Episode · The Book Review · 2017-09-15
Jill Abramson on The Book Review: books mentioned
Jill Abramson on the 2016 Presidential Campaign
Gilbert Cruz discussed What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton, Living history by Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Hard Choices by Hillary Clinton. Jill Abramson discussed Game Change by John Heilemann and others, What It Takes by Richard Ben Cramer, and The Making of the President 1960 by Theodore H. White. Alexandra Alter discussed The Sellout by Paul Beatty, The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy, Exit West by Mohsin Hamid, Autumn by Ali Smith, A kind of freedom by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton and others, Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward, Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan, Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann, and The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. Jennifer Szalai discussed Simple justice by Richard Kluger and The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante. John Williams discussed Aftermath by Rachel Cusk. Pamela Paul discussed A life's work by Rachel Cusk, The once and future liberal by Mark Lilla, Paris: A Love Story by Kati Marton, and A Perfect Spy by John le Carré. Greg Cowles discussed Notes on a Foreign Country by Suzy Hansen and There Was and There Was Not by Meline Toumani.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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What Happened
What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton is a political memoir detailing the author's perspective and reflections on her 2016 presidential campaign.
Discussed“we're going to talk with Jill Abramson a former executive editor of the New York Times about Hillary Roden Clinton's new book what happened”
Where to get it
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Game Change
Game Change by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin is a bestselling piece of political journalism that provides an inside look at the dramatic 2008 United States presidential election.
Discussed“and Game Change for instance which was a huge success after the 2008 campaign had was full of that and people just ate that up”
Where to get it
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What It Takes
What It Takes by Richard Ben Cramer is a political journalism classic that follows multiple presidential candidates through the grueling primaries of the 1988 election.
Discussed“and that would be you know Richard Ben Kramer's what it takes you know that just gives you almost a mini biography of all of the candidates beginning during the primaries”
Where to get it
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The Making of the President 1960
The Making of the President 1960 by Theodore H.
Discussed“or you know Teddy white certainly his his first book the making of the president 1960 where you had such a sea change in politics”
Where to get it
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Living history
Discussed“her first of course living history the second was hard choices and now what happened how does this book compare to those first two well I have to admit I did not read um the book that she wrote hard Choice”
Where to get it
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Hard Choices
Hard Choices by Hillary Clinton is a political memoir detailing her tenure as United States Secretary of State during the Obama administration.
Discussed“the second was hard choices and now what happened how does this book compare to those first two well I have to admit I did not read um the book that she wrote hard Choice”
Where to get it
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The Sellout
The Sellout by Paul Beatty is a bold, satirical novel about race and racism in contemporary America that made history as the first American novel to win the Booker Prize in 2016.
Discussed“and since they opened it up to Americans of course Paul batty won last year for the cellout he was the first American to ever win”
Where to get it
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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“a lot of people were surprised to see that Coulson Whitehead was not did not make it from the long list to the short list for the Underground Railroad”
Where to get it
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The Ministry of Utmost Happiness
The Ministry of Utmost Happiness is Arundhati Roy's highly anticipated second novel, which arrived two decades after her celebrated debut, The God of Small Things.
Discussed“Andy Roy was was cut that was her much anticipated second novel the ministry of utmost happiness”
Where to get it
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Exit West
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid is a contemporary magical realist novel that explores migration, refugees, and global upheaval through the lens of a couple fleeing a war-torn country.
Discussed“for the non-americans on the list Mosen hammed made the short list for exit West which was his you know novel that sort of has a Fantastical premise”
Where to get it
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Autumn
Autumn by Ali Smith is a reflective contemporary novel that captures the shifting political and cultural landscape of Great Britain.
Discussed“and the other brid on the list is Ali Smith for Autumn which has been called the first great novel about brexit”
Where to get it
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A kind of freedom
Discussed“another one is Carol zoro's Baron Island and another one is Margaret Wilkerson seon's novel a kind of Freedom yeah the Margaret ston we just reviewed in the book review”
Where to get it
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Sing, Unburied, Sing
Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward is a powerful Mississippi-set novel that functions simultaneously as a raw road trip narrative and a haunting ghost story.
Discussed“what about among the Oldtimer nov oldtimers we have um Jasmine mards Sing unburied Sing which has gotten incredible critical praise”
Where to get it
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Manhattan Beach
Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan is a historical fiction novel set against the backdrop of wartime New York through a noir lens, exploring the experiences of Americans during a time of immense national power.
Discussed“we also have Jennifer Egan for her new novel Manhattan Beach this was a much anticipated followup to a visit from the Goon Squad and people have been waiting years and years for this novel this is very different it's historical fiction set in New York”
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“another unsurprising name on the list is David Gran the New Yorker writer he was nominated for killers of the flower Moon the Ed murders and the birth of the FBI just doubled a book and again got incredible reviews”
Where to get it
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The Hate U Give
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas is a powerful young adult contemporary novel that follows a teenage girl grappling with the fatal police shooting of her childhood best friend.
