The Socialist Shelf

We’re covering Ben Shapiro again. We’re doing this for you, listeners. You asked us to do this. You inflicted this pain on us. YOU DID!It’s time to get into Ben’s most recent fascist screed, 2025’s “Lions and Scavengers,” and we’re joined by famed Ben hater and theatre understander (unlike Ben), AJ Ditty of the Worst of All Possible Worlds!As much as we joke, this is a pretty good episode if you want to learn to dissect the arguments of the intellectual-sounding right. Also…learn Ben Shapiro’s connections to Sephiroth.Are you listening to Worst of All Possible Worlds? Why the hell not? Go check it out right now. Go go go!!

Oh wow. What a time. We really did this.At listener request, we covered Kamala Harris’ supposed tell-all “107 Days.” Whoo boy.Joining us is Josh Mayfield, a revolutionary organizer, artist, and generally a cool guy.Topics: how it’s not Kamala’s fault, how Kamala wants you to stop caring about Gaza, how Kamala hates her husband, and how fascism cannot be beaten at the ballot box.Check out Josh’s brilliant art here!Art is Coconut Us.

What if a flu killed almost everyone and so you performed Shakespeare in a traveling band of vagabonds, and also famous actor flashbacks and creepy airport prophets and graphic novels and the 2008 financial crash were involved? And what if somehow it all worked?Welcome to “Station Eleven” by Emily St. John Mandel, where you’ll find all that and more.Fair warning, we summarize the plot in about the same way the book presents it, so things get disjointed…but we’re all having fun, right?

Yeah. We read Kash Patel's book for kids. It's about as good as you expect.The now FBI Director's 2022, "Plot Against The King" is an allegorical tale sure to delight and amaze...or something like that.Episode art is the book's cover but with that epic Kash Flare

We’re delighted to welcome author and journalist Talia Lavin to the show to discuss her book, “Wild Faith: How the Christian right is taking over America.”This is a broad topic that we know a lot of you are interested in. We touch on the rise of the Moral Majority, the mainstreaming of the Satanic Panic, the unwavering faith of true believers, and we throw up a peace sign over James Dobson’s grave.Go buy Talia’s book! It’s phenomenal!

“1984 is a great fiction novel to read but it seems like it is becoming the reality we are currently living under more and more each day”—noted genius Madison CawthornToday we get into THE dystopian giant, Georgia Orwell’s 1949 novel, “1984.” We have mixed feelings.Learn about the very earnest and very annoying George Orwell, a man of often good intentions even more often ridiculous blunders and baffling choices. Then, get into the world of Oceania, with beautiful writing and…a complete lack of any useful political analysis whatsoever,This one’s complicated! Bring your popcorn and let’s enjoy it together.

Article Brain returns!Once again, we try to drive each other insane with articles, and this time both comes from close to home…Yeah scrapping all our institutions of public health is bad, but have you considered maybe they deserve it because sometimes doctors try to be trans inclusive? That’s what our first article seems to think.And then we talk about “The Department of War” name change and how words matter…so much that calling it “The Department of Defense” meant we hadn’t been doing anything bad before.

It’s a bonus episode!!Lenore sat down with Alec Karakatsanis, civil rights lawyer and author of the book, “Copaganda” and a newsletter by the same name, to talk about his writing, the deeply violent nature of the American police state, and the way our media plays an active role in carrying out police terrorGet Alec’s book here!Read Alec’s newsletter here!Cover art is the book’s cover.

The Sleepers? Yeah, I sure do feel sleepy trying to get through this damn book!The great Josh Boerman returns to the pod to talk about Matthew Gasda’s truly heinous 2025 novel, “The Sleepers.”We discuss the hack nature of the “post left,” the long 2016, and the strange enduring rage a certain type of guy holds for Chapo Trap House. We also get really, really mad because this book SUCKS dude.Josh is one of the podcasting GOATS, and as he’s now joined us five times we have elected to honor him with his own Socialist Shelf Bust. Shout out to @WeetleBeetle on Instagram for the art.Check out Josh’s show, Worst of All Possible Worlds. Also check out Josh’s other show, Ill Conceived.

It’s Iowa time.Josiah Sutton of Fruitless joins us to discuss John Darnielle’s (of “The Mountain Goats” tame) Midwestern Gothic semi-horror, “Universal Harvester.” Themes: Iowa, corn, VHS tapes, beer, loneliness, more Iowa.If you like our show, you’ll like Fruitless. Check it out now!Episode art is a whole lot going on at a barn