Episode · The Ezra Klein Show · 2025-09-19
Ezra Klein & Spencer Cox: books mentioned on The Ezra Klein Show
Spencer Cox Wants to Pull Our Politics Back From the Brink | The Ezra Klein Show
Spencer Cox recommended The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt, Our Biggest Fight by Frank H. McCourt and others, A Time to Build by Yuval Levin, American Covenant by Yuval Levin, and The Pursuit of Happiness by Jeffrey Rosen, and discussed Bowling Alone by Robert D. Putnam.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Bowling Alone
Bowling Alone by Robert D.
Discussed“when uh when Professor Putnham at Harvard produces a book writes a book called Bowling Alone.”
Where to get it
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The Anxious Generation
The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt is a prominent non-fiction book that explores the profound psychological impacts of smartphones and social media on youth mental health.
Recommended“who's who's written the kind of the pre-minent book the anxious generation I was talking to Jonathan well before anxious generation came out”
Where to get it
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Our Biggest Fight
Our Biggest Fight by Frank H.
Recommended“I believe there's a great book called our our biggest fight by uh by Frank McCort that I would recommend where they make a really interesting argument”
Where to get it
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A Time to Build
A Time to Build by Yuval Levin is a political science book that examines the decline of institutional duty and how modern citizens increasingly use public platforms for self-aggrandizement rather than upholding communal norms.
Recommended“He's written two books that I think are are the most important books. Um the first one was called A Time to Build.”
Where to get it
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American Covenant
American Covenant by Yuval Levin is a political science book that examines the United States Constitution and its role in structuring contemporary American governance and civic life.
Recommended“And then American Covenant was his latest one, which is kind of the answer to A Time to Build. American Covenant is about the Constitution”
Where to get it
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The Pursuit of Happiness
The Pursuit of Happiness by Jeffrey Rosen is an exploration of the ideological roots of happiness as envisioned by the American founders and the Declaration of Independence.
Recommended“The last one I I will mention is is one by uh by by Jeffrey Rosen and uh it's about the uh the Declaration of Independence is called the Pursuit of Happiness.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (1) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“In 2020, I published my first book, which is called Why We're Polarized.”