Another week, another set of stories that are tough to be witty about! This week we are continuing our series on Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado by discussing "Real Women Have Bodies" and "Eight Bites", two stories dealing with the beauty standards women face and the resulting harm that befalls them. This is another heavy one so listen at your own discretion! Next week we will be finishing our series on this book with a discussion on "Mothers" and "Difficult at Parties". Surely those aren't also deeply emotional, right?

"When Can a Woman Who Kills Her Abuser Claim Self Defense?" by Rachel Louise Snyder

Other works discussed this episode:

No One is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood

The Summer I Turned Pretty (2022)

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Oh boy, time for a doozy! This week we are kicking off our series on the short story collection Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado. This series will be a little different than most, where instead of breaking the entire book down over three episodes we will instead be fully exploring only one or two of the short stories for each of the three parts. This week we start with the opening story "The Husband Stitch", a grueling depiction of the entitlement men feel over the lives and bodies of women. We still have fun looking at the plot and context, but do be aware of the content warning at the top! Next week we will be covering "Eight Bites" and "Real Women Have Bodies" and we will be excited to see you again then!

Tulane's Timeline of the History of Sexual Violence in the U.S.

Other works discussed this episode:

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

John Proctor is the Villain by Kimberly Belflower

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Want to support our podcast and a local bookstore? Check out our page on Bookshop.org to pick up any book we cover on the show, or our personal favorites!

So, anybody feeling Jello Shots? Or perhaps want to attend a Broadway show? If you're looking for a man who can do both, look no further than the late, great satirist Tom Lehrer! In this episode we break down the interesting life history of Lehrer, as well as examining some of his most popular satirical songs. Was he the Bo Burnham of his time? Is he better at math than us? Was he on a first name basis with multiple rappers or only the one? Tune in to find out, then come back next week when we start our series on Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado!

Other works discussed this episode:

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and Bluesky to stay up to date on upcoming episodes.

Want to support our podcast and a local bookstore? Check out our page on Bookshop.org to pick up any book we cover on the show, or our personal favorites!