Episode · The Book Review · 2016-09-16
Maureen Dowd on The Book Review: books mentioned
Maureen Dowd on Clinton and Trump
Pamela Paul discussed The Year of Voting Dangerously: The Derangement of American Politics by Maureen Dowd, When in French by Lauren Collins, and Hamilton by Ron Chernow. Alexandra Alter discussed The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead, The association of small bombs by Karan Mahajan, Imagine Me Gone by Adam Haslett, Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson, The Portable Veblen by Elizabeth McKenzie, Nothing Ever Dies by Viet Thanh Nguyen, Blood in the water by Heather Ann Thompson and others, Booked by Kwame Alexander, Pax by Sara Pennypacker, The Sellout by Paul Beatty, Hot milk by Deborah Levy, Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh, All that man is by David Szalay, and Do not say we have nothing by Madeleine Thien. Greg Cowles discussed A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles, Here I Am by Jonathan Safran Foer, Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton, The Red Bandanna (Young Readers Adaptation) by Tom Rinaldi, Best. State. Ever by Dave Barry, Razor Girl by Carl Hiaasen, The Pigeon Tunnel by John le Carré, Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly, Yabo by Alexis De Veaux, and The lonely city by Olivia Laing. John Williams discussed Looking for The Stranger by Alice Kaplan, The Stranger, The Plague (Coles Notes) by Albert Camus, and THE PLAGUE by Albert Camus.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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The Year of Voting Dangerously: The Derangement of American Politics
The Year of Voting Dangerously: The Derangement of American Politics is a collection of columns chronicling the tumultuous 2016 presidential race and the political figures at its center.
Discussed“she'll be here to talk about all of that and her new book The Year of voting dangerously”
Where to get it
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When in French
When in French by Lauren Collins is a memoir exploring cross-cultural romance, language barriers, and adaptation as an American journalist navigates life and love in Paris.
Discussed“Lauren Collins explores this and other cross-cultural matters of the heart in her new book when in French what am I missing”
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“Coulson Whitehead was nominated for the underground rail world that was probably the least surprising name on the list this book has generated probably the most praise in his entire career and attention”
Where to get it
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The association of small bombs
The Association of Small Bombs by Karan Mahajan is a critically acclaimed novel that takes place in New Delhi and explores the aftermath of violence.
Discussed“in addition to Coulson Whitehead there was Karan mahajan's novel The Association of small bombs which was very well reviewed and that takes place in New Deli”
Where to get it
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Imagine Me Gone
Discussed“another book that was extremely well reviewed um that is on the list is Adam haslett's imagine me gone which is a very sort of sweeping novel that explores the effects of mental illness”
Where to get it
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Another Brooklyn
Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson is a lyrical coming-of-age novel set in 1970s Brooklyn, marking the acclaimed author's first adult novel in two decades.
Discussed“she's nominated in the adult category for another Brooklyn which is a Coming of Age story set in 1970s brookin and it's her first adult novel in 20 years”
Where to get it
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The Portable Veblen
Discussed“Elizabeth McKenzie's novel The portable Vin which has a friendly squirrel in it and I sort of have a soft spot for it for that that book was edited by Ed park at penguin press”
Where to get it
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Nothing Ever Dies
Discussed“so he's now nominated in the non-fiction category for his book which he has described as a kind of companion to that novel nothing ever dies Vietnam in the memory of War”
Where to get it
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Blood in the water
Blood in the Water by Heather Ann Thompson is an exhaustive historical investigation into the 1971 Attica prison uprising, its brutal suppression by law enforcement, and its enduring legal and social legacy.
Discussed“another book that got a lot of attention this year and the critics went wild over is Heather and Thompson's blood in the water which is her history of the Attica prison Uprising and its Legacy”
Where to get it
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Booked
Discussed“some of the nominees are kwami Alexander for his novel booked uh which is I believe a novel in verse”
Where to get it
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Pax
Pax by Sara Pennypacker is a moving middle-grade novel about a boy who attempts to reunite with his pet fox during a time of war.
Discussed“and Sarah Penny Packer's novel P which is about a boy who is trying to be reunited with his pet fox during World War I and it got tremendous reviews”
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“we did have one American the the sellout by Paul batty that was one of our 10 best at the book review last year and that's a sort of satirical novel about race”
Where to get it
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Hot milk
Hot Milk by Deborah Levy is a striking contemporary novel that explores complex familial relationships and personal identity.
Discussed“hot milk by Deborah Le is also on the list and that has gotten tremendous reviews”
Where to get it
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Eileen
Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh is a dark, provocative debut novel about a troubled young woman working in a juvenile detention facility who becomes entangled in a sinister disappearance.
