In this episode of The Athenaeum Book Club, host Jeremy Ryan Slate is joined by historian and bestselling author Dan Jones to discuss his book The Wars of the Roses.

Together they explore the brutal dynastic conflict that tore England apart in the fifteenth century, examining the ambitions, betrayals, and shifting loyalties that defined the struggle between the houses of Lancaster and York.

Jones brings clarity to a chaotic period, revealing how personal rivalries, weak kingship, and political violence reshaped the English monarchy—and set the stage for the rise of the Tudors.

A gripping conversation on power, legitimacy, and civil war.

In this episode of The Athenaeum Book Club, host Jeremy Ryan Slate is joined by Memory Medieval (x.com/MemoryMedieval) for a deep dive into Dueling Stories of the Sixteenth Century.

Together, they explore how competing narratives, propaganda, and personal rivalries shaped the way the early modern world understood war, religion, and power.

The conversation examines how history was written in real time—by chroniclers with agendas, loyalties, and fears—and how those dueling accounts still influence our understanding of the sixteenth century today.

A sharp discussion on memory, mythmaking, and the battle over historical truth.

In this episode of The Athenaeum Book Club, host Jeremy Ryan Slate is joined by Will Tanner for a historical examination of Rhodesia and the events that led to the mass emigration of its white population.

The conversation explores the political, economic, and social forces surrounding decolonization, the Rhodesian Bush War, and the transition to Zimbabwe.

Tanner provides context often missing from mainstream narratives, examining how ideology, power shifts, and violence reshaped the country’s future.

This episode is a sober, historically grounded discussion of a controversial chapter in modern history and its lasting consequences.