Over the past few weeks, you’ve probably heard someone talking about the podcast S- Town. If you are still on the fence about whether to listen to this one, here is a spoiler free review.

Before I listened to S-Town I was a podcast virgin. Several of my friends are regular listeners of several weekly podcasts. For me, the idea of listening to audiobooks or talk shows had never really appealed to me. When I started hearing the buzz about S-Town, I decided to finally give podcasts an honest college try.

S-Town is about life in a small Southern “shit town.” It begins as a murder mystery, but evolves into much more than that. I had two key takeaways from this podcast. These themes do not give away the plot.

First, this podcast is a story about looking through small windows into another person’s life and having compassion for whatever you might see. I grew up in a southern “shit town.” People live their whole lives in the town I come from - a town with only 2,000 people. When families have existed in a place for generations, a certain familiarity is formed. However, familiarity is not always a good thing in the case of small town social climates. In S-Town, listeners are presented with an in depth look into the life of the main character. He has an interesting life and is largely misunderstood by his peers. This podcast asks you to have acceptance and compassion for your neighbor, regardless of whether or not you agree with his or her lifestyle.

Second, this podcast again and again impresses the seriousness of climate change upon the listener. It highlights the ignorance often found in small towns when discussing such issues. John B, the main character, finds himself in deep depression brought on by a lack of hope or faith in humanity. Many of us can relate to this. Climate change is the most dangerous thing any of us will ever face in our lifetimes. Wars will be born from it. Plague, famine, collapse. These are the thoughts that the main character becomes consumed with.

This is all I can say without giving away the plot. If you need to pass the time on your hellish drive to work, or perhaps something to listen to as you wind down, I highly recommend this podcast. On its surface, it appears simple, but it is complex and well thought out. My only critique would be that I wanted more.