Book Riot – The Podcast

Episode: Introducing Zero to Well-Read, a New Podcast from Book Riot

Hosts: Jeff O’Neal and Rebecca Schinsky
Date: September 10, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode serves as both an introduction to Book Riot’s newest podcast, Zero to Well-Read, and the inaugural episode itself. Hosts Jeff O’Neal and Rebecca Schinsky lay out their mission: to demystify and entertain listeners about books people "wish they’d read," "feel like they’re supposed to have read," or books they've read so long ago they remember little. The first season blends literary classics, contemporary bestsellers, and bookish zeitgeist with a focus on intelligent, enjoyable conversation. This episode features a deep dive into F. Scott Fitzgerald’s "The Great Gatsby"—in celebration of its 100th anniversary—exploring its context, characters, language, impact, adaptations, and enduring value.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Premise & Purpose of Zero to Well-Read

[01:53–04:49]

• Designed for readers who want to be "well-read" without necessarily having read every classic.
• Book Riot’s approach: to balance between classics and influential modern bestsellers, offering context, summary, and cultural relevance.
• “Edutainment” is the goal—engagement and context, not just summary or opinions.
• Quote [02:16] (Jeff):
  "If you miss English class but also like podcast vibes, this is the show for you."
• No high-horsed judgments: conversation is centered on context, complexity, fun, and thoughtful wrestling with books.

2. Why Start with The Great Gatsby?

[21:08–24:30]

• The Gatsby centennial.
• Short length (less than 200 pages) and cultural prominence—a "Great American Novel" candidate.
• Widely taught, both a literary and pop culture fixture.
• Quote [24:27] (Jeff):
  "It is one of the few candidates that someone could credibly say, this is the great American novel."

3. What Is The Great Gatsby About? Plot & Themes

[21:13–31:54]

• Rebecca provides a clear plot summary:
  • Narrated by Nick Carraway, a Midwesterner in “West Egg,” Long Island, amidst 1920s glamour, excess, and tragedy.
  • Gatsby’s obsessive longing for Daisy Buchanan leads to parties, dramatic entanglements, betrayal, and ultimately despair.
  • Messy love affairs, class divides, violence, and the emptiness of wealth.
  • Underlying themes: the American Dream, nostalgia, performativity, and moral ambiguity.
• Quote [23:19] (Jeff):
  "It’s not just about the past, but I think the question of judgment is very much there—how do you think about flawed people?"

4. Re-reading Gatsby as Adults

[41:46–46:50]

• Both hosts reflect on how teen and adult readings differ sharply.
• Rebecca was surprised by how “depressing” Gatsby is and by the richness of the prose.
• Jeff observes that the performative aspects of Gatsby extend to the book’s legacy—itself now a kind of cultural performance.
• Quote [46:50] (Rebecca):
  "News flash. The Great Gatsby is fucking awesome."
• The sadness and hollowness of Gatsby were largely missed in high school readings.

5. Fitzgerald’s Language & Worldbuilding

[47:00–49:12]

• Discussion of "flowery" versus "purple" prose, with a defense of Fitzgerald’s distinct, painterly language.
• Rebecca calls it “a really literary method of world building.”
• Worldbuilding through mood and metaphor over minutiae or mechanics—captures the "feel" of moments, parties, and people.

6. Judgement, Nuance, and Timelessness

[50:06–54:33]

• Nick Carraway’s ambiguity and moral complexity: no purely good or bad characters.
• The book’s refusal to pass judgment makes it feel modern; it invites ongoing and thoughtful engagement.
• Tom Buchanan’s racism and cruelty are highlighted as enduringly relevant, and Fitzgerald’s treatment is critiqued as simultaneously of its time and uncomfortably familiar.

7. Social, Historical & Literary Context

[33:28–37:54]

• Biographical links between Fitzgerald and his fiction (e.g., Zelda, class, and romance).
• Gatsby’s initial lukewarm reception and posthumous rise to canonical status.
• Key factors in Gatsby’s canonization: WWII paperbacks, high school adoption, and persistent thematic resonance.

8. Adaptations & Enduring Impact

[64:02–66:30]

• Multiple film adaptations all fail to capture the book’s essence.
• Gatsby’s mythos (and even its misreadings, e.g., "Gatsby parties") have taken on lives of their own.

9. Memorable Moments, Quotes & Passages

[73:31–79:29]

• The hosts share and revel in Fitzgerald’s most iconic lines:
  • “I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life.” [73:31–74:06]
  • “There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy, and the tired.” [74:06–74:28]
  • “Reserving judgments is a matter of infinite hope.” [74:32–74:52]
  • Gatsby’s smile (full passage)—“It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it…” [77:21–78:17]
• Hosts emphasize Fitzgerald’s unmatched ability to render fleeting, ineffable human moments.

10. Who Is Gatsby For?

[80:22–82:25]

• Not for those needing likable characters or straightforward morals.
• Recommended for “sentence lovers,” eavesdroppers, lovers of ambiguity, or anyone interested in the messy, glittering, tragic-comic world of interpersonal desire and ruin.
• Quote [80:27] (Jeff):
  "If a likable character is something you need, I would run away. You're not going to get that here."
• The hosts encourage both new readers and those “on the fence” to give it another shot, especially as adults.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [02:50] Rebecca: “We're really aiming for the edutainment zone with good doses of both the Edu and the tainment.”
• [26:01] Jeff & Rebecca:
  Jeff: "Alternate title: Crazy Rich Caucasians."
  Rebecca: "It really is."
• [46:50] Rebecca: “News flash. The Great Gatsby is fucking awesome.”
• [49:12] Rebecca: “You feel like if you were to just be dropped into that party, you'd know this is a Gatsby party.”
• [54:42] Rebecca: “Tom is one of those men who reached such an acute limited excellence at 21 that everything afterwards savors of anti climax. Like bro. Peaked in high school.”
• [73:31] Rebecca: “I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life.”
• [77:21] Jeff:
  (on Gatsby's smile) “It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it...”

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:03] – Introduction to Zero to Well-Read concept
• [02:16] – The mission, approach, and target audience
• [21:08] – What is The Great Gatsby about? (Rebecca’s plot summary)
• [24:27] – Gatsby as a candidate for "The Great American Novel"
• [33:28] – Fitzgerald’s biography and connections to Gatsby
• [41:46] – Rereading Gatsby: Adult reflections
• [54:42] – Tom Buchanan and modern echoes of bigotry
• [64:02] – Film Adaptations and why they fail
• [73:31] – Favorite lines, quotes, and language analysis
• [80:22] – Who will (and won’t) love The Great Gatsby

Recommendations & Further Reading

• For more Gatsby: Fitzgerald’s Tender Is the Night, This Side of Paradise
• “Remixes” and spin-offs mentioned (e.g., The Great Man by Keira Davis Lurie, Beautiful Little Fools by Gillian Cantor)
• Critical essays (Maureen Corrigan’s So We Read On)
• The Audible Original: The Great Gatsby at 100
• Edith Wharton’s society novels for context and contrast

Final Thoughts

Zero to Well-Read aims to build a bridge between the pressure of “having read the classics” and the joy of encountering (or re-encountering) them as adults. Their Gatsby episode sets a tone: thoughtful, witty, context-rich, and thoroughly engaging, with an honest recognition of both the timeless resonance and the changing interpretations of a literary icon.

Find more at bookriot.com/listen, and feedback/questions at podcastriot.com