Discussed“particularly Angie Thomas the author of The hate you give which you profiled her I I profiled her I love the book and it was you know on the top of the New York Times bestseller list”
Where to get it
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Simple justice
Discussed“well the book is simple Justice by Richard kuger and it's a book that I think this is the 2004 Edition so it was released because of the 50th anniversary of brown View Board”
Where to get it
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Aftermath
Aftermath by Rachel Cusk is a deeply reflective 2012 memoir that explores the complex emotional and social terrain of marriage, divorce, and family dissolution.
Discussed“and I just for some reason picked up Rachel cusk's 2012 Memoir aftermath the subtitle is on marriage and separation this is like known I think among readers as like the divorce book”
Where to get it
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The Days of Abandonment
The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante is a searing and intense novel that follows a woman's psychological unraveling after her husband abruptly leaves her and their two children.
Discussed“I'm curious did you read Elena frontes days of Abandonment I did”
Where to get it
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A life's work
A Life's Work by Rachel Cusk is a candid and intellectually rigorous memoir that explores the complex, often unsettling realities, cultural expectations, and psychological transformations of becoming a mother.
Discussed“I'm not sure because I actually haven't read aftermath but just from my understanding just the sort of objection from what I recall at the time was just her treatment of the marriage just H also she was really attacked I I think as a mother she was attacked for a life's work I love that book”
Where to get it
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Notes on a Foreign Country
Discussed“I'm now reading Susie Hansen's new book it was on our cover a couple of weeks ago it was on the podcast notes on a foreign country”
Where to get it
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There Was and There Was Not
Discussed“I read a book A couple of years ago um by by another Young American journalist named malen tumani I think it was the name of that book was there was and there was not which comes from a a Turkish saying”
Where to get it
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The once and future liberal
The Once and Future Liberal by Mark Lilla is a provocative political book that examines the trajectory of American liberalism and critiques the rise of identity politics on the left.
Discussed“that's Mark Lila's new book The Once and Future liberal which is a very short book and it is based on a an oped that he wrote for the New York Times last year”
Where to get it
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Paris: A Love Story
Discussed“she was clearly reading it and she quoted from a part where I'm in Paris and she was like have you read my book Paris a love story”
Where to get it
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A Perfect Spy
A Perfect Spy by John le Carré is a complex psychological thriller that delves into the intricate personal and professional life of British intelligence operative Pym.
Discussed“and I landed on a perfect spy i'm like this is the one i'm in the mood for when i picked it up i noticed that there was already a bookmark in it”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (20) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“and for obvious reasons we also talked about Hillary rodm Clinton's new book what happened”
“and then a debut novelist Emily fridland H and that that's for history of wolves exactly”
“people were surprised to see those two books fall off as well as Smith swing time because that did get a lot of critical love”
“and the British writer Fiona Mosley made the short list for her debut novel elmet”
“one was the levers by Lisa Co”
“another one is Carol zoro's Baron Island and another one is Margaret Wilkerson seon's novel a kind of Freedom”
“this was a much anticipated followup to a visit from the Goon Squad and people have been waiting years and years for this novel”
“Daniel all con was nominated for his short Story collection the king is always above the people”
“some notable names on there include Masha gassen who was nominated for the futurist history how totalitarianism reclaimed Russia”
“also in the list is Naomi Klein for no is not enough resisting Trump's shock politics and winning the world we need”
“and Nancy McLean's democracy and chains the Deep history of the radical right stealth plan for America”
“Kevin young is also nominated of course he was been nominated before for poetry but this time he's nominated fiction for his forthcoming work bunk the rise of hoaxes humbug plagiarist phonies Posta and fake news”
“also Jason Reynolds he's nominated for a long way down”
“another exciting name on the list is Erica L Sanchez her novel is I'm not your perfect Mexican daughter”
“also Samantha maoby for all the wind in the world and I a boy is also nominated for American Street”
“also Samantha maoby for all the wind in the world and I a boy is also nominated for American Street”
“so so he was a a longtime journalist and then eventually he started writing books and I read a book I think in the '90s that he wrote about the history of the cigarette industry called ashes to ashes”
“um I'm reading a non fiction book but um following up on the Italo calino bearing in the trees and then Lily King's Euphoria”
“um I'm reading a non fiction book but um following up on the Italo calino bearing in the trees and then Lily King's Euphoria which is about anthropologists in New Guinea”
“I decided I was in the mood for John L and and I came to it because in her book kti Martin talks about Lor's book a small town in Germany which is about bond”