Article Brain returns!

Once again, we try to drive each other insane with articles, and this time both comes from close to home…

Yeah scrapping all our institutions of public health is bad, but have you considered maybe they deserve it because sometimes doctors try to be trans inclusive? That’s what our first article seems to think.

And then we talk about “The Department of War” name change and how words matter…so much that calling it “The Department of Defense” meant we hadn’t been doing anything bad before.

It’s a bonus episode!!

Lenore sat down with Alec Karakatsanis, civil rights lawyer and author of the book, “Copaganda” and a newsletter by the same name, to talk about his writing, the deeply violent nature of the American police state, and the way our media plays an active role in carrying out police terror

Get Alec’s book here!

Read Alec’s newsletter here!

Cover art is the book’s cover.

We've seen plenty of dystopian futures...how about a utopian one?

Terry Bisson's 1988, "Fire on the Mountain" explores an alternate timeline where Harriet Tubman was able to join John Brown at the Harper's Ferry raid, and with her tactical skill the raiders made it out and went on to start a nation-wide slave rebellion. How did history go differently? Listen on to find out!

We talk about Bisson's own relationship to radical politics (including guerilla fighters!), and the liberatory possibilities of visionary fiction.

Also, Jacob sings a really, really good song.

Music by Solo Monk (@SoloMonk256 on Twitter, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/solomonkart⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,) episode art is John Brown's utopia, and what we're doing in it instead of podcasting.

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 Jacob and Mason chat about "The Jungle," the 1906 work of political fiction by Upton Sinclair.

What would the Biblical story of Job look like in early 1900s Chicago? What's changed, what's stayed the same, and what's sliding backward? Plus, some good tips for staying in shape (hint: don't leave the forests of Lithuania!)

The episode art is a picture of the old muckraker himself. Music by Kevin MacLeod.

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 theory, it's time to talk about Michael Crichton's 1990 sci-fi novel, Jurassic Park!!

Music by Kevin MacLeod. As for the episode art...you already know who it is and where it's from.

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, we take a long look at the borderline-supervillain of life of Tim LaHaye, assess how the 1990s were primed for apocalypse hysteria, and really tear into the deliciously incompetent prose of Jerry B. Jenkins.

Cover from the 1995 release of Left Behind. Music by Kevin MacLeod.

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 survive a shoggoth attack? What comes of a dream of a better world when it's clouded by anti-solidaristic bigotry? We cover a lot in the span of forty-five minutes or so.

Music by Kevin MacLeod. Art by Gecko! for the Moscow University Press.

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 badder, and the uglier (seriously, he wasn't a very good guy.) We discuss the influence of Lovecraft on the horror genre, the looming sense of doom instilled in the capitalism of the 1930s, and what makes a story actually scary.

Episode art by Howard V. Brown's cover of "Astounding Stories." Music by Kevin MacLeod.

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' London, a place where all sorts of wondrous folk fight to scratch out a living in the birthplace of industrial capitalism. How does light get introduced into such a bleak setting? Why does this story speak to us more than a century-and-a-half later? What can it teach us about our own world?

Let's dive in!

Follow us on Twitter @SocialistShelf or email us at TheSocialistShelf@gmail.com!

Cover image from the film, "The Muppet Christmas Carol." Music by @FreeToUseMusic.

Let's read a problematic gay fantasy novel!!!

Author Lee Mandelo (Summer Sons, The Woods All Black, Feed Them Silence) and 5 time returning guest, writer, and podcaster, Aysha U. Farah (Life is Strange: Double Exposure, The Sky Left Us, All My Maidens Podcast) join us to discuss "Mélusine," a fantasy novel from 2005 by Sarah Monette (also known as Katherine Addison).

We discuss the puritanical limitations put upon queer art, effective representation of abuse and trauma, and the myth of the perfect victim. As you may have picked up from that, we get into some pretty intense themes of sexual and physical violence in this episode, so feel free to skip this one if that sounds like something you're not in a place to listen to.

