Just the Best Literature: Recent Episodes
Philadelphia Church of God
Just the Best Literature inspires you to not only read printed books, but to read only the best books. Besides books, host Dennis Leap will lead discussions on other current literature such as essays and important articles.
Host Dennis Leap discusses Chapter 7, “The Blackest of All Days” in Part II, “Into Africa.” This chapter reveals that the famous British commanders over India, such as Penn Symons, believed the fight with the Boers would be easy. The journalist crew, which included Winston Churchill, was stunned when they arrived in South Africa to a sign that read “Boers Defeated, Three Battles, Penn Symons Killed.” In pages 74 and 75, we learn why Penn Symons died.
Host Dennis Leap finishes discussing Chapter 6, “We Have Gone Far Enough,” from Part II: “Into Africa.” Candice Millard gives the incredible history of the Boers who proved themselves to be superior warriors from the time they inhabited the Transvaal and the first Boer War with the British. The British received a humiliating loss at the battle of Majuba Hill. George White had told a friend before he left South Hampton: “I don’t believe there will be fighting of a serious kind.” While at Natal, White was not concerned about the tens of thousands of Boers surrounding him in every direction. By the time he moved to Ladysmith, White realized he had made a serious mistake.
Host Dennis Leap finishes the discussion for Chapter 5 of Part 2, “Send Her Victorious” and begins Chapter 6, “We Have Gone Far Enough.” Chapter 5 revealed the blasé attitude of the British to the coming war with the Boers, who weren’t considered warriors. Chapter 6, however, shows that the Boers were well prepared for the coming fight.
Host Dennis Leap continues discussing Part 2: Into Africa, Chapter 5: “Send Her Victorious.” Winston was not overly worried that he was traveling to a war in South Africa. He saw himself as a confident, well-to-do journalist being paid well to report on the early phase of the Boer War. Winston traveled in the lavish style of a British aristocrat, taking a valet with him. Even though seasick, he shows himself a politician by talking over the Boer War with General Buller, who is also on the ship. Winston’s view is that the British are not serious enough to fight the Boers.
Host Dennis Leap discusses the significance of Chapter 5, “Send Her Victorious,” in Candice Millard’s book Hero of the Empire. Winston Churchill does not go to the Boer War in South Africa as a solider but as a well-paid journalist to keep Britons informed of events in the Transvaal. He shared this experience with other famous authors such as Daily Mail writer Edgar Wallace, Rudyard Kipling and Arthur Conan Doyle.
In this special hourlong episode, Dennis Leap discusses the significance of Chapter 4 in Candice Millard’s Hero of the Empire. After licking his wounds from losing the election in Oldham, Winston Churchill renews his desire to become a great politician by finding a new war to build his reputation. This chapter is a great introduction to the Boer War.
Host Dennis Leap discusses Winston’s election day in Oldham. The candidates campaigning to win the election brought their wives with them. Winston was not yet married, so he begged his mother, Jennie Jerome, to come support him on election day. Jennie showed up dressed as a star-studded actress. Her sparkling beauty drew attention, but Winston fell 1,300 votes short of victory.
Host Dennis Leap continues discussing Candice Millard’s book Hero of the Empire, Chapter 3 “The Scion.” This chapter gives great insight into Winston Churchill’s mighty push to get into politics at a young age.
Host Dennis Leap continues discussing Candice Millard’s book Hero of the Empire. In this podcast, Dennis focuses on Winston Churchill’s unbearable uncertainty waiting to see if he would be chosen for a place on the Conservative ticket for a by-election in Oldham, England. Winston had no doubt in his star, yet he didn’t feel it wasteful to have his palm read to see into his future. Exploring mysticism was popular in England at that time, even with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Winston did not allow his “choice of palm reader” to advertise what she saw for his future, but events happened that put Winston on the ticket that launched his political career.
Host Dennis Leap continues discussing Candice Millard’s book Hero of the Empire. In Chapter 2, Candice provides additional history on Winston Churchill’s desire for power and fame with his involvement in the British Empire’s war against the Mahdists in the Sudan. It was a war of great carnage, but Winston remained unscathed. “Nothing touched me,” he wrote two days after the Battle of Omdurman, in which the British lost 500 men and the Mahdists 20,000.
Host Dennis Leap continues discussing Candice Millard’s book Hero of the Empire. Candice opens Chapter 1 with a review of Winston’s early love of 1,500 toy soldiers and make-believe battles and then gives an in-depth discussion of the extant and success of the vast British Empire.
Host Dennis Leap begins discussing a new book on the life of Winston Churchill by author Candice Millard. Hero of the Empire gives us details of Churchill’s daring escape from prison in Pretoria, South Africa (the capital of the Boer Republic), while fighting in the Boer War and the making of his political career.
After fighting the bloodthirsty Pathans and getting reassigned to leading a Punjabi infantry (none spoke English), Winston attempts to get attached to the Malakand Field Force permanently. This did not happen, and he was sent back to his home base at Bangalore. In Chapter 13, Winston seeks to maneuver for a job in a new campaign in the Sudan under Sir Herbert Kitchener. However, he discovers that those who had previously been friendly and encouraging had turned against him. Those who once supported him were calling him a medal hunter and a self-advertiser. Winston has to learn to endure “the less amiable aspects of human nature.”
