookie cutter. He does try to give this young man a bit more differentiation. Nevertheless, this is another good example of world building. I enjoy how each of these novels feels lived in.
Episode 623: Richard Wright: Lawd Today!
January 24, 2024 07:13 - 29 minutes - 30.7 MBToday I start a new series looking at the major works of Richard Wright. We begin with LAWD TODAY!, which was published in the 1960s, but was actually the first book written. It is an amazing modernist text looking at the working class black life in Chicago during the Great Depression. It is also one of the bleakest books we have looked at in a while.
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 69: The Year of the Jackpot
January 16, 2024 13:37 - 28 minutes - 30.5 MB"The Year of the Jackpot" is a fascinating story by Heinlein published in GALAXY in 1952. It deals with sexual morality, normalcy, survival, historical cycles, and the end of the world. A must read.
Episode 622: W. E. B. Du Bois: Black Reconstruction in America (Part 7)
January 16, 2024 13:35 - 42 minutes - 45 MBThe final episode in my review of BLACK RECONSTRUCTION by W. E. B. Du Bois. These final three chapters summarize the major themes of the book quite well. One of the best books on the topic, even a hundred years after publication.
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 68: The Rolling Stones (Part 2)
January 11, 2024 15:12 - 29 minutes - 31.6 MBThe conclusion to my review of THE ROLLING STONES by Robert A. Heinlein. An overall great book in this juvenile series.
Episode 621: W. E. B. Du Bois: Black Reconstruction in America (Part 6)
January 11, 2024 15:11 - 42 minutes - 44.7 MBPart 6 of my review of W. E. B. Du Bois' BLACK RECONSTRUCTION IN AMERICA.
Episode 620: W. E. B. Du Bois: Black Reconstruction in America (Part 5)
January 04, 2024 11:14 - 32 minutes - 34.7 MBWe are in the meat of the book BLACK RECONSTRUCTION IN AMERICA by W. E. B. Du Bois. In these chapters, he looks into the revolution and counter revolution of property in Mississippi and Louisiana and then Georgia, Florida, and Alabama. We see how different demographic structures led to different reactions by the ruling planter class.
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 67: The Rolling Stones (Part 1)
January 04, 2024 11:10 - 30 minutes - 32.4 MBIn this episode we get introduced to the Stone family and watch them becoming THE ROLLING STONES. This 1952 novel has some of the most well drawn of Heinlein's characters, but it is not the major young man protagonist who are pretty much interchangeable in this one. Some meta commentary on his juvenile novel heroes, I reckon.
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 66: The Puppet Masters (Part 2)
January 02, 2024 13:37 - 31 minutes - 33.5 MBThe second part of my review of THE PUPPET MASTERS by Robert A. Heinlein. While I love a lot about this book, it ultimately falls far short of what it could have been.
Episode 619: W. E. B. Du Bois: Black Reconstruction in America (Part 4)
January 02, 2024 13:35 - 46 minutes - 49.7 MBIn this episode look at the middle chapters of BLACK RECONSTRUCTION IN AMERICA, exploring the broader questions at the heart of the 15th Amendment and the impact of black voting rights on the Reconstruction politics of South Carolina.
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 65: The Puppet Masters (Part 1)
December 27, 2023 13:29 - 27 minutes - 28.7 MBIt is kind of nice to have old Heinlein back. After writing those juveniles and mainstream science fiction stories, THE PUPPET MASTERS allows Heinlein to bring back hot women, nudity, and individualist philosophy. I am not sure this novel is a success yet, but it is lots of fun.
Episode 619: W. E. B. Du Bois: Black Reconstruction in America (Part 3)
December 27, 2023 13:26 - 46 minutes - 48.8 MBOne of the most fascinating looks at Andrew Johnson is made by Du Bois in this section of BLACK RECONSTRUCTION IN AMERICA. I also discuss his sources and unique bibliography in this episode.
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 64: Between Planets (Part 2)
December 21, 2023 13:50 - 31 minutes - 34.1 MBThe conclusion to my coverage of BETWEEN PLANETS by Robert A. Heinlein.
Episode 617: W. E. B. Du Bois: Black Reconstruction in America (Part 2)
December 21, 2023 13:48 - 33 minutes - 36.3 MBThe Civil War ends and the reaction to emancipation starts. In the second part of my coverage of W. E. B. Du Bois' BLACK RECONSTRUCTION IN AMERICA, I look at chapters 5-6 and the beginning of the conservative reaction to the second American Revolution.