Check out "Amplitudes: Stories of Queer and Trans Futurity," edited by Lee and featuring a story from Aysha. It's a really remarkable collection. Buy Amplitudes here (or wherever you get your books) now!

Check out Aysha's podcast, "All My Maidens" and follow Aysha on Bluesky @ayshaufarah.bsky.social

Follow Lee Mandelo on Bluesky @leemandelo.bsky.social‬ and check out Lee's website here,Music by Solo Monk (@SoloMonk256 on Twitter, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/solomonkart⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,) episode art is our basic cover art...with a twist! We figured Aysha deserved her flowers after five guest appearances. Here's to five more!!

Today, a gorilla will set us straight.

This week we're covering "Ishmael," a 1992 philosophical dialogue between a man and a gorilla, written by Daniel Quinn. We are joined by Jen Big Nasty, host of the podcast, "How the Red Was Won" to figure out just what this huge, hairy cousin of humanity has to teach us about life.

We go deep into environmentalism, anthropocentrism, and humanity's place in the universe.

Go check out How The Red Was Won!

Follow How The Red Was Won on Instagram!

Music by Solo Monk (@SoloMonk256 on Twitter, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/solomonkart⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,) episode art is Ishmael if he embraced the immortal science of Marxism-Leninism.

Folks, we're not immune to the Andor hype! This week, we decided to return to the world of Star Wars to cover what can be seen as loosely as an Andor tie-in novel, Alex Freed's 2025 Star Wars novel "Reign of the Empire, the Mask of Fear".

We are joined by Manuclearbomb of NotACast and My Brother, My Captain, My Podcast to unpack the rise of fascism in the Star Wars universe, examine the useful (and not-so-useful) manners of resisting it, and talk about how little it matters if Palpatine is actually a space wizard or not in the grand scheme of things.

Check out Manu's podcast here or wherever you get your podcasts (including Star Wars bonus episodes for his patrons!)

Follow him @manuclearbomb.bsky.social

Music by Solo Monk (@SoloMonk256 on Twitter, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/solomonkart⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,) episode art is the properly updated great heads of communism.

We did it, Shelfers. 100 EPISODES OF THE SOCIALIST SHELF!!

To honor this beautiful occasion we answer some questions from you, our glorious listeners, and then get into perhaps the our most complex work of literature to date, Gary Larson's 1982 comic, "Cow Tools." If you're not familiar with Cow Tools, take a quick look at it now.

Stay tuned during the outro to hear the kind of thing we have to edit out to make this show coherent.

We sincerely thank all listeners for joining us on this journey so far. Here's to 100 more!

Music by Solo Monk (@SoloMonk256 on Twitter, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/solomonkart⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,) episode art is Cow Tools plus some extra.

Don't worry, we're still a literature podcast, but we wanted to have our friends Jason and Ankita from Resistance Cinema ATL on the show to talk about their collective and the role of film (and art more generally) in revolutionary movements.

We've got a handful of links here, so bear with us (and click on all of them you know you want to).

Pre-order Jacob's book now!

Follow Resistance Cinema ATL here!

Check out Ankita's show, The Desi Gaze here!

Check out Jason's show, Cold War Cinema here!

Music by Solo Monk (@SoloMonk256 on Twitter, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/solomonkart⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,) episode art is the book's cover.

STOP COP CITY!

We are honored to be joined by Mariah Parker, editor and writer for the new collection, "No Cop City, No Cop World," a history, recounting, and analysis of the battle around the "Cop City" project in Atlanta's Weelaunee forest that led to global attention, severe local unrest, capitalist panic, and the state murder of a peaceful protester.

This interview is great, but it's no substitute for reading the book yourself. Get the book here!

Click here to donate to the Free Speech Forest Fund to support activists being persecuted by the City of Atlanta.

Music by Solo Monk (@SoloMonk256 on Twitter, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/solomonkart⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,) episode art is the book's cover.

