American Writers (one Hundred Pages At A Time)

To start this new phase of this podcast, I am reviewing one of the best history books I read in the past year, Jeremy Zallen's American Lucifers, a book about capitalism, labor, violence, and the environment and how they all interrelate. Let me know what you think of the ideas of the book and if you read the book, let me know what you think I got wrong. 

The episode in which I explain where this podcast will go from here, so as not to overwhelm me and my capacities. 

This is the first episode of my review of Robert Heinlein's longest work, NO TIME FOR LOVE. We are reintroduced to an old friend, Lazarus Long, as he reflects on his life (but maybe not enough reflection for this reader).

THE DEVIL FINDS WORK was James Baldwin's final major essay and a fascinating exploration of how he has seen and experienced American (and some non-American) films over the course of his life, finding the problem at the heart of America's major cultural export.

The finale of my review of I WILL FEAR NO EVIL by Robert A. Heinlein. Next up, NO TIME FOR LOVE.

Part three of my thoughts on I WILL FEAR NO EVIL by Robert A. Heinlein.

My quick review of James Baldwin's excellent essay NO NAME IN THE STREET. The last 20 pages of this essay are particularly hard hitting and remain meaningful.

Boy does this book drag on. Lots of good stuff, but Robert A. Heinlein seems to take his precious time getting there. Is I WILL FEAR NO EVIL a sign of what will come later in his works?

Part 1 of 4 of my review of I WILL FEAR NO EVIL by Robert A. Heinlein. I wonder how other recent readers of this book look back on it. Obviously the novel deals with gender in sexuality in transgressive ways, but it also seems very old fashioned in its approach. 

Brief thoughts on James Baldwin's 1963 essay THE FIRE NEXT TIME and its place in American history. 

In this episode I review James Baldwin's collection of essays NOBODY KNOWS MY NAME: MORE NOTES OF A NATIVE SON. These essays bridge his time in Paris to his engagement in the discourse on civil rights in America. 

The conclusion to my review of THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS. In the next episode we will being a four part dive into I WILL FEAR NO EVIL. 

Part two of my review of THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS by Robert A. Heinlein. In this episode, I cover the revolt on the Moon and some of the political theory at the heart of the novel, both the spoken and unspoken parts. 

Part 1 of 3 of my review of THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS, one of Heinlein's most famous and well-regarded books. Often billed a libertarian novel, is it better to look at it as anti-colonial? Can it be both? 

We begin our look at James Baldwin's essays with his 1955 collection NOTES OF A NATIVE SON. Some of the topics explored in this collection are black representation in culture, expat life in Paris, and political life in Harlem. 

The second part of my review of FARNHAM'S FREEHOLD by Robert A. Heinlein. I really struggled with this book, but think it reveals the fundamental problem with Heinlein's relationship with the American past. 

I talk a bit about GLORY ROAD to finish up my thoughts on that novel, but I have decided to move onto Heinlein's FARNHAM'S FREEDHOLD. Is it his worst novel? Maybe not, but it is sure is trying hard. We will see what the second half gives us. 

I had hoped to talk about the first half of GLORY ROAD by Robert A. Heinlein, but I ended up talking about most of the events of the book. It is definitely one that needs to be unpacked for some of the larger discussions we are having about Heinlein. 

In this episode I review the final four stories of GOING TO MEET THE MAN by James Baldwin. This episode includes my look at the titular story, which remains one of the most well-known and widely read of Baldwin's works. 

In this episode I talk about the first four stories of the great collection by James Baldwin GOING TO MEET THE MAN.