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Latest episodes from Electric Sheep

The Secret Life of War by Peter Beaumont

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 16, 2024 6:53


Peter Beaumont is one of those rare writers who's willing to go all the way over the edge in his relentless pursuit of the truth. What happened in Iraq, Afghanistan, Gaza, and other battlefields of the early 21st century? Beaumont uses the pen to reflect on the people he met, the surreal realities of war and the deep wounds left long after the shooting stops. Haunting, troubling, and deeply affecting, if you want to understand why we fight, what happens when we do, and what it takes to gaze unflinchingly at humanity's shadow, Beaumont must be read.

Going Mainstream: Why Extreme Ideas Are Spreading, And What We Can Do About It

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 2, 2024 9:59


Julia Ebner puts her finger on some of the most important questions that writers face, not just in our turbulent times, but across all ages: - Who controls language? - Are you using language or being used by it? - Are some people's truths more truthful than others? - How does language change to meet the context of the day? Arming us with critical skills, it's worth reading if you're into the culture war, gender studies, toxic masculinity, incels, the patriarchy, fourth wave feminism, conspiracy theories, the far right, terrorism, deradicalisation and that sort of stuff.

Men Who Hate Women

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 11, 2024 18:05


Laura Bates threads the needle in her undercover investigation into incel culture, misogyny and the manosphere. Unfiltered and rough on the eyes, Bates is brave enough to tackle a thorny issue head-on and come out still standing, her strong arguments standing up across 300 pages. Weaving together online and RW examples, we're privy to forums, threads, vlogs, interviews, protests and in-person meet-ups as Bates walks the beat of investigative journalist/activist. Is male-on-female violence a form of terrorism? You'll have to read it to find out. Keep one eye out for Bates' adept use a whole bag of persuasive techniques, from stats and figures to anecdotes and eyewitness accounts. Especially powerful are her metaphors - watch out for the Guinea worm burrowing into your leg! Other reading: - Going Mainstream by Julia Ebner - 12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson - Lean Out by Dawn Foster

Vietnam: The Definitive Oral History, Told From All Sides

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 4, 2024 14:42


Christian G. Appy's mammoth 600-page non-fiction book collects personal accounts of the Vietnam/American War from all angles. From the Chief of Staff of the United States Army to a new recruit of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam, we hear myriad voices and are lucky to have writers who do such heavy lifts. Published half a century after the war ended and made up of hundreds of interviews, cuttings and clips of memory, stories, perspectives and reflections, Appy collates them together in an attempt to really understand what happened during the war. If you're interested in the Vietnam War, insane stories of personal struggle, the highest and lowest experiences human beings can have, and that sort of thing, then read this book. If you're a writer and want to learn how to approach a seemingly insurmountable multi-year writing project, then Appy's work stands as an inspiration. Similar books: - The Forgotten Voices series about WW1 and WW2 - Nam by Mark Baker

Moby-Dick Or, The Whale

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 28, 2024 20:52


Herman Melville takes us on a 625-page voyage that could have been 90. Maybe the greatest example of overwriting in history, Captain Ahab's monomaniacal quest is a sick example of pushing your story, themes and characters to breaking point and how it sometimes pays off. It's easy to criticise Melville's inaccuracies, scientific blunders and cultural insensitivity but if you can step forth critically, armed with context and good humour, there be gold in them hills. Or should I say spermaceti in them organs.

Freedom

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 29, 2024 15:17


Sebastian Junger takes us on a 130-page trek across a range of subjects, themes, and stories from history, science, geography, philosophy, autobiography and pretty much every genre under the sun. Is it creative non-fiction, long-form jpurnalism, a sociological and anthropological meta analysis? Who cares when the writing is as cool as this.

We Were Soldiers Once... And Young

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 25, 2024 24:55


Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore (Ret.) and Joseph L. Galloway convey the brutality and strength of men trying to kill each other. It's crazy how a battle report from the Vietnam War can hold so many transcendent truths about human nature, heroism, and loss that still resonate today. Read it if you wanna know what happened in the Ia Drang Valley in November 1965 or if you wanna know what Hell on Earth really looks, sounds, smells, and tastes like.

Crime and Punishment

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 3, 2024 18:55


Fyodor Dostoevsky nails his characters and reader to the page with nine inch nails, cranking the tension up to the max and ruthlessly forcing you to face Great Truths no one else has had the balls to go after. Took me three attempts over 10 years so be prepared to work but the payoffs will change your life and writing forever.

Die Trying

Play Episode Listen Later May 10, 2024 30:34


Lee Child takes us to a preppers paradise buried in the Montana mountains full of anti-globalist nutjobs in this 1998 thriller. Not only interesting for how on-point it was (think Alex Jones, QAnon, etc) but also in highlighting the difference between good and great art, high and base emotions, and the addictive nature of popular/pulp fiction. I wanted Tolstoy but all I got was Jack bloody Reacher.

Keep the Aspidistra Flying

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 17, 2024 23:39


George Orwells depressing deep dive into the mind of an Incel poet can teach us plenty about clear writing, creativity, and the difference between art, advertising and propaganda. It also helped me realise that even Orwell is human, someone who worked on ideas and got better over time. Read it only if you've already read 1984, Wigan Pier, Paris and London, Homage to Catalonia, Animal Farm and his essays but before Burmese Days..

