*Note: this episode was recorded and published before the information on Gaiman's exploitation and abuse of women was made public. We do not support the author financially or otherwise - but we do believe in the importance of discussing art and literature, so are choosing to leave this episode available to all.

In this episode Neha and Shruti tackle one of the living titans of speculative fiction: Neil Gaiman. We discuss American Gods through the themes of deception and survival, tracking the characters through the story as we ponder stories of immigration, faith, and disillusionment. We also talk about the importance of reading challenging novels and taking our time with certain books.

Spoilers for the ending start at 21:50.

Content warning: the book contains references to historical violence against Black people, which we discuss 22:30-24:00.

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Shelf Discovery

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

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*When talking about carousels, Neha mistakenly mentions The Book Thief - she actually was referring to The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke

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