Book Fight

This week's book is an unconventional memoir: in 300 short, numbered sections, Waldie investigates the origins of his hometown, a suburb outside of Los Angeles considered the Levittown of Southern California, as well as his own life there and the lives of his parents. We talk about the book's unusual construction, and how it creates connections and meaning through surprising juxtapositions. Also this week: the triumphant return of Fan Fiction Corner! For more, visit us online at bookfightpod.com.

Welcome to your first installment in the Spring of Spite! This week we're reading a Richard Yates story, "Oh Joseph, I'm So Tired," which paints a pretty rough portrait of the author's mother and her failed attempts at artistic (and social) relevance. We also talk about the science of spite, and the phenomeon of "spite houses" and "spite fences." Finally, Tom gives Mike a spite-related quiz, though several of the questions are obviously flawed and not accurate measures of actual spitefulness, which is just objective fact rather than a reflection of which of us writes these weekly episode descriptions. Enjoy! For more, including a link to several of the things we talked about in today's episode, visit us online at bookfightpod.com.

This week is a Tom pick, by a writer who is Mexico's greatest novelist, if the blurb on the front cover is true. The novel--Herrera's only, so far, to be translated into English--follows a young woman named Makina as she crosses the border into the United States in search of her brother. We talk about the book's attempt to thread the needle between realism and fabulism, as well as one of its translator's more difficult decisions. In the second half of the show, we've got a long-awaited update on Cousin Joey, as well as a new segment called Cargo Sweatpants Watch, in which Mike tries to triangulate what it means, culturally, that Tom owns a pair of cargo sweatpants. You can check out Herrera's book from Powell's, by clicking this link. And as always, you can learn more about the show, and see links to some of the stuff we talked about this week, by visiting us at our website, bookfightpod.com.

It's our last Winter of Wayback episode before we have to finally admit that spring has sprung. This week we're traveling to 1916, where we read a P.G. Wodehouse story ("Jeeves Takes Charge"). We also talk about art manifestos, and speculate about why there aren't any these days. Other topics covered include: elephant executions, the most lopsided college football game of all time, terrorist acts, taxes, and the early years of Piggly Wiggly. You can read the Wodehouse story at this link: "Jeeves Takes Charge." And you can learn more about the show, and get links to some of what we talked about in today's episode, at our website, bookfightpod.com.

This week's book is an addiction and recovery memoir by celebrated journalist David Carr, who recently lost a battle with cancer (after surviving lymphoma, as detailed in the book). Carr takes an unusual vector through his own drug-fueled past, employing the skills he learned as a journalist to interview friends, family, colleagues and lovers, in an attempt to piece together an account of his own life more objective than what he could glean from memory alone. In the second half of the show, we dip into the ol' mailbag. We've got a question about submitting your work for publication, and one about the recent Harper Lee news. Plus a listener calls us out on our anti-Meatloaf bias. For more, including links to things we talked about on the show, and your chance to nominate a book for an upcoming bonus episode, visit us online at bookfightpod.com.

A bit of a reading detour this week as we take up two stories from pulp writer Robert E. Howard, who invented both Conan the Barbarian and Sailor Steve Costigan, the sailor who loved to fight. We also talk about the origins of both Goofy and Betty Boop, Australia's "emu war," and Olympian/professional golfer Babe Didrikson. Everything you ever wanted to know about 1932! For more, including video clips of cartoons and other stuff we talked about, visit us online at bookfightpod.com.

We're joined this week by Dave Housley (author of the new story collection If I Knew The Way, I Would Take You Home) to discuss Nathan Rabin's 2013 book investigating the cult followings of both Phish and Insane Clown Posse. The book tracks Rabin's experiences at several Phish shows and the annual Gathering of the Juggalos, as well as his near-breakdown during what sounds like a pretty rough year. We also talk about Dave's obsession with aliens, and his Twitter friendship with several members of the alien network MUFON. Plus: a new segment called "Things Mike Found in Tom's House."

This week we're traveling back to 1944, reading a Raymond Chandler essay about what makes a good story, and talking about various events not related to D-Day, because we're pretty sure that's been covered at this point. Instead we'll tell you about the origins of the Chiquita Banana song, a racially motivated labor strike in Philadelphia, Paul McCartney's lesser-known musician brother, and Miss America 1944's later career as a finger-wagger and gun owner. For more, including links to some of the things we talked about in the episode, visit us online at bookfightpod.com.

This week we're reading the breakout 2001 book by French writer Emmanuel Carrere, a true-crime story about a man who killed his wife, children, and parents after living a life of, as the book's subtitle has it, "monstrous deception." We talk about the line between drama and sensationalism, and speculate about what goes on in the heads of pathological liars. In the second half of the show we talk about a Paris Review interview with Carrere in which he talks about why In Cold Blood is a fundamentally dishonest and "morally hideous" book. For more, including links to things we talked about in this episode, visit us online at bookfightpod.com.

This week we've set the Wayback Machine to 1894: We're reading a Kate Chopin story and talking about phonographs, anarchists, and shooting your guns into the air as if you didn't particularly care (about gun safety). For more, including links to some of what we talked about in the episode (including this week's story) visit us online at bookfightpod.com. We're also still fundraising! So check out our Indiegogo page and give us some of your hard-earned money.