How to Eat an Elephant: A Little Book Club for Large Books
Episodes
East of Eden: Chapters 51-55
17 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
At long last, Ian, Megan, and Emily sit down to discuss East of Eden in all of its poignant fullness. We close read Steinbeck’s moving conclusion an...
East of Eden: Chapters 48-50
04 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today Megan and Emily discuss Cathy’s final escape, then they turn to the climactic Cain and Abel scene and unpack the implications of Cal’s decis...
East of Eden: Chapters 44-47
28 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today the HEE crew talk about our growing admiration for Abra-cadabra, Kate’s human weakness, and the latent resemblances between parents and childr...
East of Eden: Chapters 40-43
15 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today Ian, Emily, and Megan discuss the cracks in Kate’s armor, Aron’s unbearable purity, Cal’s responsibility-taking, and Lee’s masterful par...
East of Eden: Chapters 37-39
07 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, the HEE team discusses Adam’s business venture and the hope of holding on to dreams. We then turn to Cal’s incredible character d...
East of Eden: Chapters 34-36
24 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Ian, Megan, and Emily weigh Steinbeck’s philosophical musings on the Great Question of life against the “enfleshed” experience ...
East of Eden: Chapters 31-33
18 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we ride the highest highs and the lowest lows. On the one hand, the HEE team triumphs in Adam’s victory over Cathy. On the other, we...
East of Eden: Chapters 28-30
26 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After a few weeks of traveling hither and yon, HEE is finally back for the summer!In this episode, Megan and Emily discuss Lee’s backstory and consi...
East of Eden: Chapters 25-27
15 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Did this week’s reading make you cheer or cringe? The HEE team discusses the triumph of Adam over Cathy and the unmasking of her true nature, but we...
East of Eden: Chapters 22-24
24 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today's episode is a big one! In our reading this week we're finally introduced to "timshel." The HEE crew wrestles with the term's significance and t...
East of Eden: Chapters 19-21
10 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Have we finally figured out Cathy's character motivation? This week the HEE team follows our villain where angels fear to tread, comparing and con...
East of Eden: Chapters 16-18
05 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's ladies' day at HEE! (Gentlemen listeners can still tune in..) Emily and Megan forge ahead with a conversation that touches on Samuel Hami...
East of Eden: Chapters 13-15
01 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week Ian, Emily, and Megan discuss Steinbeck's ideas about individualism. He wants to protect the rights of the individual over the collectiv...
East of Eden: Chapters 10-12
20 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The conflict of our story comes into a little more focus in today's reading as the Cathy and Trask plotlines converge. We take a final crack at co...
East of Eden: Chapters 7-9
03 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Have we found the Eve to our Adam Trask? Before we dive into the terrifying world of Cathy Ames, the HEE team talks about Steinbeck's ideas concer...
East of Eden: Chapters 4-6
20 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week we're discussing Chapters 4-6 of John Steinbeck's East of Eden. We compare Charles and Adam’s relationship to the Cain and Abel st...
East of Eden: Chapters 1-3
13 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Surprise! How to Eat an Elephant is FINALLY back for our season on John Steinbeck's East of Eden.We kick off our conversation of the first three c...
Season 3 Trailer
12 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
You thought it'd never happen! (We were getting nervous ourselves...) Ian, Megan, and Emily are finally back to reveal the next large book the pod...
Les Misérables: Book 1, Chapters 7-8
02 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ian, Emily, and Megan follow Jean Valjean down the twisty-turny corridors of his subconscious and try not to get lost along the way. Join the Facebook...
Les Misérables: Book 1, Chapters 5-6
26 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The story of Fantine continues. Meanwhile, we meet both M. Madeleine and Javert: one suspiciously familiar, the other a compelling but unambiguous sym...
Les Misérables: Book 1, Chapters 3-4
12 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
n this episode, the HEE team walks through Fantine’s tragic backstory and tries to process that firehose of a chapter on “The Year 1817.”Join th...
Les Misérables: Book 1, Chapter 2
06 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week we are at last introduced to Jean Valjean! The HEE team members discuss “The Fall” and try to pinpoint the conflict which will carry our...
Les Misérables: Book 1, Chapter 1
28 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Our journey begins! Ian, Emily, and Megan discuss “An Upright Man.” They unpack Monseigneur Bienvenu’s character and try to determine why Hugo b...
Les Misérables: Introduction
14 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
How to Eat an Elephant is back! Ian, Emily, and Megan kick off their discussion of Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables with an introductory overview of th...
War and Peace: War and Peace Volume 1 Recap
25 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit centerforlit.substack.com/subsc...
War and Peace: 1.3.16-19
11 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit centerforlit.substack.com/subsc...
War and Peace: 1.3.11-15
04 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit centerforlit.substack.com/subsc...
War and Peace: 1.3.6-10
28 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit centerforlit.substack.com/subsc...
War and Peace: 1.3.1-5
21 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit centerforlit.substack.com/subsc...
War and Peace: 1.2.16-21
14 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit centerforlit.substack.com/subsc...
War and Peace: 1.2.11-15
07 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit centerforlit.substack.com/subsc...
War and Peace: 1.2.6-10
30 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit centerforlit.substack.com/subsc...
War and Peace: 1.2.1-5
23 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit centerforlit.substack.com/subsc...
War and Peace: 1.1.21-25
16 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit centerforlit.substack.com/subsc...
War and Peace: 1.1.16-20
09 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit centerforlit.substack.com/subsc...
War and Peace: 1.1.11-15
02 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit centerforlit.substack.com/subsc...
War and Peace: 1.1.6-10
26 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit centerforlit.substack.com/subsc...
War and Peace: 1.1.1-5
19 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit centerforlit.substack.com/subsc...
How to Eat an Elephant: Introduction
05 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit centerforlit.substack.com/subsc...
How to Eat an Elephant: Trailer
22 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit centerforlit.substack.com/subsc...