After fighting the bloodthirsty Pathans and getting reassigned to leading a Punjaubi infantry (where no one spoke English), Winston attempted to be attached to the Malakand Field Force permanently, but he was sent back to his home base at Bangalore. He began writing a book on his recent experience in the Mamund Valley, which became a published success. Receiving praise from the prince of Wales, Winston began to remake himself as an author.
Host Dennis Leap continues discussing the Pathan’s attack on the British in Chapter 11. The British adjutant had been shot. Four soldiers were carrying him to safety when, out from the edges of the village houses, rushed a half dozen Pathan swordsmen. The leading tribesman rushed upon the prostrate adjutant, slashing him three or four times. Winston angered by the crime wanted to kill the Pathan with his own sword. But upon seeing a group of Pathans behind their leader, he decided to shoot the tribesman instead.
Host Dennis Leap discusses North Indian tribes attack on the British in Chapter 11. As the Malakand Field Force moved deeper into the Mamund Valley, Sir Bindon Blood was negotiating with the North India tribes to avoid a bloody conflict. Yet young Winston and other soldiers like him wanted something exciting to happen. Winston wanted a rifle fight. Sir Bindon Blood and the Mamund tribe gave him his wish.
Host Dennis Leap discusses Winston Churchill’s praise for Sir Bindon Blood’s talents as a military leader while working with the Bunerwal and Pathan tribes of Northern India, but then reveals the flaws in some of Britain’s political officers. Winston calls them Marplots because they failed to act resolutely or decisively, leading to the unnecessary deaths of British soldiers.
At the end of Chapter 9: “Education at Bangalore,” Winston is offered a 3-month leave to return to England, which gives him a break from the sweltering heat of India. While in England, he reads in the newspapers that the north Indian tribe Pathan was revolting against the British. He learns that his friend Sir Bindon Blood is leading a field force of three brigades to quell the revolt. Winston telegraphs Sir Bindon to remind him that he had promised to include Winston in such an event. Winston returns to India to join the fight; however, he learns after his return that he must become a war correspondent to do so.
Host Dennis Leap finishes his discussion of Chapter 9 “Education at Bangalore” with Winston’s treatise on polo’s popularity with the British troops and the Indian populace. Polo games in India were high cultural events with parades of elephants and British royal regalia. Of course, Winston was most excited about his polo team defeating the highest-ranking Indian team. The ultimate takeaway from this chapter is true education involves books, classes, quality social occasions and challenging athletic events.
Host Dennis Leap continues discussing My Early Life Chapter 9, “Education at Bangalore.” Winston comes to the conclusion that he doesn’t have a grasp on religion. He recognized that the British Empire had exposed him to many different religions full of untruths that created much confusion. His final religious belief in God came after a few years of being in constant danger: He continually prayed for protection and he knew that God provided it for him.
Host Dennis Leap continues discussing My Early Life Chapter 9: “Education at Bangalore.” During the winter months of 1896, Winston came to the realization that he needed more education. He wrote, “I began to feel myself wanting in even the vaguest knowledge about many large spheres of thought.” While he had developed a huge vocabulary thanks to being an avid reader, he still lacked knowledge in subjects such as ethics, the Socratic Method and history. With the help of his mother, he built his own school library and studied history such as Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. He spent five hours a day studying, essentially attaining a university-level education.
Host Dennis Leap moves into Chapter 9 “Education at Bangalore.” While being trained to utilize British fighting maneuvers to protect the Empire in India, Winston realized he was not truly educated: There was a lot of English vocabulary he did not understand. He could speak the words, but he did not know their meaning. For example, he loved the word ethics, but did not know exactly what it was. “I would have paid some scholar 2 pounds at least to give me a lecture of an hour or an hour and a half about ethics,” he wrote. So young Winston set a goal to give himself a college-level education.
Host Dennis Leap wraps up his discussion of Chapter 8. Winston gives young readers advice on how to take care of their health, specifically warning them not to dislocate their shoulders. He also describes his life as a young soldier in India. His descriptions are a technicolor view of the beauty of British rule in India. In Bangalore, Winston settled into his new life in India. He devoted himself to the serious purpose of life—polo! You won’t want to miss the humor and fascination of India in this podcast.
Host Dennis Leap finishes discussing key highlights from Chapter 7, “Hounslow.” Winston discusses the beauty of the Deepdene House and Gardens, where he mingled with the wealthy and elite members of the Army and Parliament. It was at Deepdene that he learned the importance of punctuality—after showing up late for a dinner with the Prince of Wales. In Chapter 8, Winston heads to India. As he disembarks from the ship, he falls and dislocates his shoulder—which later in life proved to be a blessing. “One must never forget,” he wrote, “when misfortunes come that it is quite possible they are saving one from something much worse; or when you make some great mistake, it may easily serve you better than the best-advised decision.”
