The Socialist Shelf

Bad news: Joss is out for this episode. Good news: we've got our first guest! You can (and should) follow him on Twitter @dkpmason. Jacob and Mason are back this week to finish our discussion on Upton Sinclair's 1906 work of political horror (Aka the life of a member of the hyper-exploited working class) "The Jungle." What does capitalism do to the human soul? What drives a man to turn on his fellow workers? How low can a person get? And finally, where should we look for our liberation? Episode cover art is a picture of the Chicago stockyards, music by Kevin MacLeod.

Bad news: Joss is out for this episode. The good news: we've got our first guest! You can (and should) follow him on Twitter @dkpmason. Listen to Jacob and Mason chat about "The Jungle," the 1906 work of political fiction by Upton Sinclair. What would the Biblical story of Job look like in early 1900s Chicago? What's changed, what's stayed the same, and what's sliding backward? Plus, some good tips for staying in shape (hint: don't leave the forests of Lithuania!) The episode art is a picture of the old muckraker himself. Music by Kevin MacLeod.

Welcome back to Michael Crichton's 1990 sci-fi novel, Jurassic Park! Should we reject Marxism and instead embrace Malcolmism? How do billionaires deal with failure? Where did Costa Rica get their air force? Will Joss become a mammoth? All your burning questions are answered! Music by Kevin MacLeod. Cover art from the novel's first edition cover.

We had a weeklong hiatus but now we're back at it! It's time to talk bioengineering, it's time to talk irresponsible research, it's time to talk chaos theory, it's time to talk about Michael Crichton's 1990 sci-fi novel, Jurassic Park!! Music by Kevin MacLeod. As for the episode art...you already know who it is and where it's from.

Your favorite apocalypticians are back on the case of Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins' attempt to add a 67th book to the Bible: Left Behind. We discuss the epidemic of boring evangelical characters, rip on Jenkins' writing a little (okay, a lot), and dream up what a "good version" of this book might look like. Most importantly, we look into the nihilism at the heart of Evangelicalism-as-politics and how it's gotten us to where we are today. Music by Kevin MacLeod. Cover art from Left Behind: World at War.

Dive with us into Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins's 1995 apocalyptic evangelical thriller, Left Behind! This is a weird one, folks. In this episode, we take a long look at the borderline-supervillain of life of Tim LaHaye, assess how the 1990s were primed for apocalypse hysteria, and really tear into the deliciously incompetent prose of Jerry B. Jenkins. Cover from the 1995 release of Left Behind. Music by Kevin MacLeod.

We're back! We've got aliens! We've got monsters! We've got...penguins? Yes. Lots of penguins. What good is a mystery you can't solve? How do you survive a shoggoth attack? What comes of a dream of a better world when it's clouded by anti-solidaristic bigotry? We cover a lot in the span of forty-five minutes or so. Music by Kevin MacLeod. Art by Gecko! for the Moscow University Press.

It's time to enter the weeeiiirddd world of H.P. Lovecraft. In this episode, learn about the life of Lovecraft, the good, the bad, the ugly, the badder, and the uglier (seriously, he wasn't a very good guy.) We discuss the influence of Lovecraft on the horror genre, the looming sense of doom instilled in the capitalism of the 1930s, and what makes a story actually scary. Episode art by Howard V. Brown's cover of "Astounding Stories." Music by Kevin MacLeod.

You're really uploading an episode on Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol?" In February? Are you crazy? Maybe! Join us on the foggy streets of Dickens' London, a place where all sorts of wondrous folk fight to scratch out a living in the birthplace of industrial capitalism. How does light get introduced into such a bleak setting? Why does this story speak to us more than a century-and-a-half later? What can it teach us about our own world? Let's dive in! Follow us on Twitter @SocialistShelf or email us at TheSocialistShelf@gmail.com! Cover image from the film, "The Muppet Christmas Carol." Music by @FreeToUseMusic.

Part 2! We talk about the motivation of Octavia Butler, the return of company towns, and just how vital clinging to one another is in a world on fire. Also, check out Jacob desperately trying not to spoil the second book. Follow us on Twitter @SocialistShelf or email us at TheSocialistShelf@gmail.com. Picture of Octavia Butler from the Associated Press. Music by Kevin MacLeod