What role does fiction have to play in the class struggle? Should the left be making a stronger case for the political importance of reading literature? In this special Working People episode, which has been months in the making, TRNN Editor-in-Chief Maximillian Alvarez talks with writer and editor Sarah Lazare about her novel Testimony, which she co-authored with her late father, Peter Lazare. Testimony is a leftist crime thriller that takes place in Springfield, Illinois, at the height of the “war on terror” panic in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. It is also a deeply moving story about trust, commitment to everyday people, and fighting the corrupt, self-serving, and nefarious forces that weaponize fear for their own gain.

As the back cover of the book describes, "Testimony isn’t about One Great Man taking on the system, but about one okay, flawed person working with a rag-tag team of other okay, flawed people to combat a system of cynicism and greed much bigger than them." In this deep and wide-ranging conversation, Alvarez talks with Lazare about the book itself, about her father and the long process of getting the book ready for publication, and about the important role genre fiction has to play in our collective fight for a better world. This episode also features segments of dramatic readings from Testimony performed by Alvarez, Lazare, and friends of the show Adam Johnson (Citations Needed) and Mel Buer (Morning Riot). And a special thanks to Working People producer Jules Taylor for all his hard work editing the episode!

Read the transcript of this episode: https://therealnews.com/fiction-is-a-beautiful-weapon-in-the-class-struggle-we-should-use-it

Additional links/info below...

Sarah's In These Times author page and Twitter page:
https://inthesetimes.com/authors/sarah-lazare
https://twitter.com/sarahlazare
Sarah Lazare & Peter Lazare, Strong Arm Press, Testimony: https://strongarmpress.com/catalog/testimony/?fbclid=IwAR3N2Ki8cW7WDPyBaYqk4nNjkXZD1AXfU1cfnifN7ezM6C5ea9BgxALZ2fQ
Strong Arm Press, Book Launch Event: "Why the Left Should Engage Fiction: A Conversation With Radical Thriller and Mystery Writers": https://www.facebook.com/events/822725148380203
Mel Buer Twitter page and Patreon:
https://twitter.com/coldbrewedtool
https://www.patreon.com/mel_buer
Morning Riot podcast Twitter page: https://twitter.com/morningriotpod
Adam Johnson Twitter page and Substack:
https://twitter.com/adamjohnsonNYC
https://thecolumn.substack.com/
Citations Needed Twitter page and Patreon:
https://twitter.com/citationspod
https://www.patreon.com/citationsneededpodcast/posts

Featured Music (all songs sourced from the Free Music Archive at freemusicarchive.org): Jules Taylor, "Working People Theme Song"

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Fiction is a beautiful weapon in the class struggle—we should use it