In this episode of The Athenaeum Book Club, host Jeremy Ryan Slate is joined by Memory Medieval (x.com/MemoryMedieval) for a deep dive into Dueling Stories of the Sixteenth Century.

Together, they explore how competing narratives, propaganda, and personal rivalries shaped the way the early modern world understood war, religion, and power.

The conversation examines how history was written in real time—by chroniclers with agendas, loyalties, and fears—and how those dueling accounts still influence our understanding of the sixteenth century today.

A sharp discussion on memory, mythmaking, and the battle over historical truth.

In this episode of The Athenaeum Book Club, host Jeremy Ryan Slate is joined by Will Tanner for a historical examination of Rhodesia and the events that led to the mass emigration of its white population.

The conversation explores the political, economic, and social forces surrounding decolonization, the Rhodesian Bush War, and the transition to Zimbabwe.

Tanner provides context often missing from mainstream narratives, examining how ideology, power shifts, and violence reshaped the country’s future.

This episode is a sober, historically grounded discussion of a controversial chapter in modern history and its lasting consequences.

In this episode of The Athenaeum Book Club, host Jeremy Ryan Slate is joined by Wade Stotts for an insightful discussion on G.K. Chesterton’s Orthodoxy—a work that continues to challenge modern skepticism with wit, paradox, and faith.

Together, they explore Chesterton’s journey from doubt to belief, his defense of wonder and reason, and his vision of Christianity as the key to understanding the world’s mystery.

Wade unpacks the humor and brilliance behind Chesterton’s arguments, showing how Orthodoxy remains a joyful antidote to cynicism and confusion in the modern age.