American Writers (One Hundred Pages at a Time)

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 55: Meddler

In "Meddler", Philip K. Dick gives us a time travel loop story. We have seen these plenty of times. What do you think of Philip K. Dick's take on this old story? Can meddling in the future change the present?

Episode 76: Louisa May Alcott, Little Women (2)

Second part of my series on Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women." How do the girls get along without their mother and when facing disease and death?

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 54: Adjustment Team

Why do we give such power to urban planners and developers? What are their goals? Should we allow those in power to manipulate our reality for a greater good? These are just some of the questions explored in Philip K. Dick's story "Adjustment Team".

Episode 75: Louisa May Alcott, Little Women (1)

In this episode, we begin a new series looking at the "Little Women" triology. We will begin with "Little Women." So let's all be reintroduced to Jo, Beth, Meg, Amy, Mrs. March and Laurie.

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 53: Exhibit Piece

In "Exhibit Piece", Philip K Dick explores time travel and history and gives an ironic look at 1950s conformity. Was the 1950s the peak of American consumeri conformity or was it really, just maybe, a golden age of free minded individualism? Maybe it all depends on how the future turns out.

Episode 74: Jack London: Assorted Stories-2

Our final episode on Jack London looks at some of his later stories. J-Lo has been fun, but it is time to move onto different things (bigger and better?).

"The Strength of the Strong"
"War"
"The Mexican"
"Told from the Drooling Ward"
"The Water Baby"
"The Red One"

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 52: Crawlers

Philip K. Dick explores posthumanism and the relationship between the abnormal and the state in "Crawlers." Are posthumans a threat? Whare is our moral burden for communities destroyed by nuclear testing?

Episode 73: Jack London: Assorted Stories (1)

A handful of stories by Jack London are looked at in this episode, including some of his best stories of the Pacific and urban America.
"All Gold Canyon"
"The Apostate"
"A Piece of Steak"
"The Chinago"
"Mauki"
"Koolau the Leper"
"South of Slot"

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 51: Of Withered Apples

The next in a series of short stories by Philip K. Dick that explored marriage, but unlike the others ("Human Is," "Beyond the Door," :Our in the Garden"), "Of Withered Apples" is set in a rural setting.

Episode 72: Jack London: Klondike Tales, Part 2

In this episode, I look at six more of J-Lo's short stories set in the Klondike gold rush.
"God of his Fathers"
"Batard"
"The League of Old Men"
"Love of Life"
"The Wit of Portortuk"
"To Build at Fire"

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 50: Breakfast at Twilight

What would you risk for another couple years of peace? Is war worse than death? Dick explores these questions in "Breakfast at Twilight."

Episode 71: Jack London, Klondike Tales

In thsi episode, I look at six of Jack London's Klondike tales, the stories produced from his experiences in the Yukon gold rush.
"To the Man on the Trail"
"The White Silence"
"In a Far Country"
"The Wisdom of the Trail"
"An Odyssey of the North"
"The Law of Life"

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 49 Sales Pitch

In "Sales Pitch", Philip K. Dick considers consumer society, the commute, and the frontier, but fails once again to see the value of automation.

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 48: Prominent Author

In "Prominent Author," Philip K Dick goes back to an old interesst of his: explaiing the origin of the world religions using the devices of science fiction. Could the  Bible have been written by a time traveller?

Episode 70: Jack London, The Sea-Wolf (3)

The final part of my examination of Jack London's "The Sea-Wolf." In this episode I suggest that Maud Brewster may be the real hero of the story.
This ends out look at Jack London's books, but we still have his stories (25 of them), which we will look at over the next two weeks.

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 47: Survey Team

"Survey Team" by Philip K. Dick explores the question of over-conumption and war and the morality of abusers getting another chance (they don't get one).

Episode 69: Jack London: The Sea-Wolf (2)

Part 2 of my review of Jack London's "The Sea-Wolf." In this part, I take on the question of resistance and take a closer look at the character of Humphrey Van Weyden.

Episode 68: Jack London: The Sea-Wolf (1)

In this episode, we look at the first chapters of Jack London's "The Sea-Wolf" and take a close look at the villain of the tale, the sealing schooner captain Wolf Larsen.

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 46.2: The World Jones Made (2)

Part 2 of my comments on Philip K. Dick's novel "The World Jones Made".

