THIS EPISODE CONTAINS SPOILERS- TIME STAMPS CAN BE FOUND BELOW In this episode, Ivan and Troy do a deep dive into one of the best books by a living author; namely, My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante. The book, which is the first of four interrelated novels known as the Neapolitan Quartet, marks the beginning of a sixty year friendship (and rivalry) between one of the most memorable duos in literature: Elena and Lila. Ivan and Troy begin by exploring some of the controversy surrounding the...

In this episode, we delve into the topic of required reading in schools and examine the content of books that kids are required to read. We discuss the difficulties that young readers face today as some of the books they are taught are at the threat of being banned or are simply outdated and are not engaging to new readers. Troy and Ivan each pick 2 books that we, in a perfect world, would like to see taught in schools as they have strengths that we believe would captivate the minds of more...