Welcome to Prehistoric Book Club - meet your hosts, Kat and Steph. Set down your hand axe, light a fire in your hearth and join two old friends for a close read of Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel. Join us beginning September 1, 2026 for weekly episodes going chapter by chapter - think of it as a re-watch podcast, but for a book. We'll get into the writing and the archeology that makes these books so remarkable.

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In our first episode, we recap the first short chapter of the book and discuss how the idea for this series came to the author, the research she did to complete it and our memories of first discovering the magical world she created.

References:

Shanidar: The First Flower People, by Ralph S. Solecki, 1971 (out of print)

Don's Maps - www.donsmaps.com - Clan Cave Area map

The Valley of Horses, Jean M. Auel, 1982

Also mentioned: V.C. Andrews, Lois Duncan

Prehistoric Book Club is hosted by Steph and Kat, two old friend doing a deep dive into the Earth's Children books by Jean M. Auel. Season One covers The Clan of The Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel, 1980

Theme Music: Sanskrit, courtesy iMovie/Apple.

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In this episode, we meet the clan, ponder the significance of the totem spirits, and question the effectiveness of Brun’s leadership - but who are we to quibble, after all we’re just women!

References:

A Short History of the World According to Sheep, by Sally Coulthard, 2020

The Carrier Bag of Fiction Theory, by Ursula K. Le Guin, 1989

Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Evolution, by Cat Bohannon, 2025

Prehistoric Book Club is hosted by Steph and Kat, two old friend doing a deep dive into the Earth's Children books by Jean M. Auel. Season One covers The Clan of The Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel, 1980

Theme Music: Sanskrit, courtesy iMovie/Apple.

In this episode, our wandering clan find a five-star cave, our tiny protagonist finally gets a name, and Creb takes a lovely wander through the woods.

In this episode we mention:

Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Evolution, by Cat Bohannon, 2025

New Penguin Atlas of Ancient History, Colin McEvedy & John Woodcock

Alone, TV Series, 8 season, available on Crave and History

Prehistoric Book Club is hosted by Steph and Kat, two old friend doing a deep dive into the Earth's Children books by Jean M. Auel. Season One covers The Clan of The Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel, 1980

Theme Music: Sanskrit, courtesy iMovie/Apple.

In this episode Broud makes his first kill, Ayla gets her totem, and Iza and Creb go full Cuthbert.

References:

Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery, 1908

Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Evolution, by Cat Bohannon, 2025

Kindred: Neanderthal Life, Love, Death and Art, by Rebecca Wragg Sykes, 2020

Your Inner Fish, by Neil Shubin, 2008 | Evolution of human ear

Prehistoric Book Club is hosted by Steph and Kat, two old friend doing a deep dive into the Earth's Children books by Jean M. Auel. Season One covers The Clan of The Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel, 1980

Theme Music: Sanskrit, courtesy iMovie/Apple.

In this episode, Ayla learns to sign, Iza has a baby and Creb falls victim to performative parenting.

References:

Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Evolution, by Cat Bohannon, 2025

Laughter in Hominids - Smithsonian Magazine, 2026

Prehistoric Book Club is hosted by Steph and Kat, two old friend doing a deep dive into the Earth's Children books by Jean M. Auel. Season One covers The Clan of The Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel, 1980

Theme Music: Sanskrit, courtesy iMovie/Apple.

Welcome to Prehistoric Book Club with Kat and Steph. Set down your hand axe, light a fire in your hearth and join two old friends for a close read of Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel.

In this episode, we get a two year time jump, Ayla picks up a sling and Broud attacks Ayla. Note: This episode includes discussion of violence.

References:

slinging.org - Online community

King Kong Theory, by Virginie Despentes, 2006 (French) and 2009 (English translation)

Born a Crime, by Trevor Noah, 2016

Prehistoric Book Club is hosted by Steph and Kat, two old friend doing a deep dive into the Earth's Children books by Jean M. Auel. Season One covers The Clan of The Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel, 1980

Theme Music: Sanskrit, courtesy iMovie/Apple.

In this episode, Ayla gets a sign from her totem, kills a hyena, and treats her first patient - and we contemplate how dinner menus have changed over time.

References:

slinging.org - Online community

Kindred: Neanderthal Life, Love, Death and Art, by Rebecca Wragg Sykes, 2020

Prehistoric Book Club is hosted by Steph and Kat, two old friend doing a deep dive into the Earth's Children books by Jean M. Auel. Season One covers The Clan of The Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel, 1980

Theme Music: Sanskrit, courtesy iMovie/Apple.