See if you can guess this author who has sold over 200 million copies: His comic work consists of nonstop adventure featuring a boy-faced hero and his little white dog. Yes, this Stories Are Soul Food episode is about Herge, Tintin, and Snowy (or Milou, if you're Belgian, and want the dog to be named after Herge's girlfriend). Nate and Brian discuss Herge's influence on their development, Spielberg's sorta unsatisfying adaptation, and the excellent Tintin cartoons now available on Canon+ (better than Spielberg?? yes!). Nate also challenges SASF listeners to show episodes of Tintin to their children (5th grade and under) and see what comes out of brains fed with this adventurous soul food. (Do let the SASF pod know what comes of it.) The guys also discuss Herge's blatantly bad spots (Tintin in the Congo) and their excitement at being able to share a childhood favorite with so many other families. If that sounds good, sign up for a free trial at joincanonplus.com.

The internet is still smoldering from the aftermath of a Tucker Carlson interview in which Darryl Cooper of the pop history podcast Martyr Made called Winston Churchill "a chief villain of World War 2." Brian asks Nate about historical heroes, the great wars, whether Winston Churchill is hero or villain, and why the explosion of boomer rage over the Churchill criticism in the first place. Nate returns these questions with extra helpings of spice, laying into historical revisionists of all sorts who think that THEY are the judge, and that a great man's legacy rises or falls after each new podcast claim. And, at the same time, he gives his answers to whether Winston had bigger flaws than we think (probably). Churchill is the last championship banner hanging in the gym -- why wouldn't we love him, even if he had flaws? To make sure everyone is angry, Nate also makes a case for the nuclear end to WW2, showing that historical revisionists, even when they've got a point, are always taking shots from the cheap seats.

N.D. Wilson, an author known for his inventive storytelling, discusses his intriguing method for replicating the Shroud of Turin. He shares how a professor's dismissal of the Bible sparked his experiment, revealing a medieval technique using glass and paint. Wilson examines the historical context, including how even medieval Catholics deemed the shroud a forgery. The conversation explores the tension between faith and science, emphasizing the critical need for authenticity in understanding such artifacts and the storytelling around them.

After a quick discussion of Brian's decision to shout more at Nate to please a few vocal liseners, the SASF guys discuss what it takes to sell more than 8 million copies of your books. Turns out, if you published in the 2010s, putting "Girl" in the title pretty much did it. If you follow publishing, you should be able to guess the books that sold the most copies in the 2010s: EL James's 50 Shades series (the trilogy sold 35 million copies). Nate and Brian discuss the crisis that publishing such successful smut caused Random House -- and how RH made it go away. They also introduce you to Doug Wilson's reviews of Twilight and 50 Shades. Then they move on to identifying the expertise required to sell what fills out the rest of the top 10 list for the previous decade in this books-focused episode of Stories Are Soul Food. Includes discussions of Hunger Games, The Help, Gone Girl on a Train with Tattoos, Divergent, and more, all of which sold about 8 million copies or more.

Nate, a budding sci-fi writer, and Brian, a storyteller and life coach, dive into profound discussions about the essence of storytelling and human choices. They tackle the idea of narratives persisting in the afterlife and explore Nate's dystopian concept where no one lives past 18. Brian offers life advice on selecting a path, emphasizing action over paralysis, and how divine guidance reveals opportunities. They also reflect on human nature, success, and the lessons found in hardship, illustrating how life's journey is intrinsically linked to our stories.

Prepare for a very convicting episode of Stories Are Soul Food. Jesus warns of one kind of seed that springs up fast but quickly withers away. It's this kind of character the SASF guys discuss today, with Brian asking questions about Saul and Judas. Nate identifies one fundamental error such characters always make: They mistake their place in the story, making themselves the main character. Saul thinks the kingdom of Israel is about him. Judas thinks he can make the Messiah drive out the Romans. But the most common place Nate has seen this error? Parents. Moms who can't see past their own trials. Dads who sabotage their kids goals for their own. Turns out, mis-reading the story is the way we all make things easier on themselves.  

Nate and Brian invite Forrest Dickison on to make sure he takes first place as SASF'S Most Invited Guest. But really they want to discuss Forrest's debut picture book, Crispin's Rainy Day, a story about a boy who wants to join a crew of pirate frogs -- but only if he can escape from his little sister first. The book is a perfect chocolate chip story with stunning illustrations -- meant to be enjoyed as a family -- but it has a contentious depiction of gender roles reflected in the relationship between Crispin and his sister Rose. "Contentious" means "traditional" in this case -- Rose wields delicious slices of cake and is completely uninterested in swords. The discussion of the heroic feminine leads naturally into a discussion of Miyazaki's latest feature film, The Boy and the Heron, with some amazing female characters of its own and bold narrative choices (man-eating parakeets, anyone?). Forrest calls it a masterpiece; Brian wanted it to be better. You'll have to listen to the episode to find out what Nate thought. If you're an NC Wyeth fan, you'll also get some recognition in this episode. Visit crispinsrainyday.com for more.

The podcast dives into a recent failed assassination attempt on Trump, exploring the chaotic reactions and mixed media narratives. It examines the implications of social media on public perception and political theater. Key discussions include the broader failures of the Secret Service and critiques of the deep state. The hosts reflect on how to approach these events as Christians, emphasizing the importance of building towards real solutions rather than seeking political saviors. They tackle complex issues like leadership decay and the evolving nature of truth in our information-saturated age.

This week Brian has abandoned Nate to attend the birth of his daughter, so Nate strikes back by having two of his own daughters on the pod instead. The discussion begins with what books the girls, Lucy and Ameera, are reading, and why Lucy hates detective novels and green food.  Lucy is moved to love, though, when the trope of "unsung heroes" is introduced.  Nate pursues this line, getting his daughters to articulate exactly why praise-less sacrifice is such a stirring concept.  Frodo finally gets the love that he has been missing both from the hobbits of the shire and the audience of the Peter Jackson's movies.  This episode touches down on all sorts of authors, ranging from the obligatory Tolkien (All Hail!) to Terry Pratchett to Jane Austen, Agatha Christy, and (who else?) C.S. Lewis.  It wouldn't be a SASF episode though if Nate didn't sneak in some comments at the end about behaving like the kind of character you want to be and ...  which episode number are we on anyway?    

Today's Stories Are Soul Food episode covers two new dystopian tales, a book and a show. The book is Leif Enger's "I Cheerfully Refuse", which Brian cheerfully despised for Leif's overly luminous characters and bass-playing giant protagonist. The show is Amazon Prime's "Fallout," which Nate skipped his way through, watching the innocence of the virginal protagonist be stripped from her episode by episode through violence, immorality, and (apparently) cannibalism. Nate talks about how the show's potential was ruined because the director, Jonathan Nolan, had only one trick: take innocence and corrupt it. Beyond that, the show never gets beyond the video game logic which bounds it. Brian asks why the destruction of the innocent seems to be the theme of most postapocalyptic fiction, and the guys talk their way through Margaret Atwood, The Road, Mad Max, and other tales of scientific dystopia. Why do we love such stories? Brian answers that it's because our lives are so easy. Listen to the episode to see if Nate agrees... #SASF #StoriesAreSoulFood #Books #Movies #NDWilson #JonathanNolan #Fallout #AmazonPrime #ICheerfullyRefuse #LeifEnger #DystopianSciFi #Postapocalypse  #Innocence