Reed Wilkinson, 21,  was mostly a nonreader in high school--but since then, he's explored everything from brilliant philosophers (Marcus Aurelius) to self-growth (Dr. Jordan Peterson); from ancient politics (Plato and Aristotle) to religion ("The Case for Christ," by Lee Strobel and "Terror of Demons" by Kennedy Hall). But the conversation really heats up when we talk about how ordinary people became mass murderers (Ordinary Men; Reserve Police Battalion 101, by Christopher Browning) and why societies collapse into monstrous, soul-crushing, family-ending dictatorships ("The Gulag Archipelago, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn). We also discuss some fiction, including "The Count of Monte Cristo," by Alexandre Dumas. Reed has learned: books can widen your world, open your eyes, and electrify your existence! May you, too, be lit on fire.

(This episode was recorded on July 29, 2021.)

Note: Originally, I uploaded the wrong episode, but I fixed this error at 1 :05 p.m. on August 13, 2021.