ORdio

Ru Marshall joins ORdio to talk about their book, American Trickster: The Hidden Lives of Carlos Castaneda. 20 years in the making, American Trickster tells the story of the wild, perplexing life of this New Age, faux anthropologist-turned secretive cult leader.

Carlos Castaneda's first book, The Teachings of Don Juan, was published in the late 1960s. He went on to write a series of books recounting the supposed ancient teachings of an Indigenous Yaqui shaman. His books became international bestsellers and are some of the most popular titles ever published on Native American spirituality—even though they had little to no connection to actual Indigenous practices. Over time, Castaneda's academic credibility unraveled, but he built a secretive cultic group – and his books remain hugely popular.

We'll start with an excerpt of Ru's conversation with Lisa Cohen at Francis Kite Club in early May.

Get the book here: https://orbooks.com/catalog/american-trickster/?utm_source=SPOTIFY&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=ORdio

Rachel Meade Smith joins ORdio to talk about Search Work, her edited anthology about the mundane, tedious and universal process of looking for work.

In Search Work, Rachel has collected a trove of personal essays, archival job ads, and poems, sourced from more than fifty contributors. They're reflections on the mundane, turbulent, universal process of looking for work – and how and why the quest for a paycheck almost always morphs into something deeper.

This episode features book excerpts from two of Search Work's writers, Jasper Nathaniel and Jordan White.

You can find the book here: https://orbooks.com/catalog/search-work/?utm_source=ORdio&utm_medium=digital&utm_campaign=EP3&utm_term=SearchWork

David Griscom joins ORdio to talk about his book, The Myth of Red Texas, that reassesses the misconception that Texas has always been a blood-red state.

From fence-cutting cowboys to unionizing timberworkers to Mexican-American socialist pecan farmers, David traces the rich history of the Left in Texas. He shows how Texans' left-wing parties, from the populists to the socialists, organized against the Right and often won – and how reclaiming that tradition can help today's Left break the political deadlock in Texas and beyond.

We'll open with an excerpt from a live conversation between David and Emma Vigeland, of The Majority Report, at Francis Kite Club in New York City in late February.

Get the book, co-published with The Nation, here: https://orbooks.com/catalog/the-myth-of-red-texas/

Behrooz Ghamari joins ORdio to discuss his new essay collection, The Long War on Iran, that explores the complex dynamics behind the ongoing conflict between the US and Iran.

Behrooz argues that American and Israeli governments have always weaponized the language of human rights to justify aggression against Iran, over decades. Drawing on two decades of political analysis, Behrooz explores the history of US intervention in the region, focusing on the enduring sanctions imposed on Iran and the persistent perception of the Islamic Republic as a major obstacle to American power. Despite the repressive policies of the state, Iran has remained a vibrant society with active intellectual, cultural, and social justice movements.

We'll open with an excerpt from a live conversation between Behrooz and scholar Narges Bajoghli at Francis Kite Club in New York City in early March.

Get the book here: https://orbooks.com/catalog/the-long-war-on-iran/