ALTA executive director and Arabic translator (Minor Detail), Lissie Jaquette joined Chad and Brian to talk about Bedragare's breakdown and all the events in the second half of his journal. They also wonder what the "mystery" of the novel is, and talk about various (possibly nutty) theories about who killed Lux and Ledesma. All of this sets up next week's episode in which—according to Chad—the real will be explained . . .  It's amazing how much questionable music there is that includes a reference to a "4x4." This week's is a little ditty by Hardy that includes this lyric, "Them good old boys been feeling macho / In that quatro wheel drive." Hell yeah! If you'd prefer to watch the conversation, you can find it on YouTube along with all our past episodes. The next broadcast will be on July 15th. We'll be talking about the final section of Four by Four, which is available in bookstores everywhere. (And as an audiobook via Tantor Media!) After next week's episode, we'll move on to The Book of Anna by Carmen Boullosa and Samantha Schnee. Get your copy today! Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests. Be sure to order Brian's book, Joytime Killbox, which is now officially available at better bookstores everywhere thanks to BOA Editions. And you can get 20% off Four by Four by using the code 2MONTH at checkout. (Offer only good in the U.S., since we can't ship overseas, but to be honest, we can't ship right now! Order it from Bookshop.org.) You can also support this podcast and all of Open Letter's activities by making a tax-deductible donation through the University of Rochester.

After being taken over by Chad's daughter, the podcast gets back on track, and Chad and Derek Maine (Read the World YouTube channel) break down the first half of part two of Four by Four, talking about the ways in which power structures are replicated, the increasing scope of the novel's construction, reading between the lines, trusting the impulses in children, books that don't offer clear solutions, and much more.  This week's musical "4x4" reference is from Florida Georgia Line, because of course it is.  If you'd prefer to watch the conversation, you can find it on YouTube along with all our past episodes. (And seriously, this week's opening is worth watching.) The next broadcast will be on July 8th. We'll be talking about pages 156-222) of Four by Four, which is available in bookstores everywhere. (And as an audiobook via Tantor Media!) Follow Open Letter, Chad Post, and Brian Wood for random thoughts and information about upcoming guests. Be sure to order Brian's book, Joytime Killbox, which is now officially available at better bookstores everywhere thanks to BOA Editions. And you can get 20% off Four by Four by using the code 2MONTH at checkout. (Offer only good in the U.S., since we can't ship overseas, but to be honest, we can't ship right now! Order it from Bookshop.org.) You can also support this podcast and all of Open Letter's activities by making a tax-deductible donation through the University of Rochester.