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Blog Posts

Below you'll find all of my blog posts organized by year in descending chronological order. You can also see them grouped by series .

2026

Les Miserables: Reinforcements and Two Possible Futures

Part two, book one, chapter eleven - With the French looking for Grouchy and the English looking for Blücher the fate of the battle rests on who will arrive first
Les Miserables: A Costly Duel

Part two, book one, chapter ten - Two commanders and the clash of their men bring about a high cost in human lives spent
Les Miserables: Napoleon and the Unexpected

Part two, book one, chapter nine - The furrow is discovered in the most tragic way
Les Miserables: Napoleon Through The Fog

Part two, book one, chapter eight - Napoleon is undettered by the losses related to the fog of war
Les Miserables: Napoleon's Overconfidence

Part two, book one, chapter seven - The unseen furrow that Napoleon did not know about
Les Miserables: The Fog Clears

Part two, book one, chapter six - As the fog of war clears Napoleon presses to a final confrontation and believes a retreat has begun.
Les Miserables: The Fog of War

Part two, book one, chapter five - Hugo points us at the inherently chaotic nature of war and the Rorschach nature of those who would try and lead purpose in it's fog
Les Miserables: The Clear Light of History

Part two, book one, chapter four - In a chapter supposedly about the fact that the battlefield for Waterloo was shaped like the letter "A", Hugo waxes eloquent about the unifying nature of the light of history.
Les Miserables: June 18, 1815

Part two, book one, chapter three - We jump back to 1815 to talk about the day when the battle of Waterloo began
Les Miserables: Hougomont

Part two, book one, chapter two - Hugo continues to describe his encounter with the fortified farmhouse known as Hougomont on the edge of the Waterloo battlefield
Les Miserables: A Wild Change of Pace

Part two, book one, chapter one - We abandon our story completely so Hugo can tell us about a physical connection he had to the battlefield of Waterloo, a place where we will be spending some time
Les Miserables: The Honorable Lies of Sister Simplice

Part one, book eight, chapter four - As Jean Valjean leaves town after breaking out of prison, Sister Simplice tells a pair of lies to help cover for him
Les Miserables: A Tragic End

Part one, book eight, chapter four - Javert's presence, the news about Madeliene, and the truth absence of Cosette have tragic consequences for Fantine
Les Miserables: Javert's Triumphant Justice

Part one, book eight, chapter three - Justice without mercy or love is revealed in it's hideous nobility
Les Miserables: Manifold Tensions

Part one, book eight, chapter two - Between Fantine, Madeliene, and the reader a braid of tensions arise that must find resolution
Les Miserables: Madeleine's White Hair

Part one, book eight, chapter one - The radical transformation of Madeleine's hair as a result of the stress and trauma surrounding his crisis of identity
Les Miserables: Madeleine Confesses He Is Jean Valjean

Part one, book seven, chapter eleven - In the courtroom with all eyes on him Madeliene tells his tale in brief
Les Miserables: Madeleine Speaks

Part one, book seven, chapter ten - When things look their bleakest, Madeleine stands and speaks
Les Miserables: Champmathieu before the court

Part one, book seven, chapter nine - Madeleine observes the reality of Champmathieu and the reality of the accusations against him
Les Miserables: Madeleine Outside The Courtroom

Part one, book seven, chapter eight - Madeleine's internal battle hits a fever pitch
Les Miserables: Madeleine's Arrival in Arras

Part one, book seven, chapter seven - A six hour journey becomes a fourteen hour ordeal, but to Madeleine's surprise the trial is still actively in progress.
Month in Music: February 2026 Listening

Mixtape made from my top played albums in February with some brief thoughts attached.
Les Miserables: Fantine's Hope & Health

Part one, book seven, chapter six - Believing that Madeliene has gone to fetch Cosette, Fantine shows signs of recovery
Les Miserables: The Journey To Arras

Part one, book seven, chapter five - Madeleine's journey to Arras is frought with challenges and delays
Les Miserables: A Strange & Terrifying Dream

Part one, book seven, chapter four - Valjean is confronted by his past in his dreams.
Les Miserables: A War Of Conscience

Part one, book seven, chapter three - Champmathieu, Madeleine & Jean Valjean: A crisis of conscience for our beloved character
Les Miserables: Madeleine's Reaction (from the outside)

Part one, book seven, chapter two - We see Madeleine through the eyes of Scaufflaire (a man who rented out horses and carriages) and the factory custodian
Les Miserables: Sister Simplice

Part one, book seven, chapter one - In which Hugo seems to think it very important that we know Sister Simplice would NEVER TELL A LIE.
Les Miserables: The Other Jean Valjean?