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 63: Between Planets (Part 1)
December 18, 2023 22:25 - 25 minutes - 27.2 MBOnce again, we begin a look at what turns out to be my favorite of the juveniles by Robert A. Heinlein. BETWEEN PLANETS is the best yet. Can they keep getting better? The lesson in this book is courage and honor in the face of fate.
Episode 616: W. E. B. Du Bois: Black Reconstruction in America (Part 1)
December 18, 2023 22:23 - 52 minutes - 57.3 MBIn this episode I look at the first four chapters of the amazing book BLACK RECONSTRUCTION IN AMERICA by W. E. B. Du Bois. It is a brilliant celebration of the potential of interracial democracy, written at a time when those potentials were forgotten by historians.
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 62: Cliff and the Calories
December 14, 2023 09:41 - 12 minutes - 14 MBA bit of an aside in this series, "Cliff and the Calories" by Heinlein is a short story about a young woman struggling with a perhaps unnecessary diet. It slightly aligns with some of what he was doing with his juveniles, but I think we need to wait until we read Podkayne to know for sure.
Episode 615: Harriet Beecher Stowe: Oldtown Folks (Part 5)
December 14, 2023 09:39 - 38 minutes - 39.8 MBThe finale of my review of OLDTOWN FOLKS by Harriet Beecher Stowe, and the conclusion to this series on Stowe's novels. Next up, we will return to W. E. B. Du Bois with a deep dive into Reconstruction-era America.
Episode 614: Harriet Beecher Stowe: Oldtown Folks (Part 4)
December 11, 2023 14:20 - 23 minutes - 24.2 MBPart 4 of my review of OLDTOWN FOLKS by Harriet Beecher Stowe. This is an amazing novel that deserves more attention.
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 61: The Man Who Sold the Moon
December 11, 2023 14:18 - 31 minutes - 32.7 MBA story of capitalism run amok and maybe doing some good, THE MAN WHO SOLD THE MOON, by Robert A. Heinlein is a great novella exploring how money can do almost anything.
Episode 613: Harriet Beecher Stowe: Oldtown Folks (Part 3)
December 06, 2023 09:35 - 36 minutes - 38.6 MBThe middle sections of Harriet Beecher Stowe's OLDTOWN FOLKS (1869) explored education with intense focus and through multiple conversations. While repetitive, this section of the novel allowed Stowe to engage with the debates of her own time about education, making a case as persuasive as the one she made in UNCLE TOM'S CABIN about slavery.
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 60: Farmer in the Sky (Part 2)
December 06, 2023 09:30 - 21 minutes - 23.5 MBIn this episode, I finish up my review of the excellent novel FARMER IN THE SKY by Robert A. Heinlein. This novel has some excellent reflections on population, empires, war, ecology, and the frontier. Are the juveniles (and the Future History series at large) metaphors for the Atlantic world? Sometimes I think so.
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 59: Farmer in the Sky (Part 1)
December 04, 2023 10:24 - 33 minutes - 35.3 MBHeinlein's fourth juvenile novel, FARMER IN THE SKY (1950) is one of the best books he wrote to that point and the most "mature" of his "boy's novels". We seen Heinlein's approach and concerns grow up with his characters. The first part of this book is an excellent window into the ecological, scientific, and political vision Heinlein develops.
Episode 612: Harriet Beecher Stowe: Oldtown Folks (Part 2)
December 04, 2023 10:22 - 36 minutes - 37.7 MBHarriet Beecher Stowe's OLDTOWN FOLKS (1869) is doing a lot, and that is made clear in the second section of this book, which explores the fate of two orphans in this small New England Town, and their ultimate liberation.
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 58: Nothing Ever Happens on the Moon
November 27, 2023 22:14 - 17 minutes - 19.3 MB"Nothing Ever Happens on the Moon" is another delightful Future History story by Robert A. Heinlein, but this one includes Boy Scouts. Can an Earth Scout ever find a place with the Moon Scouts with the Moon's inhospitable environment? Maybe if he saves the day? This story has some very harrowing life and death moments as two boys get lost a "morning glory" (a sinkhole).
Episode 611: Harriet Beecher Stowe: Oldtown Folks (Part 1)
November 27, 2023 22:10 - 25 minutes - 26.2 MBIn this episode I begin to explore OLDTOWN FOLKS by Harriet Beecher Stowe. This is a fascinating, almost modernist, novel about one man's memory of the days of his youth in early 19th century New England. Through deep dives into characters and the community, Stowe digs into surface level and hidden aspects of New England society.
Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 57: Gulf
November 23, 2023 09:15 - 31 minutes - 34.4 MBWhat is this early 1940s Heinlein story doing in the 1950? In this episode I explore Heinlein's brief return to ASTOUNDING with "Gulf". Thanks, I hate it.