Workers' Lit
Episodes
The Gang Goes Progressive: Black Chamber
12 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This is a bully good episode (am I using that term properly?)This week, the shelfers check out S.M. Stirling's 2018 alternative history WWI novel,...
We Bring The Boom: When the Wind Blows, ft. Foxy Macchiato
05 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever considered that when a nuclear war happens your grandparents will die and it'll be really sad? No? Well this book is gonna make you ...
Fools Settle Alchemist: The Alchemist, Ft. Kennedy Cooper
25 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What if the treasure was the friends we made along the way but also was very literally a whole lot of treasure?Join us as we travel to 1988 to discuss...
The First Groyper: Confessions of a Mask
17 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Our new website is live! Check out socialistshelf.com for all your Socialist Shelf needs.Today we enter the very gay, very violent, and very authorita...
Kicked (To Death!): Liberation Day, ft. Tom Da Anime Sicko
11 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever thought, "Hey, why can't I have a guy strapped to my wall that will basically serve as a living large language model for me and...
Forrest "Bram Stoker" Gump: Dracula, ft. Scoob
04 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's time to talk about the quintessential vampire novel, Bram Stoker 1897 gothic horror, "Dracula." *Scary music plays, lightning flash...
Occupy Prescott, an Interview with Andy Boyd
27 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's been a minute, but it's time for another famous Socialist Shelf interview!! We're delighted to feature Andy Boyd, a brilliant playwri...
Baby I Was Born To Walk: The Long Walk
21 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We walk. And walk. And waaaalk. Welcome to the twisted mind of Stephen King, AKA Richard Bachman, and his 1979 dystopian horror, "The Long Walk." Wh...
Talking about the last year...also, "Hell is the Absence of God"
07 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's a year in review episode but also we do a short story because that's what we doooo, baby.It's been a great year for the show (and in basically no...
Depression (In Space!): Aniara, ft. Max Johansson
31 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's not just a poem, it an EPIC poem. This week, the Shelfers take on Harry Martinson's 1956 Swedish, sci-fi epic, "Aniara." Joining them is Max Joha...
Dude, Where's My Reich? (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas)
26 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's get into the savage heart of the American dream, shall we? Join us as we visit Hunter S. Thompson's pocket dimension version of Las Vegas in his...
Every Young Man's Saddle: Every Young Man’s Battle, Ft. Josh Boerman
17 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here. Worst of All Possible Worlds’ Josh Boerman, veteran of both the Socialist Shelf and the battle every young man ...
See Description for Title: Percy Jackson
11 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Title: "Luke Castellan and the Heroic Kronosian People's Front's Noble and Correct War Against the Poseidonist Running Dog Known as Percy JacKKK$on an...
13 Seasons Why: The 5th Season
03 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We went and ended the whole world this time. This week, the Shelfers unleash the powers of the Evil Earth with N.K. Jemisin 2015 fantasy hit, "The Fif...
Maker? I Hardly Know Her: Makers, ft. Max Graves
18 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's time to do some serious 3D Printing. The Shelfers are joined by comic artist and internet expert, Max Graves, to discuss Cory Doctorow's 2009, ne...
Return of the King, ft. Aysha U. Farah
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The epic saga comes to a close... This week we finish our Tolkien series with Return of the King...but the king's not the only one returning! Alongsid...
Tol-Ken Penders: Sonic Comics, ft. Wiispywitch
21 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
No, it doesn't make sense that we did an episode on the Sonic Archie Comics...but it'll be fine. We had fun. To get into the wild world of Sonic comi...
Human Boyg Guy: Peer Gynt, Ft. Brian Alford
08 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's time to jump off a cliff, seduce a troll, and get turned into a button. This week, we're talking about Henrik Ibsen's 1867 play, "Peer Gynt," an ...
Comey Vs. the Mafia: Central Park West
01 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Remember James Comey, the FBI Director who infuriated Democrats by reopening the Hillary Clinton email investigation just before the 2016 election, th...
Tom Bomba-Devil: The Two Towers
20 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Part 3 of our Tolkien series is HERE! It's time for Ents, Wizards, Giant Spiders, and Ecological Catastrophe, because we're talking about J.R...
I'm going to Jeff the Kill you: Creepypastas, ft. Rachel B.
13 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We're in our spooky era. This week, we're talking about Creepypastas, that internet horror phenomenon that was the pride and joy of kids who ...
In The Zone: Roadside Picnic
02 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Join the shelfers as we enter The Zone and explore a classic work of Soviet sci-fi, the Strugatsky brothers' 1972 novel, "Roadside Picnic.&qu...
