A whistle stop tour through some key parts of Part 1. These chapters look at the more nostalgic parts of the novel, but also chart the rising sinister tone that dominates the second half of the novel.

Whether it’s talk about pulling down statues of Southern Confederate generals or the debate around the presence of the Confederate flag in government buildings, the American Civil War of 1861-65 looms large in American history and politics, and casts a shadow even to this day. So, why does a war that ended 155 years ago still divide the nation? You’ll have to listen to the episode to find out. Enjoy!

This episode looks at the different types of racism that existed before and after the abolition of slavery in the 1860s. Even though Black Americans would be liberated from slavery in 1861, it wasn’t until 1968 that they had anything approaching equal representation under US law. Even in 2020, a double standard exists.

In this podcast we take a close look at the myriad historical and cultural references in the opening three pages of To kill a Mockingbird. I recommend reading along and annotating your copy of the text as we go. Enjoy!

In this episode we cover key facts about The Great Depression and apply it to the texts To Kill a Mockingbird and Of Mice and Men.

A brief introduction to Of Mice and Men to set you up before reading the text.

A brief introduction to TKAM before you start reading the text.