Our 100th episode is coming up! If you’ve got any questions, comments, or wisecracks to share with the Shelfers, send them our way at “thesocialistshelf@gmail.com” We want to hear from you!

Now for the episode:

So, these guys Derek Thompson and Ezra Klein wrote a book about a new liberalism...a liberalism that builds. Everybody in the Democratic party seems really impressed by it, so we had to see what it was all about.

"Abundance" does not hold up.

In this episode we explore the imaginative limits of progressive capitalism, the obnoxious writing style of liberals, and the article brain pandemic.

If you want to read a book that offers a vision of a real solution to the challenges we face, please check out "Socialist Reconstruction" here!

If you want to learn more about the socialist answer to climate change, check out "Climate Solutions Beyond Capitalism" here.

Music by Solo Monk (@SoloMonk256 on Twitter, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/solomonkart⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,) episode art is the book's cover plus a much-needed addition

Step one: you're going to want to buy this book. Fortunately you can buy it here!

The Shelfers welcome Nathan J. Robinson, editor-in-chief on Current Affairs and co-author with Noam Chomsky of the book, "The Myth of American Idealism: How U.S. Foreign Policy Endangers the World".

We know the U.S. foreign policy is destructive, but just how destructive? What is the future of the U.S. empire? How does Donald Trump's brand of imperialism differ from the "respectable" foreign policy of the past? How have things changed since Chomsky wrote, "Manufacturing Consent"? What are the lessons of the Palestine movement, and how do we beat this monstrosity that is the U.S. empire? All this and more in this wide ranging conversation!

Once again, we encourage you to get the book and check out Current Affairs magazine!

Music by Solo Monk (@SoloMonk256 on Twitter, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/solomonkart⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,) episode art is the book cover.

In the grim darkness of the far future, Jacob has been banished to a desolate realm that knows naught but darkness and depravity, only inhabitable by the twisted creatures of the warp: Italy.

In his stead, join Lenore and our tireless, intrepid editor with creative control over the episode caption, Ryan, as they dive into the Black Library with Fall of Cadia by Robert Rath and universe of Warhammer 40,000.

Music by Solo Monk (@SoloMonk256 on Twitter, ⁠https://www.patreon.com/solomonkart⁠)

The Sleepers? Yeah, I sure do feel sleepy trying to get through this damn book!

The great Josh Boerman returns to the pod to talk about Matthew Gasda’s truly heinous 2025 novel, “The Sleepers.”

We discuss the hack nature of the “post left,” the long 2016, and the strange enduring rage a certain type of guy holds for Chapo Trap House. We also get really, really mad because this book SUCKS dude.

Josh is one of the podcasting GOATS, and as he’s now joined us five times we have elected to honor him with his own Socialist Shelf Bust. Shout out to @WeetleBeetle on Instagram for the art.

Check out Josh’s show, Worst of All Possible Worlds.

Also check out Josh’s other show, Ill Conceived.

Remember when bumbling Neville knocked over all the time turners? Wasn't that funny and quaint? That should have been the end of it, but all you bothersome Harry Potter fans who made the author unfathomably rich kept asking her about them. So guess what, Cedric's a fascist now. So there.

Join us as AJ from the Worst of All Possible Worlds (and of Puff fame, the much better wizard-themed play) helps us break down the Cursed Child, the bizarre stage play following the time-traveling adventures of the well-named son of Harry: Albus Severus Potter, and the only good character: Scorpius Malfoy.

If you haven't already, please check out the podcast about the pop culture of a dying empire, The Worst of All Possible Worlds co-hosted by AJ:

https://www.patreon.com/WorstOfAll

Music by Solo Monk (@SoloMonk on Twitter, https://www.patreon.com/solomonkar

We take a break from our series on the wizarding world to talk about a book that definitely has no dementors in it: The City & The City by China Miéville.

We are honored to be joined by Breht O'Shea of the RevLeft Radio and Red Menace podcasts to discuss this work of political fiction about what would happen if you lived in a city where it would be a crime to mention the other city built directly next to it.