Host Dennis Leap discusses key highlights from Chapter 7, “Hounslow,” from Winston Churchill’s memoir My Early Years 1874–1904. As this chapter opens, 21-year-old Winston has completed his calvary training and has 6 months leave before moving on to India where his regiment is scheduled to remain for 12 to 14 years. Churchill reminisces about this time period in Hounslow, a choice district in London, writing, “I gave myself over to the amusements of the London season. In those days, English society still existed in its old form.” This podcast unveils the beauty and power of the early British Empire.
On Nov. 30, 1895, after joining the Spanish Army’s fight against the Cuban rebels, 21-year-old Winston Churchill finally got his wish. He was in the jungle gnawing on a skinny chicken leg for breakfast when a volley of gunfire rang out from the edge of the forest. A bullet passed by his head, killing a soldier's horse. Watching the horse slowly bleed led him to write, “I began to take a more thoughtful view of our enterprise.” Host Dennis Leap finishes his discussion of Chapter 6 with more anecdotes from young Winston.
Host Dennis Leap discusses key highlights from Chapter 6 “Cuba” in Winston Churchill’s memoir My Early Years 1874–1904. Winston is 21 years old: Having now been trained as a soldier, he believes he needs a dress rehearsal of a real war. He turns his eyes to Cuba where the Spanish are at war with native rebels seeking to overthrow the government. He writes: “Here was a place of vital action.”
Host Dennis Leap discusses key highlights from Chapter 5, “The Fourth Hussars,” in Winston Churchill’s memoir My Early Years 1874–1904. As this chapter opens, Winston is 21 years old. Having graduated from Sandhurst with honors, Winston is ready to take his place in the world. Colonel Brabazon, a family friend and commander of the Fourth Hussars, requests Winston come under his command. Winston is excited for such a move. Filled with a desire to go to war, Winston must learn to survive personal tragedies.
Host Dennis Leap with special guest Grant Turgeon discuss Chapters 4, 5 and 6 of My Early Life. Entering the Sandhurst military school gave Winston a new start in his young life. He wrote, “I was no longer handicapped by past neglect of Latin, French or mathematics. We had now to learn fresh things and we all started equal.” They show how Winston Churchill truly began to blossom as a strong young man with opportunities in a setting that enhanced his talents.
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon continue discussing Winston S. Churchill’s most charming memoir My Early Life 1874–1904. They focus on the first three chapters, which show how deeply Winston Churchill thought as a young boy. He definitely had an understanding of politics and politicians. He recognizes that he was a “troublesome boy” and that he resisted educational subjects in which he had no interest. He hated mathematics, Latin and Greek classics. He loved French, English and poetry. Remember, the list of books planned for this series is featured on Twitter @JBliterature1.
Host Dennis Leap, with special guest Grant Turgeon, begin discussing Winston S. Churchill’s most charming memoir: My Early Life 1874–1904. They focus on William Manchester’s 1996 introduction to this book, which provides key additional insights behind the events Churchill recorded. As a reminder, the list of books planned for this series is featured on Twitter @JBliterature1.
Host Dennis Leap introduces the new JBL series dedicated to the life and accomplishments of Sir Winston S. Churchill. During the British Black Lives Matter riots over the death of George Floyd, Winston Churchill’s statue in Parliament Square was desecrated with red paint, calling him a racist. At the same time, instructors at Churchill College at Cambridge planned a year-long program titled "Churchill, Race and Empire" to critically examine the college’s founder Winston Churchill. Because of family opposition to the program, the project was soon squashed by college executives. While Winston Churchill certainly had human flaws, he also had a sterling life of great accomplishments. Listeners are invited to read the best books about him, the books he wrote, and the books he loved to read. The list of books planned for this series is featured on Twitter @JBliterature1.
Host Dennis Leap introduces the JBL short series on Herman Melville’s classic American novel, Moby Dick or the Whale, using quotes from Nathaniel Philbrick’s small book, Why Read Moby Dick?
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon finish this series with a discussion of Ishmael’s Epilogue of his survival from Moby Dick’s destruction of the Pequod Ahab and his crew. They also recount highlights from this incredible American classic in order to encourage listeners to read and study it again.
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon discuss Chapters 133 through 135 titled “Chase Day 1,” “Chase Day 2” and “Chase Day 3.” Ahab awakes early one night and smells Moby Dick in the air like “a sagacious ship dog.” Ahab believes Moby is near and sets the crew on active duty to follow the whale’s trail in the sea. Ahab is lifted high above the crew and yells out, “There she blows!” It is Moby Dick! But who can kill the powerful Greek god Moby Dick? Listen to this podcast to find out.
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon discuss Chapters 128, 129 and 130. Chapter 128 deals with the Pequod’s encounter with the Nantucket whaler named The Rachel. Manxman, and old sailor, warns Ahab that The Rachel is bringing bad news. Ahab is only interested in an answer to his question: Hast thou seen the white whale? The Rachel’s captain has lost sight of his son helping in a whale boat crew due to a dangerous encounter with Moby Dick. He requests Ahab and the Pequod’s help in searching for the boat. Ahab refuses because he wants to pursue Moby Dick. Chapter 129 gives a look inside Ahab’s cabin and a discussion between Ahab and Pip. Ahab admits he is crazy and wants Pip to stay in the cabin because he knows a dangerous encounter with Moby Dick is imminent. In Chapter 130, The Hat, Ahab, Fedellah and the crew are downcast over the coming, sure-to-be-violent encounter with Moby Dick. Melville foreshadows what is to come.
