Why people recommend it
How to Do Nothing is a cultural critique and guide by Jenny Odell that examines the attention economy and argues for deliberate disengagement from digital noise. On The Ezra Klein Show, Chris Hayes recommended the book as a fantastic read that fit well with ongoing discussions about attention and modern life. Jia Tolentino mentioned reading the book around a time when she was seeking an alternative to clock-driven utility, while Ezra Klein praised it as the best contemporary book on human attention and the mind. Pamela Paul discussed the title extensively on The Book Review, noting its excellent subtitle about resisting the attention economy and highlighting that it gained widespread readership after appearing on Barack Obama's favorite books list of 2019. Paul also announced guest appearances by Odell to discuss the work. Throughout these podcast episodes, readers and critics emphasized the enduring relevance of Odell's perspective on carving out mental space away from constant productivity.
Who recommended it
- Pamela Paul Discussed
- Chris Hayes Recommended
- Jia Tolentino Discussed
- Ezra Klein Discussed
Pamela Paul — 3 mentions
“Jenny Odell will be here to talk about her book how to do nothing”
“and the other book that I read while I was away is called Jenny Odell's book how to do nothing which of course is a really excellent title the subtitle is resisting the attention economy”
“it was Jenny Odell's how to do nothing which coincidentally was also on Barack Obama's list of his favorite books of of 2019 and and therefore a lot of people have started reading it”
Chris Hayes — 1 mention
“um but Jenny Odell's how to do nothing um is a fantastic book”
Jia Tolentino — 1 mention
“like I remember also like I had read how to do nothing like right right around and I was like yeah this might be a shortcut to the the kind of outside the clock time you know where you are just not being useful to anyone but the people in front of this thing that I was trying so hard”
Ezra Klein — 1 mention
“uh you said talked about reading how to do nothing which is by Jenny Odell and I I still think it's the best book about attention and and mind in in in this era”
Mentioned on the show without a named speaker — 1
“great um another book that has been mentioned on your podcast a lot and relevant which is again I I feel like I'm sort of citing can Tex here and it's important for me to do because I want to be clear as we all are as authors you know lots of people have been thinking about this very well”