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Books by Tom Wolfe mentioned on podcasts
Tom Wolfe's books, particularly The Bonfire of the Vanities and The Right Stuff, have been the subject of numerous podcast discussions. On How I Write, Harlan Coben cited The Bonfire of the Vanities as one of his favorite books from when he was coming of age, while noting that its screen adaptation was a horrendous and unwatchable film. Andrew Klavan discussed the novel on The Megyn Kelly Show as an example of 1987 art that satirized the prevailing greed culture of the era. Charles Fain Lehman recommended the book on The Ezra Klein Show as an essential read for understanding the peak of urban dysfunction in America, describing it as a sendup of 1980s urban life that remains true to reality. On The Tucker Carlson Show, Jordan Belfort mentioned stumbling upon the book in a prison library and using it to learn how to write. Stephen fondly recalled the novel on No Stupid Questions, contrasting his enduring love for the book with his inability to remember its film adaptation. Meanwhile, The Right Stuff received praise as a motivational text; Terry Virts shared on The Joe Rogan Experience that reading the book in high school inspired him to become an astronaut by showing him how it was possible, and Dennis Quaid recounted on The Tucker Carlson Show reading it rapidly in his youth and wanting to play Gordo Cooper.
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The Bonfire of the Vanities
The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe is a satirical novel chronicling ambition, greed, and urban decay in 1980s New York City.
Discussed“It's almost like a Tom Wolf story. It's like bonfire of the inequalities without the satire on some level”
Where to get it
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The Right Stuff
Tom Wolfe's classic 1979 work, The Right Stuff, chronicles the harrowing early days of the United States space program and the fearless test pilots chosen to become America's first astronauts.
Discussed“So it's another great thing for me in a book is in the Tom Wolf book, The Right Stuff, where he's got the astronauts sitting upside down in the capsule waiting for the blast off.”
Where to get it
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The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe is a classic work of New Journalism chronicling Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters and their psychedelic adventures across America in the 1960s.
Discussed“He gave Tom Wolf all the stuff, the reporting that became electrocolate acid test.”
Where to get it
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Radical Chic and Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers
Radical Chic and Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers by Tom Wolfe is a collection of essays examining political posturing and social dynamics among the wealthy and elite.
Discussed“he meant the world to me pulling radical Chic off my father's shelf when I was maybe 12 or 13 and reading it”
Where to get it
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A Man in Full
A Man in Full by Tom Wolfe is a sweeping, satirical novel that examines power, wealth, race, and ambition in contemporary Atlanta through the intersecting lives of various compelling characters.
Recommended“Have you ever read a man in full? No. It's the Tom Wolf film. I'll give it to you. There's a scene between like a lone agent and the the main character of the book.”
Where to get it
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The Kingdom of Speech
The Kingdom of Speech by Tom Wolfe is a provocative non-fiction book examining the origins of human speech, linguistics, and evolutionary theory.
Discussed“So the the author Tom Wolf um the last book he wrote was called Kingdom of Speech.”
Where to get it
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The new journalism
Tom Wolfe's anthology The New Journalism is a landmark collection showcasing the innovative literary techniques adopted by non-fiction writers in the mid-twentieth century.
Discussed“But, uh, but that led me to a book called The New Journalism.”
Where to get it
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The Pump House Gang
Discussed“Tom Wolf the great writer uh wrote uh in the pump house gang in 1968 uh he actually referenced the behavioral snc”
Where to get it
