Episode Details

At first glance, John West’s Lessons and Carols: A Meditation on Recovery is an unconventional memoir about addiction and the healing power of community. 

But it also addresses the challenges of belief today, when almost everything—the nation, religious institutions, the environment—appears on the verge of collapse.

On this episode, West speaks with associate editor Griffin Oleynick about the paradoxes of autobiographical narrative, grief and loss, and the power of art. 

For further reading:

• Mollie Wilson O’Reilly on Mary Karr’s Lit
• Matthew Sitman interviews Marilynne Robinson
• Terry Eagleton on the philosophy of Wittgenstein