Sophomore Lit

Hosted by John McCoy

A podcast about your 10th grade reading list, hosted by John McCoy.

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Latest Episode: May 30, 2024

159 The Phantom Tollbooth

Host John McCoy with Moisés Chiullán

The most important reason for going from one place to another is to see what’s in between. Moisés Chiullán discusses Norton Juster’s The Phantom Tollbooth (1961).

[We’ve re-issued this episode to correct an audio problem.]

Read the show notes.

Previous Episodes

  • Sophomore Lit cover art
    April 22, 2024
    158 A Perfect Day for Bananafish
    Host John McCoy with Jason Snell

    Podcasters: What Do They Know? Do They Know Things?? Let’s Find Out! Jason Snell talks about marine life in J.D. Salinger’s “A Perfect Day for Bananafish” (1948).

  • Sophomore Lit cover art
    April 5, 2024
    157 The Veldt
    Host John McCoy with Jordan Morris

    Lions and tigers and bea— you know what, just lions. Jordan Morris is here to discuss Ray Bradbury’s story “the Veldt” (1950).

  • Sophomore Lit cover art
    March 15, 2024
    156 Heart of Darkness
    Host John McCoy with John Holt

    The Podcast! The Podcast! John Holt discusses the ill-fated cruise that is Joseph Conrad’s novelette Heart of Darkness (1899).

  • Sophomore Lit cover art
    February 1, 2024
    155 Tom Sawyer
    Host John McCoy with Jacob Haller

    Though his mind is not for rent, it still is the subject of this episode. Jacob Haller discusses Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer (1876).

  • Sophomore Lit cover art
    January 10, 2024
    154 Wide Sargasso Sea
    Host John McCoy with Caroline Fulford

    Actually, I need this sea in an extra wide. Caroline Fulford discusses postcolonialism and recurring fires in Jean Rhys’s Wide Sargasso Sea (1966).

  • Sophomore Lit cover art
    December 24, 2023
    153 The Burglar’s Christmas
    Host John McCoy with Marina McCoy

    The Burgermeister Meisterburger has nothing on this burglar! My wife Marina joins me for our annual Christmas episode. This time we discuss Willa Cather’s “The Burglar’s Christmas” (1896).

  • Sophomore Lit cover art
    December 7, 2023
    152 The Prince in Waiting
    Host John McCoy with Ross Cleaver and James Randall

    The waiting is the hardest part. Ross Cleaver and James Randall discuss the apocalypse, palace intrigue, and the charm of 80’s BBC television in this episode about John Christopher’s The Prince in Waiting (1970).

  • Sophomore Lit cover art
    November 22, 2023
    151 Thanksgiving Special: Poor Richard’s Almanack
    Host John McCoy with Dan McCoy and Rob McCoy

    Fish and visitors stink in three days, but podcasts are evergreen! Dan and Rob return for the annual Thanksgiving nonsense with Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanack (1732-1758).

  • Sophomore Lit cover art
    November 10, 2023
    150 Valley of the Dolls
    Host John McCoy

    Raggedy Ann, Barbie, Chucky—they’re all here. That’s what this book is about, right? Erin Gambrill discusses Jacqueline Susann’s Valley of the Dolls (1966).

  • Sophomore Lit cover art
    October 11, 2023
    149 On the Beach
    Host John McCoy with Jelani Sims

    Why just sit around waiting for the end of the world when you can hear a podcast about it? Jelani Sims discusses Nevil Shute’s On the Beach (1957).

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