Episode 10: Philip K. Dick Book Club: Roog
In "Roog," Dick explores the never ending battle between dog and garbage man, or something.
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May 31, 2017
Episode 32: George Schuyler: “Black No More”
An interesting science fiction novel on race and the color line in America. In George Schuyler's Black No More we discover what happens when science provides a solution to the race problem in America.
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May 31, 2017
Episode 9: Philip K. Dick Book Club: The Piper in the Woods
In "The Piper in the Woods", Philip K. Dick explores work and finds it better to rest and watch the pretty alien girls go by.
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May 27, 2017
Episode 31: Langston Hughes: Not Without Laughter (2)
We continue our study of Not Without Laughter, the only novel written by Langston Hughes. This part follows our hero as he transitions from boy to man in the contet of the momentous early 20th century.
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May 27, 2017
Episode 30: Langston Hughes: Not Without Laughter (1)
The first of two episodes on Langston Hughes' sole novel, Not Without Laughter, a coming of age story that is also a celebration of leisure and having a bit of fun with life even when the system is agaisnt you.
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May 23, 2017
Episode 8: Philip K. Dick Book Club: The Eyes Have It
In this episode we explore how Dick played with the role of figurative language in science fiction. The lesson: it may sometimes be best to assume the literal.
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May 23, 2017
Episode 29: Wallace Thurman: The Blacker the Berry
In this episode we study Wallace Thurman's novel The Blacker the Berry. It is a nice counterpoint to Plum Bun.
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May 20, 2017
Episode 7: Philip K. Dick Book Club: Mr. Spaceship
Dick explores the final frontier of space and the mind in this beautiful celebration of exploration and human rebirth. Join me for an examination of "Mr. Spaceship."
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May 20, 2017
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May 17, 2017
Episode 6: Philip K. Dick Book Club: The Defenders
What happens when the machines we build to serve us learn to lie? Find out today in this episode of The Philip K. Dick Book Club as we explore "The Defenders."
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May 17, 2017
Episode 27: Jessie Redmon Fauset: Plum Bun (2)
Part two of Jessie Redmon Fauset's novel Plum Bun. This part focuses on the limitations of passing in urban America.
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May 13, 2017
Episode 5: Philip K. Dick Book Club: The Little Movement
In this episode, the toys attack. Examine Dick's version of Toy Story in "The Little Movement."
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May 13, 2017
Episode 26: Jessie Redmon Fauset: Plum Bun (1)
Part one of a three part series on Jessie Redmon Fauset's novel Plum Bun, the classic Harlem Renaissance novel about passing.
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May 11, 2017
Episode 4: Philip K. Dick Book Club: The Skull
In this episode of the Philip K. Dick Book Club, we look at the 1952 story, "The Skull." In it, the origins of a new religion is explained through time travel. And maybe, it works to explain how another religious leader could appear after his untimely death.
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May 9, 2017
Episode 25: The Harlem Renaissance: Nella Larsen, Quicksand.
In this episode we will look at all of Nella Larsen's Quicksand, a novel about a young woman maturing in a biracial and international context.
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May 7, 2017
Episode 3: Philip K. Dick Book Club: “The Gun”
Philip K. Dick's second published story, "The Gun" explores the questions of knowledge, lost civilizations, and automation. It is Dick's first published commentary on the problem of automation, a theme he will thoroughly explore throughout the 1950s.
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May 7, 2017
Episode 2: Philip K. Dick Book Club: Beyond Lies the Wub
Episode 2 of the Philip K. Dick Book Club looks at Dick's first publishes story, "Beyond Lies the Wub", a story of fate, self-sacrifice, and the transmigration of the soul....and a pig.
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May 4, 2017
Episode 24: Harlem Renaissance: Claude McKay: Home to Harlem (2)
Part 2 on Claude McKay's novel Home to Harlem. Some great material on urban culture, mobility, railroad work, and love.
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May 2, 2017