Teachin’ Books is baaaaack! It appears it’s a new, but still garbage, year — yay?!

On today’s episode, I chat with my friend Tara Chambers about a novel we both teach in undergraduate classes: Fifteen Dogs by André Alexis.

Tara talks about teachin’ this novel in a class themed around the question “What is humanity?” or “What does it mean to be human?”, and I chat about teachin’ it in a class that deconstructs “nature vs. culture.” Also of note: Tara’s discussion of the novel in relation to “real-world dog biology” (poor phrasing mine) and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs; my thoughts about reading the novel through its paratext and Plato’s Allegory of the Cave; and Tara’s essential question… should Heart of Darkness ever be taught again? XD

I hope you enjoy this chat!

• Order Fifteen Dogs from your local bookstore. In Saskatoon, I like Turning the Tide and McNally Robinson.
• Watch the video on Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, discussed in the episode.
• To get in touch with Tara, reach her at tchambers@tru.ca or tara.chambers@usask.ca.
• Read Cory Cardinal’s piece for Briarpatch, “A letter from the organizer of the Sask prisoners’ hunger strike,” see more about the Open Letter in Solidarity with Prisoners at Saskatchewan Jails, and check out @SaskSolidarity’s list of actions you can take in solidarity with people who are incarcerated in Saskatchewan.

The podcast music is by Dyalla Swain, whose work you can find here. The podcast graphics are by @muskrathands.

Email me at teachinbookspod@gmail.com or follow the podcast on Twitter and Instagram @TeachinBooksPod. I post extra content, like audiograms and behind-the-scenes stuff, on both accounts, more frequently on Insta, so follow me there for more teachin’ books fun!

Please do subscribe, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or whatever podcatcher you tend to use. It’s a new year and I would love to grow the podcast listening community! 😀

**Read the transcript for this episode here.**