AMI Audiobook Review

Laughing Through the Madness: A Journey into Satirical Fiction - Monday April 7th, 2025

Episode Summary

From the biting irony of Swift’s A Modest Proposal to the bureaucratic absurdity of Heller’s Catch-22, satire has long been a tool for exposing society’s flaws—one dark laugh at a time. Red Széll explains the wit of satire, and shares his top satirical picks. We explore classics and contemporary gems, including Terry Pratchett’s wildly entertaining Going Postal and Paul Beatty’s provocative The Sellout. Books discussed in this episode are: Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift Animal Farm by George Orwell Catch-22 by Joseph Heller Going Postal by Terry Pratchett The Sellout by Paul Beatty

Episode Notes

From the biting irony of Swift’s A Modest Proposal to the bureaucratic absurdity of Heller’s Catch-22, satire has long been a tool for exposing society’s flaws—one dark laugh at a time. Red Széll explains the wit of satire, and shares his top satirical picks. We explore classics and contemporary gems, including Terry Pratchett’s wildly entertaining Going Postal and Paul Beatty’s provocative The Sellout.

Books discussed in this episode are:

Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift

A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift

Animal Farm by George Orwell

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

Going Postal by Terry Pratchett

The Sellout by Paul Beatty