The Back of the Book

Education for Freedom with Zena Hitz

In this special episode, recorded as part of AEI’s American Dream Lecture Series, Dr. Zena Hitz addresses the role of liberal education in sustaining the democratic project. She also identifies the most significant threats to liberal learning and offers practical remedies that might address them. After her lecture, Zena sat down with Chris for a conversation and fielded questions from the audience at AEI. Show notes:  * Zena’s books, A Philosopher Looks at the Religious Life [https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/philosopher-looks-at-the-religious-life/2C4824582F1E28F8D5428D064024A548] and Lost in Thought [https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691178714/lost-in-thought] * Learn more about St. John's College [https://www.sjc.edu/] and the Catherine Project [https://catherineproject.org/] * Watch previous editions [https://www.americandream.is/lecture-series/] of AEI’s American Dream Lecture Series Time stamps:  5:04 – Zena’s lecture 36:53 – Zena’s conversation with Chris 56:38 – Audience Q&A Opening and closing music: Brendan Benson, “Spit It Out [https://open.spotify.com/track/0t7Dc6aK0rDlF7GHzCFVGp],” used with permission from the artist. Produced by Sean Doolan.

A Family Affair

Novelist Karan Mahajan joins the show to talk with Chris about his new work, The Complex. They discuss the novel’s memorable characters, settings, and themes, as well as Karan’s literary influences and the challenges of writing about Indian culture and politics for a non-Indian audience. Show notes:  * Karan’s novel, The Complex [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/753771/the-complex-by-karan-mahajan/] * “The True Margaret [https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/08/14/the-true-margaret-fiction-karan-mahajan],” a short story excerpted from The Complex in The New Yorker * Chris’s review of [https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/premium/4496926/review-the-complex-karan-mahajan/]The Complex [https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/premium/4496926/review-the-complex-karan-mahajan/] in the Washington Examiner * Karan’s previous novels, The Association of Small Bombs [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/318764/the-association-of-small-bombs-by-karan-mahajan/] and Family Planning [https://www.harpercollins.com/products/family-planning-karan-mahajan?variant=32207613624354] Time stamps:   5:08 – The Complex’s cast: The Chopra clan 17:58 – Laxman Chopra & literary villainy 32:27 – Karan’s literary influences, Tolstoy and Naipaul 42:55 – Experimenting with narrative perspective 48:54 – Modern readers & writers Opening and closing music: Brendan Benson, “Spit It Out [https://open.spotify.com/track/0t7Dc6aK0rDlF7GHzCFVGp],” used with permission from the artist. Produced by Sean Doolan.

Post-Bellum and Pre-Harlem: A Conversation About Charles W. Chesnutt

Chris talks to Tess Chakkalakal about her new literary biography, A Matter of Complexion: The Life and Fictions of Charles W. Chesnutt. Tess explains why Chesnutt is such an important figure in American literary history, how his short stories and novels made the case for a color-blind society, and why he should be more widely read today. Show notes: * Tess’s book, A Matter of Complexion [https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250287632/amatterofcomplexion/] * Chesnutt’s short stories: The Conjure Woman and Other Conjure Tales [https://www.dukeupress.edu/The-Conjure-Woman-and-Other-Conjure-Tales] and “The Wife of His Youth [https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1898/07/the-wife-of-his-youth/306658/]” * Chesnutt’s novels: The House Behind the Cedars [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/296500/the-house-behind-the-cedars-by-charles-w-chesnutt/] and The Marrow of Tradition [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/296515/the-marrow-of-tradition-by-charles-w-chesnutt/] * Chesnutt’s speech, “Race Prejudice; Its Causes and Its Cure [https://chesnuttarchive.org/item/ccda.works00051]” Time stamps: 2:22 – Chesnutt’s early life and education 15:16 – The Conjure Woman 25:09 – The House Behind the Cedars 44:28 – The Marrow of Tradition 52:44 – Chesnutt’s views on race and their legacy Opening and closing music: Brendan Benson, “Spit It Out [https://open.spotify.com/track/0t7Dc6aK0rDlF7GHzCFVGp],” used with permission from the artist. Produced by Sean Doolan.

[FROM THE ARCHIVE] My Brother the Priest

In this re-pea—er, very special encore presentation, Chris’s brother, Father Paul Scalia, joins the show to discuss the significance of Holy Week and how Catholics in particular celebrate this most important (and for priests, most exhausting) week in the liturgical calendar. Father Scalia also recounts his road to the priesthood, shares his favorite Christian apologists and novelists, and discusses the state of the Catholic Church in America. Show notes:  * Father Scalia’s books: That Nothing May be Lost [https://ignatius.com/that-nothing-may-be-lost-nmlp/]; Sermons in Times of Crisis [https://tanbooks.com/products/books/sermons-in-times-of-crisis-twelve-homilies-to-stir-your-soul/] (editor) * Father Scalia at The Catholic Thing [https://www.thecatholicthing.org/author/pscalia/] * Father Scalia’s homilies  [https://open.spotify.com/show/3LT2wm9r0i3HKJaC9hkSrq](audio) * The New York Times: “Roman Catholic Churches See a Surge of New Converts [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/26/us/catholics-converts.html]” Time stamps:   2:53 – Holy Week & Easter 24:20 – Fr. Scalia's vocation and the meaning of the priesthood 41:08 – The Catholic literary tradition 48:42 – The state of the Church and hope for its future Opening and closing music: Brendan Benson, “Spit It Out [https://open.spotify.com/track/0t7Dc6aK0rDlF7GHzCFVGp],” used with permission from the artist.

Good Migrations?

Writer Lionel Shriver joins Chris to discuss her provocative new novel, A Better Life. They touch on the novel’s relation to Lionel’s broader thematic interests, the challenges of navigating political controversy in literature, and the worrying decline of literacy and readership.  Show notes:  * Lionel's new novel, A Better Life [https://www.harpercollins.com/products/a-better-life-lionel-shriver?variant=43823065432098] * Lionel on cultural appropriation [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/sep/13/lionel-shrivers-full-speech-i-hope-the-concept-of-cultural-appropriation-is-a-passing-fad] * Lionel on [https://spectator.com/article/i-won-t-read-american-dirt-but-not-because-the-author-has-the-wrong-skin-colour/?edition=us]American Dirt [https://spectator.com/article/i-won-t-read-american-dirt-but-not-because-the-author-has-the-wrong-skin-colour/?edition=us] Time stamps:   3:15 – A Better Life 17:29 – Gen Z and the population apocalypse 26:08 – Political controversy, literary representation, and the “vibe shift” 40:41 – The decline of reading & the case for literature Opening and closing music: Brendan Benson, “Spit It Out [https://open.spotify.com/track/0t7Dc6aK0rDlF7GHzCFVGp],” used with permission from the artist. Produced by Sean Doolan.