Philp K. Dick Book Club: Episode 46.1, The World Jones Made (1)

In this episode we look at a novel (slightly out of chronological order), "The World Jones Made." This novel takes on three interelated themes: precognition/mutation, the frontier, and individualism in a totalitarian state.

Episode 67: Jack London, White Fang (2)

Part two of my look at "White Fang" and we get to see the relationship between modern civilization, law, and violence. Where does kindness and love come from in a world defined by hierarchy and violence?

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 45: Small Town

In this episode of the Philip K. Dick Book Club, we look at "Small Town". What does this story say about family, urban planning, and suburbia?

Episode 66: Jack London: White Fang (1)

On the surface, White Fang is the opposite of The Call of the Wild, but in many ways J-Lo is dealing with many of the same issues. Join me, the she-wolf, White Fang, and One Eye as we see what it is like to face scarcity and violence.
Or do we already know that thanks to the lessons of capitalism.

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 45: James P. Crow

Once again Philip K. DIck takes on segregation and race relations. But is the answer he provides in "James P. Crow" right? I worry that this is a story Richard Spencer can get behind.

Episode 65: Jack London, The Call of the Wild

My comments on Jack London's signature text, The Call of the Wild. Was the original J-Lo talking about dogs, wolves, or us?

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 44: Beyond the Door

Part of a series of 1953-1955 short stories exploring marriage by Philip K. Dick. "Beyond the Door" combines a critique of clock time with a critique of the bourgie marriage.

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 43: The Golden Man

Dick's first great story of posthumanism and mutants is "The Golden Man." Can humans coexist with Humanity+?

Episode 64: Jack London: John Barleycorn, Second Part

Part two of my overview of Jack London's John Barleycorn. The focus of this episode is the "White Logic" and London's depression.
Four essays by Jack London are also briefly explored.

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 42: Jon's World

In "Jon's World," Philip K. Dick wrote a followup to "Second Variety." While the humans one the war, the survivors are put in a position of prefering an alterantive timeline where the war never started, even if it means the end of all they knew.

Episode 63: Jack London: John Barleycorn, First Half

Jack London's brilliant autobiography on alcohol, John Barleycorn, Or Alcoholic Memoirs, is a book about many things, including male socialibility and working class culture. One of my favorite books by London.

Philip K Dick Book Club: Episode 41: The Builder

Philip K. Dick explores the Biblical story of Noah, the suburban family, and post-traumatic stress in his short story "The Builder."

Episode 62: Jack London; Martin Eden (4)

The final episode on Jack London's Martin Eden. What happens when our lonely writer finds success?

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 40: The Short Happy Life of the Brown Oxford

In this episode we examine the Philip K. Dick story "The Short Happy Life of the Brown Oxford." What does this story tell us abour family? Consumerism? Technology? Work? A silly story on first glance acually has a lot to tell us.

Episode 61: Jack London, Martin Eden (3)

Part three of a series on Jack London's Martin Eden. In this part, we explore Eden's frustrations, his new friendships, and the decline of his romantic life.

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 39: The Crystal Crypt

In "The Crystal Crypt", Philip K. Dick explores the arms race and the "spy v. spy" dynamic of the Cold War. But does Dick have more to say about the city and the state?

Episode 60: Jack London; Martin Eden (2)

In this episode I look at the second hundred pages of Jack London's masterpiece Martin Eden. What are the challenges of becoming a writer in the face of the impersonal publishing industry? How does an artist face poverty?

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 38: A Present for Pat

In this episode of the Philip K. Dick Club we look at "A Present for Pat", cargo cults, and alien gods.

Episode 59: Jack London, Martin Eden (1)

In this episode we meet Martin Eden and the struggles of a working class man to become a published writer.

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 37: The Hanging Stranger

We look at "The Hanging Stranger," Philip K. Dick's story of lynching and state power. And it has Lovecraftian creatures in it. What happens when we story accepting the cruelities essential to the systerms we live in?

Episode 58: Jack London: The Iron Heel (2)

In the second part of The Iron Heel, Jack London takes us to the events surrounding the first uprising, or the Chicago Commune. How does the Oligarchy survive this and other threats? How much of London's novel is true to life? Are we facing our own Iron Heel today?