Ep. 17 - Books by Peter Mehlman, Chinua Achebe, and Katherine Dunn are discussed by comedians Mateen Stewart, Hannah Gansen, and author Peter Mehlman

Book Me, Please!

I had a lot of fun taping this episode, which starts out with a story about technical glitches and then, as if to prove my point, is full of technical glitches. So, my apologies for any “drop outs” in this episode. However, a few dropped words aside, we did manage to have a great conversation with author and former Seinfeld writer Peter Mehlman, who’s hilarious novel It Won’t Alway’s Be This Great comes out in paperback on October 5th. This book is not only as funny as you might expect, but it’s also a touching story about family, as well as an insightful glimpse into the life of a seemingly ordinary suburban podiatrist who suddenly finds himself in a life altering situation. Next up we have comedian/actor Mateen Stewart, who brings us a pillar of colonial literature, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. Unfortunately, we have one of our glitches just as Mateen says the name of the book, so my apologies, but it was a great conversation about a really important book. This book, the story of a man faced with the destruction of his family and his nation by the forces of colonialism is a haunting tale, made all the more frightening by it’s connection to reality. Some real life horrors are worse than any fiction, and this book is both a great novel as well as a great testament to the truth of colonialism. The horrors in our next book, brought to us by our returning favorite, Hannah Gansen, are of the freak show variety, as we discuss the very popular Geek Love by Katherine Dunn. This is a book that comes up over and over it seems, people keep recommending it to me, and they seem to have a deep connection to this twisted tale about a family of freaks. And I suppose that’s what this show’s all about, getting a good recommendation for something you might not otherwise read, and so after my talk with Hannah, I’m looking forward to diving into this one! All in all, another fun episode! I hope you enjoy! IT WON’T ALWAYS BE THIS GREAT - by Peter Mehlman : Bancroft Press ISBN 978-1-61088-135-7 THINGS FALL APART - by Chinua Achebe : William Heinemann Ltd. ISBN 0-385-47454-7 GEEK LOVE - by Katherine Dunn : Random House ISBN 0-394-56902-4