If you have not already, please check out Breht's fantastic library of work on all topics Marxist!

https://revolutionaryleftradio.libsyn.com/

https://redmenace.libsyn.com/

Music by Solo Monk (@SoloMonk256 on Twitter, https://www.patreon.com/solomonkart)

It's Part 2 of our Harry Potter series. Are we having fun yet?

This week the Shelfers are joined by returning guest and brilliant web-comic creator, Max Graves, in discussing J.K. Rowling's 2003 fantasy novel, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" as well as the second half of the series, including its YA turn.

Rowling's finally getting POLITICAL! We have thoughts.

Read Max's comic, "What Happens Next," here!

Check out Max's Patreon here

Follow Max on Bluesky here

Music by Solo Monk (@SoloMonk256 on Twitter, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/solomonkart⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,) episode art is us falling for Voldemort's trap

The Rowling miniseries begins.

The Shelfers and honorary Shelfer, Aysha U. Farah, hop on our broomsticks and zoom into the impossibly big world of Harry Potter, and whatever now-notorious bigot J.K. Rowling's whole deal is (Our working theory is that once you cross $100 million in net worth, no matter what you were like before, you lose your mind.)

In this episode, we talk Rowling's origins, the early days of the books, the conservative backlash to Harry Potter, and whether Harry and Draco are in fact gay (they are. We confirmed.)

Follow Aysha on Bluesky here

Wishlist The Sky Left Us now!

Music by Solo Monk (@SoloMonk256 on Twitter, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/solomonkart⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,) episode art is us at Hogwarts of course.

Thar she blows!

This week, the shelfers unpack The Great American Novel: Herman Melville's 1851 epic, "Moby Dick."

Joining us is Isaac Boa, a writer, educator, and revolutionary organizer. Together, we're going to solve just what's going on with this whole whale situation.

You can find Isaac's writing here.

You can join the PSL Action Network Here.

Music by Solo Monk (@SoloMonk256 on Twitter, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/solomonkart⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,) episode art is our first fan art poster!! Shout out to Em for real.

Octavia Butler Round 3

The Shelfers finish the Parable Duology and the hazardous life of Lauren Oya Olamina in Octavia Butler's 1998 masterpiece, "Parable of the Talents."

This book is an absolutely brilliant analysis of fascism and the powerful organizing that can arise in the face of it. Octavia is the best to ever do it. What else can we say?

CW: There is some discussion of sexual violence committed by the fascist forces in this book.

Music by Solo Monk (@SoloMonk256 on Twitter, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/solomonkart⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,) episode art is a campaign poster I made for Jarret, who is just the worst.

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, "Black Chamber." The premise? Teddy Roosevelt gets a third term as president, and this time he's Bernie Sanders in a cowboy hat.

We didn't dig this one. Jacob REALLY didn't dig this one.

If you're here, you should check out our website! Lenore's got a new essay up on The Shelf about S.M. Stirling, so read that here.

Music by Solo Monk (@SoloMonk256 on Twitter, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/solomonkart⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,) episode art is us in a "black chamber" get it?

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 consider that.

This week, the Shelfers take on Raymond Briggs' 1982 graphic novel, "When the Wind Blows," an upsetting little tale about an old couple facing the apocalypse.

We are joined by veteran of our Sonic episode and artist behind the Socialist Shelf pod art, Tay, AKA Foxy Macchiato.

Check out Tay's art, YouTube, and other content here!

Music by Solo Monk (@SoloMonk256 on Twitter, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/solomonkart⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,) episode art is from the book cover but also we're dying in nuclear fire.

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 Paulo Coelho's global phenomenon of a novel, "The Alchemist."

We are joined by Kennedy Cooper, host of the podcasts, "The Worst Week Yet" and "The Most Important Election of our Lives." We haven't been able to confirm whether or not they are a real life alchemist, but we have our suspicions...

What is it about this book that drove people so wild? Is "Live, Laugh, Love" always a bad thing? Why is Melchizedek here?