Part one, book six, chapter two - Javert brings some surprising news and has a change of heart
Les Miserables: Fates Hang In The Balance

Part one, book six, chapter one - Fantine is dying, Cosette is held by the Thenardiers, Madeleine attempts to make it right, and Javert sends a mysterious letter.
Les Miserables: Mercy For Fantine

Part one, book five, chapter thirteen - Fantine, Javert, & Madeleine have a defining moment together
Les Miserables: Walmart Fuccboi

Part one, book five, chapter twelve - we meet the small town offbrand equivalent of Tholomyés
Les Miserables: In Becoming Dirt, She Has Been Turned To Stone

Part one, book five, chapter eleven - numb with despair, Fantine gives up all hope of anything ever changing
Les Miserables: Fantine Hits The Bottom

Part one, book five, chapter ten - A downward spiral with no easy way out
Les Miserables: A Dark Response

Part one, book five, chapter nine - The woman behind Fantine's firing finds hapiness in seeing her suffer.
Les Miserables: Fantine's Demise

Part one, book five, chapter eight - Fantine's single parent identity is uncovered and used against her.
Les Miserables: A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

Part one, book five, chapter seven - The impact of Javert's experience on the way he viewed reality.
Les Miserables: Madeliene Notices Javert's Attention

Part one, book five, chapter six - We have seen that Javert took note of Madeleine, but here is the first instance we have of Madeleine perceiving that for himself.
Les Miserables: We Meet Javert

Part one, book five, chapter five - Everyone has a backstory, and Javert's is an important one
Les Miserables: Is Love an Orbit?

Part one, book five, chapter four - Some deficient and outdated ideas about what constitutes love.
Les Miserables: Only Bad Husbandry

Part one, book five, chapter three - Père Madeleine on the nature of humans, plants, and the conditions for flourishing
Les Miserables: The Generosity & Trajectory of Père Madeleine

Part one, book five, chapter two - on a journey from peasant to mayor Père Madeleine demonstrates himself to be a rare type of person who genuinely exists for his community and orients himself toward human flourishing in the most generous way
Les Miserables: A Quaint Lesson In Economics

Part one, book five, chapter one - Hugo's France of 1818 is a magical world where people with innovative ideas benefit directly and actively redistribute the wealth for the benefit of the entire city
Les Miserables: Cosette The Lark

Part one, book four, chapter three - Cosette's early childhood with the Thénardiers
Les Miserables: The Thénardiers

Part one, book four, chapter two - we learn a bit more about what type of people the innkeepers are
Les Miserables: Fantine & Cosette

Part one, book four, chapter one - dire need drives Fantine to a difficult choice
Les Miserables: A Dreadful Surprise

Part one, book three, chapter nine - The boys deliver their surprise and the readers get a surprise of their own from Fantine
Les Miserables: A Dead Horse

Part one, book three, chapter eight - Fantine once again shows her humanity
Les Miserables: Tholomyès the Fucc Boi

Part one, book three, chapter seven - Tholomyès as the protoype for so many bros we know and love to hate
Les Miserables: Lies & Adoration

Part one, book three, chapter six - Favourite talks of adoration and the true nature of her affection
Les Miserables: A Strange Aside

Part one, book three, chapter five - a digression about the prefect of police and his misreading of the underclass in Paris
Month in Music: January 2026 Listening

My top 25 most played albums for the month of January with some brief thoughts and links to a playlist.
Les Miserables: The Surprise Awaits

Part one, book three, chapter four - Hugo celebrates young love and continues to focus on the things that make Fantine different
Les Miserables: Fixated on Beauty

Part one, book three, chapter three - our eight friends go on a country outing
Les Miserables: Double Foursome

Part one, book three, chapter two - Eight new characters are introduced, and one of them is brought into focus
Les Miserables: An Abrupt Transition

Part one, book three, chapter one - huge gear shift, we get an overview of the year these events take place 😂
Les Miserables: Shattered by Grace

Part one, book two, chapter thirteen - everything is upended and Valjean is at a terrifying crossroads
Les Miserables: Tangible Mercy & Grace

Part one, book two, chapter twelve - The bishop shows a love that goes beyond all expectation
Les Miserables: The Curé, The Criminal & The Crucifix

Part one, book two, chapter eleven - an interesting moment of contemplation in the midst of Valjean's second crime
Les Miserables: Temptation and Need

Part one, book two, chapter ten - in the wee hours of the morning Valjean contemplates crime
Les Miserables: The Yellow Ticket

Part one, book two, chapter nine - a sentence served does not mean freedom in any real sense
Les Miserables: Progress and Dispensability

Part one, book two, chapter eight - an extended metaphor comparing society to a ship that sheds humans and leaves them abandoned to a dark sea of suffering
Les Miserables: A Grain Of Corn Between Two Millstones

Part one, book two, chapter seven - the dehumanizing force of a destructive and disproportionate punitive justice system
Les Miserables: A Broken Window & A Loaf of Bread

Part one, book two, chapter six - Valjean's tragic history and the reality of carceral systems
Les Miserables: Fear & Survival

Part one, book two, chapter five - Valjean's bizarre outburst and frightening behavior
Les Miserables: The Gift of Normalcy

Part one, book two, chapter four - how bishop Myriel uses cheese as a vehicle to rehumanize Valjean
Les Miserables: Monster or Child of God?

