{"podcast":{"title":"Zero to Well-Read","slug":"zero-to-well-read-7458054","podcast_index_feed_id":7458054,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/ARML5239917426","website_url":"https://bookriot.com/listen/","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/000d227e-6401-11f0-b195-8ba190ee0673/image/e3fee1181b821790fa7dee74f2a85215.jpg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"Riot New Media Group, Inc.","episode_count":47,"summary":"Part book club, part English class, Zero to Well-Read is a fun and informative guide to the books people talk about like everyone has read them. Each week, hosts Jeff O'Neal and Rebecca Schinsky take on a new title—from classics you should have read in high school to prize winners, cult favorites to modern hits—and tell you everything you need to know: the plot, what it feels like to read, why it matters, and the key takeaways.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-07T20:19:16.227807+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/zero-to-well-read-7458054"},"episode":{"title":"1984 by George Orwell","slug":"1984-by-george-orwell","published_at":"2026-02-24T10:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/zero-to-well-read-7458054/1984-by-george-orwell","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/zero-to-well-read-7458054","url":"https://bookriot.com/listen/1984-by-george-orwell/","audio_url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/ARML9574688851.mp3?updated=1772820583","summary":"Is 1984 the most influential novel of the 20th century? Jeff and Rebecca go back to the future to explore the landmark dystopian novel that gave us Big Brother, doublethink, the memory hole, and 2 + 2 = 5. They dig into Orwell’s vision of totalitarian power, the relationship between language and thought, asking not just why 1984 endures, but what it actually gets right (and wrong) about how control works. Subscribe to our free newsletter, and become a member for access to early, ad-free listening and bonus content. Follow Zero to Well-Read on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Email us: zerotowellread@bookriot.com Thank you to ThriftBooks for being the presenting sponsor of this season of Zero to Well-Read! Zero to Well-Read is a proud member of the Airwave Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices","meta_description":"Is 1984 the most influential novel of the 20th century? Jeff and Rebecca go back to the future to explore the landmark dystopian novel that gave us Big Br…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":5363,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/zero-to-well-read-7458054/episodes/1984-by-george-orwell/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/zero-to-well-read-7458054/1984-by-george-orwell.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}