American Writers (One Hundred Pages at a Time)

Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 45: They Do It With Mirrors

This episode includes my review of Robert A. Heinlein's short mystery story "They Do It With Mirrors." While it is not exceptional as a locked room mystery, it does reflect on Heinlein's sexual politics.

Episode 598: The Narrative of Sojourner Truth

My review of the narrative of the life of Sojourner Truth, one of the more unique slave narratives of this era. A little less about slavery itself and more about the development of a religious revival, a new name, and a mission.

Episode 597: Narrative of the Life of Henry Bibb (1849)

We explore another excellent slave narrative with the work of Henry Bibb, whose narrative explores the trauma of being married in slavery and the difficult choices people need to make while being married in a system rooted in sexual violence.

Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 44: No Band Playing, No Flags Flying

As we come close to wrapping up our look at Heinlein's 1947 works, we look at a short and not so significant story showing Heinlein trying to define courage. It is called "No Band Playing, No Flags Flying" and its a bit odd.

Episode 596: The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

Frederick Douglass' amazing slave narrative probably does not need much of an introduction. Few works deconstruct all the myths of the Old South so efficiently.

Episode 595: The Confessions of Nat Turner

While this is not quite a slave narrative, "The Confessions of Nat Turner" is testimony of one of the most famous American slaves (although the case can be made that he had already freed himself). While most slave narratives were weaponized in the anti-slavery struggle, this document was weaponized to justify strengthening the institution of slavery in the Antebellum South.

Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 43: Space Jockey

"Space Jockey" is another great science fiction story by Heinlein from 1947 published in the Saturday Evening Post. At the same time it is horribly quaint and seems a bit more like fantasy than science fiction. Someone moving from the gig economy to full time family-supporting employment? Not in this universe.

Episode 594: The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano (Part 2)

The conclusion of my thoughts on the slave narrative by Olaudah Equiano. In my view, in this narrative he parallels the struggle against slavery with his Christian journey for salvation, coming together into a call for action. Next we will jump to the antebellum slave narratives with the Confessions of Nat Turner.

Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 42: It’s Great to be Back

"It's Great to be Back" is another 1947 Saturday Evening Post story by Robert A. Heinlein dealing with nostalgia for Earth and the human presence in space. A great story to pair with "The Green Hills of Earth".

Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 41: The Green Hills of Earth

In this wonderful short story, Heinlein tells us the history of a blind working class space poet, who also caught the essence of Earth's identity in space. One of his best.

Episode 593: Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano (1)

The first of two episodes covering Olaudah Equiano's amazing slave narrative. It is a thematic. structural, and moral foundation of all other slave narratives. It is also an amazing story that everyone should read.

Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 41: Columbus was a Dope

In this tiny story published in 1947 in STARTLING STORIES, Robert A. Heinlein explores the struggle for progress and how every generation builds off the courage of those that came before, and how we forget.

Episode 592: Narrative of the Most Remarkable Particulars in the Life of James Albert Ukawsaw Gronniosaw

I am back from my summer break and start with a look at slave narratives. First up is the strange but significant account by James Albert Ukawsaw Gronniosaw. It works as a narrative of the Atlantic working class and the benefits of Christianity, but never directly attacks slavery itself, making it one of the strangest slave narratives. However it was the first published in English.

Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 39: Jerry Is a Man

A great story by Robert A. Heinlein, "Jerry Is a Man" (1947) explores the nature of humanity, animal rights, and genetic engineering. It is hard not to think of this story in terms of Star Trek's great episode "The Measure of a Man"

Episode 591: Mark Twain: No 44: Mysterious Stranger

I complete my look at Mark Twain with one version of "Mysterious Stranger" known as "No. 44: The Mysterious Stranger". The other versions have interesting things to say as well, but this one focuses on work, automation, and technology.

Episode 590: Mark Twain: Tom Sawyer, Detective

A better novel than TOM SAWYER ABROAD, TOM SAWYER, DETECTIVE by Mark Twain picks up as a sequel to THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN. It also is a window into Tom Sawyer's potential adult life.

Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 38: Rocket Ship Galileo (Part 2)

It's Nazis on the moon in part two of ROCKET SHIP GALILEO by Robert A. Heinlein. While it does not compare to some of the short stories and later juvenile we will look at soon, there is some staying power with in this novel.

Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 37: Rocket Ship Galileo (Part 1)

The review of the first half of Robert A. Heinlein's ROCKET SHIP GALILEO, the first of his famous young adult novels. A rocket club gets a chance to go to the moon.

Episode 589: Mark Twain: Tom Sawyer, Abroad

In the short novel TOM SAWYER, ABROAD (1892), Mark Twain takes Tom, Huck Finn and Jim on a balloon voyage to Africa. In this episode are my thoughts on this book.

