The Worst Century

Ask a 22-year old White Man!: Murakami, Paolini, Sebold

Ian and Page, your two favorite store-brand English professors, have put together a syllabus for reading our way to an understanding of the 21st Century.
Normalcy did not return... But never fear! We're still here! (And we might be coming at you a bit more than usual as we start the year and clear out the backlog from 2025 recordings.) Today, you're hearing our conversation about the Goodreads Most Popular books of 2002: Eragon* by Christopher Paolini, The Lovely Bones* by Alice Sebold, and Kafka on the Shore* by Haruki Murakami. We get into how all straight boys need brothers and mentors, the Missing White Girl Industrial Complex(TM), the dangers of woo-woo spiritualism and "taking space" on community work, and more!
Links:
Page: BlueSky, Letterboxd
Ian: Substack, BlueSky, Letterboxd
Other Links: The ALEX Awards, Origin of Eragon, "Ezra Klein Just..."
Subscribe to get our next episode where we will discuss the critics' choice books of the year 2002. We'll be reading The Russian Debutante's Handbook* by Gary Shteyngart, Perma Red* by Debra Magpie Earling, and Caramelo* by Sandra Cisneros.
As always, consider following and leaving us a rating and review. If you like what you hear, share the pod far and wide!
Our thanks to Chris Delano for editing support. Music: "MTV (Pop, Britney Spears)" from BigBadBeats.
* All book links redirect to our affiliate account on Bookshop.org, helping to fund the podcast.

Take Me Back to God’s Own Country: Eugenides, Haslett, Barrett, Glass

Ian and Page, your two favorite store-brand English professors, have put together a syllabus for reading our way to an understanding of the 21st Century.
Readers, normalcy did not return as originally promised, but we are scheming and plotting for 2026 with the hopes of a new version of ourselves. We are back though, and we're getting into the awards contenders of 2002! In this episode, we are talking about Middlesex* by Jeffrey Eugenides, You Are Not a Stranger Here* by Adam Haslett, Servants of the Map* by Andrea Barrett, and Three Junes* by Julia Glass. We're defining what makes a book queer vs. gay, the appearance of AIDS in our reading list, capitalism's automation of humans, AI doxxing ICE agents, and straight white men as The Problem(TM). Also, Page (if you're listening), there are several links you owe me!
Links:
Page: BlueSky, Letterboxd
Ian: Substack, BlueSky, Letterboxd
Other Links: Diabolus Ex Machina, AI ICE Un-Masking, Conversation with My Father
Subscribe to get our next episode where we will discuss the Goodreads most popular books of the year 2002. We'll be reading The Lovely Bones* by Alice Sebold, Eragon* by Christopher Paolini, and Kafka on the Shore* by Haruki Murakami.
As always, consider following and leaving us a rating and review. If you like what you hear, share the pod far and wide!
Our thanks to Chris Delano for editing support. Music: "MTV (Pop, Britney Spears)" from BigBadBeats.
* All book links redirect to our affiliate account on Bookshop.org, helping to fund the podcast.

Verbalize Scare Quotes: Stranger Faces

Ian and Page, your two favorite store-brand English professors, have put together a syllabus for reading our way to an understanding of the 21st Century.
Normalcy is (maybe) returning to the Worst Century feed, and we are back with the final installment in our discussion of the year 2001. In this episode, we use Namwali Serpell's 2020 collection Stranger Faces* to look at the role of the face in 2001 and today. To help do this work, we get into four great films, which you can find here if you want to watch before you listen. During the discussion, we get into pet theories based on the year 2001, MAGA face, and the required autobiography of marginalized folks when creating art.
Links:
Page: BlueSky, Letterboxd
Ian: Substack, BlueSky, Letterboxd
Other Links: “Mirror Image,” Joe Scanlan
Like us? Hate us? Leave us a rating and a review!
Subscribe to get our next episode where we will discuss the award winning books of the year 2002. We'll be reading Middlesex* by Jeffrey Eugenides, You Are Not a Stranger Here* by Adam Haslett, Servants of the Map* by Andrea Barrett, and Three Junes* by Julia Glass.
As always, consider following and leaving us a rating and review. If you like what you hear, share the pod far and wide!
Our thanks to Chris Delano for editing support. Music: "MTV (Pop, Britney Spears)" from BigBadBeats.
* All book links redirect to our affiliate account on Bookshop.org, helping to fund the podcast.