Check out The Worst Week Yet!

Check Out The Most Important Election of Our Lives

Follow Kennedy on Bluesky @kennedytcooper.bsky.social

Music by Solo Monk (@SoloMonk256 on Twitter, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/solomonkart⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,) episode art is from "The Alchemist" graphic novel and also we're there and some emojis too.

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 authoritarian mind of Yukio Mishima, aka the worst coup-plotter of all time, as we discuss his 1949 work, "Confessions of a Mask."

This novel is harrowing at times, ridiculous at others. Absolutely relatable to anyone with closet experience in one moment, and the next he's talking like a return to tradition adult Catholic convert guy with a Greek statue profile picture.

Music by Solo Monk (@SoloMonk256 on Twitter, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/solomonkart⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,) episode art is Mishima's ideal society.

It’s Iowa time.

Josiah Sutton of Fruitless joins us to discuss John Darnielle’s (of “The Mountain Goats” tame) Midwestern Gothic semi-horror, “Universal Harvester.”

Themes: Iowa, corn, VHS tapes, beer, loneliness, more Iowa.

If you like our show, you’ll like Fruitless. Check it out now!

Episode art is a whole lot going on at a barn

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 my bored guests?" No? Well, we talk a lot about that concept anyway.

This is our discussion of "Liberation Day," a 2022 short story collection from George Saunders. Joining us is confirmed genius, Tom from the Anime Sickos podcast. He likes Saunders, and now so do we. You'll find out why.

Themes in this episode: being obviously trapped but not knowing it, getting kicked to death in a theme park, and how even GOATs can be washed at times when they try to write about Donald Trump

Check out AnimeSickos here! If you listen, you'll also be a certified genius.

Music by Solo Monk (@SoloMonk256 on Twitter,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/solomonkart⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,) episode art is kind of abstract but just go with it.

It's time to talk about the quintessential vampire novel, Bram Stoker 1897 gothic horror, "Dracula."

*Scary music plays, lightning flashes, we look very cool in an old castle*

The Shelfers are joined by Scoob, Bluesky Elder, vampire expert, and longtime follower of the Count.

Learn how Bram Stoker was the Forrest Gump of late 19th century literature as he stumbled his way through a prolific but disappointing career that exploded following his death.

We ask such questions as...Is Dracula gay? (Yes.) Is Dracula racist? (Also yes.) Is Jonathan Harker a petite bourgeois reactionary? (100% yes.) Does Mina deserve better? (Yes, yes, yes.)

Check out Scoob's other passion (posting!) @scoobydouchebag.bsky.social

Music by Solo Monk (@SoloMonk256 on Twitter, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/solomonkart⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,) episode art is us doing the long walk (from the book's cover)

It's been a minute, but it's time for another famous Socialist Shelf interview!!

We're delighted to feature Andy Boyd, a brilliant playwright and artist to talk about her play, "Occupy Prescott," a funny and thoughtful show about an Occupy Wall Street encampment in the much-smaller-than-Wall-Street Courthouse Square of Prescott Arizona.

Purchase "Occupy Prescott" here!

Get Andy's other show, "The Trade Federation or Let's Explore Globalization Through the Star Wars Prequels" here!

Music by Solo Monk (@SoloMonk256 on Twitter, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/solomonkart⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,) episode art is from the cover of "Occupy Prescott."

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."

What if America was bad? Like...even more bad. What if we had young men play sports that killed them...like killed them even more than the ones they do now. The Shelfers investigate.

Fascism. Masculinity. Sexuality. Repetitive Writing. We get into it all.

Music by Solo Monk (@SoloMonk256 on Twitter, ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/solomonkart⁠⁠⁠⁠,) episode art is us doing the long walk (from the book's cover)

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 other way). We celebrate it in this episode by the giving of dubious gifts, reflecting on our favorite episodes of the year, and being slightly disrespectful to Jimmy Carter.

We also discuss Ted Chiang’s 2001 short story, "Hell is the Absence of God." We get sad and philosophical about it.

