Episode 7 covers Sinclair Lewis's 1935 Dystopian political novel, It Can't Happen Here. The book is about the rise of a fascist dictator in America and an allusion to the rise of Adolf Hitler, in a time when many American's didn't even know who Hitler was. In many ways, this book was a prescient warning about what was already unfolding in Europe, a…

Episode 6 swashbuckles its way into the 2005 novel Zorro written by the legendary Isabel Allende. This book is a kind of Zorro origin story and covers his journey to become a champion of the common people and his fight against corrupt officials before the Spanish American War, when California was still a part of Mexico. We learn about Zorro's paren…

In our 5th Episode we will discuss the novel, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. Published in 1939 The Grapes of Wrath is a novel about life during the Great Depression and in the midst of the Dust bowl. The book follows the Joad family as they are forced to leave their farm in Oklahoma and travel west to California in the hopes of finding work…

In Episode 4, Michael Kilman and Matt Wellstrom discuss the book Passing by Nella Larsen. Originally published in 1929 the book tells the story of two women named Irene and Claire and their complex relationship and struggles with being a mixed race person in the early 20th century.By Michael Kilman and Matt Wellstrom

In our third episode, Michael Kilman and Matt Wellstrom tackle the experimental fiction of Kim Stanley Robinson as he tackles near future clifi (a subgenre of science fiction) to foster conversations about climate change, power, and resistance in his 2020 book, The Ministry for the Future.By Michael Kilman and Matt Wellstrom

In our second episode, Michael Kilman and Matt Wellstrom explore the themes of power and resistance in Alan Moore's and David Lloyd's graphic novel V for Vendetta. Themes will include: Direct Action, Effective Resistance, and will also close out some of our discussion from 1984.By Michael Kilman and Matt Wellstrom

In our inaugural episode, Michael Kilman and Matt Wellstrom explore the themes of power and resistance in George Orwell's famous novel 1984. We explore the eerily predictive ideas of double think, propaganda, language change, mass surveillance, social media, and more.By Michael Kilman and Matt Wellstrom