Part one, book two, chapter three - the rehumanizing power of love
Les Miserables: That Night in the Bishop's House

Part one, book two, chapter two - Madame Magloire fears the brigand and begs for locks on the door
Les Miserables: We Meet The Outcast

Part one, book two, chapter one - We are slowly introduced to Jean Valjean, an outcast who can find no welcome in Digne
Les Miserables: What Myriel Thought

Part one, book one, chapter fourteen - the simplicity of Myriel's religion
Les Miserables: Myriel's Beliefs

Part one, book one, chapter thirteen - the centrality and supremacy of love
Les Miserables: The Loneliness of M. Myriel

Part one, book one, chapter twelve - poverty, piety & a deficient definition of success
Les Miserables: Luxury & The Arts

Part one, book one, chapter eleven - some of Hugo's own biases leak out a bit
Les Miserables: Shared Humanity

Part one, book one, chapter ten - the power of seeing yourself in the other
Les Miserables: A Sister's Perspective

Part one, book one, chapter nine - thoughts on risk, heroism, and sainthood
Les Miserables: A Philosopher In His Cups

Part one, book one, chapter eight - a philosophy only suited for the rich
Les Miserables: Cravatte

Part one, book one, chapter seven - a tale of faith and courage
Les Miserables: On Beauty & Usefulness

Part one, book one, chapter six - a look at Myriel's living situation
Les Miserables: Threadbare Cassocks

Part one, book one, chapter five - frugal, faithful, fruitful
Les Miserables: Myriel's own way of looking at things

Part one, book one, chapter four - more on the simple but challenging work of aligning your work and your words
Les Miserables: Working for the common good

Part one, book one, chapter three - some glimpses of the actual good work Myriel was doing
Les Miserables: Bienvenu

Part one, book one, chapter two - we see a bit of what makes Myriel an 'Upright Man'
Les Miserables: Monseigneur Myriel

Part one, book one, chapter one - our intro to 'An Upright Man'

2025

Les Miserables: A Chapter A Day

My plan to read through Les Miserables slowly this year and write daily responses as I read

2024

How Propaganda Works: Is Propaganda Inherently Insincere? Not Always!

Thoughts from Jason Stanley's book "How Propaganda Works" on refuting what Stanley calls the insincerity condition.
How Propaganda Works: Is Propaganda Inherently False? Not Always!

Thoughts from Jason Stanley's book "How Propaganda Works" on refuting what Stanley calls the falsity condition.
How Propaganda Works: Is Propaganda Inherently False and Insincere?

Thoughts from Jason Stanley's book "How Propaganda Works" on propaganda and it's relationship to truth and sincerity.
How Propaganda Works: Effective Propaganda & Group Identies

Thoughts from the introduction of Jason Stanley's book "How Propaganda Works" on how group identities can create fertile grounds for the kinds of flawed ideologies that propaganda can easily exploit.
How Propaganda Works: Undemocratic Policies & Propaganda in the USA

Thoughts from the introduction of Jason Stanley's book "How Propaganda Works" on examples he provides of undemocratic policies that are pushed forward under the cloak of propaganda.
How Propaganda Works: Plato, Democracy, & Managerial Societies

Thoughts from the introduction of Jason Stanley's book "How Propaganda Works" on Plato's views of democracy and how that correlates with some of what we see today.
How Propaganda Works: The Treat Of Inequality Is Not New

Thoughts from the introduction of Jason Stanley's book "How Propaganda Works" on how material inequality was seen as a central source of flawed ideology as far back as the writings of Madison.
How Propaganda Works: When Propaganda Cloaks Undemocratic Structures

Thoughts from the introduction of Jason Stanley's book "How Propaganda Works" on how propaganda can be used to cloak decidedly undemocratic realities and present them as democratic.
How Propaganda Works: Inequality, Flawed Ideology, & Propaganda

Thoughts from the introduction of Jason Stanley's book "How Propaganda Works" on how inequalites in a democracy lead to flawed ideologies & those provide a fertile ground for the production and proliferation of propoganda.

Tommy O'Keefe © 2026 • Powered by Astro & the Astro Micro theme

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