Shake Hands with the Devil

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 10, 2024 18:42


Roméo Dallaire takes us on a journey into hell. Torn a thousand different ways, he shows the brutal reality of war, genocide, and the danger of seeing some humans as more human than others. Like Pandoras Box, though, there are glimmers in the darkness and they're worth facing.

Reacher: Bad Luck and Trouble

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2024 17:48


Lee Childs' hero is an all-American cheeseburger whose escapades are full of lessons on writing like drawing out suspense, fast ways to ID characters, and smoothly integrating your research. Plus they offer amazing insights into The Industry... enjoy x

In the Footsteps of Mr. Kurtz

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2024 19:00


Michela Wrong takes us on a journey through the collapse of Mobutu's Zaire with lessons on investigative journalism done right, the brutal lives of the common people, and trickle-down corruption in one of the worlds most effed up places.

Season of Blood

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2024 20:37


Fergal Keane

I Am Legend

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2024 18:29


Richard Matheson

Make Me

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 12, 2024 25:22


Lee Child

Daniel Deronda

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2024 22:17


George Eliot

george eliot daniel deronda
Digital Fortress

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 16, 2024 20:25


The Bounty

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 10, 2024 21:41


Caroline Alexander

A Time for Machetes

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 21, 2023 15:36


Jean Hatzfeld

machetes jean hatzfeld
The Lost City of Z

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 2, 2023 20:49


A Country Doctor's Notebook

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 21, 2023 23:41


The Street Lawyer

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 3, 2023 19:59


John Grisham

Heart of Darkness

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 14, 2023 20:08


Man is Wolf to Man

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 1, 2023 26:50


Janusz Bardach

Adam Bede

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 23, 2023 15:17


George Eliot

Revolution 1989

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 3, 2023 19:05


Victor Sebestyen

Without Remorse

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 14, 2023 32:32


Cobalt Red

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 5, 2023 18:37


Siddarth Kara

Sale of the Century

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 23, 2023 19:40


Chrystia Freeland

The Mill on the Floss

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 1, 2023 13:35


Red Plenty

Play Episode Listen Later May 15, 2023 15:08


by Francis Spufford

We

Play Episode Listen Later May 10, 2023 14:25


by Yevgeny Zamyatin

Persuader

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2023 11:33


by Lee Child

Resurrection

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 10, 2023 10:52


Killing Floor

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 25, 2023 14:32


Silas Marner

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 6, 2023 11:15


The Sicilian

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 23, 2023 14:39


What can we learn about writing by reading Mario Puzo's sequel to The Godfather?

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 27, 2022 20:57


One of the heaviest of the heavies.

Auschwitz: A Doctor's Eyewitness Account

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 18, 2022 11:06


Glimpse the darkness. Wanna know how bad it can get? This book will reveal truths you might not wanna know. Read it now

Dispatches by Michael Herr

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 20, 2022 20:48


The coolest book ever written. Straight up

Prey by Michael Crichton

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 8, 2022 23:43


Solid as a nanobot. Killer story with decent characters about AI, evolution and other cool shit. Deffo worth a read if you want a hamburger made of swarming nano-drones.

The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 23, 2022 20:33


What can we learn about writing from MC's end-of-the-world killer bacteria sci-fi drama? Readers will lap up hard science and data sets if they're bound up in a chewy good story. Give the people what they want. Read Michael Crichton for realz

Vietnam: A View from the Front Lines

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 20, 2022 12:29


Is there any subject matter more gripping than humans tryna kill humans? War stories have been told forever. Why? Front line accounts from the people that were there and the loved ones left behind help shed a glimpse of what wars really like, what we can learn from it and our responsibility as storytellers to tread very carefully.

The Lost World by Michael Crichton

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 14, 2022 12:40


What can we learn about writing from The Lost World? Always have velociraptors, RPGs and 4x4s in your stories

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 10, 2022 16:03


It's no wonder this book spawned a billion dollar movie franchise. From high-level science to sick action scenes, Crichton makes readers ask some of the most pertinent and challenging questions facing humanity. Wanna learn cool shit and be entertained at the same time? Then read Jurassic Park.

Without Fail by Lee Child

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 27, 2022 12:47


Roller coasters goes up and down. If you wanna learn about balancing plot, action, tension & release to hook readers and keep em hooked, check out this cheeseburger of a political assassination thriller.

Echo Burning by Lee Child

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 15, 2022 17:15


A great example of tight page turning trash. If you want to be distracted or learn how to make a reader keep on reading, check out Echo Burning.

Forgotten Voices of the Secret War

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 8, 2022 16:42


History of the start of the SAS told by the men and women on the ground. Super interesting, full of hard truths, and often weirdly funny.

The Godfather by Mario Puzo

Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2022 11:06


You know the movie so why read the book? There's lots to learn from Mario Puzo's killer skills at crafting plot, pacing the reveals, and choosing the most effective narrator. Wanna learn how to write gripping stories? Read the Godfather now

Nam by Mark Baker

Play Episode Listen Later May 10, 2022 15:22


An uncompromising collection of first-person accounts of the Vietnam War. Brutal and honest, this is what war really looks like.

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