In this episode of Resistance Reads, Michael Kilman and Matt Wellström discuss Percival Everett’s novel James, a powerful retelling of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from Jim’s perspective. We explore how Everett reimagines one of the most influential works in American literature while confronting the realities of slavery, race, and freedom.

We compare Everett’s novel with the original text, examining character development, historical context, and the journey down the Mississippi River. The conversation focuses on the creation of race, structural violence, and the systems of power that shaped the experience of slavery. We also discuss the psychological dimensions of oppression, including code switching, hierarchy, and survival.

This episode connects literary analysis with anthropology, history, and political theory. We break down how the construction of race during the colonial period shaped American society, including key moments like Bacon’s Rebellion. We also explore the influence of the Civil War, minstrel culture, and the broader legacy of these systems in contemporary discussions of justice and humanity.

If you are interested in literature, history, anthropology, and resistance, this conversation will deepen your understanding of both James and the enduring impact of Mark Twain’s work.

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This episode dives into We by Yevgeny Zamyatin, a pioneering dystopian novel that helped define the genre. We examine the author’s life, the political context of the book, and the inner conflict of D-503 as he grapples with individuality, love, and rebellion inside a tightly controlled society.

Our discussion covers themes of authoritarianism, emotional suppression, regulated relationships, and the illusion of happiness without struggle. We also critique the novel’s writing style and narrative choices, asking how frustration, self-indulgence, and discomfort shape the reader’s understanding of power and control.

The conversation expands into contemporary concerns, including cognitive dissonance, apathy, nihilism, state violence, fascism, masculinity, economic pressure, and family planning. By unpacking We, we explore how literature helps us confront political justifications for cruelty and better understand the social realities we are living through today.

In this episode, we dive deep into Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones, unpacking its powerful exploration of colonialism, genocide, Indigenous history, and reimagined vampire lore. Through a close reading of the novel, we examine how horror becomes a vehicle for confronting historical injustice and moral accountability.

We discuss Stephen Graham Jones’ background as a Blackfeet author, the haunting moral evolution of Goodstab, and how characters like The Cat Man embody the violence and consequences of white colonialism. The novel’s unique take on vampire mythology serves as both transformation and indictment, reflecting the enduring impact of oppression on identity, memory, and culture.

Our conversation expands beyond the book to address broader themes including the colonization of America, the influence of Indigenous governance on American democracy, and the lasting harm of policies like the Dawes Act. We explore how capitalism functions as a modern extension of colonialism, the cultural costs of technological dominance, and why libraries and local journalism remain essential to informed, resilient communities.

This episode highlights how horror forces readers to confront uncomfortable truths about history, race, power, and accountability, making Buffalo Hunter Hunter both a cathartic and deeply unsettling reflection of the past and present.