It's Not A Book Club Podcast

The book that changed Kehinde's life..? In this episode, the boys dive into Monkey King: Journey to the West , the iconic classic of Chinese literature by Wu Ch’eng-en. The book follows the shape-shifting, kung-fu-mastering trickster, Monkey King, on his epic quest for redemption and eternal life. With the ability to transform into anything and turn his 84,000 hairs into an army of clones, hi...

Sex is overrated...or is it? Jared Diamond’s Why Is Sex Fun? unpacks the evolutionary quirks of human sexuality, exploring why our reproductive habits are so vastly different from other animals. From hidden ovulation to the mystery of monogamy, Diamond dissects the biological and cultural forces that shape our intimate lives. Written with wit and scientific insight, this book challenges our assump...

F̶l̶a̶w̶e̶d̶ Beauty is in the ruins! Yukio Mishima's The Temple of the Golden Pavilion unfolds in the enchanting city of Kyoto, capturing the story of a young Buddhist monk's obsession with the temple's beauty and his turbulent journey through jealousy, desire, and existential angst. Penned in 1956, Mishima's masterpiece explores the destructive power of beauty and the conflict...

T̶o̶x̶i̶c̶ Love is in the air! James Baldwin's Giovanni's Room  is centred in the 'suave' Parisian inner city,  and focuses on the events of an American man's complicated feelings and frustrations with his relationships with other women and men in his life, most notably an Italian bartender named Giovanni. Written in 1956,  Baldwin's literary (initially controversial)...

One political treatise to rule them all, One political treatise to find them, One political treatise to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them... The Prince, written by the great Niccolò Machiavelli is a 16th century instruction guide for new princes and royals. Often referred to as the principalis of modern political philosophy, the treatise is set just prior to the Italian renaissance and...

A Nigerian literary great. Chinua Achebe debut novel 'Things Fall Apart' follows the life of Okonkwo, an Igbo man and acclaimed wrestling champion of the fictional Nigerian clan of Umuofia. The book, first published in 1958, depicts pre-colonial life in the southeastern parts of Nigeria and the arrival of colonialism and its effects on the cultural and religious traditions of Umuofia. A...

S2 Episode 07:   *Yo Melo, queue the scary music* Thinnnnner Thinner, the podcasts first horror novel,  by the acclaimed  Stephen King centers on lawyer Billy Halleck, a stereotypical middle class suburban white man who kills a crossing Romani woman in a road accident and escapes legal punishment due to his connections. The twist? The woman's father places a curse on Halleck, which causes him...

S2 Episode 06:   Chill. Yes they took their time, but they work and it's Jane Austen... The British literary classic, Pride and Prejudice, is an 1813 'novel of manners'. Set in the regency era, the novel follows the character development of Elizabeth Bennet via her relationship with her family, friends and the enticing/elusive Mr Darcy. Tune in to listen to Kehinde's perspectiv...

Season 2: Episode 5 ''BELOVED'' is Toni Morrison's fifth novel, and the podcast's second time diving into one of her literary classics. Winning the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1988,  'Beloved' is set after the American Civil War and tells the story of a family of formerly enslaved people whose Cincinnati home is haunted by a malevolent spirit. Not  immedia...

Season 2: Episode 4 Russia + Essex =  Russex... The guys welcome their second guest on the podcast, Lucia Dove; a writer and poet from Southend-on-Sea, Essex, UK. Lucia discusses her main inspirations, fragmented experiences and memories from Russia and Essex which  influenced her pamphlet of poems 'Say Cucumber', published in 2019. Tune in, as we  dissect and discuss: the structure of p...

Season 2: Episode 3 Excuse us, we have been busy! We kickstart (restart?) Season 2 with Byung-Chul Han's 'The Disappearance of Rituals. Published in 2019, the book is a critical review of western society, taking aim at neoliberalism and the relentless force of capitalism in the erosion of community in the 21st century. Using examples of rituals from the past Byung-Chul juxtaposes a commu...

Season 2: Episode 2 "You may desire more than one woman..." The  controversial book, 'The Way of the Superior Man'  written by David Deida (published 1997)   explores  masculinity, femininity and the interplay between them both,,  through the lens of the life of a man.  The book delves into the importance  of a career, family,  relationships and intimacy; offering a  guidebook...