Discussed“Essa M's novel Eileen is on the list and that is about a 24-year-old woman named eileene who was caring for her alcoholic father”
Where to get it
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All that man is
Discussed“so David saliz all that man is is a collection of nine short stories about the lives of different men who are at various points in their lives”
Where to get it
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Do not say we have nothing
Discussed“and finally mine tian's novel do not say we have nothing which follows a Chinese Canadian woman who is obsessed with her long deceased father is on the short list as well”
Where to get it
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A Gentleman in Moscow
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles is a celebrated historical novel that follows an aristocratic Russian count who is sentenced to spend the remainder of his life inside a luxury hotel by a Bolshevik tribunal.
Discussed“notably um AMR towels has a new spy novel out called a gentleman in Moscow new at number eight on the hard covered fiction list”
Where to get it
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Here I Am
Discussed“Jonathan saffron fo's divorce novel here I am uh makes its debut at number seven”
Where to get it
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Love Warrior
Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton is a deeply personal memoir chronicling the author's painful journey through marital betrayal, addiction, and the arduous process of rebuilding her life and identity.
Discussed“and uh Glenn Doyle Melton's new Memoir Love Warrior which is the new Oprah pick to pick out which phrases go with which book”
Where to get it
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The Red Bandanna (Young Readers Adaptation)
Discussed“well besides the um Melton Memoir U there is also um Tom renaldi's uh book looking at the equities Trader Wells Crowther um who really saved a lot of lives on 911 at the World Trade Center that book is called the red bandana”
Where to get it
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Best. State. Ever
Discussed“then Dave Barry has got a new book um called best state ever”
Where to get it
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Razor Girl
Discussed“it's a look at Florida I do something similar in my column with that book and Carl heon's Razer girl which is new at number two on the fiction list”
Where to get it
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The Pigeon Tunnel
John le Carré's memoir The Pigeon Tunnel offers a fascinating look into the renowned spy novelist's extraordinary life, blending personal anecdotes with reflections on espionage and storytelling.
Discussed“John L's Memoir the pigeon tunnel uh is new at number 10”
Where to get it
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Hidden Figures
Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly is a compelling historical nonfiction book that uncovers the vital contributions of African-American women mathematicians who played a crucial role at NASA during the space race.
Discussed“and Margot Lee shedly has a book called hidden figures uh that is a look at the scientists the um predominantly female African-American scientists”
Where to get it
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Looking for The Stranger
Discussed“well I only had time for work reading this week so um I have a review uh that is up online now of Alice kaplan's new book looking for the stranger Albert Kimu and the life of a literary classic”
Where to get it
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The Stranger, The Plague (Coles Notes)
The Stranger by Albert Camus is a foundational philosophical novel that explores themes of existentialism, absurdism, and alienation through the experiences of its protagonist, Meursault.
Discussed“and of course Kimu is uh in addition to the stranger being a really uh profound and influential book”
Where to get it
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THE PLAGUE
The Plague by Albert Camus is a classic existentialist novel that uses the allegorical setting of a city struck by a deadly epidemic to explore profound themes of human suffering, absurdism, collective responsibility, and resilience.
Discussed“well I'm always a fan of publishing history and so it was interesting and fun to learn about the reaction of readers that Koff the American publisher that uh was actually really eager to acquire the plague Kimo's uh you know Nazi allegory novel”
Where to get it
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Yabo
Discussed“I am moderating a panel this Sunday at the Brooklyn Book Festival um with Joyce Carol oats and Andre duus III and a writer named Alexis devau whom I had not heard of um but she published um really a lovely dreamlike novel with a small press out of Berkeley California called Redbone press the name of her novel is”
Where to get it
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The lonely city
Discussed“at the same time I've been doing some personal reading and it it makes a really nice Counterpoint to these novels um and that theme uh I've been reading Olivia Lang's book The Lonely city”
Where to get it
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Hamilton
Hamilton by Ron Chernow is a comprehensive and detailed biographical account of the life and times of founding father Alexander Hamilton, exploring his profound impact on American history.
Discussed“in Hamilton which I continue to read quite slowly um it's a big book it is a big book and when I tried to carry with me that the cover started to fray ever so slightly”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (7) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“one interesting name I thought was um vieten who won the pullit Sur prize for his novel The sympathizer”
“she says that the inspiration for this book was Michael gora's book A couple of years ago about Henry James's portrait of a lady”
“I reread parts of it for this review and I also reread some of two other books that I really love that are uh I think antecedents of it which are sarts nausea and dust's Notes from Underground”
“I reread parts of it for this review and I also reread some of two other books that I really love that are uh I think antecedents of it which are sarts nausea and dust's Notes from Underground”
“she had written an earlier uh kind of cultural study called uh the trip to Echo Springs uh which was a study of writers and alcoholism”
“and so it's um it's a book that reminds me a little bit of Katherine Schultz's being wrong in that it takes um you know a subject that is common to everybody”
“that kind of incredible social Mobility is a lot more rare today you know it's like what hillbilly elegy is about about you know just how unusual it is”