Becoming The Main Character

What happens when you take a story that is controversial enough to be frequently banned from libraries and mix it with an author who doesn’t care what you think about his writing? You get Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”. But why is a story about a boy floating down a river so scrutinized? Some reasons are obvious, but others are less so. All I know is I found the character of Huc...

Why does a culture need its own stories? Can't it just borrow someone else's? The USA is too young to have formulated a mythology like classic civilizations did, and yet from our early years we still ended up creating fictional stories that are inherently ours. Why? In this special episode to help celebrate the 250th anniversary of the nation I grew up in, I explore a couple of reasons for...

In Part 2 of our coverage of The Scarlet Pimpernel we are waiting to see what Chauvelin will discover in the dining room. Marguerite feels sick for being a spy for the villain, but it was the Pimpernel, or her brother Armand, and she has made her choice. How will this play out? Will the Pimpernel escape? Will Marguerite be able to live with her choice? Let's find out together. ----------------...

Before the acronyms MCU or DCEU ever existed, superheroes were illustrations on the page of comic books. But before comic books came to be, there was another story that first gave us a hero with a secret identity. The original superhero who risked it all to save others, while wearing a 'mask' in his day-to-day life to protect himself and those he loved. In this episode, we begin coverage o...

What if I told you that you have been deprived of one of the best forms of storytelling for most of your life? The "The Three-Act" story structure has dominated Western storytelling for centuries. Hero has desires, Hero encounters conflict, Hero overcomes conflict in order to achieve desires. Easy Peasy.  But the Four-Act structure, aka Kishōtenketsu proposes an entirely different take o...

You ready for part 2, question? Grace is now teamed up with his alien friend Rocky, and they have worked together to the point of creating a theory that might save both of their planets. But can they find out the answer in time? Grace also remembers a dark secret about himself... Sign up for 'BTMC: Protagonist Edition', where you get the full story the day it releases, plus EXTENDED VERSIO...

I woke up in space without a clue of what's going on...how's your day been? Andy Weir has carved out a niche for himself that you could call "lone man lost in space". This time, the creator of The Martian dives into even deeper space as he explores interstellar travel, extinction-level events on earth, unexpected friendship, and self-discovery. I have never heard someone say they...

How Did I End Up Here? Mattie Ross finds herself out on the frozen hillsides of Oklahoma. Body aching from being on horseback all day, she just witnessed the gruesome killing of two bandits... It's enough to make her ask ' what am I doing out here?' Part 2 of True Grit will lead to what I believe is the very relatable answer to that question. Sign up for 'BTMC: Protagonist Edition&...

"I was born game, sis, and I hope to die in that condition." When the government-appointed lawmen aren't quick to hunt down the murderer of Frank Ross, his teenage daughter, Mattie, takes things into her own hands and hires a one-eyed US Marshall known for his rough treatment of outlaws. In Charles Portis's classic western novel, we find a beautiful example of how to push through...

Felonies are down by 99.8%. There hasn't been a murder in 5 years because the police know what will happen before it takes place. There couldn't possibly be any side effects to arresting people who haven't yet committed a crime...right? This sci-fi classic short story from the 1950's comes to us from the same author who wrote "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" (aka Bl...

"It’s as well that you only killed the old woman. If you’d invented another theory you might perhaps have done something a thousand times more hideous." Raskolnikov was a young man with a theory. A theory that led to a choice, and now he doesn't know how to deal with the consequences. Who will condemn him first, the police, or his own conscience? Tune in to see how Rodion Romanovitch...

"Would not one tiny crime be wiped out by thousands of good deeds?" The Russians are coming...Fyodor Dostoevsky's unique brand of psychological thriller has reached BTMC, and I was delighted to dive deep into the intellectual madness of the deeply flawed main character, Raskolnikov. We've never covered a book like this before. This story was too big for one episode. So, jump in t...

Launch into the new year with the best ideas learned from the stories of 2025. I've gone through 70+ lessons that I took from the stories of the last 12 months and picked the 8 that I think are the most powerful for you to apply in your life. Listen, and then go forth and conquer the year. Sign up for 'BTMC: Protagonist Edition', where you get EXTENDED VERSIONS of the episodes to take...