Ian Hasn't Seen a Movie: Alameddine, Erdrich, Everett, Palahniuk, Patchett

Ian and Page, your two favorite store-brand English professors, have put together a syllabus for reading our way to an understanding of the 21st Century.
Life continues to disrupt, but God's two favorite little soldiers power on. This episode, we get into the critical darlings of 2001: Bel Canto* by Anne Patchett; I, the Divine* by Rabih Alameddine; The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse* by Louise Erdrich; Erasure* by Percival Everett; Choke* by Chuck Palahniuk. The discussion ranges from what these 2001 books were saying about women and Queers to the resonating call for a return to small community and new literary lenses.
Links:
Page: BlueSky, Letterboxd
Ian: Substack, BlueSky, Letterboxd
Other Links: Namwali Serpell “New Literalism,” Ross Barkan “New Romanticism”
Like us? Hate us? Leave us a rating and a review!
Subscribe to get our next episode where we explore the themes of 2001. We'll be discussing Namwali Serpell's 2020 collection Stranger Faces* along with the movies Better Man (2024) and A Different Man (2024).
Our thanks to Chris Delano for editing support. Music: "MTV (Pop, Britney Spears)" from BigBadBeats.
* All book links redirect to our affiliate account on Bookshop.org, helping to fund the podcast.

Stay Young, Make Content: Sue Monk Kidd, Yann Martel, and Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Reproductive/Gendered Violence Content Warning
Ian and Page, your two favorite store-brand English professors, have put together a syllabus for reading our way to an understanding of the 21st Century.
After a month and a half of moves, power outages, and vacations, we're back! This episode, we're talking about the "Most Popular" fiction books of 2001 as listed by GoodReads: Life of Pi by Yann Martel*, The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd*, and The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón*. We get into Page's hatred of child protagonists, some of their favorite current cultural theories, identity co-opting, and political repression.
Links:
Page: BlueSky, Letterboxd
Ian: Substack, BlueSky, Letterboxd
Other Links: Goodreads Most Popular, Jane Smiley Huck Finn Article, “First They Came For”
Like us? Hate us? Leave us a rating and a review!
Subscribe to get our August 10 episode on the critical favorites of 2001: Erasure by Percival Everett*; I, The Divine by Rabih Alameddine*; The Last Report on the Miracle at Little No Horse by Louise Erdrich*; Bel Canto by Ann Patchett*; and Choke by Chuck Palahniuk.
Our thanks to Chris Delano for editing (and fact-checking) support. Music: "MTV (Pop, Britney Spears)" from BigBadBeats.
* All book links redirect to our affiliate account on Bookshop.org, helping to fund the podcast.

Men Are Sad: Russo, Franzen, & Whitehead

Ian and Page, your two favorite store-brand English professors, have put together a syllabus for reading our way to an understanding of the 21st Century.
This episode, we're talking about the big awards books of 2001, but first, we discuss the Pulitzer drama of 2025. We get into generational trauma, the right wing "they're coming to get you" conspiracy, how sad men are, and influencer culture and the monetization of hobbies. You know, light stuff!
Links:
Follow Page: BlueSky, Letterboxd
Follow Ian: Substack, BlueSky, Letterboxd
Bookshop: Empire Falls*, The Corrections*, John Henry Days*, Culture Creep*, Rejection*
Other Links: James Controversy, Newt Gingrich Quote, Chromebook Challenge, T-Rex Ranch & Ryan’s World, Scalzi/McGuire Link
Like us? Hate us? Leave us a rating and a review!
Subscribe to get our June 22nd episode where we talk about the award Goodreads most popular novels of 2001: Life of Pi by Yann Martel*, The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd*, and The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón*.
Our thanks to Chris Delano for editing (and fact-checking) support. Music: "MTV (Pop, Britney Spears)" from BigBadBeats.
* All book links redirect to our affiliate account on Bookshop.org, helping to fund the podcast.

