we’re nearing the end of the first season of the podcast, and with open city by teju cole, we’ve reached out first real widespread difference of opinion. open city was a polarizing book when bob taught it in his classes, and it leads to a discussion here around the influences of guy debord, the anti-identity of the protagonist, the discrepancy on display between high and low culture, and what a movie adaptation of this book would look like if it starred mr. bean. we then call the honorable judge matt erdely for his ruling on the cover before joey has to defend himself against the mounting pressures of being replaced on the show.
reading list for season one
death in her hands by ottessa moshfegh, 6/3
pizza girl by jean kyoung frazier, 6/17
you shall know our velocity by dave eggers, 7/1
memories of my father watching tv by curtis white, 7/15
a prayer for owen meany by john irving, 7/29
colorless tsukuru tazaki by haruki murakami, 8/12
any man by amber tamblyn, 8/26
ducks, newburyport by lucy ellmann, 9/9
open city by teju cole, 9/23
never let me go by kazuo ishiguro, 10/7