Ho, Ho, Ho! here's a little holiday treat for you. In classic BTMC fashion, I took my lesson as serious as a car accident and found much more depth to the moral of this children's story than you may think was possible. Was the Grinch truly a meany, or just misinformed on what happiness looked like? Enjoy! Sign up for 'BTMC: Protagonist Edition', where you get EXTENDED VERSIONS of t...

On this show, I cover the greatest ficton ever written, but my larger goal is to get you to start looking at ALL stories as tools to understand how to live a better life. So I got two of the most prolific readers I know, "Alex & Books", and Dylan O'Sullivan) to sit down and discuss the unique strengths of both Fictional stories and Non-Fictional stories to help you on your way to...

Pride and Prejudice is a masterclass in how confidently we can be wrong about people. The story of two people who mistake their first impressions for objective truth, until the story forces them to confront who the other person really is. This episode digs into Austen’s brilliance at showing how believing you have infallible judgment isn’t wisdom...it’s a trap. Most of the art used in this episode...

Disney did you dirty. Because you probably think Arthur becoming king was as easy as pulling the sword from the stone. But the actual myth is way more complicated (and therefore, realistic?). Before Camelot, before the round table, there was just a boy who didn't know what he was destined to be, and with no idea the struggle he would have to survive in order to claim his crown. Sign up for &#3...

"Man is not truly one, but truly two." It's one of the most famous gothic horror novellas, and it all started when Robert Louis Stevenson had a nightmare so vivid that his wife had to wake him because of his screams. The story that dares to ask the question: Is man good, evil, or both? Sign up for 'BTMC: Protagonist Edition', where you get EXTENDED VERSIONS of the episodes to...

Edgar. Allen. Poe. The Master of Macabre. The tortured genius whose own life was almost as dark as the stories he wrote. Today, we dive into one of his most iconic tales, The Tell-Tale Heart. This story is disturbing. It is horrifying. And we're still going to find takeaways that we can apply in our own lives, so jump in and let's get started. Sign up for 'BTMC: Protagonist Edition&#39...

The curse has plagued their family for hundreds of years. A spectral hound that preys only on those of the Baskerville name. Is Sherlock Holmes up against his most clever foe yet, or maybe...the devil himself? Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote 60 detective stories featuring Sherlock Holmes. The man who has turned into one of the most globally loved (and replicated) characters ever created. Dive into th...

Take in every detail, don't let a moment go unnoticed. One day it may all be a memory... From master short story sci-fi writer Ted Chiang, today we're exploring the inspiration behind the movie Arrival, 'Story of Your Life'. Sign up for 'BTMC: Protagonist Edition', where you get EXTENDED VERSIONS of the episodes to take you even deeper into the story with more scenes, more...

You're humming the theme song in your head even as you read this, aren't you? Welcome to Jurassic Park! The wonderfully terrifying world created by the master of techno/science thrillers, Michael Crichton. The book goes deeper and darker than the popular movie into the side effects and unintended consequences of messing with nature. So, hop on in, we're going on a park tour. Sign up for 'BTMC: Pro...

"But now your task is to be Hercules and bear the heavy burden of disaster" After months in Middle-Earth we are heading back to ancient Greece for an anthology of adventures from everyone's favorite demigod. But...are the adventures even the heart of this story? Or is there a much deeper lesson to discover? Sign up for 'BTMC: Protagonist Edition', where you get EXTENDED VERSI...

"I was not made for perilous quests" -Frodo Baggins How far Frodo came from that moment of doubt in his cozy hobbit home. Let's explore the path that Frodo took from adventure-averse to savior of Middle Earth. As well as a dive into a crazy idea: did Frodo kill Gollum? All this and more inside this character dive episode. BECOMING SAMWISE available now on BTMC Protagonist Edition. Si...

A king and a ranger. A fighter and a poet. Aragorn is a perfect example of how being a dichotomy of stereotypes can make you one of the most valuable people to ever live. You don't have to accept that to be one thing means you can't be another. You can fight trolls and write songs. You can lift heavy weights and be a chef You can have a kind soul and be a fierce fighter. Let's learn ho...