Hello to Our One Listener: Notes on Camp (2024)

Ian and Page, your two favorite store-brand English professors, have put together a syllabus for reading our way to an understanding of the 21st Century.
This episode, we're talking about how Camp absolutely slays the house down boots, divas. Listen along as we discuss how 2000 was the last year of Camp until the Barbie movie and how auteur directors are resurrecting the studio system to bring Camp back. We get into Sontag's seminal essay "Notes on Camp" as we discuss Gladiator II & The Substance, and we talk about the essay collection Tacky by Rax King as a love letter of Millennial culture. We also talk about passably hot nepo babies, radio plays, and how much Page hates Darren Aronofsky.
Subscribe to get our June 8 episode where we talk about the award winning novels of 2001: Empire Falls by Richard Russo*, The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen*, and John Henry Days by Colson Whitehead*.
Other Links:
Page: BlueSky, Letterboxd
Ian: Substack, BlueSky, Letterboxd
Bookshop: Notes on Camp, Tacky*, Gladiator II, The Substance
Other Links: Las Culch Ep 1, Las Culch Ep 2
Our thanks to Chris Delano for editing (and fact-checking) support. Music: "MTV (Pop, Britney Spears)" from BigBadBeats.
* All book links redirect to our affiliate account on Bookshop.org, helping to fund the podcast.

He's a Symbologist, That's His Job: Dan Brown, George Saunders & Helen DeWitt

Ian and Page, your two favorite store-brand English professors, have put together a syllabus for reading our way to an understanding of the 21st Century.
Today's episode is about the books 2000 wants you to remember. We get into Dan Brown, John Grisham, George Saunders, and Helen DeWitt. We get caught up in the limbo that is time talking about a pope who was alive when we recorded. (And you get to hear Chris's voice giving us a little real-time update.) We also discuss how the year 2000 helped to create America's obsession with the "Deep State" and how it was a better time for America's greatest export: Straight White Men with Opinions.
Subscribe to get our May 25 episode where we talk about the year 2000's legacy of camp in the year 2025. We get into: The Substance, Gladiator II, Tacky: Essays by Rax King, and "On Camp" by Susan Sontag.
Other Links:
Page: BlueSky
Ian: Substack, BlueSky
Bookshop: Angels & Demons, The Brethren, Pastoralia, The Last Samurai, Exquisite Corpse
Other Media Links: Sugarcane, God’s Banker, Conclave
The Elite College Students Who Can't Read Books
Our thanks to Chris Delano for editing (and fact-checking) support. Music: "MTV (Pop, Britney Spears)" from BigBadBeats.

Johnny Depp Is Our Most Watched Actor: On the Movies of the Year 2000

Episode 2 and still going strong!
Ian and Page, your two favorite store-brand English professors, have put together a syllabus for reading our way to an understanding of the 21st Century.
Today's episode is all about the movies of the year 2000. We start by diving into the Oscar & Indie Spirit Best Picture nominees for the year - really it's just a lot of talk about drugs and corporate power. Then we play a fun game where we look back to create our own ideal ballots for the year. A full list of the movies we talked about can be found here.
And subscribe to get our May 10 episode where we talk about the other books that have stuck around from the year 2000: Angels & Demons by Dan Brown, The Brethren by John Grisham, Pastoralia by George Saunders, and The Last Samurai by Helen DeWitt.
Other Links:
Ethan Hawke on Social Media & Hollywood
Page: BlueSky, Letterboxd
Ian: Substack, BlueSky, Letterboxd
Our thanks to Chris Delano for editing support. Music: "MTV (Pop, Britney Spears)" from BigBadBeats.

Reimagining the American Dream: Sontag & Chabon

We're so back, baby!
Ian and Page, your two favorite store-brand English professors, have put together a syllabus for reading our way to an understanding of the 21st Century.
On this first episode, we get into our rules for the road, share a little about what went in to making this project, and dive into the first two books for the year 2000: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon (winner of the 2001 Pulitzer Prize) and In America by Susan Sontag (winner of the 2000 National Book Award for Fiction).
Listen to hear us speculate about life before 9/11 (we're both so young), discuss "Coming to America" stories, and investigate Ian's love of The Apprentice and how he might be personally responsible for Trump's presidency.
And subscribe to get our April 26 episode where we get into the movies of 2000 and create our own wishcast ballots for the 2001 Academy Awards.
Other Links:
Atlantic, New York Times, & Bookstagram Lists
Bookshop Links: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, In America
Sontag plagiarism scandal
Page: BlueSky
Ian: Substack, BlueSky
Our thanks to Chris Delano for editing support. Music "MTV (Pop, Britney Spears)" from BigBadBeats.