Episode · The Book Review · 2019-07-19
Colson Whitehead on The Book Review: books mentioned (Jul 2019)
Colson Whitehead Talks About 'The Nickel Boys'
Pamela Paul discussed The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead, Separate by Steve Luxenberg, Stony the Road by Henry Louis Gates and others, The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead, The Ice at the End of the World by Jon Gernter, and Turbulence by David Szalay and others. Colson Whitehead discussed The intuitionist by Colson Whitehead, The noble hustle by Colson Whitehead, and The Colossus of New York by Colson Whitehead. Alexandra Alter discussed Hillbilly Elegy by J D Vance, Educated by Tara Westover, Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle, A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Jill Twiss and others, and The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. Jennifer Szalai discussed American Carnage by Tim Alberta. Dwight Garner discussed Airport by Arthur Hailey. Also mentioned: The Idea Factory by Jon Gertner.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
-
The Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead is a Pulitzer Prize-winning historical fiction novel that reimagines the antebellum South by turning the secret network of abolitionist routes into a literal subterranean railway system utilized by an enslaved woman named Cora seeking freedom.
Discussed“you are here for your last little novel a book called The Underground Railroad which met with some success of I was very glad yeah the national book award Oprah book club pick Barry Jenkins is turning it into a miniseries”
Where to get it
-
The intuitionist
The Intuitionist by Colson Whitehead is a distinctive debut novel that blends municipal politics, architectural intrigue, and magical realism around the life of a pioneering elevator inspector.
Discussed“starting with my book Apex HIDs the hert which is very linear for me and Compact”
Where to get it
-
Separate
Separate by Steve Luxenberg is a comprehensive non-fiction work examining the history of Plessy v.
Discussed“you had Steve Luxenberg separate”
Where to get it
-
Stony the Road
Stony the Road by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Discussed“you had David blat biography of Frederick Douglas recently Henry Lewis gate Jr's Stony the road”
Where to get it
-
The noble hustle
The noble hustle by Colson Whitehead is a non-fiction humor book about poker and personal reflection.
Discussed“before Underground Railroad I wrote a book called The Noble Hustle which for me is just a humor book about being a weird depressed middle-aged man who goes the World Series of Poker”
Where to get it
-
The Colossus of New York
The Colossus of New York by Colson Whitehead is a lyrical, evocative collection of essays that captures the pulsating rhythm, complexity, and emotional resonance of New York City.
Discussed“Colossus of New York my first sort of book of essays about the city happened because of but it was after 911 and I was trying to figure out how to write how to live in my city”
Where to get it
-
The Nickel Boys
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead is a Pulitzer Prize-winning historical novel depicting the brutal abuses suffered by teenage boys at a reform school in the Jim Crow-era American South.
Discussed“Coulson Whitehead's new book is the nickel boys it's reviewed this week on the cover of the book review by Frank”
Where to get it
-
Hillbilly Elegy
Hillbilly Elegy by J.D.
Discussed“you know Tara westovers Memoir educated has continued to sell really well you know that's sort of like in the JD Vance hillbilly elegy tradition of of a surprising Memoir”
Where to get it
-
Educated
Educated by Tara Westover is a bestselling memoir that follows the author's remarkable journey growing up in a strict and isolated survivalist family in rural Idaho before eventually escaping to pursue a PhD from Cambridge University.
Discussed“you know Tara westovers Memoir educated has continued to sell really well you know that's sort of like in the JD Vance hillbilly elegy tradition of of a surprising Memoir”
Where to get it
-
Where the Crawdads Sing
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens is a bestselling fiction novel that combines a coming-of-age narrative with a murder mystery set against the backdrop of the North Carolina marshes.
Discussed“the one kind of huge bright spot in fiction has been where the crow dad sing by dilia Owens which which was apparently the top selling print book in the first half of 2019 and sold more than 900,000 copies”
Where to get it
-
A Wrinkle in Time
Madeleine L'Engle's beloved children's science fantasy classic, A Wrinkle in Time, follows young Meg Murry as she journeys across space and time using a tesseract to rescue her scientist father from a malevolent cosmic entity.
Discussed“Publishers Weekly in their analysis said it was probably due to huge sales from two surprising titles last year which was a wrinkle in time which you wouldn't expect to sell so many copies since it's old”
Where to get it
-
A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo
A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Jill Twiss and Marlon Bundo is a satirical children's picture book created through John Oliver's television program that quickly became a runaway publishing bestseller.
Discussed“and a day in the life of marlin bundo the parody picture book that was you know connected to John Oliver's Show and got a big Boost from his involvement”
Where to get it
-
The Handmaid's Tale
The Handmaid's Tale is Margaret Atwood's dystopian novel about a totalitarian society where women's rights are stripped away and a select few are forced into reproductive servitude.
Discussed“well I recently reread the H it's tell by Margaret Atwood in anticipation of of the sequel that she's writing which is called the Testaments it's coming out this fall”
Where to get it
-
The Ice at the End of the World
Discussed“and his new book is the at the end of the world an epic journey into Greenland's buried past and our perilous future”
Where to get it
-
The Idea Factory
The Idea Factory by Jon Gertner is a historical non-fiction book that chronicles the remarkable era of innovation at Bell Labs during the twentieth century.
Discussed“I you know the first book I wrote about was the laboratory and it was it was it was a story of bavs this great laboratory in the 20th century and and the kind of sub theme I guess was innovation”
Where to get it
-
American Carnage
American Carnage by Tim Alberta is an investigative political work that chronicles the transformation of the Republican Party during the Trump era and the profound ideological shifts within American conservatism.
Discussed“I reviewed a book called American Carnage by a Politico reporter named Tim Alberta”
Where to get it
-
Turbulence
Turbulence by David Szalay and Victoria Alonso Blanco is a contemporary work of fiction comprised of a sequence of interconnected short pieces exploring modern human mobility and connection across various global cities.
Discussed“Dwight you wrote a book that I read earlier when it was in G turbulence by David Salo”
Where to get it
-
Airport
Airport by Arthur Hailey is a 1968 classic bestselling novel that chronicles the intense drama unfolding at a major metropolitan airport during a severe winter blizzard, most notably featuring the efforts of manager Mel Bakersfield to keep operations running.
Discussed“but I went to the library and got out a copy of Arthur Haley's 1968 classic airport featuring Mel Bakersfield and his attempts to keep you know Chicago o hair open during a snowstorm”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (5) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“well I recently reread the H it's tell by Margaret Atwood in anticipation of of the sequel that she's writing which is called the Testaments it's coming out this fall”
“his first book was called the idea Factory Bell labs and the great age of American innovation”
“John Gartner is the author of the ice at the end of the world an epic journey into Greenland's buried past and our perilous future”
“Jen timma berta's American Carnage”
“I reviewed turbulence by David saloy”