MJ Franklin is in the host chair this week, in for Gilbert Cruz. MJ spoke with New York Times book critic Dwight Garner about Marlon James’s new novel, “The Disappearers.”
MJ Franklin discussed The Fault in Our Stars by John Green and Hollywood, Ending by John Green. John Green recommended The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, Sula by Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, Mysteries of Pittsburgh by Michael Chabon, Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, and Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, and discussed The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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The Fault in Our Stars by John Green is an acclaimed young adult novel that follows two teenagers coping with terminal cancer diagnoses who fall in love while navigating the painful realities of mortality.
Discussed
“He's probably best known for his uber bestselling novel, The Fall in Our Stars, which was adapted into a blockbuster film.”
Hollywood, Ending by John Green is a contemporary novel centering on two young actors who find themselves navigating the intense pressures of sudden fame and survival.
Discussed
“In the past few years, he's published two non-fiction books, but now he is back with a new novel, Hollywood Ending, about two young actors on the brink of fame.”
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a classic American novel examining the decadence, idealism, and ultimate disillusionment of the Jazz Age through the tragic pursuit of the enigmatic Jay Gatsby.
Discussed
“Like a lot of teenagers are living through trauma a lot unfortunately.”
Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green is a comprehensive non-fiction work exploring the history, science, and ongoing persistence of one of humanity's deadliest infectious diseases.
Discussed
“I think in everything is tuberculosis, the book I wrote most recently, I said that for me, writing is like the the child's pool game, Marco Polo.”
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison is a powerful novel that examines the tragic life of Pecola Breedlove, a young African American girl who develops an inferiority complex due to societal beauty standards.
Recommended
“Sula by Tony Morrison or I could say The Bluest Eye.”
Sula by Toni Morrison is a powerful and lyrical novel that examines the complex, lifelong friendship between two Black women growing up in a small Ohio town while confronting the oppressive weight of racism and community expectations.
Recommended
“Sula by Tony Morrison or I could say The Bluest Eye.”
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison is a celebrated novel that follows the life of Macon Dead III, known as Milkman, as he embarks on a journey of self-discovery and ancestral unravelling.
Mysteries of Pittsburgh is a coming-of-age novel by Michael Chabon that follows a young man navigating love, identity, and the complexities of human relationships during the summer after his college graduation.
Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five is a semi-autobiographical novel that follows Billy Pilgrim as he becomes unstuck in time while surviving the devastating Allied firebombing of Dresden during World War II.
Zora Neale Hurston's classic novel Their Eyes Were Watching God tells the impactful story of Janie Crawford and her journey toward self-realization and independence in the American South.
Recommended
“And then the last book I'll site from that really has had a long-term impact on me is their Eyes Were Watching God by Zorn Hursten.”
