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September 19, 2018

Bookalike – Podcasts

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As part of our new Bookalike series, we’ll be pairing up a popular culture outlet with its Chicago Review Press book counterpart. This month, we’re featuring podcasts! Read below to find the perfect book to complement your podcast tastes.

Under the Influence – This I Know

Canadian radio personality Terry O’Reilly’s CBC podcast Under the Influence is undoubtedly the perfect match for his bestselling new book This I Know. Terry’s book reveals his marketing smarts for smaller companies with the same engaging, informative style as his podcast.

Serial  – The Trials of Walter Ogrod

Serial and Making a Murderer have focused national attention on the injustices that can result from shoddy police investigations. The public outrage that has been generated by these programs will be eclipsed tenfold by the events that unfold in The Trials of Walter Ogrod. Lowenstein takes readers through the convoluted twists and turns of this case as few true crime writers have ever been able to do.”  —James L. Trainum, former Washington, DC, Metropolitan Police Department detective and author of How the Police Generate False Confessions

This American Life – Pirate Women

This American Life knows how to pick the best stories and tell them from the most poignant angle to hit you in the gut. Similarly, Laura Sook Duncombe has an intuition for choosing particularly fascinating stories of unsung women pirates and telling their tales with empathy and intellect. And if that description doesn’t convince you, we should also mention that Pirate Women was actually featured on an episode of This American Life

Hardcore History  – American Slave Coast

Fans of Dan Carlin’s longform, passionate historical recounts will enjoy The American Slave Coast, a 750-page exploration into the slave-breeding industry. Like Hardcore History, this narrative brings forth new facts and layers to a horrifying historical era you may think you know completely, until you read this book.

Song Exploder  – Wouldn’t It Be Nice

Both this podcast and book will unquestionably appeal to music fans but will especially thrill fans of the creative process. Wouldn’t It Be Nice analyzes all of the elements of history, production and perception that came together to make Pet Sounds a masterpiece album. This will bring you as close to an interview with Brian Wilson as you could get!

My Favorite Murder – The Axeman of New Orleans

These two platforms have more depth to them than the majority of true crime thrillers out there. Peeling back the layers of the stories, they reveal the culture, history and humanity surrounding the crime. The Axeman of New Orleans serial killer was never found, but Miriam C. Davis takes a close look at how the patterned killing of Italian grocers impacted the immigrant community of New Orleans.

Stuff You Missed in History Class – Race to Hawaii

Almost every history buff who hears about the 1927 Dole Air Derby is mystified that they somehow missed this fascinating slice of history. The tragic, thrilling narrative about the Dole Pineapple King’s competition for flying from San Francisco to Hawaii explores an interesting moment in aerial history when the Pacific Ocean frontier was first explored. Perfect for fans of those bizarre history lessons that somehow slipped through the cracks.

Slow Burn – Ballots and Bullets

This podcast has been all the rage lately, not only for its parallels between the Nixon and Trump eras but also for its ability to pull large context from seemingly small moments. That’s what makes it the perfect pairing for Ballots and Bullets by Jim Robenalt. This important book explores gun violence and racial tension by focusing on the shootouts between police and African Americans in 1968 Cleveland, Ohio. Involving important leaders like Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as well as lesser known individuals, this is the perfect reading counterpart to Slow Burn. And if you’re looking for additional podcasts, Jim Robenalt happens to have his own podcast with WKYC, which further examines specific elements during the tragic shootout and its aftermath.

Comment below with your favorite podcasts and let us know if you have your own podcast bookalikes!

   

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