BTS : By the Book

A weekly podcast focused on BTS, through the lens of books about the group...one chapter at a time. Hosted by a university librarian (aka, BTS Bookworm) whose appreciation for BTS was born, not through the group's music, choreo, or all-around good looks, but through books. If you love BTS & love books too, this is the podcast for you! Email: BTSbythebook@gmail.com Also on Facebook!

18. BTS: Icons of K-Pop (Chapters 7 & 9)

In this episode, we consider two smaller chapters from Adrian Besley's 'Fully Revised & Updated' book from 2020. We pick up (more or less) where we left off in episode 6, looking at the next ‘chapters’ in BTS’s early history (from 2014 to 2015).

09-22
54:04

17. BTS and ARMY Culture (Chapter 2)

This episode features another chapter from the 2019 book by Jeeheng Lee (BTS & ARMY Culture). Dr. Lee's chapter on ‘Voting Culture’ provides a behind-the-scenes look at ARMY’s involvement with votes-based awards in the music industry.

09-16
01:02:38

16. The Soft Power of the Korean Wave (BTS Chapter 10)

The episode focuses on one of the 5 chapters/essays devoted to BTS in this brand new book from Routledge. The three pop culture aspects explored in the edited work are: the 2019 movie Parasite, K-Drama, and BTS.

09-14
52:29

15. Philosophizing About BTS (Section 4, Part 1)

This week, the 'BTS Bookworm' considers Section 4 of Cha Minju's book, Philosophizing About BTS. The section focuses on BTS + Art + Philosophy.

09-08
44:33

14. BTS: One (Chapters 6 & 7)

The chapter-length focus of this episode is from Katy Sprinkel's 2021 book, BTS: One. The two back-to-back chapters highlight the group's success in business terms & their use of that success to support important causes & make the world a better place.

09-01
39:16

13. Blood, Sweat & Tears (Chapter 14)

The focus of this episode is chapter 14 from Tamar Herman's 2020 book,  BTS: Blood, Sweat & Tears. It's a chapter that explores BTS's social media efforts (e.g., Twitter, YouTube, V Live) & how those efforts have helped the group become the global sensation they are today.

08-28
39:00

12. The Unofficial BTS Bible (Chapters 5 & 6)

In this episode, we look at two back-to-back chapters from Dianne Pineda-Kim's 2020 'BTS Bible.' The chapters provide a wonderful look at the pop/cultural context out of which BTS was born & gives credit (where credit is due) to Big Hit's Bang Si-hyuk for his unique vision.

08-26
54:56

11. Burn the Stage (Chapters 3 & 4)

The focus of the episode is on Marc Shapiro's 2018 book, Burn the Stage: BTS and the Rise of Korean Boy Bands. Since the chapters are short, we're looking at two...both of which focus on BTS before they were officially a group.

08-24
30:35

10. Jimin By the Book (3 Chapters on Jimin)

To celebrate the 10th episode, the 'BTS Bookworm' looks at one member of the group (Jimin) through the lens of 3 different book chapters. The books include Cara Stevens' BTS: Rise of Bangtan (2018), Katy Sprinkel's The Big Book of BTS (2019), and Adrian Besley's BTS: Icons of K-Pop (2020).

08-22
36:09

9. The Big Book of BTS (chapter 5)

This episode focuses on Katy Sprinkel's 2019 book, specifically her chapter all about ARMY!

08-18
34:49

8. BTS, Art Revolution: BTS Meets Deleuze (Part 1, Chapter 2)

In this episode, the 'BTS Bookworm' explores a chapter from Dr. Jiyoung Lee's 2019 book. Lee provides many examples of how BTS has helped deconstruct a variety of long-standing social hierarchies...yet another thing that makes BTS so unique!

08-16
55:05

7. BTS The Review: A Comprehensive Look at the Music of BTS (Column 2)

In this episode, the BTS Bookworm considers a chapter (referred to as a 'column') from Youngdae Kim's 2020 book. The chapter/column focuses on the 'Evolution of K-pop Idols.'

08-13
32:41

6. BTS: Icons of K-Pop (Chapters 3 & 5)

The 'BTS Bookworm' considers two smaller chapters in Adrian Besley's 'Fully Revised & Updated' book from 2020.

08-10
33:47

5. Map of the Soul 7: Persona, Shadow & Ego in the World of BTS (Chapter 2)

In this episode, I look at Dr. Murray Stein's book that focuses on the Map of the Soul: 7 album through the lens of Jungian psychology, doing so in a very accessible, readable way. Chapter 2 of Stein's book considers each of the tracks on the album, plus two bonus tracks.

08-08
01:01:00

4. Philosophizing About BTS (Section 1)

This week, the BTS Bookworm considers Section/Part 1 of Cha Minju's book, Philosophizing About BTS.

08-06
36:12

3. BTS and ARMY Culture (Chapter 5)

This episode features a chapter from the 2019 book by Jeeheng Lee (BTS & Army Culture). Dr. Lee's chapter on the 'Language Barrier' provides a close-up look at the language aspects of ARMY's relationship with BTS.

07-31
50:47

2. Entertainment Weekly's Ultimate Guide to BTS

This episode considers the entirety (i.e., not just a chapter) of this book-let, published by EW in early 2021. It's a light treatment of BTS, but still has enough substance to warrant our attention, especially if you're new to the group.

07-28
45:57

1. Blood, Sweat & Tears (Chapter 1)

The focus of this episode is chapter 1 from Tamar Herman's 2020 book, BTS: Blood, Sweat, & Tears. It's a chapter that provides a lot of substance & helpful perspectives about the group's early years.

07-28
40:04

BTS : By the Book Intro

A brief intro to this book-by-book, chapter-by-chapter look at the global music phenomenon: BTS. Weekly episodes will explore one-chapter-at-a-time from a book about BTS. Equal parts Overview & Review.

07-26
02:20

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