1984

Tonight, I am reintroducing a very special episode.  The first novel that I covered on Brook Reading over four years ago was George Orwell’s politically dystopian classic, 1984.  In the spirit of my recent episodes featuring banned books and discussing censorship, I am closing out with a two-parter revisiting Orwell’s masterpiece.  In classic Brook Reading fashion, I discuss several movie adaptations, include multiple 5 minute rants within the book discussion, and even return to my original intro and outro songs!  While I LOVE the remixes done by Sean and Vic, I thought it’d be fun to take this episode old school.  Thank you to Ali for your email regarding the connection between David Bowie and 1984, and please visit the website this week for some extra 1984 fun!  The promo tonight is for Livestream for the Cure, and you can also find all the information about that upcoming event at Livestream for the Cure

Biographical Information on George Orwell: The Orwell Foundation

Trailer for 1984 Film: IMDB Trailer - 1984

Happy Reading!

Maus 2, A Survivor's Tale - And Here My Troubles Began

 

If you are not able to obtain a copy of Maus, Part Two, please use the link below.  Read it, share it, continue talking about it.  

FREE COPY OF MAUS, PART TWO

Maus 1, A Survivor's Tale - My Father Bleeds History

This week, I have provided with you a classic Brook Reading episode, full of 5 minute rants, an author biography, and a review of a text that is as integral to our society as Shakespeare and as censored as Salinger.  Art Spiegelman’s graphic novel, Maus, is the historically accurate tale of the author’s parents’ horrific capture and imprisonment at Auschwitz during World War II.  The novel has recently been banned by a school district in Tennessee, and due to this, is nearly impossible to find in libraries and booksellers.  

As I have previously discussed in episodes dealing with banned and censored works, the message of the text is always more important and necessary to our society than the reasons behind the censorship.  This novel outlining the horrors inflicted upon the Jewish population should not be forgotten by, or banned from, our students.  

Continue the conversation.  Find yourself a copy of “Maus”.  Share with others.  Stop the Censorship.  

“When books are run out of school classrooms and libraries, I’m never much disturbed.  Not as a citizen, not as a writer, not even as a schoolteacher…which I used to be.  What I tell kids is, don’t get mad, get even.  Don’t spend time waving signs or carrying petitions around the neighborhood.  Instead, RUN, don’t walk, to the nearest non-school library or the local bookstore and get whatever it was that they banned.  Read whatever they’re trying to keep out of your eyes and your brain, because that’s exactly what you need to know.”  - Stephen King

Promo:  Book Sweet Shop in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and online at Book Sweet Bookstore

Go visit them on Instagram @shopbooksweet 

Links to Articles in Episode

Movie Offers for Maus

Art Spiegelman Biography

Tennessee Schoolboard Bans Maus

Whoopi Goldberg Criticism

Interview with Art Spiegelman

FREE PDF OF MAUS PART TWO

The Boy With a Bird in His Chest, and an Interview with Emme Lund!

This week’s episode is such a special one for me!  I had the distinct honor and pleasure to interview Emme Lund, the author of “The Boy With a Bird in His Chest”.  Emme and I had such an amazing conversation, and the novel was such a joyous, emotional roller coaster of a read.  I hope you enjoy our conversation, the review, AND go out there and pick yourself up a copy!  “The Boy With a Bird in His Chest” releases in TWO days, on Feb. 15th, and it is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and wherever you buy books.  Visit https://emmelund.net/ for more information.  

Author Information:  Emme Lund is an author living and writing in Portland, Oregon.  She has an MFA from Mills College.  Her work has appeared in Electric Literature, Time, The Rumpus, Paper Darts, and many more.  In 2019, she was awarded an Oregon Literary Arts Fellowship in Fiction. 

“The Boy With a Bird in His Chest” is her first novel.   

You can find Emme online on Instagram @_emmelund, on Twitter @emme_lund and on Facebook @LundeEmme 

As always, Happy Reading! 

Happy New Year, Brookworms! Episode #1 Featuring Kyndra Crump

This week was a landmark for the Brook Reading Podcast - my first interview with a comedian!  I had the opportunity to chat with the hysterical, fantastically funny Kyndra Crump!  Ken hails from Atlanta, Georgia, and has been performing in clubs in and around her area.  She has also been featured on a YouTube show on the Rise Up Worldwide channel called “Laugh at Home” and hosts her own podcast, The Kyndra Crump Show. 

You can find her on Instagram @thekyndracrumpshow and check out her virtual show at the link below!  Come have a laugh with us, and as always, Happy Reading!

Link:  Laugh at Home - YouTube

Promo:  Mouse and Weens

Intro music:  Sean Faust

Outro music:  Victoria Timpanaro

Lots of Updates, Including a New Series!

Thank you so much for listening to the Brook Reading podcast, including my new recent episodes!  Since Halloween, I have developed a new series for the show, Encyclopedia Brooktanica, and this week is Volume II of that series.  

In the past couple weeks, I have received some great links of supplemental information from Ali, who always supports the show!  I will post them here, along with the schedule of episodes for the rest of 2021.  

December

12th:  Encyclopedia Brooktanica Volume III

19th:  Brook Reading's Holiday Episode

Off for the remainder of 2021...See you in 2022 with all new episodes!

Trailer to "A Room with A View"

"Gothic" Film Information

Rasputina - 1816, The Year Without a Summer

Frankenstein - An All the Horror Special!

This week’s episode of Brook Reading is a long time coming!  I present to you an extra special, chock full episode celebrating one of the most revered creations in literary history, and one of the most terrifying monsters in film history, Mary Shelley’s gothic masterpiece, “Frankenstein”!!  Not only is this episode long-awaited and special to me, as “Frankenstein” is one of my favorite novels of all time, but this episode also caps off the month-long, annual podcasting extravaganza, All the Horror!  Stick around as I review the novel, discuss Shelley’s incredible life, however peppered with tragedy, and cover as many film adaptations as I can.  Thank you so much to my #allthehorror community, I dedicate this episode to ALL my spooky friends, and I look forward to next year!  
Tonight’s promo will be one of the featured podcasts within All the Horror, the Invasion of the Remake Podcast!  A special thank you to Sam, one of the hosts of IOTR, for leading us through another spooky season!  

To find other special All the Horror episodes, you can follow @allthehorror18 on Twitter or the #allthehorror.  To find more about Invasion of the Remake, you can find them on all the things @invasionremake

The Story of Mary Shelley - Drunk History