Jacob and Lenore Yell At An Article
25 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Due to busy schedules and a mild back injury (explanations within) we didn't finish prep to talk about this week's novel, so instead we read a...
Revenge of the Vegans: Tender is the Flesh
17 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
That flesh do be tender The shelfers take on Augustina Bazterrica's 2017 horror novel (or cookbook if you're really weird I guess), "Ten...
Just Dance Vance: Hillbilly Elegy
12 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Yee...and I can't stress this enough...Haw The Shelfers dive into VP hopeful, evil lawyer, and overgrown garden gnome J.D. Vance's 2016 memoi...
Highkey No Mouth, Lowkey Gotta Scream
04 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A blast from the past...we've dug up an episode recorded several months ago. Why didn't we release it? Uhh...idk honestly. Anyway! It's H...
I Hate When Evil is Born: Black, ft Josh Boerman
27 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's a three-peat folks! They're calling him the three-peater! Josh Boerman of the Worst of All Possible Worlds podcast is BACK to help the S...
Portrait Mode: The Picture of Dorian Gray
20 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
"A Picture of Doran GAY" was too low-hanging of fruit, but I did consider that as an episode title. This week the Shelfers dive into the on...
The Return of This Thing: LOTR, Pt 1
12 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
WE! ARE! BACK! The Shelfers have RETURNED! This week we discuss J.R.R. Tolkien's 1953 quintessential fantasy novel, "Fellowship of the Ring....
Enter the TolkienVerse: The Hobbit
29 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
And so it begins...The Socialist Shelf Tolkien deep dive. The Shelfers begin an examination of the ultimate fantasy series, "The Lord of the Rin...
Shelf Lore: They Called Her Rebel
17 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's short, but it's important (to us!) Ahead of our next month of Tolkien deep-dive, we need another week to read and study. However, we did...
SchizoZENia: The Book of Form and Emptiness
12 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Alternate episode title: "Who Killed Captain Aleph?" The Shelfers get Zen as we dive into Ruth Ozeki's 2021 work of magical realism, &qu...
WORM WORM WORM: Dune, ft Trent
04 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's time to talk about DUNE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Educator and sci-fi lover Trent returns to the show to discuss Frank Herbert's 1965 epic tale of sp...
Burning Man: Interview w/ Vincent Bevins
23 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Right at the top: y'all need to get this book. You can find it here. Journalist and author Vincent Bevins joins the Shelfers to discuss his new bo...
History Science Theater 1231: Cross-Time Engineer, ft. Dracula
17 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Special thanks to THE Count Dracula for stopping by! This week we get into Leo Frankowski's 1986 sci-fi—let's not say "epic," exa...
Cursed Episode: Edgar Allan Poe
13 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This episode was delayed multiple times due to what is no doubt the curse of the ghost of Poe himself! This week we're discussing the life of fame...
Fighting Times: Interview with Jonathan Melrod
02 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We're back with a Socialist Shelf author interview! This week we're talking to labor lawyer, long-time activist, and author of the book, "...
The Twisted Mind of C.S. Lewis: Narnia, ft. Aysha U. Farah
22 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This is a fun one. Fantasy expert and professional hater Aysha U. Farah is back on the show to discuss C.S. Lewis' 1950 children's novel, &qu...
Good Kush(ner): iHO, ft A.J. Ditty
12 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We're covering Tony Kushner's 2009 (and 2010, and 2011, and many-times-since-edited) play, "The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Cap...
2024, the Year of Lenore: Red Plenty
07 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's 2024...new year, new books, a new name...the same, classic socialist spirit. We're talking about Francis Spufford's 2010 historical f...
Utopia 4 Kidz: The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas
22 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's our last episode of 2023...so let's end it on something we all know and love, "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas" by Ursula K....
Does the Dog Die: The People of Sand and Slag, ft. Karlo Yeager Rodríguez
17 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Yeah. The dog dies. This week we're discussing Paolo Bacigalupi's sci-fi short story, "The People of Sand and Slag." There's a ...
The Bad McCarthy: The Crucible
10 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Not all is well in the town of Salem...or Washington for that matter. Join the Shelfers as we dive into Arthur Miller's 1953 not-so-subtle-allegor...
The One About Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
02 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's a lesser-known series...you probably haven't heard of it. Today the shelfers take on Matthew Stover's 2005 novelization of "Star...
Rock Uber: The Myth of Sisyphus
24 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Joss reads the entire thing at the opening so you have no excuse not to absorb this text (unless you just don't want to in which case...fair) This...
