poverty

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Posted on September 26, 2013 Updated on September 26, 2013

Novel Ideas returns after a week off with The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. This is the first book we’ve read for the podcast written by a Native American and it definitely grants some insights into the culture and conditions on an Indian reservation. This selection also continues banned book month, though it’s hard to find real reasons to challenge this particular book. In our discussion, we talk about alcoholism, race, illustrations complementing the text, and the significance of community. We also cover whether “Junior” is a weird name, trains, bro relationships, and boners. Lots of boners.

This week’s header was taken from a larger piece of fan art by Kristina Wayte. You can check out the original here.

The music bump is “Spokane” by Ho Lan, which is not traditional Spokane Indian music, but is a newly composed piece with traditional elements in it.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian – Boner Time

Recommendations:

Read this one. The narrator has an interesting voice and there are cultural details about reservation life that you may not have been exposed to before. Warning: may not contain plot.

This entry was posted in Episodes and tagged a boner for books, alcoholism, banned books, being an Indian sucks, bro relationships, community, definition of smutty, feminism, fresh perspectives, friendship, Indian stereotypes, Indian v. Native American, is Junior a weird name?, metaphorical boners, Native Americans, origin of firewater, pictures, poverty, race, shallow characters, spoonerism, static book, teenage boys, train break, white Indian posers.

The Beauty Queen of Leenane

Posted on May 28, 2013

Welcome back for a very special episode of Novel Ideas. This week we’re departing slightly from our norm and discussing a play, The Beauty Queen of Leenane by Martin McDonagh. And we’re doing it with a special guest, our cousin Sara, who is studying playwrighting? playwriting? One of those. This play is a very black comedy/psychological drama about insane people who hate each other, featuring mental illness, unreliable/untrustworthy characters, manipulative behavior, and murder. We also discuss whether “Irish” is a genre, the tendency of little brothers to ruin everything, and how podcasts, unlike plays, are not a visual medium.

The music bump is Delia Murphy’s “The Spinning Wheel,” for Mag on the occasion of her seventy-first birthday.

This entry was posted in Episodes and tagged "Irish" is also not a genre, "play" is not a genre, 40 year old virgins, breaking points, class, complan, everybody be crazy, feminism, i(rish)tunes, imperialism, interdependence, Irish as a minority, little brothers ruin everything, manipulation, mental illness, poverty, racism, setting as psychology, the Irish are probably literate, untrustworthy characters, visual media, we are not Irish, what is reality?.