Mini-Episode: Overrated Author - Jonathan Franzen 6z28

It's time for another mini-episode, and this time we're tackling an author we think is overrated. Jonathan Franzen has received heaps of praise, prestigious awards, and plenty of backlash from women who aren't feeling the current de facto leader of the "Dude Writers." We compare Jenny Fields to Patty from "Freedom" and discuss why we'll take a pill-popping Jack Kerouac over bird-watching Franzen. But it wouldn't be a Mid Lit episode if we didn't explore some wild tangents. So please tune in to learn why we might be buying Jonathan Franzen's next book despite having no desire to actually read it (hint: it has to do with Colin McEnroe and neti pots) and how we end up talking about Kurt Vonnegut, Jennifer Weiner, Joyce Carol Oates, and a tiny restaurant on the cape called Jack's Outback where all the literati and Jim Chapdelaine used to go to be abused by the staff.  4l1m2m