Marxism-Springsteenism: Battle Royale
19 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
History may have gone entirely differently, but the music of Bruce Springsteen is eternal... Today we explore the alt-history dystopia of Koushun Taka...
Proletariat Number 1 Great: The Crab Cannery Ship
10 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Folks welcome to the episode where we debut our BRAND NEW THEME SONG!!!!! Massive shout-out to Solo Monk for putting it together. Please go give him a...
Zig Zag Zig: The Ballad of Black Tom
03 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's existential horror time!! This week we get into Victor LaValle's 2016 novella, "The Ballad of Black Tom," a retelling of H.P. L...
Neurodivergent and a Minor: Catcher in the Rye, ft. Aysha U. Farah
29 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jacob fails to read poetry, Joss makes bad jokes, we have a cool guest, and we released the episode two days late...honestly, it's the platonic id...
The Gang Goes Anarchist: V for Vendetta
20 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Let's. Get. Edgy. Step into (even more) fascistic London in Alan Moore's classic 1982-1985 graphic novel, "V for Vendetta." What mak...
This one's just for fun: My Immortal
13 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Some are calling it THE literary classic. This week the boys get into "My Immortal," a notorious 2006-2007 Harry Potter fan fiction by the u...
Top of the Pots: Compassionate Capitalism Part 2, ft. Josh Boerman
06 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We're back and holding Rich Devos accountable. This is the second half of our conversation on "Compassionate Capitalism" and "Ten P...
Real Capitalism Has Never Been Tried: Compassionate Capitalism ft. Josh Boerman Part 1
29 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's time to learn more than we ever wanted to about Amway founder and general rightwing psycho, Richard Devos. Josh Boerman from Worst of All Possibl...
...You're the loser. Snow Crash Part 2, Ft. Kurt Schiller
22 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to the cyber-adrenaline rush that is Neal Stephenson's, "Snow Crash!" The Shelfers team up with Kurt Schiller of Podside Pi...
In the Gaming World...Snow Crash Part 1, Ft. Kurt Schiller
15 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We're going to the distant, wild, far-flung cyberpunk future of the early 2000s...as seen from the early 90s. Yep, we're talking about Neal St...
The Evilest Episode: True Allegiance Part 2, ft Sydney Dallas-Main
08 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
EMBRACE THE IMMORTAL SCIENCE OF MARXISM-LENINISM-LEVONISM!!!! We're back with Sydney to finish out this trudge through what I assume has to be Ben...
The Evilest Episode: True Allegiance Part 1, ft Sydney Dallas-Main
01 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
UGGHHHHHH That more or less summarizes our reaction to "True Allegiance," Ben Shapiro's work of fiction that repeatedly, incessantly, in...
Octavia is BACK: Bloodchild, Featuring Aaron Thorpe
25 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's our first repeat author! Get ready to discuss the short stories, "Bloodchild," "Amnesty," and "Book of Martha" ...
Socialism and Superheroes, an Interview with Vijay Prashad
11 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's the week of interviews, and we're back with another fantastic one...this time with legendary socialist writer, thinker, and enjoyer of go...
BONUS: An Interview with Omar El Akkad
09 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We enjoyed his book, "American War," and in this episode, we got a chance to enjoy speaking to the author! Listen to acclaimed writer and jo...
The Best Timeline: Ministry for the Future Part 2
04 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Y'all know what's up: it's Kim Stanley Robinson's climate fiction smorgasbord, "The Ministry for the Future!" REVOLUTIONARY ...
The Best Timeline: Ministry for the Future Part 1
01 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
"Jacob...Joss...do y'all talk about nothing but bleak books anymore? I'm getting tired! I'm getting depressed." Never fear list...
Red Vs. Blue: American War Part 2, ft. Josh Boerman
21 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
"First of all, I don't want to hear the word surrender..." We're back with more dystopia! "American War" by Omar El Akkad ...
Red Vs. Blue: American War Part 1, ft Josh Boerman
14 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What if everything was bad...and then it got worse...and then it kept getting worse...and everything generally stayed bad forever? That's what Oma...
The Good McCarthy: Blood Meridian Part 2, Ft. Drew Mason
07 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Part 2! Welcome back to the godless wasteland roamed by the Glanton Gang. We, along with our guest, Drew Mason, will be your guides. We're talking...
The Good McCarthy: Blood Meridian Part 1, Ft. Drew Mason
30 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Everybody's favorite dirt mage, Drew Mason, is back to talk with us about "Blood Meridian" by the recently late, forever great, Cormac M...