Episode 588: Mark Twain: The American Claimant

In 1892, Mark Twain published a sequel of sorts to THE GILDED AGE called THE AMERICAN CLAIMANT. It goes back to an old theme Twain was fascinated by: the mutual misunderstandings of Europeans and Americans. Throughout this story, Colonel Sellers is up to his old schemes.

Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 36: Free Men

In this episode of the Robert A. Heinlein Book Club, I look at "Free Men", an interesting and moralistic look at the duty of free men to resist authoritarian state power. More of a political tract than a story.

Episode 587: Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner: The Gilded Age (Part 4)

Finale of my review of THE GILDED AGE by Mark Twain. While not one his most popular novels, I think this one deserves a read for its important themes and reflections on American capitalism and politics.

Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 35: A Bathroom of Her Own

In this episode of the Robert A. Heinlein book club, I look at this odd little story "A Bathroom of Her Own," a non-science fiction tale of housing and politics.

Episode 587:Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner: The Gilded Age (Part 3)

Now we need to deal with two sussy colonels in this novel? Colonel Sellers and Colonel Selby team-up to extract love and money from post-Civil War Washington. THE GILDED AGE by Mark Twain is actually a pretty underrated novel.

Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 34: Waldo

We wrap up our pre-war coverage of Heinlein's works with WALDO, a fitting story to complete the Anson MacDonald ASTOUNDING period of Heinlein's career. It hits so many of the themes Heinlein had been playing with since he started writing.

Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 33: My Object All Sublime and Pied Piper (1942)

In this episode I mostly look at Heinlein's short story "My Object All Sublime" but also mention "Pied Piper". These forgettable tales may have some thematic interest regarding vigilantes and total war.

Episode 585: Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner: The Gilded Age (Part 2)

Part two of my review of THE GILDED AGE by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner. This part of the novel moves our focus to the national level and exposes how deep the corruption in the nation ran.

Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 32: The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag

"... Jonathan Hoag" is a great Robert A. Heinlein story that keeps getting me to think about and talk about Philip K. Dick. I loved it.

Episode 584: Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner: The Gilded Age (Part 1)

Part one of my review of the underrated novel THE GILDED AGE, by Mark Twain and another guy. It is one of the most sturdy investigations into America's political and economic culture. Sellers and Hawkins got something for you to buy.

Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 31: Goldish Bowl

"Goldfish Bowl" by Robert A. Heinlein is almost a H. P. Lovecraft story. One of his best pieces of short fiction that I read from him.

Episode 583: Mark Twain: Following the Equator

With this final episode on FOLLOWING THE EQUATOR, I finish up with Mark Twain's travel literature. Coming up is THE GILDED AGE and his later novels.

Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 30: Beyond this Horizon (Part 2)

There is a lot happening in the second half of BEYOND THIS HORIZON by Robert A. Heinlein, but I skip over most of that to talk about Heinlein and the gun culture.

Episode 582: Mark Twain: Following the Equator (Part 3)

At the halfway point of Mark Twain's FOLLOWING THE EQUATOR, we shift our focus to British India and the cultural changes and continuities in India under British rule.

Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 29: Beyond this Horizon (Part 1)

BEYOND THIS HORIZON by Robert A. Heinlein came out in early 1942 in ASTOUNDING. It is one of the best early Heinlein books and explores various themes he had been developing up to this time, including his vision for a post-scarcity society and a broadly available genetically engineered society. It is also famous for its commentary on gun culture.

Episode 581: Mark Twain: Following the Equator (Part 2)

The part of Mark Twain's FOLLOWING THE EQUATOR that I discuss in this episode explores the British colonization of Australia and carries on many of the themes from the first part of the book. It is a brutal and honest look at forced migrations, ecological change, and genocide.

Episode 580: Mark Twain: Following the Equator (Part 1)

In this episode I begin the final Mark Twain travelogue FOLLOWING THE EQUATOR. It is one of the greatest anti-imperialist texts of the 19th century, an excellent travelogue, and an example of Twain's most bitterly charged satire.

Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 28: Elsewhen

"Elsewhen" (also known as "Elsewhere") by Robert A. Heinlein is another borderline fantasy story that explores the unrealized potential of human beings. It also introduces the multiverse to his writing (a theme he will take up later).

Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 27: And He Built a Crooked House

"... And Be Built A Crooked House" is a solid and fun story by Robert Heinlein, exploring the geography of four dimensions through the device of a tesseract house.

Episode 579: Mark Twain: A Tramp Abroad (Part 4, Conclusion)

A bit of fatigue with these travelogues by Mark Twain hits me in this (one of my shortest) episodes. A TRAMP ABROAD descends into more simple tourism at the end, sadly. Hopefully, I will have more to say in FOLLOWING THE EQUATOR.

Robert A. Heinlein Book Club: Episode 26: By His Bootstraps

Well, this one is a doozy. BY HIS BOOTSTRAPS is one of the best Robert A. Heinlein stories yet. A perfectly constructed time travel story that begs the question: Can you lift yourself by your own bootstraps? Answer: Maybe?