LARB Radio Hour

Jon Hickey's "Big Chief"


Listen Later

Eric Newman speaks with Jon Hickey about his debut novel Big Chief. The book is a gripping political thriller about the struggle for power, belonging, and destiny set against a tribal election campaign on a fictional reservation. It follows the story of Mitch Caddo and his childhood friend Max Beck, who is seeking reelection as the tribal president of the Passage Rouge Nation. As Max's reelection turns ruthless and agitated protesters turn out in force, Mitch is caught between loyalty, love, and his own conflicted sense of purpose—not least because Max's opponent, Gloria Hawkins, is backed by his estranged sister Layla, Mitch's former love. When a tragic plane crash reveals a political and financial bombshell, Mitch and the tribe's future hangs in the balance. Eric and Jon discuss the many meaty questions that suffuse Big Chief, including tribal identity and the long legacies of historical trauma the US government has inflicted on Native Americans.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

LARB Radio HourBy Los Angeles Review of Books

  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9

4.9

133 ratings


More shows like LARB Radio Hour

View all
The New Yorker Radio Hour by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

The New Yorker Radio Hour

6,755 Listeners

The Book Review by The New York Times

The Book Review

3,984 Listeners

Otherppl with Brad Listi by Brad Listi

Otherppl with Brad Listi

527 Listeners

Between The Covers : Conversations with Writers in Fiction, Nonfiction & Poetry by David Naimon, Tin House Books

Between The Covers : Conversations with Writers in Fiction, Nonfiction & Poetry

473 Listeners

The LRB Podcast by The London Review of Books

The LRB Podcast

299 Listeners

London Review Bookshop Podcast by London Review Bookshop

London Review Bookshop Podcast

136 Listeners

The Shakespeare and Company Interview by Shakespeare and Company

The Shakespeare and Company Interview

93 Listeners

The Dig by Daniel Denvir

The Dig

1,591 Listeners

Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso by Higher Ground

Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso

1,444 Listeners

The Paris Review by The Paris Review

The Paris Review

796 Listeners

Dialogues: The David Zwirner Podcast by David Zwirner

Dialogues: The David Zwirner Podcast

429 Listeners

City Arts & Lectures by City Arts & Lectures

City Arts & Lectures

396 Listeners

On the Nose by Jewish Currents

On the Nose

262 Listeners

Ordinary Unhappiness by Patrick & Abby

Ordinary Unhappiness

230 Listeners

Critics at Large | The New Yorker by The New Yorker

Critics at Large | The New Yorker

663 Listeners