Hello everyone, I'm Gilbert Cruz and this is the Book Review Podcast.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of a cult artifact called Wisconsin Death Trip.

It's quite a dark read.

It's a book filled with death, despair, arson, suicide, and madness.

And I'm joined today by Time Staff Critic Dwight Garner who's written a wonderful look

back at the book.

Now, if this doesn't sound like your bag, if it's too grim or what have you, we totally understand.

The Book Review Podcast will be here next week with lighter fare.

But for those of you for whom this sounds somewhat intriguing, please stay with us as we discuss

Wisconsin Death Trip.

Dwight, welcome.

Thank you for being here.

Hey Gilbert, it's good to be back.

So I'm ashamed.

Maybe to say that I had never heard of this book before.

Clearly it is one that many people have.

And when it came out in 1973, it seems like it was a pretty big deal.

For those of us listening who don't know about Wisconsin Death Trip, what is it?

It's sort of a passion project.

This young academic, a then young academic named Michael Lessie, was at the University of

Wisconsin in the early 70s.

And he stumbled upon this archive of thousands of photographs taken by a small town photographer

...