Episode · How I Write · 2025-11-05
David Perell & David Grann: books mentioned on How I Write
How to Write Something Truly Memorable — David Grann
David Perell discussed The Wager by David Grann. David Grann discussed Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann and The Lost City of Z by David Grann.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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The Wager
The Wager by David Grann is a historical non-fiction book detailing the harrowing 18th-century shipwreck of a British naval vessel and the dramatic mutiny and survival trials that followed.
Discussed“And then there's The Wager. I can't think of a single book that more people I know have said that they just read [music] the entire thing from start to finish in one sitting.”
Where to get it
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Killers of the Flower Moon
Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann is a harrowing work of historical non-fiction examining the systematic murders of wealthy Osage people in Oklahoma during the 1920s and the birth of the FBI.
Discussed“Uh well, in Killers of the Flower Moon, when I was researching that book, uh I discovered that there were many cases that had never been properly investigated by the authorities and that there were these other killings.”
Where to get it
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The Lost City of Z
The Lost City of Z by David Grann is a gripping non-fiction historical account detailing the ill-fated expeditions of British explorer Percy Fawcett into the Amazon rainforest.
Discussed“So I think you want to have some element of uh usually um you know let's say let's talk about the lost city of Z. It was the first book I did about explorers who disappeared in the Amazon”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (2) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“You might know him from Killer to the Flower Moon, which Martin Scorsesi turned into a film.”
“And I had on my iPhone with me uh an audible of Moby Dick.”