Music by Solo Monk (@SoloMonk256 on Twitter, ⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/solomonkart⁠⁠⁠,) episode art is us emerging to seize the new year!

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 Johansson, who will be considered our pod's official Sweden expert from here on out.

Proletarian literature, running away from your problems, existential despair, quibbling over translations, nuclear apocalypse!!! This one's got it all.

Want more of Max? Well, you'll need to speak Swedish, but if you do, go and check out his podcast, Brodrafolkens! You can also follow him on Instagram @maxjohkna.

Music by Solo Monk (@SoloMonk256 on Twitter, ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/solomonkart⁠⁠,) episode art is us blasting off.

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 1971 work of gonzo journalism, "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas."

Hear us praise the writing, be moved by the characters, and get really pissed at the author.

Music by Solo Monk (@SoloMonk256 on Twitter, ⁠https://www.patreon.com/solomonkart⁠,) episode art self is my proposed new cover for the novel

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 must face, join us as we take on the villainous Arterburn M Stephen and the downright freaky Fred Stoeker’s 2002, sexual purity self-help book, “Every Young Man’s Battle”

If you’ve ever wanted to face the intersection of evangelical sexual oppression and the New Right down while laughing about sumo wrestlers and stallions, this is your episode. 

Disclaimer: the ideas spouted in this book are really gross, downright heinous. Please keep that in mind as you listen, and feel free to skip this one if the discussion makes you too uncomfortable.

More Josh Boerman/Worst of All Possible Worlds: https://www.worstpossible.world/ and @Bosh.Worstpossible.World on Bluesky.

Episode art is Fred Stoeker's Instagram feed. He's joined by a few cool folks who are just driving by.

Title: "Luke Castellan and the Heroic Kronosian People's Front's Noble and Correct War Against the Poseidonist Running Dog Known as Percy JacKKK$on and the Imperialist, Westernist Pigs at KKKamp Halfblood, Including the Reactionary and Hyper-Consumptivist Diony$u$ and the Liberal Moralist Annabeth Cha$e, Who Represent Scant Resistance to the Titanic Proletarian-Peasant-Monster Aligned Forces of the People's Army of Tartarus."

Today the Shelfers are discussing the 2005 novel, "Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief," the first installment in Rick Riordan's YA Fantasy series that started as a bedtime story and became a mega-franchise.

To be honest, the politics in this one are pretty limited. Jacob just really likes this book. We still think it's a good episode though!

Oh yeah, apologies on the audio. We recorded in Lenore's basement and apparently her AC is counter-revolutionary.

Music by Solo Monk (@SoloMonk256 on Twitter, https://www.patreon.com/solomonkart,) episode art is from the graphic novel but Lenore is a sword.

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 Fifth Season."

We talk discrimination against earthbenders, repressed sexuality, and second-person narratives. Not necessarily in that order.

Music by Solo Monk (@SoloMonk256 on Twitter, https://www.patreon.com/solomonkart,) episode art is my take on a fault line.

Hey! So due to some logistical issues and Covid-19 dunking on Lenore, this week’s episode will be late, but we still wanted to give you something to listen to for your Tuesday.

Please enjoy this shameless self promo as Jacob reads the prologue and first chapter of his upcoming novel, “They Called Her Rebel.”

Pre-order Jacob’s novel here!

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, near-future sci-fi, "Makers." Together, we discuss what Doctorow got really right, what he got really wrong, and a bunch of stuff that's just plain confusing.

Do you like cheap plastic? Fad diets? Disney World mercenaries? I hope not, because we go hard against these things.

You can and should check out Max's phenomenal webcomic, "What Happens Next" here.

Music by Solo Monk (@SoloMonk256 on Twitter, https://www.patreon.com/solomonkart,) episode art from "Makers" cover (mildly tweaked.)

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! Alongside us is the triple-guest, Aysha U. Farah!

We're talking elves, we're talking gollums, we're talking sad homecomings and magic swords. You already knowwww!

