14: All Fiction is Crime Fiction

In episode 14, V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell examine the omnipresent American comfort narrative of mystery and crime fiction. Why do we love crime stories so much? How do they shape the way that we think about a whole host of real-world issues from the Mueller investigation to Black Lives Matter and the shootings of young black men by police? They are joined for this discussion by Mat Johnson, author of the novels Loving Day, Pym, Drop, and Hunting in Harlem, the nonfiction novella The Great Negro Plot, and the graphic novels Incognegro and Dark Rain. Readings: •    Incognegro by Mat Johnson, and its new miniprequels •    Superman II, Superman III (film) •    The Untouchables (film) •    The Road To Unfreedom: Russia, Europe, America by Timothy Snyder •    The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler •    Indemnity Only by Sara Paretsky •    CrimeReads.com

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