Lit Society: Books and Drama

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro (Spoiler-Free)

Honestly, the last few years have been more challenging than high notes for J.Lo.  Friends and family are helping us keep our joy, despite everything. What if, though, you don't have as many friends as you'd like or what if your family lives far away? There's an app for that. You can build a friend, customizing everything from their style to the cadence of their voice. Tech companies are doing all they can to help us feel less lonely, but are these artificial friends doing more harm than good? We'll talk about it. Then, it's on to our book.
One uniquely intelligent AI finds herself among a human family that constantly breaks promises and acts disloyally. Yet, the AI is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for her new owner and their family. In the end, we must ask, "what is love," and does it belong only to those with a heart?
The intelligent AI: Klara
The book: Klara and the Sun
 
LET'S GET LIT!
 
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The Final Revival of Opal and Nev by Dawnie Walton (Spoiler-Free)

This week, Alexis puts Kari on the spot, for a change, with a game she invented based on the music of the '70s. Will Kari emerge the winner or suffer a defeat so humiliating that she quits the podcast and moves to Florida. Stay tuned.
Then, it's on to our book: A fictional story, written as a brilliant profile on one of the greatest and most misunderstood rock duos in history. Think Mick Jagger and Tina Turner - or Grace Jones + David Bowie. It interviews those responsible for Opal and Nev's rise to fame. Each producer, bandmate, and agent tell their side of who the two stars were and what role they played in the horrific event that led to a man's death and Opal and Nev's ostracization by industry insiders and wannabes for years to come.
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Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

We've invented another game for you this week! Play along and see if you can beat Alexis. The theme is banned books, and a few of your favorites are sure to be on the list. Then, it's on to this week's feature...
Books are illegal, and being caught with one could mean your life. Society is high on the pacifying pleasures fed to them constantly, including catchy jingles and family-centered television. In this world, firemen don't stop fires; they cause them, bursting into the homes of arrested offenders and setting their literature ablaze. But one fireman has a secret that turns into a problem sure to burn his existence, including everyone he knows, to ash.
The disillusioned firefighter? Guy MontagThe book: Fahrenheit 451
LET'S GET LIT!
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Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (Part 2)

Before we dive into the thrilling conclusion of Jurassic Park, we have to get something off of our chest. Is this a safe space? Can we be honest about one of the darkest habits of society? That's right. Zoos.
Are memories of innocent animals restricted in cages the highlight of your childhood? Well, we're not judging, but let's be real about where menageries and zoos started and why so many people are turning away from them. Shout out to Bubbles.
Then it's on to part two of Jurassic Park by Michael Chrichton. Where we ended last week, the chaos was only beginning. Now the dinos are getting their Sha'Carri on all over the park, with no one able to stop them. Who will survive when the dust settles, and where did the movie diverge from the book?
LET'S GET LIT!
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A brief look at Ming the Tiger, who lived in a Harlem apartment building: https://youtu.be/V_bhpR85mD4.
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This week's LIT Indie: Pilsen Community Books
1102 W 18th St, Chicago, IL 60608
(312) 478-9434
 
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Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (Part 1)

Despite what we often hear, can the movie ever be better than the book? This week, our theme is just that, and we talk in detail about movies that outshined their source material. Yes, Devil Wears Prada is on this list. Then, it's on to our book...
What if dinosaurs walked the earth today? Like all questions, the subtext is about power. Who would profit, who would dominate, and who would die? In this page-turning, cliffhanger-packed novel, unbelievable ideas are presented in packages so digestible and feasible that they seem possible, and, in the end, the real monster is who we expected it to be all along. Man. (Oooo, that's deep.)
 
The man with a master plan? John Hammond
 
The book? Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
 
LET'S GET LIT!
 
 
Find Alexis and Kari online: 
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Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne

Y'all don't wanna wear masks. Y'all don't wanna get a shot. But y'all still wanna be out here hoppin' on planes, trains, and automobiles. Okay, fine. Well, here are some fool-proof tips for staying safe while traveling right now. If you're not about a mask or a vax, pay special attention to tip number one. And then we're on to our book ...
Le Tour du Monde en Quatre-Vingts Jour is a story about a man so bored with his life that he may rob a bank, definitely beats up a priest, and travels around the world while learning nothing about the cultures that inhabit it.
Still, this mindful romp has delighted readers for over a century, proving there's perhaps no better vacation than the one we give our brain.
The traveler: Phileas Fogg
The Book: Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne
LET'S GET LIT!
 
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The Maidens by Alex Michaelides (Spoiler-Free (Basically))

NOTE: Avoid spoilers by skipping 48:23 - 58:08
Today, we go back to high school as Alexis teaches us the elemental points of Greek tragedy, prepping our discussion of this week's book (which itself is a tragedy in more ways than one). What is a Greek tragedy, and which notable writers lifted the formula for their works? Broaching this topic is sure to make you blind with delight. (See what I did there?)  
Then, on to our book: Folks are dying all over campus, and one therapist-turned-detective knows who's behind the bodies, or does she? Coming head to head with the university's most beloved professor will either land her on the right side of justice or six feet underground. Follow our self-appointed sleuth through the murky waters of speculation and circumstantial evidence until everyone knows the truth except her.
Let's get LIT!
 

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

This here's a very special episode! Before officially launching this podcast in 2020, we recorded months of episodes exclusively for a pool of private test listeners. Those listeners then provided feedback, and we improved the show based on their comments.
Now, we proudly would like to share with you the fourth episode, previously unreleased - it's a real LOCO motive. (groan.)
So, boom, here it is. The Orient Express, a luxurious train occupied by a motley group of passengers, is halted in the middle of the night by a blizzard — and a murder. (dun dun DUN!)
Under the darkness of night, a passenger has been brutally stabbed to death. One detective must solve the case before the killer strikes again! 
The book: Murder on the Orient Express
The detective: Hercule Poirot
Let's get LIT!

ReLIT: Dapper Dan: Made in Harlem: A Memoir

This Thursday we're getting reLIT with a throwback to one of our favorite shows from season one!
📖 Dapper Dan: Made in Harlem: A Memoir.
A streetwise hustler grows up during America’s fight against drugs, poverty, and civility. He takes the lessons he’s learned and marries them to the philosophies and ideologies he picks up as an avid reader. With this knowledge, and after two trips to Africa, which inspired his path, he begins working on his life’s biggest hustle. He’s all in, but will his underground lifestyle take him OUT for good?
The hustler’s name is Daniel Day.
The book is Dapper Dan: Made in Harlem.
LET’S GET LIT! See you Thursday!
Opening song: Men at Work by Kool G Rap;
Break Song: Money Makes Us Happy by Skyzoo f/ Black Thought and Bilal.
The video Kari refers to is by AT&T, found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jb_sjwUq7Jk
 

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson (Part 2)

Before finishing our discussion of Caste by Isabel Wilkerson, we're talking about the first black pilots who helped us all get flewed out. Never forget, they broke boundaries and shattered ceilings so that none of us would have to fly Spirit today. They were uppity in more ways than one, and we can't help but aspire to their level flyness.
Then it's on to Caste, a book Kari calls "a history book somewhat like any other you'd find in a well-stocked high school classroom." Of course, there are a few key differences. For one, Caste doesn't fade to black when it comes to the horrors of post-slavery America. It also lays out Nazi obsession with the American caste system and the reasons why our brand of cruelty was so popular with "der Führer". 
Got the bandwidth for uncomfortable facts? This episode’s for you! 
LET’S GET LIT!
 
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