we're kicking off the second season (campus-themed!) of how to win the lottery with sylvia plath's classic novel the bell jar. (content warning: this book and this discussion contain references to suicide and suicidal thoughts.) we talk about the relatability of the protagonist, even 60 years later, and how the story (and its characters and societal issues) are largely timeless. we also discuss parallels to the catcher in the rye (as well as possible reasons as to why that book is taught in schools and the bell jar is largely not) before bob lists the men he's sexually attracted to and sniffs out some nonsense numerology. also: we have (our first?) on-air fight.
reading list for season two
the bell jar by sylvia plath, 11/4
prep by curtis sittenfeld, 11/18
the art of fielding by chad harbach, 12/2
nickel boys by colson whitehead, 12/16
the virgins by pamela erens, 12/30
my education by susan choi, 1/13
giles goat-boy by john barth, 1/27
end zone by don delillo, 2/10
loner by teddy wayne, 2/24
the secret history by donna tartt, 3/10
sweet days of discipline by fleur jaeggy, 3/24
college novel by blake middleton, 4/7
real life by brandon taylor, 4/21
the instructions by adam levin, 5/5
the idiot by elif batuman, 5/19