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon discuss the two chapters foreshadowing the destruction of the Pequod as Ahab continues his insane search to destroy Moby Dick. In Chapter 110, Queequeg suffers a near-fatal illness caused by removing casks of oil from below deck. He requests the ship carpenter make him a coffin so he is not buried at sea in his hammock, but Queequeg does not die. Chapter 127 shows how Ahab hates the coffin because it reminds him of the wooden leg the carpenter crafted for him after Moby Dick took off his leg. Ahab chides the carpenter when he refashions the coffin into a life buoy to rescue sailors who might fall overboard.
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon discuss one of the most unique chapters in Moby Dick. Melville uses the gold doubloon as a mirror into Ahab’s soul and the souls of some of the crew. You’ll want to hear this one.
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon discuss the the sad mishap of Pip, Ahab’s cabin boy. Stubb recruits Pip to be an oarsman on his whaling canoe. At his first lowering, Pip is frightened by a whale and jumps out of the boat. Stubb tells Pip to never jump out of the boat or he'll abandon him at sea. Pip jumps again. In the drama of catching a whale, Pip is left to drift on the ocean alone. When recovered, Pip appears to have gone mad. However, Ishmael see Pip’s experience differently.
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon discuss the the sad mishap of Pip, Ahab’s cabin boy. Stubb recruits Pip to be an oarsman on his whaling canoe. At his first lowering, Pip is frightened by a whale and jumps out of the boat. Stubb tells Pip to never jump out of the boat or he'll abandon him at sea. Pip jumps again. In the drama of catching a whale, Pip is left to drift on the ocean alone. When recovered, Pip appears to have gone mad. However, Ishmael see Pip’s experience differently.
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Mr. Grant Turgeon discuss Chapter 71 of Herman Melville’s American classic Moby Dick. Captain Ahab signals another Nantucket whale ship named the Jeroboam to have a meeting to gain information on Moby Dick. The Jeroboam’s Captain Mayhew was fearful to join up with the Pequod because there was a malignant epidemic on board. Onboard the Jeroboam was an insane sailor who believed he was the archangel Gabriel. From a distance between the ships, Gabriel warns Ahab not to pursue Moby Dick because it would lead to his death. Ahab, like the ancient Israelite King Jeroboam, ignores the warning of a prophet.
Host Dennis Leap discusses several key leadership lessons from the life of George Washington.
Host Dennis Leap with Deborah Leap discuss the final years of the Washingtons’ productive lives.
Host Dennis Leap and 60-plus panel member Deborah Leap discuss the problems George Washington faced with cabinet members’ desiring to establish a two-party system for America.
Host Dennis Leap and 60-plus panel member Deborah Leap discuss Mrs. Barbara Bush, as well as George and Martha Washington’s lives as first president and first lady.
NOTE: This episode is a repeat from Dec. 17, 2018
Host Dennis Leap and 60-plus panel member Deborah Leap discuss the funeral of George Herbert Walker Bush, followed by a discussion of George and Martha Washington’s support of the troops during America’s war with Britain.
Host Dennis Leap discusses George Washington as one of America’s first agricultural pioneers.
Host Dennis Leap continues discussing George Washington’s treatment of slaves and disgust for slavery.
Host Dennis Leap discusses George Washington’s noble qualities of character in his physical appearance, manners and dress, and begins a discussion on Washington’s hatred of chattel slavery.
Host Dennis Leap, with 60-plus panel member Deborah Leap, discusses fascinating historical facts concerning Martha Washington’s family and her first husband, Daniel Custis.
Host Dennis Leap, with 60 plus panel member Deborah Leap, discuss fascinating historical facts concerning George Washington’s wife Martha.
Host Dennis Leap continues to discuss the pertinent facts of George Washington's life, including his marriage, family life and health.
Host Dennis Leap continues to discuss the pertinent facts of George Washington’s life in the context of liberal leftists’ rage against “dead privileged white men.”
Host Dennis Leap discusses the pertinent facts and towering moral character of George Washington in the context of liberal lefts' handling Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings.
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon finish discussing Chapter 48: “The First Lowering.” They then go on to discuss chapters 52 and 53, which focus on the social meeting (or Gam) of two or more whale ships and why Ahab chose not to gam with the Albatross (Goney).
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon continue discussing Chapter 48: “The First Lowering.” This explosive chapter gives insight into the uniting of Ahab’s stowaway crew—believed at one time to be Phantoms—and the legitimate crew of the Pequod.
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon discuss Chapters 46 through 48. For Chapter 46, Dennis and Grant discuss Melville’s additional revelation of Ahab’s megalomania. In Chapters 47 and 48, Dennis and Grant discuss the shocking introduction and use of Ahab’s powerful phantom whale-killing crew.
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon discuss Chapters 43 and 44. In Chapter 43, Melville begins to reveal that there is an unknown mysterious crew on board. For Chapter 44, Leap and Turgeon discuss Ahab’s great intelligence and also his mental madness.
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon discuss Chapter 42: “The Whiteness of the Whale.” This fascinating chapter discusses the elusive qualities of the color white. This color happens to appall Ishmael.
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon discuss Chapter 41, “Moby Dick,” which gives the history of Moby Dick and Ahab and shows that Ishmael recognizes he is totally under Ahab’s influence.
Host Dennis Leap with special guest Grant Turgeon complete their discussion of Chapter 37, titled “Sunset,” showing how Ahab describes himself as “demonic" and “madness maddened.” They then discuss the soliloquy’s of Starbuck (Chapter 38) and Stubb (Chapter 39) and end the program with a comedic soliloquy of the sailors (Chapter 40) written in the form of a musical. Under Ahab’s trance, the shipmates celebrate the killing of the whale.
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon complete their discussion of Chapter 36, “The Quarterdeck,” showing how Ahab successfully completed his plan to hijack the Pequod to satisfy his vengeance against Moby Dick.
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon discuss Chapters 30 and 31 of Moby Dick: Melville compares Ahab to a Norse king and crafts a humorous tale of Stubb telling Flask about his queer dream of a merman. Dennis and Grant also begin their discussion of Chapter 36, “The Quarterdeck,” in which Ahab initiates his plan to hijack the Pequod for his own dark purpose.
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon discuss Herman Melville’s well-known and yet most mysterious character, Captain Ahab, from his American classic Moby Dick.
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon discuss Chapters 26 and 27 of Herman Melville’s American classic Moby Dick. Leap and Turgeon focus on the personalities of the Pequod’s three mates and their assistants, the harpooners.
Host Dennis Leap with special guest Grant Turgeon discuss chapters 19 through 21 of Melville’s timeless classic Moby Dick. The two shipmates meet again with the prophet Elijah who warns them about the mysterious sailors running toward the ship.
Host Dennis Leap with special guest Grant Turgeon begin discussion of chapters 14 and 16 of Melville’s American classic Moby Dick. Dennis and Grant focus on the history of old Nantucket and Ishmael’s selection of a whaling ship.
Host Dennis Leap with special guest Grant Turgeon discuss chapters 5 through 9 of Melville’s timeless classic Moby Dick, which give the history of America’s once great whaling capitals, New Bedford and Nantucket.
Host Dennis Leap with special guest Grant Turgeon begin discussing the first nine chapters of Melville’s American classic Moby Dick. Dennis and Grant focus on the first first four chapters, which introduce us to the characters Ishmael and Queequeg.
Host Dennis Leap introduces the JBL short series on Herman Melville’s classic American novel, Moby Dick or the Whale, using quotes from Nathaniel Philbrick’s small book, Why Read Moby Dick?
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Deborah Leap discuss the final two chapters of Lord Jim. Jim naively believes that scoundrel Brown will leave Patusan peacefully. Yet Brown, with the help of Cornelius, unleashes an act of cold-blooded ferocity on Dain Waris’s camp. This time Jim does not jump or run away from the problem. With the help of Doramin, he dies a romantic hero.
Host Dennis Leap discusses the fateful conversation between Jim and the scoundrel Brown, which took place at the muddy creek Jim jumped over to escape imprisonment by the Rajah.
Host Dennis Leap discusses the sadistic nature of evil pirate Brown, who plans to tear the people of Patusan to pieces.
Host Dennis Leap discusses Jim and Marlow’s parting as Marlow returns to the outside world.
Host Dennis Leap and special guests Deborah Leap and Gabe Greaser discuss Jim’s profession of his love for Jewel and Marlow’s analysis of Jewel.
Host Dennis Leap and special guests Deborah Leap and Gabe Greaser discuss Jewel’s intervention in a plot to assassinate Jim.
Host Dennis Leap and guest Gabe Greaser continue to discuss Jim’s love affair with Jewel, and the dark side to Cornelius’s character.
Host Dennis Leap and guest Gabe Greaser discuss Jim’s love affair with Cornelius’s stepdaughter, whom he names Jewel, and the mounting number of enemies planning his assassination.
Host Dennis Leap and guest Gabe Greaser discuss Jim’s first adventure as the peacemaker of Patusan.
Host Dennis Leap and guest Deborah Leap begin discussing Marlow’s visit to Jim at Patusan, two years after Jim lands on the island (Chapter 24). Jim tells Marlow about his dramatic first days.
Host Dennis Leap and guest Deborah Leap continue discussing the background chapters (23 and 24) that lay the groundwork to better understand Jim and his life on Patusan.
Host Dennis Leap and guest Deborah Leap discuss the background chapters that lay the groundwork to better understand Jim and his life on Patusan.
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Deborah Leap discuss Jim’s bad habit of quitting jobs when he hears gossip about the Patna incident. Marlow seeks out Jim to help him stop running from a past he was not solely responsible for.
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Deborah Leap discuss Marlow’s work to help Jim put the Patna incident behind him and overcome his gloom. Marlow writes Jim a letter of reference for a great job, showing Jim he could have a clean slate.
Host Dennis Leap discusses Marlow’s experience with Jim and his gloom caused by the magistrate’s devastating judgment at the conclusion of the Patna inquiry. With his certificate canceled, Jim’s career as a ship’s chief mate was over. Yet his life was not! Marlow tries to rescue Jim from an emotional, somber and hopeless ocean.
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Deborah Leap discuss Marlow’s attempt to get Jim to take the “rupees and run.” Jim remained and faced the consequences of his unintended jump.
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Deborah Leap discuss Marlow’s discussion with a French sailor about how the French rescued the Patna and towed it to shore.
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Deborah Leap discuss Jim's mental state as he recounts learning that the Patna was towed safely to shore. Even though none of the 800 passengers died by drowning, Jim is distraught over the destruction of his character.
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Deborah Leap discuss Jim's time with the "three dirty owls" on the lifeboat removed from the Patna.
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Deborah Leap discuss Jim’s mental state and the events that led him to jump ship.
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Deborah Leap discuss Jim’s recollection of his fight with the skipper and three engineers as they prepared to abandon the Patna and 800 pilgrims.
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Deborah Leap continue to discuss Marlow’s dinner conversation with Jim. Outside of the restaurant dining area, Jim fully opens up to Marlow about the unfairness of the inquiry. He works hard to defend his damaged reputation. Jim also reveals the cowardly actions of the skipper, the chief engineer and his assistant at the onset of the Patna crisis.
Host Dennis Leap continues to discuss Marlow’s dinner conversation with Jim. As the two seamen move from the restaurant to an outside veranda, Jim opens up and reveals his actions and inaction during the Patna emergency.
Host Dennis Leap and guest Deborah Leap finish Chapter 6 and begin Chapter 7 of Joseph Conrad’s complex novel Lord Jim. After a near street brawl, Marlow convinces Jim to meet him for dinner. As promised, the revelation of what happened on the Patna is about to begin.
Host Dennis Leap and guest Deborah Leap delve into chapter 6 of Joseph Conrad’s complex novel Lord Jim. The two discuss Marlow’s stories of Captain Brierly and his chief mate, Jones. Brierly assumes himself to be a perfect skipper, though Jones would disagree. Brierly’s story should lead us to examine our own weaknesses.
Host Dennis Leap and guest Deborah Leap continue discussing Chapter 4 of Joseph Conrad’s complex novel Lord Jim. The two discuss Jim’s awareness of Marlow’s attendance at his inquiry and reveal Jim's first impressions of Marlow. Moving into Chapter 5, the literature team shows how Marlow assumes control of Jim’s story.
Host Dennis Leap and guest Deborah Leap continue discussing the first four chapters of Joseph Conrad’s complex novel Lord Jim. In Chapter 3, Conrad gives us deeper insights into Jim’s romantic and adventurous imagination and his self-assured security of living a successful life. In Chapter 4 we suddenly find ourselves in a courtroom where Jim is on the witness stand answering questions about the wrecking of the Patna.
Host Dennis Leap begins discussing the first four chapters of Joseph Conrad’s complex novel Lord Jim. The key to understanding these chapters is that they cover three different points in time leading us to Marlow.
Host Dennis Leap provides an overview look at Joseph Conrad’s uniquely structured novel Lord Jim, including historical background, themes and cast of characters.
Host Dennis Leap uses Marlow’s discussion with Kurtz’s intended to conclude his summary comments on how to understand this classic novella.
Host Dennis Leap uses Marlow’s thoughts on Kurtz after his burial to begin summary comments on how to understand this classic novella.
Host Dennis Leap discusses Marlow’s fascination with Kurtz’s desire to reenter the darkness of his own human nature as he crawls back to the native Africans who desire to worship him. Marlow also recounts Kurtz’s struggle to reconcile his life as he lays dying.
Host Dennis Leap discusses the overlooked conflict Marlow holds for his hero Kurtz. Marlow insists that Kurtz is not his idol, but he also states that Kurtz is a remarkable man. In this matter, Joseph Conrad reveals his own conflict with human nature.
Host Dennis Leap and guests Deborah Leap and Gabe Greaser discuss Marlow’s first meeting with Kurtz.
Host Dennis Leap and guests Deborah Leap and Gabe Greaser discuss Marlow’s surprising defense of Kurtz to his companions on the Nellie and Marlow’s story about meeting Kurtz.
Host Dennis Leap and special guests Deborah Leap and Hannah Worrell continue their discussion of Joseph Conrad’s use of women in his classic novella Heart of Darkness. In this episode, the panel focuses on the woman in Kurtz’s painting, the Mistress and the Intended.
Host Dennis Leap and special guests Deborah Leap and Hannah Worrell discuss Joseph Conrad's use of women in his classic novella Heart of Darkness.
Host Dennis Leap, along with special guests Parker Campbell and Gabe Greaser, discusses Marlow’s education about Kurtz as he travels from station to station, entering the heart of darkness.
Host Dennis Leap, along with special guests Parker Campbell and Gabe Greaser, discusses Marlow’s education about Kurtz as he travels from station to station as he enters the heart of darkness.
Host Dennis Leap discusses Marlow’s colorful descriptions of his first contact with Africa and the company’s outpost, supposedly established to bring civilization to the uncivilized natives.
Host Dennis Leap finishes his discussion of the warning signs Marlow ignored prior to going to work for Belgian Congo Company. Dennis brings to light Conrad’s use of Psalm 74:20 which states “For the dark places of the earth are habitations of cruelty."
Host Dennis Leap begins discussing the evidence of the main flaw in Marlow’s character as revealed in Book 1 of Jospeh Conrad’s novella The Heart of Darkness.
Host Dennis Leap and guest Deborah Leap continue discussing Heart of Darkness, Book 1. They discuss whether colonialism is violent conquest or the spread of civilization.
Host Dennis Leap, with special guest Deborah Leap, begins discussing Joseph Conrad’s novella Heart of Darkness, Book 1. They reveal the hidden keys to understanding the complex themes and plots in this fascinating tale of the African Congo.
Host Dennis Leap continues his background discussion of Heart of Darkness, showing how Conrad’s life experiences provided the structure for his tale of fiction.
Host Dennis Leap provides critical background facts to facilitate readers’ understanding of Conrad’s gripping novella Heart of Darkness. Dennis explains Marlow’s change in temperament from Youth to Heart of Darkness.
Host Dennis Leap, with special guests Deborah Leap and Gabe Greaser, discusses key points expressed in Conrad’s short story Youth.
Host Dennis Leap, with special guests Deborah Leap and Gabe Greaser, discusses Marlow’s revelation of an absurd delusion in his youth as second mate on the Judea.
Host Dennis Leap continues discussing the overlooked character in Joseph Conrad’s short story Youth—the Judea. Dennis mentions the rat prophecy and shows how Marlow praises the Judea for living up to her motto “Judea, London. Do or Die."
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Gabe Greaser discuss the overlooked character in Joseph Conrad’s short story Youth—the Judea. Marlow provides loving descriptions of her sterling character.
Host Dennis Leap continues discussing the narrator and main character, Marlow, in Joseph Conrad’s short story Youth. Dennis puts an emphasis on Marlow’s ability to observe and make criticisms of others.
Host Dennis Leap begins discussing the narrator and main character, Marlow, in Joseph Conrad’s short story Youth. Dennis puts an emphasis on Conrad’s written statements about Marlow.
Host Dennis Leap begins the discussion of Joseph Conrad’s novella Youth by talking about the story’s structure and characters and a suggestion about why Conrad chose to write the story.
Host Dennis Leap begins the promised series on Joseph Conrad’s Youth, Heart of Darkness and Lord Jim with a short introduction to Conrad’s difficult childhood under Russia’s domination of the Poles.
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Deborah Leap conclude the discussion of George Orwell’s classic 1984 by focusing on the emotional destruction of Winston Smith.
Host Dennis Leap, along with special guest Deborah Leap, discusses “The Principle of Newspeak” found in Orwell’s classic 1984. George Orwell believed that totalitarian governments strive to control human thought through the destruction of language.
Host Dennis Leap and special guests Grant Turgeon, Emma Moore and Deborah Leap continue their discussion of Book 3 of George Orwell’s classic 1984. Under severe torture, Winston works to maintain his own thinking but eventually suffers Stockholm syndrome and succumbs to O’Brien and Big Brother.
Host Dennis Leap—along with special guests Grant Turgeon, Emma Moore and Deborah Leap—discusses Book 3 of George Orwell’s classic 1984. Winston discovers the dark truth about the goals of the party while being tortured by O’Brien.
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon continue their discussion of the book within the book 1984, by George Orwell. Goldstein’s book is Orwell’s prescient way to explain the flaws of socialism. They discuss socialism as a religion, Big Brother as a god, and the need to rewrite history.
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon discuss the book within the book 1984, by George Orwell. Goldstein’s book is Orwell’s prescient way to explain the flaws of socialism that are quickly becoming prevalent in Western society today. They discuss how socialism manipulates the war among the classes of people to gain and keep power.
Host Dennis Leap shows why George Orwell’s classic tale Animal Farm is not a children’s story. He encourages every adult to read it. Why? This short fable clearly explains how the radical left is taking over our nations today.
Host Dennis Leap, along with special S.E.P. camper guests Aiden, Issac, Heidi, Nicole and Michal, discuss the final five chapters of George Orwell’s creative and humorous classic fable, Animal Farm.
Host Dennis Leap, along with special S.E.P. camper guests Aiden, Issac, Heidi and Nicole, discuss the first five chapters of George Orwell’s creative and humorous classic fable, Animal Farm.
Host Dennis Leap discusses why he’s interrupting discussion of Orwell’s classic 1984 to discuss his creative and humorous classic fable Animal Farm.
Host Dennis Leap and guests Deborah Leap and Emma Moore discuss the characters Winston, Julia and O’Brien and their prescient symbolic relevance to today’s current events.
