American Writers (One Hundred Pages at a Time)

This episode is the conclusion of my review of LIFE ON THE MISSISSIPPI by Mark Twain. The ending has some great commentary on the Southern memory of the American Civil War and how the antebellum culture of the South was corrupted by the works of writers such as Walter Scott.

What happens to insurance companies when a scientist can predict the moment of your death? Should corporations be able to stop the spread of knowledge that benefits humanity? Heinlein takes on these questions in his first published story, "Life-Line". I talk about these themes in this episode.

This episode is part three of my coverage of LIFE ON THE MISSISSIPPI by Mark Twain. With Twain we explore how the South and the nation changed in the years after the American Civil War, for better or for worse. He grabbed my attention again with his writing on New Orleans.

In this episode, I finish my look at FOR US, THE LIVING by Robert A. Heinlein. There is a lot of historical and economic details that I scan over here, but I strongly encourage you to look at this utopia work.

This episode is a little more on LIFE ON THE MISSISSIPPI by Mark Twain. It is also an episode where I have a personal breakdown and realization.

I start my exploration of Robert A. Heinlein's works with my thoughts on FOR US, THE LIVING, a fascinating study of the "social credit" economy.

The early chapters of the massive THE LIFE ON THE MISSISSIPPI explores the natural and human history of the river before getting into the personal history of young Samuel Clemens as a trainee steamboat pilot. For much of the first half, it is a celebration of the knowledge of the working class.

The second half of my review of THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER by Mark Twain. Here I discuss adulthood, the preservation of freedom (or not) and the horrors of maturation.

I begin my series on the works of Mark Twain with THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER. I hope I have a little bit to say about this well-known novel.

Finally, I reach the end of my series on the American Civil War. Next up, we will look at the works of Mark Twain.

Among other things I explore Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address, the passage of the 13th Amendment, and the later battles of the Civil War. This series nears its end.

In this episode, I begin the end of my coverage of the American Civil War Library of America anthology with a gloss on the March to the Sea and related events, as well as the 1864 election.

The crucial election of 1864 took place in the context of decisive Union victories in Atlanta and Virginia. How do these events effect the people who experienced them first hand? I read about it in the Library of American anthology of Civil War writings.

In this episode, I consider documents from the American Civil War on the 1864 peace movement, the siege of Atlanta, the Jubal Early raid on Washington, and other issues.

I continue to explore the American Civil War through primary sources, looking primarily at the brutal outcomes of the Overland Campaign and the soldiers responses and recollections of those costly battles.

In this episode, I begin my look at the final year of the American Civil War through the Library of American anthology. I was particularly moved by Harriet Jacob's school in Virginia. I also look into the Fort Pillow Massacre and the start of the Overland campaign.

The final episode in my review of IT. Let me know what you think of this novel and my coverage of it.

In part 10 of my review of Stephen King's IT, we (almost) get the climax in the sewers. Before we can go there we need to spend around 100 pages watching King set that climax up. It has one of the most memorable and horrible moments in the novel, the confrontation between Beverly and her possessed father.

In this episode I explore three chapters of Stephen King's novel IT. It includes a couple of a my favorite sections: the death of Patrick Hockstetter and a deeper dive into Derry's history in the fourth "Interlude" chapter.

In this episode I look at the chapters "The Smokehole" and "Eddie's Big Break" from Stephen King's novel IT. Sadly these are both chapters that have been neglected or radically changed in the film adaptations, but they are still pretty important.

I continue my deep dive into IT by Stephen King by looking at the turning point chapters on the "Apocalyptic Rock Fight" and "The Album", which set up the confrontation that will dominate the rest of the novel

In this episode, I look at some historical documents produced in the winter of 1863 and 1864. With the tide of the war decisively changed, desperation, desertion, and even some radical proposals appear in the Confederacy. The war was lost at home and on the battlefield.

In this episode I look at the "Walking Tours" chapter of Stephen King's novel IT. It sets up some important themes for the later half of the novel and prepares us for the non-stop unification of past and present that we will experience from here to the end.

In this episode I explore more documents from the American Civil War, focusing on the end of 1863. Topics include Reconstruction, the battles around Chattanooga, and The Gettysburg Address. 

This is the episode where I deal with the biggest problem I have interpreting this novel. The question of IT's motivations, the return of the Losers, and the reason they are all rich and childless. I also talk about the second "interlude" chapter and "The Reunion".