Zero to Well-Read

Percival Everett won both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for his novel James, a modern masterpiece that retells The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of Jim, the enslaved man who accompanies Huck on his journey down the Mississippi River. This week, Jeff and Rebecca discuss what Everett does with Jim's interiority and intelligence that Twain couldn't, how the novel's central conceit literalizes W.E.B. Du Bois's theory of double consciousness, and how Everett pulled off making a book that is layered and intellectually rich into a genuine page-turner.

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It's a very special week on Zero to Well-Read as Jeff and Rebecca pick up one of their shared favorite novels, Marilynne Robinson's magisterial meditation on life, death, family, and faith. They discuss why a book where almost nothing happens is impossible to put down, how Robinson examines the great mystery of existence without ever getting heavy or preachy, and the reasons Gilead has stayed with both of them for more than twenty years.

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Follow Zero to Well-Read on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

Email us: [email protected]

Thank you to ThriftBooks for being the presenting sponsor of this season of Zero to Well-Read!

Zero to Well-Read is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network.

Use code THEBOOKS for 20% off at Cozy Earth.

Go to quince.com/bookriot for free shipping and 365-day returns.

This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeff and Rebecca dig into Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea, the book that won him both the Pulitzer and the Nobel, and that he called the best writing he would ever do. They explore what Hemingway's iceberg theory actually means in practice, the way his economy of language conveys deep feeling, and his enduring impact on contemporary style.

Subscribe to our free newsletter, and become a member for access to early, ad-free listening and bonus content.

Follow Zero to Well-Read on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

Email us: [email protected]

Thank you to ThriftBooks for being the presenting sponsor of this season of Zero to Well-Read!

Zero to Well-Read is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network.

Use code THEBOOKS for 20% off at Cozy Earth.

Go to quince.com/bookriot for free shipping and 365-day returns.

This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
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Jeff and Rebecca take on one of Shakespeare's best–and best-known–comedies, Much Ado About Nothing. They talk about its enduring appeal, the "merry war" of banter that continues to inspire and influence rom-com writing, and the classic novels that wouldn't exist if Shakespeare had never written Benedick and Beatrice.

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Follow Zero to Well-Read on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

Email us: [email protected]

Thank you to ThriftBooks for being the presenting sponsor of this season of Zero to Well-Read!

Zero to Well-Read is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network.

Use code THEBOOKS for 20% off at Cozy Earth.

This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
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How can you sharpen your reading skills and learn to evaluate books more deeply? When is it optimizing to quit a book you're bored of, and when is it worth the slog? Reading goals: good or no? Jeff and Rebecca dip into the mailbag to answer listener questions and respond to feedback.

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Follow Zero to Well-Read on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

Email us: [email protected]

Thank you to ThriftBooks for being the presenting sponsor of this season of Zero to Well-Read!

Zero to Well-Read is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network.

Use code THEBOOKS for 20% off at Cozy Earth.

This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices