Just the Best Literature

#312: Winston’s Early Soldier Days

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.

#311: The Deep Thoughts of Young Winston

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...

#310: Child of the Victorian Age

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.

#309: Winston Churchill: Soldier, Statesman, Writer, Reader

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 fam...

#308: Understanding Melville's Use of the Bible

#307: Why Read Moby Dick?

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?

#306: Ishmael’s Epilogue and Highlights From 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.

#305: The Three-Day Chase to Kill Moby Dick

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....

#304: The Rachel, the Cabin, and the Hat

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 sea...

#303: Ahab Hates Queequeg’s Coffin (Chapters 110 and 127)

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 cra...

#302: Chapter 99: The Doubloon—a Mirror Into the Soul

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.

#301: Chapter 93: The Castaway—Pip

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 differentl...

#300: The Pequod Meets the Virgin

Host Dennis Leap and special guest Mr. Grant Turgeon discuss Chapter 81 of Herman Melville’s American classic Moby Dick. The whale ship called the Virgin is actually a German whaler known as the Jungfrau in the German language. The Jungfrau is anxious to gam (or meet up) with the Pequod because they have no oil. They are not a successful whaler. The captain of the Virgin brings a lamp feeder on board to borrow some oil from the Pequod. All of the ship's lamps are dry of oil, making it difficult ...

#299: The Jeroboam’s Story

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 n...

#298: Just the Best Literature Revived

#297: Lessons From George Washington’s Life

Host Dennis Leap discusses several key leadership lessons from the life of George Washington.

#296: The Final Days of George and Martha Washington

Host Dennis Leap with Deborah Leap discuss the final years of the Washingtons’ productive lives.

#295: George Washington Faces Conflict Within His Cabinet

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.

#294: George and Martha Washington as First President and First Lady

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

#293: George and Martha Washington at Valley Forge

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.

#292: George Washington: Architect and Builder

Host Dennis Leap discusses George Washington as a skilled architect and builder.

#291: George Washington: Agricultural Pioneer

Host Dennis Leap discusses George Washington as one of America’s first agricultural pioneers.

#290: George Washington: Man of Noble Principles, Part 2

Host Dennis Leap continues discussing George Washington’s treatment of slaves and disgust for slavery.

#289: George Washington: Man of Noble Principles

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.

#288: Introducing Martha Washington, Part 2

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.

#287: Introducing Martha Washington

Host Dennis Leap, with 60 plus panel member Deborah Leap, discuss fascinating historical facts concerning George Washington’s wife Martha.

#286: Introduction to Paul Johnson’s Biography George Washington: Founding Father, Part 3

Host Dennis Leap continues to discuss the pertinent facts of George Washington's life, including his marriage, family life and health.

#285: Introduction to Paul Johnson’s Biography George Washington: Founding Father, Part 2

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.”

#284: Introduction to Paul Johnson’s Biography George Washington: Founding Father

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.

#283: Final Thoughts on George Orwell’s 1984

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.