SEASON 2! *horn noise* The boys are back! Kicking off season 2 with an explosive episode, after reading Luster the debut novel by Raven Leilani. The book follows a 23-year-old black female protagonist, Edie, as she gets involved in a polygamous relationship with a middle aged white man and his wife. Released in August 2020, the book has already received a mainly positive  critical reception, but d...

Season 1: Episode 12 The last episode of the series, the last episode (first episode?) of the year! The guys finish Season 1 with Skinhead, a handbook of the potent 'cult' skinhead movement in England by the British fashion photographer Nick knight. Reuben, Zach and Kehinde  discuss the migrant influences of Skinhead culture, the characteristics and behaviour of  Skinheads, and  their at...

Season 1: Episode 11 Intelligence...the guys try to de-code what it means? From discussing Charlton supporters to whether Zach would date someone smarter than him, the INACP boys discuss the  science fiction short story  by American writer Daniel Keyes. The novel, published in 1966, is told by a series of progress reports written by Charlie Gordon, the first human subject for an experimental surge...

Season 1: Episode 10 The first guest of the podcast, Derek Owusu, joins the boys in discussing his most recent book 'That Reminds Me'. A story of a young man named 'K' told in fragments of memory... Derek talks about his inspiration for the book, debates with Zach about how to correctly write a sentence and laughs about the shared nostalgia of growing up in London. A special th...

Season 1: Episode 9 If you love cats you'll love this episode artwork. The boys discuss the first book 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' is a comedy science fiction series created by Douglas Adams. This episode is exactly 42 years from the original radio broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1978, what are the chances of that! The boys talk about the parameters of the book, does siz...

Six months into 2020 and too much has happened. In light of the recent  #BlackLivesMatter movement transcending international borders. INABCP have decided to postpone Episode 09, to give you insight into their thoughts on the current protests sparked by the death of George Floyd.  Th boys, examine and disagree on the projection of the movement. Asking themselves whether the COVID-19 pandemic had a...

Season 1: Episode 8 Your QUARANTINE CONTENT continues as the boys discuss the three act screenplay: An Inspector Calls by J.B.Priestly . * SPOILER ALERT* - A tense investigation by the omniscient Inspector Goole, crashes an engagement party to which the Burling family discover that they are all in fact responsible for Eva Smith's suicide. We discuss themes such as the responsibility of the go...

Season 1: Episode 7 After months of anticipation, the guy's have finally finished reading the acclaimed dystopian novel: A Clockwork Orange  by English writer Anthony Burgess. Published in 1962, it is set in a near-future society that has a youth subculture of extreme violence. The boy's look into themes of empathy, try to determine what deduces free will and discuss the nuances of Londo...

Season 1: Episode 6 The boy’s are back! Kicking off the New Year with a descriptive analysis of the childhood favourite; Biff and Chip: Rainbow Machine. Inspired by the book,  Zach goes on a monologue about the ‘woke’ reading habits of his youth , Reuben dictates some facts about rainbows(..?) and Kehinde offers theories on which books children should read from the INABCP catalogue. Twitter: @ITSN...

Season 1: Episode 5 In this episode the boys review the highly acclaimed autobiographical comedy book written by American comedian Tina Fey. The five week New York Times topping book, selling in excess of 2.5 million copies worldwide seems to deconstruct Reuben's toxic masculinity, finally make Zach laugh and prompt a disclosure in femininity within architecture from Kehinde... Twitter: @ITSN...

Season 1: Episode 4 In this episode the lads dive into Toni Morrison's second novel Sula. Published in 1973, the book touches on friendship between women when unmediated by men and the choices available to black women outside of the their own societies approval. They touch on conversations such as nature VS nurture and the complexities of life and the concept of 'Sonder'. Twitter: @...

Season 1: Episode 03 In this fiery episode the guy's take a look at the multi-award winning book, Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine. A book of poems comprising of seven chapters and 'criticisms', which delve into what it means to be black, in today's climate. The guy's also open up about their present and past experiences dealing with being black in the U.K. Tw...

Season 1: Episode 02 In this episode the guys give their opinion on Reuben's 1st book-pick, the cult classic 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?' by Phillip K. Dick. First published in 1968, the science fiction novel is set in a post-apocalyptic San Francisco, where Earth's life has been greatly damaged by nuclear global war. They also look into the philosophical aspects cent...