Host Dennis Leap and guests Deborah Leap and Emma Moore discuss the unique aspects of the characters Winston, Julia and O’Brien.
Host Dennis Leap and guests Grant Turgeon and James Brandon discuss highlights from Book 1 of George Orwell’s classic novel 1984. They discuss Winston Smith’s job in the Ministry of Truth, modern media’s use of fake news, lying permitted on television, Newspeak and the control of others’ thoughts, activist journalists, Syme and the elimination of classic literature, and the people closest to Winston—O’Brien, Julia, Katharine and the Parsons.
Host Dennis Leap and guests Grant Turgeon and James Brandon discuss highlights from Book 1 of George Orwell’s classic novel 1984. Topics discussed include telescreens, Winston’s diary, propaganda, the destruction of language, the two minutes of hate, and today’s mainstream news.
In this extended length program, host Dennis Leap and guest Deborah Leap hold a conversation with Michael Sheldon, author of Orwell: The Authorized Biography. Michael shares his insights on why George Orwell wrote his famous novel 1984.
Host Dennis Leap discusses Eric Blair's adolescent years, his dysfunctional family life, his idyllic boyhood home in the picturesque setting of Henley-on-Thames, his difficulty making friends, and his tough years at St. Cyprian’s boarding school.
Host Dennis Leap opens the JBL summer book discussion series, "Blast From the Past,” with a biographical sketch on the man who became George Orwell, author of the prescient novel 1984.
Host Dennis Leap gives his final thoughts on the life and writings of Charles Krauthammer.
Host Dennis Leap and guest Grant Turgeon continue their discussion of Charles Krauthammer’s bitter lament over the mishandling of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. In this podcast, they discuss his recommended solutions.
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon discuss Charles Krauthammer’s essay titled “September 11, 2001.” They discussKrauthammer’s justified anger with the U.S.A.’s weak response to the horrific terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.
Host Dennis Leap with special guest Grant Turgeon discuss Charles Krauthammer’s prescient essay "Cold War Nostalgia." The flaw Mr. Krauthammer saw with 1993 liberal politicians is still alive and is being fully exposed today.
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Grant Turgeon discuss Charles Krauthammer’s prescient essay “Cold War Nostalgia.”The flaw he saw with 1993 liberal politicians is still around and fully exposed today.
In this hourlong special, host Dennis Leap celebrates completing over 200 podcasts with his favorite picks from four years of broadcasting.
In this straightforward essay, Mr. Krauthammer discusses the “perils of bilingualism.” Host Dennis Leap, with guest Deborah Leap, discuss America’s political struggle to declare English as the official language. The Democratic left considers it racist to do so.
In his tongue-in-cheek essay “The Appeal of Ordeal," Charles Krauthammer takes us deep into his thinking about the “human propensity to test the worthiness of a thing by seeing how well it stands up to abuse.” Host Dennis Leap, with guest Deborah Leap, finish discussing the essay, commenting on Krauthammer’s view of the ordeal of survivorship and the ordeal of lessons learned.
In his tongue-in-cheek essay “The Appeal of the Ordeal," Krauthammer takes us deep into his thinking about the “human propensity to test the worthiness of a thing by seeing how well it stands up to abuse.” Host Dennis Leap continues his discussion of Krauthammer’s reflection over people’s willingness to prove themselves by running a marathon, and he begins a discussion of the ordeal of culture elite.
In his tongue-in-cheek essay “The Appeal of Ordeal," Mr. Krauthammer takes us deep into his thinking about the “human propensity to test the worthiness of a thing by seeing how well it stands up to abuse.” Host Dennis Leap focuses on Krauthammer’s reflection over people’s willingness to prove themselves by running a marathon.
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Deborah Leap discuss Charles Krauthammer’s attention-catching essay “‘Women and Children.’ Still?” In this essay, Krauthammer mused on why 1997 audiences watching the movie Titanic booed when men jumped into lifeboats before women and children. Shouldn’t feminism’s drive for equality have eliminated such a reaction? As the Leaps discuss, feminism cannot change the inherent, biological character traits of men and women.
Host Dennis Leap continues his discussion of Charles Krauthammer’s intriguing essay “Are We Alone in the Universe?” He discusses the big news from the U.S. Department of the Navy’s admission that UFOs are real. He explains why the U.S. Navy has renamed UFOs UAPs. And he provides a concrete example from the Bible to explain what Navy pilots have likely seen.
Host Dennis Leap discusses Charles Krauthammer’s superb essay “Are We Alone in the Universe?” Incredible technology has been developed to help man see into the vast universe. With the discovery that at least 25 billion planets could possibly support life, scientists are asking, “Is Earth the only planet in the universe that has life?”
Host Dennis Leap and special guest Jeremiah Jacques discuss Charles Krauthammer’s unique essay “Annals of ‘Art.’” In October 1999, a culture war over a shocking and banal art show scheduled to be held at the Brooklyn Museum of Art exploded when Mayor Giuliani threatened to shut it down. Dennis and Jeremiah discuss censorship, the role of the artist, the importance of classic art, and the right of tax-supported museums to choose what they display.