You can find Aysha's work at her website, here: https://www.ayshaufarah.com/, or follow her on Twitter or Bluesky at @ayshaufarah. Music by Solo Monk (@SoloMonk256 on Twitter, https://www.patreon.com/solomonkart,) episode art from the ROTK's cover.

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 comics, we bring on Wiispywitch, AKA Tay, AKA creator of the iconic (to us) Socialist Shelf art. Between her passion, Ryan's expertise, and the shadow of "The President is Missing" hounding everything we do, this is a fun one.

Check out Wiispywitch's art and other projects here.

Music by Solo Monk (@SoloMonk256 on Twitter, https://www.patreon.com/solomonkart,) episode art is from the comics with slight edits. Please don't sue us, Ken.

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 absolutely crazy ride of folklore, modernity's encroachment on tradition, good music, and Sphinxes with Berlin accents.

Brian Alford of "the Worst of All Possible Worlds" joins us to discuss this foundational piece of literature...but can any of us escape the terror of the Boyg?

Check out The Worst of All Possible Worlds! wherever you get your podcasts, and follow Brian on Insta @uninterestingbrian and on twitter @spocksbrian

Music by Solo Monk (@SoloMonk256 on Twitter, https://www.patreon.com/solomonkart,) episode art is us on a deer and we fell and that's why our clothes are dirty.

Remember James Comey, the FBI Director who infuriated Democrats by reopening the Hillary Clinton email investigation just before the 2016 election, then became a liberal hero a year or so later because Trump fired him? Well, he wrote a novel. We read it.

"Central Park West" is a 2023 crime novel about the mafia, being a good mom, and using the full might of the U.S. government to crush your enemies. We get into its cliche-but-tolerable plot, and the terrifying implications that lie underneath.

Episode art is a perhaps-slightly-tweaked version of the novel's cover. Music by Solo Monk (@SoloMonk256 on Twitter, https://www.patreon.com/solomonkart,)

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.R. Tolkien's, "The Two Towers."

Is this the most action-packed book of the trilogy? How did C.S. Lewis become a tree? How can we keep mind-control incels out of politics? Are Frodo and Sam gay (no...but actually?)

Episode art is a collab between me and Professor Tolkien. Music by Solo Monk (@SoloMonk256 on Twitter, https://www.patreon.com/solomonkart,)

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 "just didn't fit in" circa 2011. In particular, we focus on 2001's "Ted the Caver" and 2011's "Jeff the Killer."

Lenore is off stuck in a cave or being murdered by a Joker clone somewhere, so we're joined by our friend and expert horror-ologist, Rachel, who is here to keep Ryan and Jacob on the straight and narrow.

Music by Solo Monk (@SoloMonk256 on Twitter, https://www.patreon.com/solomonkart,) episode art is from the original Ted the Caver story (plus a couple bonus Shelfers who happened to join him on his quest.)

Join the shelfers as we enter The Zone and explore a classic work of Soviet sci-fi, the Strugatsky brothers' 1972 novel, "Roadside Picnic." Never heard of it? You may know the film adaptation, Tarkovsky's critically acclaimed 1979 movie, "Stalker."

Learn about this book's troubled publication history, hear Jacob get annoyed about thematic pieces not fitting just how he likes them, and ask yourself...why is this book set in Canada?

As we mention at the top of the episode, we need your help! The Claudia De la Cruz, Vote Socialist 2024 Campaign is in need of donations of any size. Donate here now! Like our show? Like socialism? Like both? We kindly ask that you donate.

Music by Solo Monk (@SoloMonk256 on Twitter, https://www.patreon.com/solomonkart,) episode art is my favorite cover of this book.

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 and...let's say critique...Adam Wren's "How Lord of the Rings Shaped JD Vance's Politics" for Politico.

You can read it here.

Music by Solo Monk (@SoloMonk256 on Twitter, https://www.patreon.com/solomonkart,) Episode art is from the article itself for some Eru-forsaken reason.