Cracking Spines

Pride month at Cracking Spines continues this week with a celebration of the ‘G’ in LGBTQ by virtue of Where We Go From Here by Lucas Rocha. Heralded as a remarkably honest love story, this debut novel explores the misconceptions and prejudices surrounding HIV, as well as the complexity they bring to gay relationships. Join Jon and Candice as they delve into the friendships, romances, and challenges these characters encounter as they navigate HIV in Rio de Janeiro’s gay community.As always, listener discretion is advised.

Welcome back! Season two of Cracking Spines kicks off with a month-long celebration of Pride and four weeks of LBGTQ literature. First up is the notable lesbian love story The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith, which later became the film Carol. Join Jon and Candice as they discuss the LGBTQ themes that run throughout this unprecedented novel and remain relevant even today, despite being published in 1952. As always, listener discretion is advised.

In today’s season finale, Jon and Candice wrap up season one and share their favorite moments from their first nine episodes. Join them as they tell behind-the-scenes stories, share what they consider to be the high (and occasional low) points throughout the season, and sprinkle in bloopers and outtakes along the way. Cracking Spines will return on Saturday, May 7th for season two. As always, listener discretion is advised.

Step into the not-too-distant future with Jon and Candice this week as they explore and discuss M.T. Anderson’s Feed. National Book Award Finalist and New York Times’ ‘Notable Book of the Year’, Feed tells the love story of teenagers Titus and Violet, set against the backdrop of a late-stage capitalistic America where smartphones and social media algorithms have evolved into an implanted chips in the brain. Join Jon and Candice as they discuss the themes that run throughout this futuristic book that are strikingly, and hauntingly, relevant today. As always, listener discretion is advised.

In today’s episode of Cracking Spines, Jon & Candice dive back into novels and find themselves in a clash of opinions over this week’s book. Winner of the Nobel Prize in literature, Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go tells the story of three friends navigating their way through a complex and ambiguous reality. Tune in as they discuss the tangled relationships of the main characters, as well as the function of ambiguity in story-telling. Jon would like it noted on the record (again) that he hated this book. As always, listener discretion is advised.