Listen Live
Donate
 on air
    Schedule

    KCRW

    Read & Explore

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Food
    • Culture
    • Events

    Listen

    • Live Radio
    • Music
    • Podcasts
    • Full Schedule

    Information

    • About
    • Careers
    • Help / FAQ
    • Newsletters
    • Contact

    Support

    • Become a Member
    • Become a VIP
    • Ways to Give
    • Shop
    • Member Perks

    Become a Member

    Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

    DonateGive Monthly

    Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

    Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
    Cookie Policy
    |FCC Public Files|

    Back to Bookworm

    Bookworm

    Jonathan Blum: Last Word

    Blum on publishing his first book, and the riddle of a moral contained in its inscrutable 13-year-old antihero, a Bartlebian computer whiz with a vengeful streak.

    • rss
    Download MP3
    • Share
    By Michael Silverblatt • Feb 6, 2014 • 28m Listen

    Jonathan Blum's

    Last Word

    was published by Rescue Press, an imprint devoted to finding and saving overlooked books. The novella is an odd comedy, set in a private Jewish middle school, that examines a fraught father-son relationship and the retaliation, suffering, and aggression inherent in adolescence. Blum talks about the experience of publishing his first book, and the riddle of a moral contained in its inscrutable 13-year-old antihero, a Bartlebian computer whiz with a vengeful streak.

    Read an excerpt from Last Word.

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Michael Silverblatt

      host, 'Bookworm'

    • KCRW placeholder

      Connie Alvarez

      Former Communications Director

    • KCRW placeholder

      Alan Howard

      Bookworm Collaborator

      CultureBooksArts
    Back to Bookworm