Episode · The Book Review · 2017-04-07
Books mentioned on Lives on the Line
Jill Filippovich discussed Unwanted Advances by Laura Kipnis. Pamela Paul discussed Against Love by Laura Kipnis, The belly of Paris by Émile Zola, and Germinal by Émile Zola. Alexandra Alter discussed A Kids' Guide to America's First Ladies by Kathleen Krull and Ivanka Trump by Matt Doeden. Parul Sehgal recommended Ghachar Ghochar by Vivek Shanbhag. John Williams recommended Approaching Eye Level by Vivian Gornick, and discussed Odd Woman and the City by Vivian Gornick, Ties by Domenico Starnone, and The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante. Greg Cowles discussed The Power Broker by Robert A. Caro and Changing My Mind: Occasional Essays by Zadie Smith.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Unwanted Advances
Unwanted Advances by Laura Kipnis is a critical examination of sexual paranoia, campus politics, and the shifting landscape of Title IX regulations at American universities.
Discussed“the first unwanted advances by Laura Kes and then the campus rape frenzy by Casey Johnson and Stuart Taylor Jr”
Where to get it
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Against Love
Against Love by Laura Kipnis is a provocative polemic that critically examines the institution of monogamy and the societal expectations surrounding long-term romantic relationships.
Discussed“she wrote a book called against love she also I think the subtitle of that book was a pmic”
Where to get it
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A Kids' Guide to America's First Ladies
Discussed“here's from a kid's guide to America's First Ladies First Ladies Like Pat Nixon and Betty Ford worked as models but Melania is the only one to have had a successful career and also the only one who posed nude at 5'11”
Where to get it
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Ivanka Trump
Discussed“here's a touching moment from Ivanka Trump a brand of her own ivanka's life was further turned upside down when at the age of 15 she transferred to Cho Rosemary Hall a boarding school in Connecticut Ivanka was not happy there she was cut off from her friends back in Manhattan”
Where to get it
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Ghachar Ghochar
Ghachar Ghochar is a striking, compact novel by Vivek Shanbhag that delves into the complex dynamics of a South Indian family experiencing a sudden and dramatic shift in their financial fortunes.
Recommended“but I do want to talk about a book I just finished and that I've written about in this week's oh it's the review is uh the essay is coming out in in this week's book review and it's a book called kater goer”
Where to get it
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Approaching Eye Level
Approaching Eye Level is a compelling essay collection by Vivian Gornick that explores urban life, feminism, and personal observation through the author's sharp, distinctive lens.
Recommended“she hasn't written a ton and I thought that I'd read all of them but there's this collection called approaching eye level which uh I took with me on a recent brief vacation and it's really great”
Where to get it
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Odd Woman and the City
Vivian Gornick's memoir Odd Woman and the City offers a sharp, observant look at urban life through the lens of walking and reflection in New York City.
Discussed“and she wrote about it a lot in her last Memoir uh the odd woman in the city which is another very good book and I thought that the whole book was going to be that kind of just riffing on walking around the streets of New York”
Where to get it
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Ties
Ties by Domenico Starnone is an intimate novel exploring the complex dynamics of family life, marital breakdown, and long-term commitments.
Discussed“the other one is something we talked about on the show recently Greg did a great interview with the author and translator which is a novel called ties by Domenico starnone”
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“it is apparently according to our reviewer Rachel dadio and Gregor grees in conversation with a novel by Elena fante called days of Abandonment and apparently again uh staron is married to the writer who is Elena fante”
Where to get it
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The Power Broker
The Power Broker by Robert A.
Discussed“well um I'm still of course reading the power broker but it's raining today and that's a book that's really literally too big to fit in my work Satchel”
Where to get it
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Changing My Mind: Occasional Essays
Discussed“the book that I have opened with great Delight U it's a book that I've read in pieces as they've appeared in other places but I had never um picked it up as a book in itself is Zade Smith's changing my mind occasional essays”
Where to get it
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The belly of Paris
The Belly of Paris by Émile Zola is a sweeping naturalistic novel depicting the vibrant, bustling world of the Parisian central markets during the Second Empire.
Discussed“um but I'm reading the belly of Paris by Emil zolah which is sort of part of my project that began with Le misera to actually finally read French books that I had been putting off”
Where to get it
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Germinal
Germinal by Émile Zola is a classic, gritty realist novel that portrays the harsh lives and grueling struggles of coal miners in nineteenth-century France during a major labor strike.
Discussed“the only other Zola that I've read is germinal and I loved that book so much because of its realism and the depiction of the coal miners”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (1) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“so one thing I do like about the translation which is by Mark klansky or about this Edition is that he also writes the introduction and klansky wrote the book Cod”