They Made Tumblr Into A Book...and It's Good: Gideon the Ninth Part 2
23 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
No poetry for this episode summary, just appreciation for Tamsyn Muir's blast of a novel, "Gideon the Ninth." How does the internet inte...
They Made Tumblr Into A Book...and It's Good: Gideon the Ninth, Part 1
16 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Two for the stories reread in our dreams Three for the prose we remember in memes Four for the books that we both recommend Five for the ones where we...
Clinton's Worst Crime: The President is Missing Part 2
02 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
"Stop reading this! It's too awful!" our brains cry. "No," we reply, as we sink further into madness. Yep, we're back with...
Clinton's Worst Crime: The President is Missing Part 1
26 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Bill Clinton wrote a novel, y'all...Yes, that Bill Clinton. Join us as we slowly lose our minds trying to crawl through the nightmare that is &quo...
From the Military to Mercury: Slaughterhouse-Five, Part 2, ft TRENT
22 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We're back with more of Kurt Vonnegut's anti-war sci-fi classic, "Slaughterhouse-Five" ft none other than known Vonnegut-head, TRENT...
From the Military to Mercury: Slaughterhouse-Five, Part 1, ft TRENT
05 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We've got another guest, folks. You know him, you love him, it's the legend himself...TRENT (a college buddy of Jacob's) It's time to ...
Gaming in Spaaaaaace: The Three-Body Problem, Pt 2
03 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's what you've been waiting for, folks: the GAMING portion of Liu Cixin's sci-fi headscratcher, "The Three-Body Problem." Okay...
Gaming in Spaaaaace: The Three Body Problem, Part 1
24 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We're back...and yes I mean *we.* After a three-week hiatus, Joss has returned to the program. And we're talking Liu Cixin's hard sci-fi p...
The Bloody Heart of Capitalism: The Jungle Part 2, Featuring D. Mason
09 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Bad news: Joss is out for this episode. Good news: we've got our first guest! You can (and should) follow him on Twitter @dkpmason. Jacob and Mason a...
The Bloody Heart of Capitalism: The Jungle Part 1, Featuring D. Mason
01 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Bad news: Joss is out for this episode. The good news: we've got our first guest! You can (and should) follow him on Twitter @dkpmason. Listen to...
Debt and Dinosaurs: Jurassic Park Part 2
24 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to Michael Crichton's 1990 sci-fi novel, Jurassic Park! Should we reject Marxism and instead embrace Malcolmism? How do billionaires...
Debt and Dinosaurs: Jurassic Park Part 1
17 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We had a weeklong hiatus but now we're back at it! It's time to talk bioengineering, it's time to talk irresponsible research, it's time to talk chaos...
It's The End of the World as We Know It: Left Behind Part 2
03 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Your favorite apocalypticians are back on the case of Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins' attempt to add a 67th book to the Bible: Left Behind. We discus...
It's The End of the World as We Know It: Left Behind Part 1
25 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dive with us into Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins's 1995 apocalyptic evangelical thriller, Left Behind! This is a weird one, folks. In this episode, w...
History on Ice: At the Mountains of Madness part 2
21 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We're back! We've got aliens! We've got monsters! We've got...penguins? Yes. Lots of penguins. What good is a mystery you can't solve? How do you surv...
History on Ice: At the Mountains of Madness part 1
12 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's time to enter the weeeiiirddd world of H.P. Lovecraft. In this episode, learn about the life of Lovecraft, the good, the bad, the ugly, the badde...
Greed, Ghosts, and Gonzo: A Christmas Carol
04 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
You're really uploading an episode on Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol?" In February? Are you crazy? Maybe! Join us on the foggy streets of Dickens...
God is Change: Parable of the Sower Pt2
31 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Part 2! We talk about the motivation of Octavia Butler, the return of company towns, and just how vital clinging to one another is in a world on fire....
God is Change: Talking Parable of the Sower pt1
21 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is one of my all-time favorites: Octavia Butler's 1993 dystopian novel, "Parable of the Sower." Listeners, you're in for one heck of a ride. What...
Brave New Pod: Talking Brave New World Pt 2
14 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The second half of our Brave New World discussion. In this episode: We talk even more about Huxley vs Orwell (we can't help ourselves) and examine how...
Brave New Pod: Talking Brave New World Pt 1
14 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Hey! First episode! In this rough first attempt, we hop right into Aldous Huxley's dystopian classic, "Brave New World." How does propaganda rea...