Podcast Introduction

"When I was reading this book, Anatomy, I was struck by what a genre-bending/ genre-blending experience it was. It’s set in Edinburgh in the early 19th century, and centers around a school for surgery. So there’s a Dark Academia feel. There’s some spooky resurrection experiments going on, like Frankenstein, and there’s a little bit of romance with some kiss-kiss in a graveyard, and there’s a plague - timely - and some social questions about class and women being denied the opportunity for education. There’s a lot going on, and it’s also just really fun and perfect for the beginning of the Hallowe’en season."

~ Kimberly Hatch Harrison
An eerie scene in 19th-century Edinburgh, showing a young woman in a dark Victorian medical study. She is standing next to an empty operating table reading a book, books and anatomical diagrams scattered around. The room is dimly lit by candlelight, casting long shadows. Outside, a foggy street can be seen through the window.

Socratica Reads Podcast

Anatomy, A Love Story

by Dana Schwartz

Set in 19th-century Edinburgh, Anatomy follows Hazel Sinnett, a young woman defying societal expectations to study medicine. Her path crosses with Jack Currer, a resurrectionist who supplies bodies for medical research, and the two form an unlikely partnership. As they delve deeper into the secrets of anatomy and the human body, they uncover chilling truths about the dead and the living.
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“So there’s this meme going around about how do you know when you’re reading Fantasy or Science Fiction. Here’s an example: In Fantasy, you buy things with COIN while in Science Fiction it’s CREDITS. But I’ve got to tell you, I’m not SURE that you can say if this book is one or the other.”

Kimberly Hatch Harrison

I Sing The Body Electric

Ray Bradbury’s I Sing the Body Electric is a thoughtful amalgamation of technology, family, and human emotion. Set in a future where families can purchase electric grandmothers to provide companionship and care, the story explores the relationships between these lifelike machines and the children they serve. Bradbury combines his hallmark style of gentle futurism with deep emotional undertones, inviting readers to reflect on what it means to love and be loved, even by something artificial.
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A woman holding up a pair of dice and looking over them