# NEW BOOK: The American Odyssey with Dr. Patrick Deneen

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/ascend-the-great-books-podcast-6733379/new-book-the-american-odyssey-with-dr-patrick-deneen
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/ascend-the-great-books-podcast-6733379/new-book-the-american-odyssey-with-dr-patrick-deneen.md
Podcast: [Ascend - The Great Books Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/ascend-the-great-books-podcast-6733379)
Published: 2026-07-21T16:15:00+00:00
Episode link: http://mcidfrxn.podcastwebsites.com/episodes/new-book-the-american-odyssey-with-dr-patrick-deneen
Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/51057dad-3f8e-435c-99dd-b95b31a0c034.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/ascend-the-great-books-podcast-6733379/episodes/new-book-the-american-odyssey-with-dr-patrick-deneen
Duration seconds: 3564

## Resource

Today on Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Dcn. Garlick hosts Dr. Patrick Deneen to discuss his NEW BOOK: The American Odyssey: What an Ancient Story Reveals About Our Divided Souls. Pick up the AMERICAN ODYSSEY out today! https://a.co/d/01rpYuwt 23 Observations on the new Christopher Nolan Odyssey Movie https://www.patreon.com/greatbooks/posts/23-quick-on-164190324 In this special episode of Ascend: The Great Books Podcast, Dcn. Garlick welcomes back renowned Notre Dame political thinker Dr. Patrick Deneen—author of Why Liberalism Failed and Regime Change —to celebrate the release of his brand-new book, The American Odyssey: What an Ancient Story Reveals About Our Divided Souls . Fresh off a 12-week deep dive into Homer’s epic, the conversation reveals why Odysseus is the ultimate “proto-American” hero: a restless seeker torn between the hunger for home and the irresistible call of the frontier. Deneen traces this tension from the ancient text through Dante’s damning portrayal of Odysseus as a villain of forbidden knowledge, to the Renaissance reinvention of him as the triumphant explorer who metaphorically discovers America itself. What makes this episode unmissable is how Deneen unlocks Aristotle’s radical claim that humans are political animals precisely because we are neither beasts nor gods, the “citylessness” that turns Ithaca into a Cyclopean free-for-all, and the startling parallels between Odysseus’ refusal of immortality and Huck Finn’s decision to “go to hell.” Pairing iconic American stories like The Wizard of Oz , Field of Dreams , and Huckleberry Finn with Homer’s timeless episodes, Deneen shows that the Western tradition isn’t locked in dusty classics—it’s alive in our movies, novels, and national character, especially as America marks its 250th annivers…

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/ascend-the-great-books-podcast-6733379/episodes/new-book-the-american-odyssey-with-dr-patrick-deneen/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/ascend-the-great-books-podcast-6733379/new-book-the-american-odyssey-with-dr-patrick-deneen.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.